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Christianity Today

They say the Devil’s in the details, but when conspiracies captivate our imaginations, we often overlook the real devils walking among us.
From the creators of the hit podcast The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill comes a new show, Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, which takes you back to the Satanic Panic that gripped America in the 1980s and 90s.
This limited series explores how hysteria gripped parents and teens through cautionary tales like Go Ask Alice, influenced notorious criminal cases like the West Memphis Three, and catapulted the political agenda of the Moral Majority.
Join as we seek to understand how this wave of panic devastated innocent lives and diverted the church’s attention from the evil lurking in its own pews.

Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

In our final bonus episode, Mike Cosper and Rebekah Sebastian talk with exoneree, producer, author, podcaster, and advocate Amanda Knox.

Amanda was a 20-year-old American student in Perugia in 2007 when her roommate, Meredith Kercher, was murdered in the apartment they shared. Italian prosecutors quickly zeroed in on Amanda, casting her as the instigator of a lurid, senseless crime and claiming she pulled her then-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, into it. She and Raffaele were convicted in 2009, and she spent nearly four years in prison before a 2011 appeals court overturned the verdict. In 2015, Italy’s highest court fully exonerated them both. By then, another man , Rudy Guede, whose DNA and fingerprints were all over the scene, had been prosecuted and convicted.

In this conversation, Amanda reflects on how elements of the satanic panic and conspiratorial thinking shaped her case and how she understands that period of her life now. She offers candid insight into the themes we’ve explored throughout the series and the complicated dynamics in real stories often framed as “good vs. evil.” She also discusses the challenges of portraying victims in The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, the new Hulu scripted series she executive produced.

Learn more about Amanda’s work on her website: https://www.amandaknox.com/ 

We’re grateful for her time, insight, and generosity.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and review to help more people find the show. Thanks for listening.

Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is a production of Christianity Today.

Hosted and written by Mike Cosper 

Produced by Rebekah Sebastian, with production assistance by Dawn Adams 

Sound Design and Mix Engineer: TJ Hester Sound Design, 

Animation, and Video: Steve Scheidler 

Graphic Design: Nim Ben Reuven 

Music by Dirt Poor Robins 

Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper are the executive producers of CT Media Podcasts

Matt Stevens is our senior producer. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

BONUS: Amanda Knox on the Satanic Panic and Wrongful Convictions

In this bonus episode, Mike Cosper sits down with attorney and advocate Rachel Denhollander, the first woman to publicly accuse Larry Nassar of sexual abuse. Together, they discuss what it really costs to tell the truth, the devastating realities survivors face, and how the church can either protect the vulnerable, or fail them completely.

Denhollander offers a powerful perspective on justice, accountability, and the Christian community’s responsibility to confront both false narratives and the real evil within its walls.

We are grateful for Rachel Denhollander’s time, expertise, and contribution to this episode. 

Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is a production of Christianity Today.

Hosted and written by Mike Cosper 

Produced by Rebekah Sebastian, with production assistance by Dawn Adams 

Sound Design and Mix Engineer: TJ Hester Sound Design, 

Animation, and Video: Steve Scheidler 

Graphic Design: Nim Ben Reuven 

Music by Dirt Poor Robins 

Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper are the executive producers of CT Media Podcasts

Matt Stevens is our senior producer. 

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and review to help more people find the show. Thanks for listening. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

BONUS: Survivors & Abuse Continued - Rachel Denhollander on Faith and Accountability

Mike Cosper and Rebekah Sebastian sit down with Chris Lane, District Attorney of Floyd County, Indiana, and Matt Martens, a Washington, D.C. defense attorney and author of Reforming Criminal Justice: A Christian Proposal. 

Together, they unpack the tensions between prosecution and defense, the challenges created by systemic limitations, and the unique factors in the West Memphis 3 case that frustrated and bewildered so many of us. 

We’re grateful to Chris Lane and Matt Martens for joining us for this illuminating and generous conversation.

Please consider liking the DDBS Facebook page to keep up on all show news, livestreams and for conversations with other listeners. 

Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is a production of Christianity Today Hosted and written by Mike Cosper Produced by Rebekah Sebastian, with production assistance by Dawn Adams Sound Design and Mix Engineer: TJ Hester Sound Design, Animation, and Video: Steve Scheidler Graphic Design: Nim Ben Reuven Music by Dirt Poor Robins Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper are the executive producers of CT Media Podcasts, and Matt Stevens is our senior producer. 

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and review to help more people find the show. Thanks for listening. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

BONUS: Chris Lane and Matt Martens on the WM3 & Criminal Justice System

In this bonus episode of The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, Mike Cosper sits down with former Congressman Adam Kinzinger for an intimate and wide-ranging conversation about January 6th, conspiracy thinking in the church and in congress, and the price he paid for speaking truth to power.

Kinzinger shares what it was like to be inside the Capitol as the insurrection unfolded, and the spiritual deconstruction and political reckoning that followed. This conversation is a powerful reminder of how easily truth can be distorted when we mistake political victory for divine mandate.

