Finding Normal: Life after Spiritual Trauma

As a person who grew up in a very close sister church to the one this couple came from, I both witnessed, and to some extent, experienced almost everything they went through in their college years. Two of my older siblings attended the same college for a time as town students, so I often heard of things that went on at the college when they would come home. All in all, Chris and Rachel explained the context in which I grew up very well, and even though I left that church a long time ago, hearing these things has helped me put into perspective everything my siblings and I were exposed to while we were in the IFB culture. I would 10 out of 10 recommend this podcast to anyone really, but especially if you have been through spiritual abuse and are looking for healing through finding the real God of the Bible.

The work these two put into each podcast is extensive. They dive into hundreds, sometimes thousands of years of history to disentangle scripture from western philosophy. I can’t recommend them enough.

I can definitely attest that the treatment you got at this place is spiritual, emotional and psychological abuse. Everything about it sounds like a cult. Thanks for sharing your story. I can relate to a lot of the things you said. People need to realize that if they are experiencing this with their spiritual leaders, they are in a poisoning, toxic environment where they are being destroyed from the inside out. We will never root out abuse in the church when we can’t identify covert evil manifested by manipulation for power and control.

As someone healing from spiritual trauma, I wa s excited about this show. I appreciated that the hosts go back to the Bible. I know that can be hard when it’s been misused. I appreciate that they care about truth. And I agree with many of their conclusions. I listened to probably half their episodes before deciding to unfollow. Here’s why- —Their actual knowledge of the Bible seemed quite limited. And that’s okay, but not if you’re trying to have a podcast that provides biblical arguments. —The podcast seems too reactionary to me. Like rather than searching for truth at times, they are searching for reasons why their background was wrong. This will inevitably lead to overcorrection, rather than balance. — I understand how hurtful spiritual trauma can be, and part of the grieving process is anger. And anger can be good and legitimate. However, the anger in this podcast can seem counterproductive to a reasonable discussion with harsh tones, snide remarks, contemptuous attitude, and pride. These attitudes come across as just a different form of fundamentalism. In conclusion, I think these hosts and this podcast have potential, but maybe it’s just too soon for them. Growth in biblical knowledge and more healing would serve all well.