#EmptyThePews (Spiritual Abuse x Deconstruction Movement) with Chrissy Stroop

*Chrissy has since transitioned since this episode and the description has been updated to reflect it.
Chrissy Stroop, PhD created the #EmptyThePews Movement to ask Evangelicals to examine the fruits of their religion and walk away from its grip. Chrissy joins Brady and Chuck on this episode of The Life After, focusing on the community of ex-evangelicals, bound together through the internet.
Chrissy discusses the history of how abortion became the foundation of religious right-wing politics, how her degree in Russian history has made her a unique expert in these unpredictable political times, and Chrissy shares her heart-breaking story of spiritual abuse. You can find Chrissy’s blog, Not Your Mission Field, at cstroop.com. She is a common guest and contributor to our friends, the #Exvangelical community.
 
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Prey (Consent x #ChurchToo) with Kyla Bauer and Jamie Lee Finch

TW: This episode contains stories of sexual, physical, and spiritual abuse (not in great detail).
The episode that kept growing! What started as a mini-project to release while Chuck worked on a more complex episode kept putting itself in our view as the news of sexual predators poured out. Much of the world has a problem knowing, defining, and respecting consent. Women, who were once made to feel powerless, have proven their predators wrong by coming forward while others, for a wide spectrum of reasons, remain silent. We speak with one of our favorite guests, Jamie Lee Finch, about consent, desire for power that leads to abuse, and sexual ethics.
Listener Kyla Bauer ends the episode with a powerful story of how her family did what was “right” in the eyes of the Bible, but it led them right back into the cycle of abuse.
To learn more about Jamie’s work, follow her on Twitter, @jamieleefinch or visit her website: jamieleefinch.com.
 
Find links for The Life After Community (our secret Facebook group), subscribing, rating, and/or reviewing on iTunes here: linkin.bio/thelifeafterorg
 

Enough (Domestic Violence x Mental Health) with Ashley Adams

Trigger warning: Episode touches on domestic abuse (and begins with a John Piper audio clip).
Ashley Adams is a strong woman. She has overcome a lot including growing up with Brady, navigating youth group with undiagnosed depression and anxiety, the loss of her mother, domestic abuse, divorce, and more. She joins hosts Brady Hardin and Chuck Parson to tell her brave story of how she had enough and fought back hard for her own happiness and fulfillment.
This episode mentions domestic abuse without going into detail. If you are being abused by your partner, know there is nothing you have done or are doing to cause the abuse. It is solely the choice of the abuser. It may seem impossible to leave, change your circumstances, or reach out and ask for help you need, but it is possible. However, you know your abuser best, so think carefully through your situation and circumstances and do what is the best for you.
If you are in immediate danger, call 9-1-1.
For anonymous, confidential help, 24/7, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or  1-800-787-3224 (TTY).
http://ncadv.org/learn-more/get-help
 
Find links for The Life After Community (our secret Facebook group), subscribing, rating, and/or reviewing on iTunes here: linkin.bio/thelifeafterorg

Get Out of My Head (Inner Dialog x Sexual Discovery) with Renée

NSFW Warning: The episode ends with two, wonderfully NSFW stories from Renée’s deconstruction story archives about her exploration of sexuality.
Our hilarious, mutual friend, Renée, joins us in the studio to reflect on the indoctrination she experienced growing up as a precocious, thoughtful child. We talk about the fears we had as Christian children and how we grew as we left Church culture in the areas of sexuality, social justice, and more. We discuss the regrets we have by making decisions that were heavily influenced by a faith we no longer hold on to and how the ripples of those decisions still affect us. This episode describes the mindf*ck so many people encounter as they work on ridding themselves of indoctrination.
 
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Conversion Therapy Dropout (Shame x Family Pressure) with Curtis G.

Curtis G. joins Brady and Chuck to discuss this family’s efforts of “fixing” him by sending him to conversion therapy. He reads from his notes, followed by how he recovered, accepting who he is.
This episode was recorded on the one day that major Christian leader, Eugene Peterson was thought to have come out as pro-gay marriage. The episode ends with Brady’s reflection on the aftermath of that announcement and almost immediate retraction.
 
Find links for The Life After Community (our secret Facebook group), subscribing, rating, and/or reviewing on iTunes here: linkin.bio/thelifeafterorg

Out of Control (Church Control x Personal Autonomy) with Kristen H.

Kristen retells her story of moving across the nation to join a religious community that eroded away her freedoms. After bouncing back from rock bottom, Kristen tells of how she got her life back.
Also, Brady and Kristen reflect on their horrible date from over a decade ago, on which he tried (and failed) to hold her hand in a Wal-mart parking lot.
 
Find links for The Life After Community (our secret Facebook group), subscribing, rating, and/or reviewing on iTunes here: linkin.bio/thelifeafterorg

Black and White Thinking (Evangelicalism x Racism) with Prisca Jebet Kendagor

Prisca was brought up in white, Christian suburbia. At times, her skin contrasted with the world around her. Chuck and Brady talk to Prisca about her experiences in church and how those events made the way for her exit from evangelical Christianity. The three ask this question: Why does it seem that those who claim to have Holy Spirit orchestrating their lives are historically and generally speaking often the last to accept civil rights?
Also, Brady and Prisca retell how they became friends over the message board for Brady’s former cable, Christian sitcom.
TW: A racial slur is used within the context of a true story.
 
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God’s Only Forgotten Son (Family Trauma x Queer) with Brady Hardin

Instead of a regular guest, Chuck interviews Brady, host and founder of The Life After, about his childhood and exit from religion. Brady opens up about his difficult childhood, growing up gay in church, and the spiritual abuse that eventually led to his faith’s demise (but the birth of this podcast).
 
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Unbuckling The Bible Belt (Intuition x Purity Culture) with Jamie Lee Finch

Brady Hardin and Chuck Parson take the show on the road to Nashville, TN to interview Jamie Lee Finch on the subjects of sexuality, the dangers of Purity Culture, and the downfalls of Patriarchy. Jamie describes how much of her journey after leaving religion involves understanding her body. She gives life-changing advice on how to become a whole person and heal from trauma.
Bonus: Listen to Jamie reading her own original poems throughout the episode.
To learn more about Jamie’s work, follow her on Twitter, @jamieleefinch or visit her website: jamieleefinch.com
 
Find links for The Life After Community (our secret Facebook group), subscribing, rating, and/or reviewing on iTunes here: linkin.bio/thelifeafterorg