Independent American religious philosopher and artist. Now publicly addressed as Shawn the Baptist, Shawn is host of Heart of the Matter, and founder of Yeshuans and A United Front. Known for his uncompromising commitment to seeking God directly - outside institutional religion, hierarchy, or authority.
For more than three decades, dedicated to studying the biblical record independently and irrespective of any tradition, Shawn has created over 10,000 hours worth of teachings, shows, diagrams, books, and art designed to provoke thought, raise questions, and help individuals cultivate a personal, direct relationship with the Spirit of Christ for themselves outside of religion.
Born 1961 in Whittier, California. Raised in Huntington Beach. Fourth of six children. Raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Served a full-time mission in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1982 — 1984. Stockbroker, 1991 — 2001. In 1997, a radical born-again experience led to coining the term “Born-Again Mormon.” Asked for excommunication from the LDS church in 2001. Completed Calvary Chapel School of Ministry under Chuck Smith in 2003.
Beginning in 2006, hosted Heart of the Matter on KTMW TV20 — a live call-in show addressing Mormonism and Biblical Christianity. Taught verse-by-verse through the entire Apostolic Record every Sunday at C.A.M.P.U.S. (Christian Anarchists Meeting Prayerfully To Understand Scripture). In 2023 founded The Great News Network / Yeshuans. In 2026, travels nationally as Shawn the Baptist with one message: Yeshua accepts all.
McCraney’s perspective posits that Christianity’s anticipated Second Coming previously occurred around 70 C.E. at the Siege of Jerusalem — that Jesus was born, sacrificed, resurrected, and returned a generation later to rescue the faithful from the Destruction of Jerusalem. He teaches that Sin, Death, Satan, and Hell are fulfilled and done away with, leaving individuals in a new ecclesiological state that rejects all claims to institutional authority in God’s name.
McCraney proposes that God no longer relates to individuals through law, but dwells in individuals — adapting to their specific circumstance, culture, religion or lack of religion. The single gauge of one’s relationship with God is the extent of agape love enacted — selfless, sacrificial, unconditional. This relationship cannot be determined by other individuals or institutions.
McCraney understands God as a “perfect plural” — part masculine, part feminine, a “singular plural.” He rejects classical Trinitarianism as a fatal error delivered by the Council of Nicaea, teaching instead that the Spirit is God’s life-giving breath, Yeshua was God’s logos made flesh — both expressions of God rather than distinct co-equal beings. He teaches the tetragrammaton is pronounced YAHAVAH.
Shawn's thirty years of independent research is now publicly and freely available as an app with a custom search engine. Ask it anything
Søren Kierkegaard · Hermann Hesse · Leo Tolstoy · Fyodor Dostoevsky · Eric Hoffer · Victor Frankl · Rollo May · Friedrich Nietzsche · Robert M. Pirsig · Jean-Paul Sartre · J. Vernon McGee · Sigmund Freud · René Descartes · Ayn Rand · Exene Cervenka · Bad Religion · Tool · Puscifer · Mike Patton · Devo