The Modesty Files

Today we’re continuing our conversation with Emily Elizabeth Anderson, a Christian blogger, and activist for people who have experienced abuse within a Christian environment. If you haven’t listened to Part One, we highly recommend going back to hear Emily’s story from the beginning. Emily shared with us her experience growing up as a member of the non-denominational organization, the Institute in Basic Life Principles. She shared with us her challenges with her home abuse, diagnosis with Chrone’s disease, and her experiences meeting the organization’s leader, Bill Gothard. In today’s episode, Emily will walk us through her experience as a plaintiff in the lawsuit against Gothard, leaving IBLP, and her journey towards recovery.

This episode includes topics on physical and sexual abuse and other mature themes, so listener discretion is advised.

This week on The Modesty Files, please help us give a warm welcome to our special guest, Christian blogger, and rising activist, Emily Elizabeth Anderson. Growing up in the Insitute in Basic Life Principles, in Part One, Emily reveals life as a teenager in the church and how the church handled her chronic illness. She then details her first-hand experience with the notorious church leader, Bill Gothard, and how his grooming behavior led her to eventually becoming a plaintiff in a lawsuit involving allegations of sexual abuse made by many women.

This episode involves topics of physical and sexual abuse and other mature themes. Listener discretion is advised.

Follow us on Instagram @themodestyfiles for updates and bonus content.

Connect with Emily at ThrivingForwardBlog.com!

We are diving into new territory this week on The Modesty Files as Melanie walks us through her family's transition into the world of Jehovah's Witnesses. Melanie remembers celebrating her birthday in the 5th grade, but as her family fell deeper into the church, all celebrations of any kind had to cease. Her life became focused on biding her time as she waited and prepared for Armageddon and the end of the world as they knew it.

This episode involves mature adult themes. Listener discretion is advised.

Follow us on Instagram @themodestyfiles for updates and bonus content.

Grab your sleeping bag and oversized tye-dyed t-shirts! We are going back in time to summer camp in this episode of The Modesty Files. We interview Judith, who spent her childhood summers at a Canadian Christian summer camp. While this camp provides good teachings as a child, the teachings grew toxic as the campers grew into young adults. When Judith was promoted to a camp counselor, she began to see the "man behind the curtain" as she realized how significant a negative influence this camp was having on the spirit of those who attended.

This episode involves mature adult themes. Listener discretion is advised.

Follow us on Instagram @themodestyfiles for updates and bonus content.

As requested, we are diving into Pentecostalism in today's episode.

We speak to Angela, a former member who explains the church's belief system rooted in spiritual healing and speaking in tongues.

Raised as a Pentecostal, Angela describes the hurtful ramifications of these beliefs as the church claimed her scoliosis was healed despite any medical evidence of such. She also details her involvement in Bound4Life, an anti-abortion agency, that encouraged protests in front of Planned Parenthood facilities.

This episode involves mature adult themes. Listener discretion is advised.

Follow us on Instagram @themodestyfiles for updates and bonus content.

In today's episode, we are so thrilled to be speaking with Lydia, who was raised as a member of the Sovereign Grace Church.

This church denomination is a new one for us here at The Modesty Files, so Lydia outlines the church's practices and expectations. She describes life as a homeschooler and a full time stay at home daughter for her younger siblings. She also expresses the pain she felt as any of her own aspirations were halted while being a lifeline for her siblings.

After leaving her parents home five years ago, she's taking back her independence and is currently attending a different Christian church, demonstrating how to participate in a religious community in a healthy way. She is developing the skills to look at faith with a critical eye, and most importantly, she is learning that her faith cannot be anyone's decision but her own.


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In this episode, we interview Beth, a former member of the Church of Christ. If you haven't heard of CoC, Beth will walk us through the ins and out of this religious community. Most outside communication was strictly forbidden, so when Beth discovered Tumblr, she began developing a life outside of her family bubble. Beth shares how the blog site helped her escape the church, and in the end...finding true love.

This episode involves mature adult themes. Listener discretion is advised.

Follow us on Instagram @themodestyfiles for updates and bonus content.

In this episode, we are thrilled to speak with Marie, who comes from a fundamentalist southern baptist background. After being homeschooled her entire K-12 years, Marie eventually attended one of the most well-known and highly controversial Christian Evangelical colleges, Liberty University. Marie has major insight into what it was like to attend this conservative school and will spill the tea on how most students achieved their “Ring by Spring.”

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In this episode, Zoe interviews a former member of Servants of the Light, which was a religious group in 1970s that folded into the currently controversial group People of Praise. The group's belief system is rooted in the Catholic Pentecostal movement, and members are required to sign a lifetime covenant vow. Their practices include praying in tongues, receiving divine prophecies, healing the sick, and casting out evil spirits.

And while the group’s name was different during our guest’s involvement, it is the same belief system as People of Praise. The covenant vows, the shepherding mentality, and the male/female leadership hierarchy.

It has been reported that the current Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett is a member of People of Praise. And though this episode isn't about Judge Barrett or her ties to the religious group, by the end of this show, we want to pose the question: Can someone involved in a radical religious group become a lifetime decision-maker for the nation?

This episode involves mature adult themes. Listener discretion is advised.

Follow us on Instagram @themodestyfiles for updates and bonus content.

In this episode, we are thrilled to speak with Kayla who comes from a fundamentalist Baptist background, specifically The General Association of Regular Baptist Churches or for short, GARB-C. Kayla’s experience with fundamentalism is slightly different though from the other women we have interviewed so far. She attended public school, hung out with friends, and even had a boyfriend...that she kissed. She discusses the church's views on marriage, divorce, and how she finally found happiness and learned to love.

This episode involves mature adult themes. Listener discretion is advised.

Follow us on Instagram @themodestyfiles for updates and bonus content.