Part One: TB Joshua: The Evangelical Pastor Who Built His Own Hell | BEHIND THE BASTARDS 

When I was in treatment for cancer one of the weirdest things to me was the way my oncologists would get very cautious about laying out a suggested treatment plan. They’d explain the suggestion for me and ask my opinion. Over and over I’d just look at them and say “I didn’t go to med school and know nothing about cancer treatment. Tell me what your expert opinion is and I’ll do that.” And it BLEW THEIR MINDS. They apparently almost never get that response. Which is fucking insane to me.

Everyone already calls me “Little Bastard” so I can definitely acclimate.

As the sickest man in podcasting, does that mean Robert knows how to skateboard?

I think we should be called The Bastard Children

I suppose I’d rather be a “little bastard” than a “little behind”.

Hearing you describe the demon fights is reminding me of Bordello of Blood, with the pastor fighting demons with his guitar. We have our fair share of that nonsense in the US as well.

The mention of a Miracle Crime Unit reminds me of an episode of Leverage where the gang fakes a miracle, and then halfway through a complication arises when the Catholic Church actually has an investigation team to authenticate miracles of Catholic churches. So yeah, I'd watch the hell out of a show where Gods are real, but there's still hucksters, so you have people investigating "IS this a miracle?"

Have met John Lithgow, can confirm he's an amazing human being. Side note: I wish that, during this podcast, you could just hear Robert cutting up lines of Theraflu. Not ACTUALLY doing them, but damn it would have been hilarious.

I got an ad for an audio bible app before this episode 👍🏻

All of us have a little bastard inside us deep down

Some of my former in-laws were into TB Joshua and watched his TV channel sometimes. Based on my narrow sample of his British fans, they were mostly working-class and either Black or from multicultural communities, so I don't know that characterising them as attracted by some element of exoticism in his grift is entirely accurate. I think it was more that, despite not being the most fluent English speaker, he was extremely charismatic and his form of ministry was one familiar to Christians from the African and Caribbean diaspora communities. I'd expect that a lot of his white supporters were probably people who had become involved with African-style Evangelical churches through Black friends and neighbours (i.e. ordinary, genuinely anti-racist people who just happened to see something inspiring in his brand of religion), which makes the way he treated some of them just that little bit more repulsive. I can't speak to his South African audience, as that's a whole other insane dynamic, obviously. TB Joshua wasn't even the most overtly frightening of the preachers my former in-laws used to engage with. There was one Kenyan guy called Gilbert Deya. His church was apparently so bizarre and cult-like that even very devout evangelicals like my ex's family decided they were crazy and bailed after a short period of attending. He apparently constantly ranted about demons and serpents possessing people, and got his congregation to gamble their savings, claiming that God had promised them miraculous winnings. He's subsequently been accused (but never convicted) of some truly heinous stuff, including kidnapping babies from Kenya and trafficking them to the UK to set up fake fertility miracles.

Mostly unrelated but I would love to hear a series on Hulk Hogan one day. I know he was covered a bit in the Vince McMahon episodes, but I would love to hear one about him. He is an absolutely insane liar and the wrestling business as a whole is completely bananas. Even if you don't I'll still keep listening and being a big ole Stan about the show ❤

Ooh yeah robert do some theraflu hot rails you'll be feeling better in no time!

THANK YOU for reminding me about Jon Lithgow's role in Buckaroo Banzai, absolute legend

Finishing up this ep... A miracle removed a reply I left earlier. Praise Temu!

As an Oklahoman who is besties with a Nigerian, can confirm 🤭

just found you guys 2 days ago. Cant wait for this episode!

For your Behind the Pastors needs I'd like to recommend the Belief It Or Not and Fundie Fridays channels.

I remember in the 00s when I'd wake up early on weekends to watch Saturday Disney or Robot Wars or on holidays to watch Cheese TV, if I was too early it'd invariably either by an American version of this con where a faith healer would pull people out of wheelchairs then push them over and they'd get up, or yoga. As a non-religious child, I had no use for either of these things, so I would impatiently wait for them to be over and resenting these stupid adults that were stealing my cartoon time from me (as I saw it at the time).

BBC Africa did an amazing expose on TB Joshua that's available on RU-vid.

Bad boys, bad boys, watcha gonna do... MIRACLE POLICE, SEARCH WARRANT

Balogun is a title of the Yoruba language of Nigeria, meaning "Warlord" or roughly translated to "meet at war". However, I would like to point out how similar it sounds to the Russian word "Balagan" meaning a circus tent or a modular caravan. It was now adopted in the Hebrew language to colloquial mean "disorder, mess"

As the host of the Naked Pentecostalism podcast, I approve of episodes like this that educate people on the dangers of extremist groups such as pentecostals.

Nobody ever suspected I was a bastard when *I* was covered in blood. The blood of the lamb, that is. Not Jesus. Just a lamb.

TB Joshua's mom's obstetrician: let him cook

sorry you're not feeling well, being sick sucks. also im early!

Robert needs to make that rasping cackle the *official laugh* of BTB!

You know you're getting old when you're older than one of Robert's bastards.

I'm lost. Wasn't there supposed to be more Bobby Lee and Lost Cause?

“I’m the boss’s boss.” -Snake Man.

Start writing the episode about Diddy now Robert!

Theraflu (preferably the lemon flavor in boiling water), 2oz of bourbon (I usually use buffalo trace), a pinch of ground clove and nutmeg, a little slice of fresh ginger and a cinnamon stick stirrer. Theraflu hot toddy's are god's own flu remedy.

Robert needs to cover the Somoza dynasty at some point.

I got curious and looked up this TB Joshua guy and the first thing I thought was "oh good, he's dead"

Love from a SirSic and Vaush fan!

I live for Sophie's exasperation. XD

BTB is much better once you know what Robert looks like ngl

Snake handling is hilarious becuase its like oh so you're flexing that you can hold the image of satan and it won't bite you? doesn't that mean satans like you though?

Her name is "Bouncy"

The second best season of Dexter* The barrel girl season was the best.

The fact that Robert says NSAIDs by pronouncing each letter scans -real weird-

Have y'all ever stepped back a moment and considered that maybe the real bastards were the friends we made along the way?

Not only have there been snake handling pastors who have died from snake bites. But there have been snake handling pastors who die of a snake bite. Who's son then goes on to be snake handling pastors, that dies of a snake bite. "Pastors", not "pastor", adding an "s" at the end of the word matters.

Might have kept going to church if there were live "demon" fights.

"who's selling those buckets:" like literally every right wing preacher type and doomer

You gotta do a video, about Ilham Aliyev, an oil nation dictator, thatis currency doing war crimes

he'll only talk to chris sabian

What about..."Saddamites"

Antiretrovirals* please please please you're saying it wrong too many times and it hurts

I want y'all to know that the "Miracle Product/Service that would cure all my illnesses" that was advertised to me was Kona Big Wave beer.