Bodies Behind The Bus

By Bodies Behind The Bus

The Bodies Behind the Bus is a podcast centering on the voices of spiritual abuse survivors. We began with stories out of the Acts 29 network and have branched into many organizations since our lau

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How many episodes does Bodies Behind The Bus have?

The podcast currently has 140 episodes available.

Best of Bodies Behind The Bus

The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

Number 1: Shelby's Story / YWAM / Switzerland / Pt. 1
Shelby joins us to share her story of almost 20 years with Youth With A Mission (YWAM), a Christian missions group with bases in nearly every country. She signs up at 24 to earn a counseling degree, hoping to help missionaries get better care. Instead, she is pushed to share painful secrets with strangers, watches a visiting speaker ask young women to sit on his lap for healing, and lives under a daily schedule that tracks her every move. She pushes through the flu because stopping looks weak, then nearly dies from dengue fever and dysentery in Haiti with no help paying the bills. She falls in love with a Swiss farmer, settles at a new YWAM base, and builds a close friendship that will change everything. This is part one of her story. Support the show
September 10, 20261h 32min
Number 2: Intro To Stories From YWAM: Loren Cunningham And The Seven Mountain Mandate (Updated)
In this episode, Jay and Johnna introduce a new series featuring first hand stories from Youth With A Mission (YWAM). Before the storytellers share what happened to them, we take a step back and look at the roots. We cover who Loren Cunningham was, the Assemblies of God upbringing that shaped him, and how YWAM grew from a beach vision into a network of thousands of bases around the world with no central oversight. We also break down the Seven Mountain Mandate, an idea Loren helped start that has grown far beyond YWAM and now shapes today's political landscape. Along the way, we talk about how these beliefs and this structure can create a culture where abuse takes root and stays hidden, and we name some of the leaders still carrying this mandate forward today. ReferencesNBC News, “Pastors and Prey” series https://www.nbcnews.com/specials/pastors-prey/index.html NBC News, Assemblies of God investigation (Oct.30,2025) https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us news/assembly-god-church-shield-predators-child-sex-abuse-allegations-rcna240213 HoustonChronicle / San Antonio Express-News, “AbuseofFaith” https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investigations/abuse-of-faith/ YWAM.org, “Our Founders” https://ywam.org/about-us/our-founders LorenCunningham.com https://lorencunningham.com/ Christianity Today, “Died: Loren Cunningham, Who Launched Millions on Short- Term Missions” https://www.christianitytoday.com/2023/10/loren-cunningham- ywam-death-youth-with-mission/ Christianity Today, “Mike Bickle Accused of Abusing a 14-Year-Old Before IHOPKC’s Founding” https://www.christianitytoday.com/2024/02/mike-bickle- allegations-ihopkc-repent-investigation-report/ MinistryWatch, “Report Details 17 Cases of Abuse by IHOPKC Founder Mike Bickle” https://ministrywatch.com/report-details-17-cases-of-abuse-by-ihopkc- founder-mike-bickle/ Kat’s Story / YWAM / Tyler, Tx / Pt. 1 (prior BBTB episode) https://open.spotify.com/episode/3hp https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kats-story-ywam-tyler-tx-pt-1/id1601586078?i=1000593690769 Kat’s Story / YWAM / Tyler, Tx / Pt. 2 (prior BBTB episode) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bodies-behind-the-bus/id1601586078?i=1000593705604 Intro to Stories from The Austin Stone (prior BBTB episode) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bodies-behind-the-bus/id1601586078?i=1000714367734 Support the show
September 08, 202638min
Number 3: Shelby's Story / YWAM / Switzerland / Pt. 2
Shelby returns to finish her story of leaving Youth With A Mission (YWAM) after almost 20 years. Two friends she trusted rise to lead her base, and when she raises concerns about how they treat people, she is accused of attacking them. She is pushed off a program she built, then invited onto their leadership team to quiet her down instead. She takes a sabbatical during the pandemic and starts naming what happened to her as spiritual abuse. When her husband tries to renew the farm lease his family has held for decades, the same leaders try to hold it hostage until she agrees to reconcile with them. She reports them to top YWAM leadership and learns she is one of many victims, then runs into her alleged abusers at a global conference and on the flight home. She shares her full story with local leaders, watches YWAM avoid the word abuse, and is later blacklisted after her team is pressured to remove her from a course she was set to lead. She ends by speaking directly to YWAM leaders and to anyone still inside the organization. Support the show
September 11, 20261h 38min
Number 4: ATBS "American Dominion: The Rise and Radicalization of a New Christendom" w/ Keri Ladner
Keri Ladner is the author of American Dominion: The Rise and Radicalization of a New Christendom. Her book traces the roots of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) and Dominion theology in the United States. She began her research while studying the Columbine shooting and how it was later used to build the martyr myths tied to this movement. Ladner also writes about these topics on Substack.American Dominion: The Rise and Radicalization of a New Christendom - Book LinkSupport the show
August 19, 202652min
Number 5: ATBS - “Fundie Cult Beliefs Going Mainstream w/ Christian Nationalism” ft. Margaret Bronson & Eric Isaac
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/ Support the show
March 06, 20251h 36min