We close with an excerpt from Kinzinger’s 2022 farewell address on the House floor. The full speech is linked below and well worth your time. Mike’s substack is also linked below.

Congressman Adam Kinzinger’s Farewell Speech to Congress

https://www.c-span.org/program/us-house-of-representatives/representative-adam-kinzinger-farewell-speech/621823

Amor Dei, Amor Mundo, Mike Cosper’s Substack

https://substack.com/@mikecosper

Please consider liking the DDBS Facebook page to keep up on all show news, livestreams and for conversations with other listeners.

Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is a production of Christianity Today Hosted and written by Mike Cosper Produced by Rebekah Sebastian, with production assistance by Dawn Adams Sound Design and Mix Engineer: TJ Hester Sound Design, Animation, and Video: Steve Scheidler Graphic Design: Nim Ben Reuven Music by Dirt Poor Robins Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper are the executive producers of CT Media Podcasts, and Matt Stevens is our senior producer. 

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and review to help more people find the show. Thanks for listening. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

BONUS: Adam Kinzinger on January 6 & Conspiracy Thinking

In this bonus episode of Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, we explore one of the most difficult and essential topics raised in season 1: abuse.

Joined by guests Colleen Ramser and Mary DeMuth, we discuss the complexities of trauma, memory, and belief, especially when it comes to hearing and honoring the stories of survivors. From systemic failures in churches to the personal weight of silence and shame, this conversation is both heavy and hopeful.

You’ll also find links below to the important work and resources offered by our guests.

Mary DeMuth

https://www.marydemuth.com/ 

wetoo.org 

Colleen Ramser

https://colleenramser.com/

Please consider liking the DDBS Facebook page to keep up on all show news, livestreams, and conversations with other listeners.

Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is a production of Christianity Today 

Hosted and written by Mike Cosper 

Produced by Rebekah Sebastian, with production assistance by Dawn Adams 

Sound Design and Mix Engineer: TJ Hester 

Sound Design, Animation, and Video: Steve Scheidler 

Graphic Design: Nim Ben Reuven 

Music by Dirt Poor Robins 

Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper are the executive producers of CT Media Podcasts, and Matt Stevens is our senior producer. 

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and review to help more people find the show. Thanks for listening. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

BONUS: What Does It Mean to Believe Survivors? In Conversation with Mary DeMuth and Colleen Ramser

Season One may be wrapped—but the story isn’t over.

In this bonus episode of The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, we bring you a dynamic conversation between two returning guests—Matthew D. Taylor
and Robert Downen—who unpack the lingering impact of the Satanic Panic and the modern evangelical movement, including the events of January 6, 2021.

You’ll also hear from a DDBS from a listener in Australia, who recounts the chilling true story of a fatal exorcism that took place in rural Australia in 1993.

And finally, we take a moment to honor the life and legacy of Duane Rollins, a pivotal voice in exposing abuse within the Southern Baptist
Convention.

Join the DDBS Facebook group to be part of the group and catch our next livestream.

 We will be back in one week with an all-new episode. 

 Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is a production of Christianity Today

Hosted and written by Mike Cosper

Produced by Rebekah Sebastian, with production assistance by
Dawn Adams

Sound Design and Mix Engineer: TJ Hester

Sound Design, Animation, and Video: Steve Scheidler

Graphic Design: Nim Ben Reuven

Music by Dirt Poor Robins

Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper are the executive producers of
CT Media Podcasts, and Matt Stevens is our senior producer.

 

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and
review to help more people find the show. Thanks for listening.

 Can’t wait for the next episode? Join host Mike Cosper for a livestream every other Monday on the CT YouTube channel or the Devil and the
Deep Blue Sea Facebook page. 

 Join our Facebook group for deeper conversations and
behind-the-scenes content.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

BONUS: Livestream Q&A with Mike Cosper, Matthew D. Taylor, and Robert Downen

Stay tuned to the end for news from Mike Cosper and Rebekah Sebastian on upcoming Bonus episodes!

In the finale of Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, we try to do the impossible: tie the threads together. From criminal cases to political crusades, we retrace the lines between fear, faith, and power that shaped the Satanic Panic—and continue influencing our world today.

Mike Cosper and Rebekah Sebastian open with a game that highlights just how absurd things got, then dive into the deeper questions: Why did the Satanic Panic take hold? And how does it compare to modern conspiracies like Pizzagate, QAnon, and the January 6 insurrection?

Spoiler: The panic didn’t entirely vanish—it morphed into a tool for grievance, repurposed by conspiracy theorists to target their perceived enemies.

Bonus episodes are still to come, so stay subscribed. And if this series made you think, feel, or question, share it with a friend.

Resources:

 
The Roys Report: “James Robison Under Fire for Discrepancies Regarding Involvement with Robert Morris in 1980s” by Julie Roys

 
Mike Rothschild, author, Jewish Space Lasers

 
Matthew D. Taylor, senior Christian scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies

 
Mike Warnke Tribunal Board hearing

 
West Memphis Three case

Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is a production of Christianity Today

Hosted and written by Mike Cosper

Produced by Rebekah Sebastian, with production assistance by Dawn Adams

Sound Design and Mix Engineer: TJ Hester

Sound Design, Animation, and Video: Steve Scheidler

Graphic Design: Nim Ben Reuven

Music by Dirt Poor Robins

Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper are the executive producers of CT Media Podcasts, and Matt Stevens is our senior producer.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and review to help more people find the show. Thanks for listening.

