Right now, so many of us are connected through the shared emotional reactions to tragic events we have witnessed and continue to experience.

Like all traumas, vicarious and collective trauma cause a breach in connection or a betrayal of trust in Self and/or others.

And with disconnection comes the risk of a break in a healthy community.

We continue to witness fanatical devotion to a product, a person, or a place that is often fueled by charismatic leaders selling healing and community through absolution by association or by purchasing a product.

Charismatic leaders get the best of us. They speak to our hearts. Our pain. And inspire hope.

We feel lifted up while getting a break from the weight of the burdens we are carrying.

Unchecked, this type of leadership cares more about a self-serving agenda that is not interested in collaboration and shared power.

This is where consumption of products is sold as a form of connection, versus the nuanced and challenging work of being in community with diverse people.

Leading well is not just about results or metrics but heart and values. And checks and balances with accountability. It is about doing the work that creates trust and connection, versus creating division and distrust.

Today’s guest is a historian whose body of work focuses on the intersection of modern evangelicalism, consumerism, and capitalism - all systems that I have been curious about as we navigate polarities in community, collective traumas, and healing.

Dr. Tim Gloege, Ph.D is a Historian and author of Guaranteed Pure: the Moody Bible Institute, Business, and the Making of Modern Evangelicalism and Librarian at the Grand Rapids Public Library. After he earned his Ph.D. in US History at the University of Notre Dame, his family moved to Grand Rapids where Tim spent a decade writing and serving as lead parent for our two amazing kids. Most recently Tim moved to the very different world of public libraries and currently works as a librarian at the Grand Rapids Public Library while continuing to write.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• Why purity, certainty, and control are three key pillars of modern evangelicalism
• The shared mindset and tactics behind consumer corporations and corporate evangelicals in post-Civil War America
• How notions of consumer choice have been embedded into evangelicalism
• How consumerism shows up in the modern prosperity gospel and ideas around manifesting
• How celebrity faith leaders shape shallowly-connected communities

Learn more about Tim:

• TimGloege.com
• Twitter: @TimGloege
• Guaranteed Pure: The Moody Bible Institute, Business, and the Making of Modern Evangelicalism

Learn more about Rebecca:

• rebeccaching.com
• Work With Rebecca
• Sign up for the weekly Unburdened Leader Email

Resources:

• The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity, David Graeber and David Wengrow
• “Graveyard,” Halsey
• Station Eleven
• Wings of Desire
• Planes, Trains, and Automobiles