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Aamer, Elle and Sipho explore spiritually motivated crime and conflict.
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26. Ponzi in paradise: the divine right of kings
Deep in the jungles of Bougainville, a man crowned himself king, founded a bank with no money, and promised salvation through spreadsheets. Meet Noah Musingku: prophet, monarch, financial engineer…
25. The hostage honeymoon — how to out-Taliban the Taliban
When Joshua Boyle and Caitlan Coleman set out on a backpacking trip through Afghanistan, they told friends it was a spiritual journey. What followed was one of the strangest hostage sagas of the 21st…
24. Indiana Jonesing: Raiders of the Lost Artifacts
In this episode, we dig into the bizarre saga of American evangelicals, stolen artifacts from Iraq, and a DIY biblical empire-building project gone very, very wrong. Then, some riffing on current…
23. The almighty dollar: how church became a $1.42T business
We’re joined by Nathan Apffel, filmmaker of the upcoming Amazon docuseries The Religion Business. In exposing the dark underbelly of America’s wealthiest preachers, he’s faced arrest, a shattered…
22. Spells and Soccer: The Secret Magic of African Football
In this episode of Hell to Pay, Sipho and Elle explore the fascinating world where football and spirituality collide. From Paul Pogba’s alleged consultation with a marabout, to Egypt’s sacrificial…
S1E21 21. Gospel of the Gun: the story of church-run organized crime
In the north of Rio de Janeiro, a drug lord and evangelical pastor has dominion over a series of favelas known as the ‘Israel Complex’. The streets are clean and building walls are painted with…
S1E20 20. Fowl play: How Chick-fil-A's anti-LGBT owners are flocking to Hollywood
We’re joined by our friend Conner from the Propagandos podcast to talk about how the famously hardcore evangelical, anti-LGBT Chick-Fil-A empire has invested in an original content app and Trilith…
S1E19 19. White Widow, black ops
On July 7, 2005, at 8:49 AM, three bombs detonated in three separate trains in the London Underground. How did Samantha Lewthwaite, the British wife of one of the suspects known as the White Widow,…
S1E18 18. The prosperity gospel, or how jet fuel can’t melt golden calves
From 19th-century mentalists to multi-millionaires, we trace how a fringe theology promising health and wealth became a global juggernaut among evangelical Christians. Support us by signing up for…
S1E17 17. Public enemies: the free masked men of Saudi Arabia
Aamer takes us inside the Saudi social media phenomenon of 'free masked men' — anonymous videos complaining about declining living standards and calling for the head of Crown Prince Mohammed bin…
S1E16 16. Head injuries and hellfire: a brief history of Christian Zionism
Recorded prior to the United States bombing Iran, in this episode Elle and Aamer discuss the history behind why American Christians have become so obsessed with defending the state of Israel — no…
S1E15 15. Opus Dei & Opus Night: the life and crimes of the bizarre Catholic sect
Aamer and Elle are joined by journalist Gareth Gore, author of Opus, an expose on Opus Dei — a secretive, ultra-conservative Catholic sect — and its long history of cosying up to dictators, human…
S1E14 14. Reactionary nihilism: Katherine Stewart on the modern religious right
Reactionary nihilism, ideological world building, and kitty litters in classrooms: in this episode, journalist and author Katherine Stewart takes us inside the power center of American conservatives.…
S1E13 13. The siege of Glory Mountain: the preacher, the president, and the FBI
Why did Apollo Quiboloy, a charismatic preacher who claimed he could stop earthquakes by yelling at them, and with close ties to the former president and his daughter, the current vice president —…
S1E12 12. Shepherd Bushiri – the fugitive pastor
Episode Description: In this episode of Hell to Pay, Sipho Hlongwane and Elle Hardy are joined by journalist and author Pontsho Pilane to unravel the rise — and flight — of Shepherd Bushiri, the…
S1E11 11. The Port Said massacre and the death of the Egyptian Spring
Suppose you are a fan of Cairo’s Al-Ahly football club. Your team, the most successful club in the world in terms of trophies won, but currently sits second in the league table, one point behind…
S1E10 10. Pistols, a Bible and chocolate cake: the bizarre story behind Iran-Contra
In May 1986, two of President Ronald Reagan’s National Security Council advisors, Oliver North and Robert “Bud” McFarlane touched down in Tehran on a secret diplomatic mission. The event blew open…
S1E9 9. The real story behind the anti-abortion movement
After Roe v Wade legalized abortion in the United States in 1973, evangelicals have made it one of the most important conservative issues.At first, however, evangelicals supported the decision for a…
S1E8 8. The fall of Apartheid and South Africa's satanic panic
Teenagers, rock music, pentagrams... and a country on the brink of collapse. In this episode, we dig into one of the strangest moral panics in South African history — when fears of Satanism swept…
S1E7 7. Alice in Ultraland Pt 2: the mysterious death of a CIA scientist
United States Army Biological Warfare Laboratories chemist Frank Olson was found dead in suspicious circumstances after being covertly dosed with LSD. Just how deep does knowledge of his death go?…
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Hell to Pay has published 26 episodes since March 2025, covering topics in History.
Hell to Pay is currently dormant with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 48m.
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