Sexual Abuse in the Church: An Interview with Survivor Keith Morris
Release Date: 04/27/2021
Christian Universalism with Chaplain Aaron Saufley
Finding Free Podcast
What if God saves everyone? Christian Universalism (the idea that God will save everyone and the earth somehow in the end) is one theory of atonement that theologians have discussed for centuries. Though the idea of universal reconciliation was the most prominent atonement theory among early Christ followers, after around the 4th century multiple atonement theories began to surface. Penal substitutionary atonement theory (the idea that humans are objects of God’s wrath and destined to eternal torment in hell unless making a personal decision to believe that Jesus’ death on the...
info_outline
Who Is Jesus to Us
Finding Free Podcast
The way we think about Jesus impacts the way we talk about faith and how we treat those around us. Who is Jesus to you? Where did that frame of reference come from and has it ever changed? We don’t do a lot of sermon discussion focused podcasts on Finding Free Podcast but there was so much dialogue around Amy’s sermon at Cedarbridge on March 3rd that we wanted to dive a little deeper into this conversation. Our discussion is lively and in our typical style, we laugh a lot as we each discuss, ‘Who is Jesus to Us’! We give each other a safe...
info_outline
Holiday Story Time
Finding Free Podcast
Grab your comfiest blankets and a mug of something great and listen to some stories of holidays past. Laugh as Craig talks about the time his grandpa accidentally got sloshed at a family gathering. Giggle as Amy shares her most memorable Christmas present (double AA batteries required). And Jeff has a family "oops" moment that will have you in stitches. And much more! In this episode we share memorable holiday moments from our growing up years. Some are "remember when" stories that have been talked about at family gatherings time and time again....
info_outline
Finding Your Free and Feeding Your Soul
Finding Free Podcast
When Craig and Amy started Finding Free Podcast in 2020, they thought a lot about the podcast name. They settled on Finding Free Podcast because they wanted to focus on the freedom and liberation that can come from pushing yourself to break out of the metaphorical places where you feel stuck and bogged down. This podcast was designed to give space to talk about hard topics with authenticity and vulnerability and for the Finding Free listening community to gain strength in hearing and sharing stories of growth. In this episode, Craig, Amy, and Jeff talk about the...
info_outline
Faith Deconstruction: A Hard Journey that Challenges the Church to Show Up
Finding Free Podcast
"The next hard road for the Church will be walking with and beside those that are deconstructing their faith, taking it apart either in small bits and pieces or altogether, putting it back together in part or sometimes not at all. The question is, how will the Church show up for people in this space?" ~ Amy Andrews The topic of faith deconstruction can be a hot button issue…but does it have to be? As we grow in faith we often grapple with questions that are no longer satisfied with easy answers. We need more. Sometimes we begin the process of letting go of what no...
info_outline
Purity Culture, Sex and the Church - Part 2
Finding Free Podcast
TW: purity culture, rape culture, sexual abuse Explicit Content: Language, Sexual Content - masturbation, orgasm gap, general make-you-blush adult content. In Part 2 we continue the conversation about purity culture and its impacts. We talk more about how conversations about purity and sex can be done better, focusing on dialogue about consent, body autonomy and integrity rather than shame and silence. If you grew up in an Evangelical church in the 1990’s, chances are you were exposed to the purity culture mindset. Though purity culture began with the intention of encouraging teens to...
info_outline
Purity Culture, Sex and the Church - Part 1
Finding Free Podcast
TW: purity culture, rape culture, sexual abuse Explicit Content: Language, Sexual Content - masturbation, orgasm gap, general make-you-blush adult content. If you grew up in an Evangelical church in the 1990’s, chances are you were exposed to the purity culture mindset. Though purity culture began with the intention of encouraging teens to postpone sexual encounters until marriage, the lasting effects have had significantly negative residual consequences. So what was purity culture exactly, what was its impact and where do we go from here? We bring back our friend Jeff...
info_outline
Leaving Christian Evangelical _undamentalism - We Got the “F” Out!
Finding Free Podcast
In this episode, our friend Jeff Bell joins us to talk candidly about what it was like to grow up in and be a part of Christian fundamentalist evangelical organizations and churches in the 80's and 90’s. We discuss what it was like to have this as our main faith experience during our formative years and what it was like to come out of that way of thinking. What did we have to unlearn? What evangelical teachings never set well with us? What was our journey to move past evangelical fundamentalist thinking? Christian fundamentalism had big impacts on our lives that...
info_outline
Our Response to the SBC Statement on Women in Ministry
Finding Free Podcast
This June, the Southern Baptist Convention approved an amendment to the Baptist Faith and Message to be approved next summer during their Annual Convention. The amendment restricted women in ministry, who were already not supposed to hold lead pastor roles, from having any pastoral position, where the title of “pastor” was deserved. The role of women in ministry has been debated and debocled for years within some Baptist denominations. Yet the Bible provides us with story after story of women: following and learning as disciples, serving in and funding the ministry of Jesus,...
info_outline
LGBTQ Conversations in Local Churches - Part 2: A Conversation with Stan Mitchell
Finding Free Podcast
Many organizations operate in shadowed ambiguity, rather than clarity when it comes to who can do what in the organization, and churches are no exception. Unwritten rules are often enforced leaving individuals confused and hurt when they realize the “All are Welcome” slogan really doesn’t apply to them. Can a woman preach? Will the pastor officiate a same-sex wedding? Will the church hire gay clergy? Can I be baptized and take communion? Churches have the opportunity to be upfront and clear about their policies, theology and practices - and having...
info_outlineTrigger alert: sexual abuse, rape, sexual trauma, religious sexual abuse
There are some experiences none of us want to have inside knowledge about. Yet too often the unbelievable happens, and we find ourselves living through experiences that are so horrifying, our lives are instantly and forever changed.
Keith Morris grew up as a preacher's kid with a life that revolved around church in every way. As a young preteen in the 1970's, Keith was was befriended, groomed and sexually abused repeatedly by a family friend and prominent religious figure of the time. After the abuse ended Keith turned to alcohol to help him cope with the trauma, which led him further down a spiral of pain.
It took Keith years to understand and work through the trauma of his experiences. He has since given his life to sharing his story, traveling and teaching about sexual abuse, advocating for abuse victims and working to change laws that hold abusers accountable: all giving hope to others facing similar experiences.
We consider it an honor to have Keith Morris with us to share his story, and hope that it will bring light and awareness to the epidemic of sexual abuse, religious abuse and sexual trauma.
This is not an easy listen. But it is important. If at any time you are triggered or need to talk through personal experiences on this subject we urge you to contact the National Sexual Abuse Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.