Leaving Christian Evangelical _undamentalism - We Got the “F” Out!
Release Date: 08/23/2023
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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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,...
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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...
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LGBTQ Conversations in Local Churches - Part 1: Questions, Thoughts and Our Experience
Finding Free Podcast
Difficult conversations in churches are…well, difficult. Most of us simply aren’t taught how to disagree or discuss hard things in the context of faith within the church. One of the most difficult conversations a church can journey through is a conversation on LGBTQ inclusivity. Since there are typically a lot of theological perspectives, lived experiences and long held beliefs, this conversation in particular can get heated very quickly. Because many denominations are having conversation like this, being clear and honest in messaging regarding LGBTQ affirmation is...
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Limping Into the Kingdom with Layne Rogerson
Finding Free Podcast
Every experience we have in life impacts us. Some experiences leave a huge impact, like a canyon in the desert. Others might leave such a tiny ripple that we don't even notice the effects. Religious trauma, hurts from the institutional Church, or any pain we experience at the hands of those who represent the spiritual to us are deep wounds that leave an impact that often takes years to process. This sermon that our dear friend Layne Rogerson gave at Cedarbridge Baptist Church in Greenville, NC back in June of 2021 speaks to this very idea. Layne shares parts of her...
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Holding Space & Sharing Stories: An Interview with Zachary Pomeroy
Finding Free Podcast
Stories matter. Telling our stories matters. And hearing the stories of others matters. It is in the telling of our own stories that we claim our own beauty, claim our own experiences, claim that we matter. And it is in hearing the stories of others, in holding space for what is real for someone else, that we become more fully and beautifully human ourselves. Craig and I are honored to hold and share Zachary Pomeroy’s rich and powerful story of discovery, heartbreak and healing. Zach is a native of Greenville, NC and is creator and owner of La Fletcha Film...
info_outlineIn 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 took us years to unravel. In this episode, we share the highs and lows of what we learned and what we learned to unlearn as we grew up and out of Christian fundamentalism. And of course, Jeff Bell brings his much needed humor to what can be a hard and triggering conversation.
Chances are that if you are a regular Finding Free Podcast listener, you have spent significant time thinking about the Church. Maybe you grew up going to church and you think differently now about church than you used to. You could struggle with how what many Americans think of as church looks nothing like the actual Jesus of the Bible. You may have even left the whole church thing behind and not given it another thought. Wherever you find yourself in this mix, or if you are just looking at it from afar - you are not alone. Come share a few drinks with us and listen as we laugh (and at times cuss) our way through sharing our breakup with Christian evangelical fundamentalism - because well, IYKYK (If You Know You Know).
Music by: Tucker Fry
Web Design & Graphics by: Shannon Cox