What happens when the parenting advice that promised godly outcomes delivered trauma instead? When you did everything "right" and your family still fell apart?

Marissa Franks Burt is the author of The Myth of Good Christian Parenting and a mother of six with a master's in theology. She spent years researching the evangelical parenting movement — the books, the influencers, the spiritual authority that told parents: Just follow this blueprint, and your kids will follow God.

Spoiler: That's not biblical. And the fallout is a major life change affecting entire generations.

In this conversation, we're talking about the messy middle of faith and harm. About transition anxiety in families deconstructing what they were taught. About parents who intended well but were misled by prosperity gospel promises. About adult children carrying wounds from coercion disguised as discipline. And about what repair looks like when the damage runs deep.

We explore how authority silenced intuition, how obedience training stunted emotional regulation, and how entire families are now grieving relationships built on formulas instead of connection. Marissa doesn't offer another prescriptive parenting method — she offers permission to question, to grieve, and to rebuild with truth and compassion.

In this episode:

- Why evangelical parenting advice became a prosperity gospel for families navigating life transitions

- The spiritual authority that kept parents from trusting their instincts during major life changes

- How instant obedience training grooms children for future abuse

- What it looks like to hold both good intentions and real harm in the messy middle

- The pathway to repair when adult children experience their own faith transition

- Permission to parent without a formula — and still hold your faith through the anxiety

This isn't about villainizing parents. It's about naming what happened so healing can begin. Because you can love God, question the system, and choose connection over compliance — all at the same time.

Listen to the episode with Brian Recker HERE

Get Connected & Support the Show:

- Listen to the companion podcast: It's Both- Guided Meditations for Anxiety, Emotional Regulation, & Real Life Transitions

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