I talked with Becky Garrison about her new book Gaslighting for God in this 2 part conversation.
In the first hour we get into spiritual narcissism, not as an abstract idea but as something that shapes real communities and does real damage. We talk about MAGA as a kind of cult identity, Trump as a case study in personality-driven power, and how prosperity gospel culture helped prepare the ground for all of it. We also get into religious trauma and why, at least for me, institutional Christianity isn’t something that can be fixed from the inside. And we don’t let progressive spaces off the hook either. The same patterns show up there too, just with different language.
In the second hour we stop diagnosing and start asking what now. Becky talks about why she’s still hopeful in spite of everything, and we get into the limits of satire in a culture that already feels like parody. We talk about the collapse of celebrity-driven leadership, the exhaustion people feel with national politics, and why real change may be happening in smaller, local, less visible ways. It’s less about movements and more about relationships. Less about influence and more about staying human.
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Since moving to the Pacific Northwest in 2014, Becky Garrison has been covering this region's craft culture including food, beer, wine, spirits, cider, coffee, and cannabis/CBD, as well as the regional festival scene, and the rise of secular spiritual communities.
Her ninth book, Gaslighting for God: A Satirical Guidebook for Spotting Spiritual Narcissists was released by Lake Drive Books on January 27, 2026. With this book Garrison hopes to arm us all with a handy guide to identify spiritual narcissism in our midst (and not just the famous ones), as well as obtain the tools to not only survive but thrive when confronting these destructive energies.
During her tenure as professional Christian author (1994-2010), she penned seven books including Red and Blue God, Black and Blue Church (Jossey Bass, PW starred review), as well as contributing work to eleven other books. In addition, she served as the Senior Contributing Editor for The Wittenburg Door, the nation's oldest religious satire magazine for over a dozen years. Currently, she servs on their board of directors and contribute to the Door's substack. Also, she writes articles pertaining to spiritual health and wellness for Spirituality & Health, as well as infrequent reflections on church & state separation and spiritual narcissism for outlets like Yale Divinity School's Reflections magazine, Only Sky Media, Religion Dispatches, and the Women in Theology blog.
Her latest release Distilled in Washington: A History (The History Press, 2024) marks her shift from covering the Holy Spirit to distilled spirits. Garrison's recent writing credits on the PNW craft culture include work for The Alcohol Professor, Beverage Master, Cidercraft, Edible Seattle, The Grapevine Magazine, Northwest Travel & Life, Paste Magazine, and SIP Magazine.
When she is not writing on her iPad or frequenting tasting rooms and brewpubs, Garrison can be found camping, hiking, kayaking, flyfishing, and savoring the PNW festival and music scene. Follow her travels at her Facebook Author page or Instagram account.