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Josh Howerton, a Southern Baptist pastor in the Dallas area, has landed a deal with Blaze Media to expand the reach of his podcast “Live Free.”<\/p>\n
Blaze Media<\/p>\n
An evangelical Dallas-area pastor has landed a deal with an influential conservative media company to expand the reach of his podcast.<\/p>\n
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Josh\u00a0Howerton<\/a>, senior pastor of Rockwall-based Lakepointe Church and host of the “Live Free” podcast, is joining the lineup of Glenn Beck\u2019s Blaze Media<\/a>. Howerton and the company announced the new partnership this month.<\/p>\n Howerton, who leads one of the largest Southern Baptist megachurch networks<\/a> in Texas, has emerged in recent years as a controversial leader in conservative Christian circles.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n In sermons and on his weekly podcast, Howerton explores scripture and biblical teachings, but frequently delves into politics and culture, including his support for President Donald Trump and the administration\u2019s mass deportation of migrants<\/a> and opposition to abortion and gay rights. Howerton leads a congregation of more than 20,000 at numerous locations across North Texas, including Dallas, Forney and Mesquite.<\/p>\n Related: Dallas-area megachurch pastor draws criticism online for wedding night ‘joke’<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Howerton did not respond Tuesday to a phone call or a message sent through his website. The 43-year-old pastor said on X last week that he looks forward to “telling everybody everywhere the good news of Jesus Christ” and applying “the whole word of God to the issues of the whole world.”<\/p>\n “Live Free” has more than 1 million subscribers on YouTube and is currently ranked 2nd in Apple Podcasts\u2019 religion and spirituality category and 39th overall.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Josh has built something rare: a podcast with genuine chart momentum and a growing audience that\u2019s actively looking for clarity on faith and culture,” said Tyler Cardon, CEO of Blaze Media. “‘Live Free’ fits naturally into our lineup, and we think our distribution can help Josh reach even more people hungry for the truth.”<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n FOR THE RECORD: Live Free will still live on our YouTube channel, Apple, Spotify etc and will NOT be behind a paywall.<\/p>\n TheBlaze is a distribution partner, will share the show with its audience! https:\/\/t.co\/NKGUDSJn4e<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Josh Howerton (@howertonjosh) August 12, 2026<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Details of the contract were not made available, and Blaze Media did not respond to an email seeking more information.<\/p>\n The company was founded in 2011\u00a0as TheBlaze\u00a0by Beck, a conservative media personality who previously worked for Fox News<\/a>. It became Blaze News in 2018 after merging with another media group.<\/p>\n Howerton appears a natural fit for the Irving-based company, whose podcast lineup includes several conservative commentators, including Beck, Allie Beth Stuckey<\/a> and Jason Whitlock.\u00a0<\/p>\n Howerton said on X his content will remain the same. On his podcast and on the pulpit, he often wades into issues of sex, marriage and relationships.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n\n