Forgetting What Happened

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