Finding Free Podcast

"In the most general sense, faith deconstruction begins with people realizing that the answers they possess are answers they have memorized that were achieved or developed by other people or authority figures…they were not their own answers. The demand of deconstruction is not that you find different answers, though often that happens, but that you ask the questions and find out for yourself."

Questions about faith are often unnerving...for those asking them, and for those hearing them. When those we love ask hard questions, the temptation is to give someone an answer to hold onto rather than to sit with them as they find the answer themselves. The church simply must make space for the process of asking hard questions and discovering answers.

We were able to sit down again with our friend Stan Mitchell to talk about faith questions and what it's like to walk the road of faith deconstruction. Stan is the founding Pastor of GracePointe Church in Nashville, TN and is a leader of an online community called Everybody Church. We discuss with Stan why asking spiritual questions is a healthy practice that ultimately leads to a deeper faith formation if we are willing to do the work of walking the journey.

Recently Craig and Jeff Bell did a "dad joke" video for Cedarbridge Baptist Church as a fun way to highlight Father's Day. Some of you have seen this video, but what you didn't see was the rest of the almost full hour of what they recorded. In this episode, we are releasing the full unedited version, and for laughs, we even included soundbites of Amy trying to get the intro right at the end. Enjoy and we hope you laugh with us! And just a warning, we are talking about Craig and Jeff, so some of these jokes and language may not be suitable for younger ears!

Deconstruction is a bit of a buzz word these days, but for right reasons. Many people, especially those who grew up in a church atmosphere, find that at some point they need to rethink, unpack and "deconstruct" the theology, ideas and foundations that they were given early in life, sorting out elements that caused harm and eventually finding their way to a more complete and wholistic theology. This process is a necessary part of spiritual growth, but can be scary and alienating. In some church settings "doubt" and "questions" are even viewed as a lack of faith or even sin. In this episode, Craig shares part of his own story of deconstruction and talks about what it was like to walk through doubts and questions in a church setting. He shares how he has processed both positive and negative church experiences, and gives thoughts on how to be helpful if you or someone you know is experiencing faith deconstruction.

Trigger alert: sexual abuse, rape, sexual trauma, religious sexual abuse

There are some experiences none of us want to have inside knowledge about. Yet too often the unbelievable happens, and we find ourselves living through experiences that are so horrifying, our lives are instantly and forever changed.

Keith Morris grew up as a preacher's kid with a life that revolved around church in every way. As a young preteen in the 1970's, Keith was was befriended, groomed and sexually abused repeatedly by a family friend and prominent religious figure of the time. After the abuse ended Keith turned to alcohol to help him cope with the trauma, which led him further down a spiral of pain.

It took Keith years to understand and work through the trauma of his experiences. He has since given his life to sharing his story, traveling and teaching about sexual abuse, advocating for abuse victims and working to change laws that hold abusers accountable: all giving hope to others facing similar experiences.

We consider it an honor to have Keith Morris with us to share his story, and hope that it will bring light and awareness to the epidemic of sexual abuse, religious abuse and sexual trauma.

This is not an easy listen. But it is important. If at any time you are triggered or need to talk through personal experiences on this subject we urge you to contact the National Sexual Abuse Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.

Any amount of research on stress and your body will tell you that chronic unresolved stress has a negative impact on your overall health. But what happens when life hands us more than stress, and in fact, we have to deal with experiences that are traumatic? Some trauma is easy to recognize because of the severity of the experiences themselves, but other traumatic experiences may be harder to identify, making it more difficult to get the help that is needed.

We are delighted to share our most recent conversation with Sarah Lewis, who is a Licensed Trauma Therapist.

Join us as we talk with Sarah about how to deal with trauma, learn how it impacts our bodies, and listen as she identifies the reasons so many people suffer from unresolved traumatic experiences. Most importantly, we discuss the path to healing and wholeness that is possible for anyone struggling with the effects of trauma in their lives.

