I Walked Away From God for Decades. Here's What Brought Me Back | Mike Drop Newsroom

MIKE DROP NEWSROOM | 04 OCTOBER 2026

A long one for Sunday. There's no Wall Street Journal today, so Mike covers the New York Times and then shares the story many of you asked for: his path back to Christ.

He starts by setting the record straight. After hearing from viewers, Mike walks back his comments on the Cornell case. He says he was guilty of the same rush to judgment he warns against, and he'll wait for the facts. He also shares what viewers in France told him the coverage of the riots there is missing.

The headlines: protesters in canoes outside Chief Justice John Roberts' home in Maine. AIPAC has raised $233 million for the midterms. A report says President Trump directed $20 million in taxpayer money toward TV ads. Binance founder Changpeng Zhao's new role advising governments on crypto after his pardon, and his company's business ties to World Liberty Financial. And a Times opinion piece asking whether Democrats can win back religious voters.

Mike's take: protest all you want where officials work, but leave their homes and families alone. He thinks any PAC tied to a foreign country, whichever country it is, shouldn't have a role in U.S. elections. Taxpayer money shouldn't fund ads praising any president. And no one in office should profit from policy they control, period. He also challenges fellow Christians to judge less and show more grace.

Then the story: a Lutheran upbringing, a faith that fell apart through SEAL deployments, war and fatherhood, and decades of walking away. Then came the faithful men who appeared on the podcast, the week Charlie Kirk was killed, an unplanned Sunday at church that his kids shared without knowing it, and how he finally made peace with the question of free will.

Your turn. Should protests at officials' homes be off-limits? Should foreign-focused PACs be banned? And if you've walked away from faith or found your way back, what made the difference? Tell us in the comments, and as Mike asks, be kind to one another.

Timestamps

0:00 Happy Sunday: a long one

0:50 Mike walks back his Cornell comments

2:55 What viewers in France say the coverage is missing

5:45 Protesters outside Chief Justice Roberts' home

8:20 AIPAC money in the midterms

10:25 Should foreign-focused PACs be banned?

12:05 Taxpayer-funded ads praising Trump

14:10 A quick detour through Arts and Styles

15:00 The Binance founder's pardon

16:55 World Liberty Financial and conflicts of interest

19:35 Mike's honest questions about crypto

23:05 Can Democrats win back the faithful?

24:35 Judgment, grace and how Christians treat others

28:20 Mike's three morning books

29:35 Mike's path back to Christ

30:50 How deployments shook his faith

34:10 War, fatherhood and the free will question

36:15 Decades away from faith

37:00 The faithful men who came on the podcast

39:10 The day Charlie Kirk was shot

41:15 Walking into church

43:20 The call with his kids

47:55 How the free will question finally made sense

52:30 A story from an underground church in Iraq

56:15 A resurgence of faith

57:30 Closing prayer

Former Navy SEAL Mike Ritland reads the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times so you don't have to. No cable news spin, no recycled talking points, just the actual front pages and a straight take on what they mean for you.

On Mike Drop Newsroom, Mike picks the day's biggest headlines, compares how two of the country's largest papers cover them, and says what he thinks. That covers everything from AI and national security to the economy, foreign policy and the stories cable TV skips. He's not here to push a party line. As Mike puts it, if you want to put a label on him, he's an American who wants to see America succeed.

Every episode ends with a question for you. Tell us where you land in the comments, because Mike reads them and your answers shape what we cover next. Subscribe so you don't miss a morning.