Can’t wait for the next episode? Join host Mike Cosper for a livestream every other Monday on the CT YouTube channel or the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea Facebook page. 

Join our Facebook group for deeper conversations and behind-the-scenes content.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Forgetting What Happened

As we approach the end of the series, we learn that the Satanic Panic didn’t end with a bang. It was more of a slow fade-out. The Religious Right had secured major political and cultural victories. Evangelicals no longer needed Satan to galvanize their movement—their influence was cemented. Fear of the Devil simply became less useful. 

Today’s episode marks a turning point in the series. Join us as we revisit the concept of memory—this time with two experts who spent their careers trying to properly understand it. Retired FBI agent Kenneth Lanning, one of the earliest skeptics inside law enforcement during the Satanic Panic, reveals how disturbing allegations collapsed under the weight of their own implausibility. 

Elizabeth Loftus, renowned cognitive psychologist and professor, has shown how easily false memories can be implanted, reshaped, and believed with unwavering conviction. Together, these two experts help us begin to answer a central question of this season: How did the Satanic Panic end? And what are the consequences of believing, prosecuting, and punishing based on memory alone?

Resources:

 
Kenneth Lanning, retired FBI agent

 
Elizabeth Loftus, PhD, psychologist and educator

Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is a production of Christianity Today

Hosted and written by Mike Cosper

Produced by Rebekah Sebastian, with production assistance by Dawn Adams

Sound Design and Mix Engineer: TJ Hester

Sound Design, Animation, and Video: Steve Scheidler

Graphic Design: Nim Ben Reuven

Music by Dirt Poor Robins

Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper are the executive producers of CT Media Podcasts, and Matt Stevens is our senior producer.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and review to help more people find the show. Thanks for listening.

Can’t wait for the next episode? Join host Mike Cosper for a livestream every other Monday on the CT YouTube channel or the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea Facebook page. 

Join our Facebook group for deeper conversations and behind-the-scenes content.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Spell Breaks

Remember Mike Warnke, the world’s #1 Christian comedian from Episode 3? We’ll revisit his story with a little fact-checking, but first, we introduce you to another infamous figure of the Satanic Panic: Lauren Stratford. Her memoir, Satan’s Underground, recounted her harrowing experience with satanic ritual abuse in vivid, gruesome detail—capturing the imagination of millions. However, years after her book became a bestseller, her story was thoroughly debunked as a complete fabrication. But Lauren wasn't done. She resurfaced with a new name and a whole new grift.

As we unpack her rise and fall, we’ll also explore the broader cultural forces at play during the Satanic Panic. From the rise of daycare culture sparking anxieties around working mothers to the growing awareness of child sexual abuse, we examine how these societal fears were manipulated by the media to create and spread exaggerated, harmful narratives.

Resources:

Dr. Laura Robinson, New Testament Scholar, Butler University

Satan’s Sideshow: The True Lauren Stratford Story by By Bob & Gretchen Passantino and Jon Trott

Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is a production of Christianity Today
Hosted and written by Mike Cosper
Produced by Rebekah Sebastian, with production assistance by Dawn Adams
Sound Design and Mix Engineer: TJ Hester
Sound Design, Animation, and Video: Steve Scheidler
Graphic Design: Nim Ben Reuven
Music by Dirt Poor Robins
Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper are the executive producers of CT Media Podcasts, and Matt Stevens is our senior producer.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and review to help more people find the show. Thanks for listening.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Joke's On Us

The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea team is on spring break, so we’re taking this opportunity to bring you something a little different. In this interview with show creator and host Mike Cosper, we explore how the ripple effects of the Satanic Panic still echo today. You’ll also learn the story behind the series title—and Mike answers a burning question: Has the church ever truly reckoned with its role in the panic?
﻿
Then, stick around for a special bonus: some of our favorite moments from the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea livestreams, where we go off-script and deeper into the story with special guests and listeners like you.
Join the DDBS Facebook group to be part of the group and catch our next livestream.

We will be back in one week with an all-new episode. 

Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is a production of Christianity Today
Hosted and written by Mike Cosper
Produced by Rebekah Sebastian, with production assistance by Dawn Adams
Sound Design and Mix Engineer: TJ Hester
Sound Design, Animation, and Video: Steve Scheidler
Graphic Design: Nim Ben Reuven
Music by Dirt Poor Robins
Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper are the executive producers of CT Media Podcasts, and Matt Stevens is our senior producer.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and review to help more people find the show. Thanks for listening.

Can’t wait for the next episode? Join host Mike Cosper for a livestream every other Monday on the CT YouTube channel or the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea Facebook page. 

Join our Facebook group for deeper conversations and behind-the-scenes content.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

BONUS: What Does It Mean to Believe Survivors? In Conversation with Mary DeMuth and Colleen Ramser

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