Despite our best efforts, sometimes we hurt those we love with our words and actions, causing trauma and pain that has to be unpacked and worked through for years. This happens in every family; it is a part of life as we know it. Yet often families of LGBTQ+ individuals have a deeper levels of hurt and abandonment. Statistics of self-harm and depression are much higher in LGBTQ+ teens than average. Of course, this is not the case for everyone, and every story is different. Our conversation with trauma therapist Sarah Lewis uncovers some of the layers that LGBTQ+ families must journey through as they seek to listen and understand each other. What can parents say during critical moments of conversation that will foster openness and communication? What can the Church do to be clear and helpful for LGBTQ+ families as they navigate unfamiliar space that might make them anxious and uneasy? In what ways is the LGBTQ+ community needing the Church to show up and be what we claim to be? Our hope is that this conversation will provide much needed information and encouragement while challenging churches to love others better than before.

We are excited to share our conversation with Stan Mitchell with you on Finding Free Podcast! This episode is a must-listen for our community. Stan is Co-Founder of Everybody Church, an online community created as a haven for anyone feeling spiritually homeless, but specifically as a place of inclusion and affirmation for those in the LGBTQ+ community who have been harmed and ostracized by the local church. He spends a lot of his time now working with families and churches as they navigate how the Bible supports affirmation and love of individuals regardless of their sexuality.

As Craig and I studied the Bible with respect to LGBTQ+ inclusion, we found it so helpful to listen to other voices that were focused on the Biblical text and true to the message and life of Jesus. Stan has been one of those voices. His depth of knowledge and scriptural wisdom, coupled with his ability to clearly communicate that message, helped us navigate our path from a traditional/literal theology to an inclusive way of looking at scripture. We are so glad you can join in on our conversation and know that Stan will be one of those voices for you as well.

During any conversation on LGBTQ+ inclusivity and the Church, the topic of scripture takes center-stage. What does the Bible say about same sex orientation? What does Jesus say? Are there any identified bible verses that address same sex relationships? In this episode, we walk through specific scripture verses that have historically been used to exclude the LGBTQ+ community from full participation in the Church. These verses are often referred to as 'Clobber Passages.' We believe there are other ways to look at these particular passages than what has traditionally been taught and be faithful to the gospel message and to Christ. We invite you to join us as we walk through these verses and share how we have come to look at them differently.

As it was for us, we know that changing your way of thinking on this particular topic is a long journey, especially if you were raised in a more "traditional" church setting. These scriptures are often debated by scholars and we appreciate your willingness to consider a perspective that might be different. We invite you to listen and take time to sit with the ideas we share.

I have heard it said many times before, "The Gospel is either good news for everyone or it is good news for no one." Yet time and time again, one group or another gets pushed aside, deemed not acceptable, excluded...by the Church. This conversation is a personal journey that Craig and I have been on for years, and we've decided that we can't be authentic to our own faith or integrity without publicly stating that we are fully affirming of our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters. We have witnessed first-hand and far too many times the trauma and oppression that exclusion from the church inflicts upon the LGBTQ+ community and believe that same-sex sexual orientation and the diversity of gender identities included is not a sin.

No, we haven't always believed this, and this podcast is a conversation about that journey. In no way is this intended to be a slam on our traditional faith upbringings or the people that led us and taught us so well...this is simply a story about where we are now. We aren't trying to "start something" or cause a riff between us and those who may view this differently. We simply want to say publicly: to the LGBTQ+ community, we see you, you are loved by us and by God, and we are sorry we have spent too much time as silent allies. In the words of Maya Angelo, "once we know better, we must do better." This is one step in that direction.

Often there are ideas and theologies that we are taught that we hold onto for a while in life, but that eventually we realize need reframing and rethinking. The doctrine of "original sin," the idea that every human being is born completely separated from God by sin inherited from Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, is one that many Christ followers have believed and lived into, though its roots can't actually be traced back the creation stories in Genesis. Instead, what we see in the creation story is a story of God giving human beings an identity of "original blessing." How did we end up with a doctrine of original sin? What would it look like to live into our original blessing, and let that be the identity that frames our lives? What if we looked at "blessed" as our identity as people instead of a "reward" from God? Dive into this conversation starter with us as we talk about original sin vs. original blessing.

Book referenced in podcast is Original Blessing by Danielle Shroyer