In this episode, Jay and Johnna debrief the 2025 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. They discuss why Johnna chose to attend alone, the deaths of two high-profile survivors—Jennifer Lyell and Duane Rollins—and the emotional and physical toll survivor advocacy has taken. They reflect on the SBC’s failure to follow through on promised reforms, the lack of accountability, and the ongoing harm caused by the institution’s refusal to meaningfully address abuse. The episode also explores the role of power, complicity, and silence within evangelical culture, as well as the broader implications for churches and Christian communities across the country.

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This episode examines the legacy of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and draws a clear line from that policy to other moments of systemic injustice in American history—slavery, Japanese internment, discriminatory policing, and modern ICE raids. Through historical analysis and personal reflection, Jay challenges the narrative of American exceptionalism, exposes the role of the white church in reinforcing inequality, and confronts the systems that sustain white supremacy.

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Mollie Callahan, spiritual director and seminary student, joins to discuss the misuse of church discipline, its harmful impact, and how scripture has often been misapplied in these situations. She examines 1 Corinthians 5, Matthew 18, and stories like the woman caught in adultery, Zacchaeus, and the woman at the well to reframe church discipline through the lens of Jesus’ compassion, agency, and pursuit of the hurting.

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In this episode, Joyce shares her story of involvement in a PCA church in Florida and how her experience of marriage, faith, and community unfolded over more than a decade. She describes the early support her family received, her deep investment in church life, and how that shifted when she began raising concerns about her marriage. Joyce outlines the church’s response, her efforts to seek counseling, the process of pursuing divorce, and the consequences that followed, including church discipline. This episode examines how systems designed for accountability can fail those in crisis and how theological frameworks can impact the choices survivors feel they’re allowed to make. An update on Joyce’s situation is shared at the end of the episode.

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In this “At the Bus Stop” episode, Dr. Jared Stacy, a theologian and ethicist, joins Johnna and Jay to unpack the link between conspiracy theories, Christian nationalism, and the culture of abuse within white evangelical spaces. Drawing from his personal experience and academic research, Jared explores how storytelling shapes power, how conspiracy theories thrive in religious communities, and why many churches prioritize maintaining societal structures over faithful witness. The conversation also delves into the dehumanizing effects of disinformation, the role of the church in rural America, and what it means to follow Jesus in a moment of cultural and political disreality. Jared’s upcoming book offers language and insight for those wrestling with these complex dynamics.

Jared’s Substack: (19) The Homeward Dispatches | Jared Stacy | Substack

More from Jared: https://linktr.ee/jstacy

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Be sure to listen to episode 79 “Alicia’s Story” to hear about her experience with this same pastor.

Alicia’s Story: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/alicias-story-columbus-oh/id1601586078?i=1000663185044

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In this community conversation, the team from Bodies Behind the Bus responds to recent events involving The New Evangelicals and the release of a NetGrace investigation. They share their perspectives on accountability, integrity, and the responsibility of platforms in survivor spaces.

Allegations against Tim Whitaker and The New Evangelicals show how hierarchy transfers to progressive ministries | BAPTIST NEWS GLOBAL

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Buy the book here! Becoming the Pastor's Wife: How Marriage Replaced Ordination as a Woman's Path to Ministry by Beth Allison Barr, Hardcover | Barnes & Noble®

In this episode of The Bodies Behind the Bus Podcast, we welcome Beth Allison Barr, historian, professor, and author of The Making of Biblical Womanhood and her latest book, Becoming the Pastor’s Wife. Beth shares her insights on the historical roots of patriarchy in the church, the erasure of women in ministry, and the complex role of pastor’s wives in evangelical spaces. She unpacks the ways in which women have been silenced, how the Southern Baptist Convention’s structures perpetuate inequality, and why understanding history is crucial to moving forward.

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This episode of Bodies Behind the Bus features Margaret Bronson and Eric Isaac discussing the rise of Christian nationalism and its intersection with fundamentalist cult beliefs. Margaret shares insights from her experience in a high-control religious group, highlighting issues of female subjugation, the quiverfull movement, lack of education, and financial entrapment. Eric connects these experiences to broader patterns of spiritual abuse, coercion, and religious power structures. The conversation explores how extreme fundamentalist ideologies are becoming mainstream in America, their ties to white supremacy, and the political implications of these beliefs.

Margaret’s ig: https://www.instagram.com/margaretrosebronson?igsh=cW5nbHZ1ZnQ4dTU0

Margaret’s Website: https://www.deconstructiondoulas.com/

Eric’s thesis: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/5151/

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Subscribe to Jemar’s Substack Here: Footnotes by Jemar Tisby | Jemar Tisby, PhD | Substack

Buy “The Spirit of Justice” https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-spirit-of-justice-stories-of-faith-race-and-resistance-jemar-tisby/20859536?ean=9780310144854

“I Am the Spirit of Justice” for kids ages 4-7 https://bookshop.org/p/books/i-am-the-spirit-of-justice-jemar-tisby/21291875?ean=9780310145561

“Stories of The Spirit of Justice” for kids ages 8-12+

https://bookshop.org/p/books/stories-of-the-spirit-of-justice-jemar-tisby/21291877?ean=9780310145592

Additional Books by Jemar: https://jemartisby.com/books/

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