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Curiously with Ericka Graham

Jonathan Merritt on Compassion, Creativity, and Coming Out

In this episode, Ericka sits down with Jonathan Merritt as he talks about growing-up as the son of a Megachurch pastor while being gay. He recounts the harrowing experience of being publicly outed and how these early experiences shaped his life today. Jonathan discusses how difficult it is to trust again after trust has been broken, and he also shares how his communication and preaching styles often place him as a person struggling in his stories—not as the hero. When Jonathan creates he often has his audience in mind, and from this interview it is clear that he is someone who lives his life honestly so that others might have the courage to do the same.
Broadcast on:
17 Apr 2025

In this episode, Ericka sits down with Jonathan Merritt as he talks about growing-up as the son of a Megachurch pastor while being gay. He recounts the harrowing experience of being publicly outed and how these early experiences shaped his life today. Jonathan discusses how difficult it is to trust again after trust has been broken, and he also shares how his communication and preaching styles often place him as a person struggling in his stories—not as the hero. When Jonathan creates he often has his audience in mind, and from this interview it is clear that he is someone who lives his life honestly so that others might have the courage to do the same.

 

 

More about Jonathan Merritt:

Jonathan Merritt is the author of several critically-acclaimed books, including Learning to Speak God from Scratch: Why Sacred Words are Vanishing - and How We Can Revive Them, named “Book of the Year” by the Englewood Review of Books. He is an award-winning contributor for The Atlantic, a contributing editor for The Week, and a regular columnist for Religion News Service. He has published more than 3000 articles in outlets such as The New York Times, USA Today, Buzzfeed, The Washington Post, The Daily Beast and Christianity Today.

In addition to the written word, Jonathan regularly contributes commentary to television, print, and radio news outlets. He has been interviewed by ABC World News, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, NPR, PBS, and CBS’ “60 Minutes.” Jonathan holds a Master of Divinity and a Master of Theology and is the recipient of the Wilbur Award for excellence in journalism, and the Religion News Association’s columnist of the year award.


 

Show Note Links:
 

Books:  https://www.jonathanmerritt.com/writing

 

Instagram:  http://instagram.com/jonathan_merritt

In this episode, Ericka sits down with Jonathan Merritt as he talks about growing-up as the son of a Megachurch pastor while being gay. He recounts the harrowing experience of being publicly outed and how these early experiences shaped his life today. Jonathan discusses how difficult it is to trust again after trust has been broken, and he also shares how his communication and preaching styles often place him as a person struggling in his stories—not as the hero. When Jonathan creates he often has his audience in mind, and from this interview it is clear that he is someone who lives his life honestly so that others might have the courage to do the same.