Broken to Beloved Podcast

Can you really ever know when you’ve experienced spiritual abuse by church leaders and organizations? Victims and survivors are so often manipulated and gaslit that they question their own memories and experiences.This is the work Organizational Psychologist Lianna Chong is setting out to complete. Through her work with the Spiritually Abusive Leadership & Climate Survey, she is hoping to have quantifiable and scientifically validated research and hard data.The survey measures areas like abuse of power, emotional manipulation and abuse, defend and attack (based on DARVO and gaslighting), and psychological safety.This research will be completed in two rounds, with the first running from Nov–Dec 2024, and a second round in early 2025. The minimum goal is 300 completed surveys, with a full goal of 600.Would you be willing to complete the survey? It’s all scaled multiple choice (strongly agree – strongly disagree), and takes about 10-15 minutes to complete. It’s fully anonymous (with a few demographic questions), and all online. You can complete it on your phone or computer.[ take the Spiritually Abusive Leadership & Climate Survey ]Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight Lianna is an organizational psychologist with experience in ministry and secular organizations. She is passionate about helping teams and leaders create environments where people can bring their best self to work. She provides training and consultation on compassion fatigue, burnout, organizational change, and psychological safety. Recently, Lianna has pivoted her focus to helping people recognize spiritually abusive leadership and promote healthier church cultures.Lianna has a Master of Arts in Organizational Psychology, a Master of Theological Studies, and is a Certified Fearless OrgaJoin us in Richmond, VA, for the 2025 Gathering on October 10-11.Come and discover a safe and compassionate community of fellow survivors and advocates. If you’re looking for practical tools to help process the pain and trauma of spiritual abuse, this is the event for you.Join us in person or via live stream. Support the show————— We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today. ————— Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more! Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube Leave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners. —————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Join Scot McKnight, a veteran New Testament professor and author, alongside Tommy Preston Phillips, a pastor and recording artist. They tackle the complexities of faith deconstruction, revealing how it's often misinterpreted. The duo discusses the silent struggles many face within faith communities while seeking an authentic Jesus. They highlight the importance of dialogue about theology and the need for nurturing church environments that foster curiosity. Their insights emphasize that questioning faith can lead to deeper understanding rather than abandonment.

Here’s the first in a short series on our core values. They’re a work in progress, but I want to share them so you have an idea of our guiding principles.This week, I’m starting with our desire to show curiosity over certainty.How many times have we found ourselves in harm’s way for asking a question? How many times have you been met with absolutes, principles, or fundamental truths with no room for comment? Maybe you’ve felt dismissed or demeaned for questioning the way a doctrine seems out of line with the lived practices of many within the very body that professes it.At Broken to Beloved, we want to approach faith, relationships, and life with a sense of curiosity over certainty. With awe, wonder, and mystery. Certainty leaves no room for faith, which by its very nature is an un-knowing.If you have questions about what you believe, why you believe it, or any number of other things, you’re welcome here. And we’re glad you’re here.Join us in Richmond, VA, for the 2025 Gathering on October 10-11.Come and discover a safe and compassionate community of fellow survivors and advocates. If you’re looking for practical tools to help process the pain and trauma of spiritual abuse, this is the event for you.Join us in person or via live stream. Support the show————— We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today. ————— Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more! Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube Leave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners. —————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Broken to Beloved is officially one year old!This week, I’m taking a few minutes to reflect on what we’ve seen in the last year, and to provide a brief update on the podcast.I can’t begin to tell you how incredibly grateful I am for each of you who listen. We’ve just hit 10,000 downloads, and have listeners in 49 states and 63 countries outside of the US!This podcast wouldn’t exist without you in any meaningful way, and I’ve heard such kind and gracious feedback from many of you. If you’re willing, would you leave us a rating or review, or share with your friends?If there’s a guest you’d like to hear from, send an email to info@brokentobeloved.org to let us know with “Podcast Guest Request” in the subject. I’m looking forward to wrapping up season one with the things we value, along with a few more guests and conversations.Thank you again for being here. Here’s to moving toward healing and wholeness. Together.Join us in Richmond, VA, for the 2025 Gathering on October 10-11.Come and discover a safe and compassionate community of fellow survivors and advocates. If you’re looking for practical tools to help process the pain and trauma of spiritual abuse, this is the event for you.Join us in person or via live stream. Support the show————— We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today. ————— Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more! Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube Leave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners. —————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

CW: While not explicit, this episode will talk a lot about sex, sexual ethics, and beliefs around sex in and outside of marriage.If you grew up in church in the 90s and through the 2000s, it’s highly likely you were brought up in purity culture. If you’re here, it’s likely you’ve found yourself deconstructing and disentangling your thoughts and beliefs around sex and sexuality ever since.Dr. Camden Morgante has done the work of identifying 5 myths around purity culture, and we get to talk about each them, the harm they caused, and how we can work to reform and reconstruct a sexual ethic that allows us to find healthy and authentic ways of embracing and expressing ourselves within the bounds of our current beliefs.Join us as we discuss overcoming shame, bringing our full and healthy selves into healthier relationships, navigating singleness and dating in (and out of) the church, and more.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Episode Resources and LinksPure by Linda Klein on Bookshop | AmazonThe Great Sex Rescue by Sheila Wray Gregiore on Bookshop | AmazonEpisode 5 with Cait WestGuest SpotlightDr. Camden is a licensed psychologist with nearly 15 years of experience as a therapist and college professor. She owns a private therapy practice and is a writer, speaker, and coach on purity culture recovery, egalitarianism, and faith reconstruction. Her first book, Recovering from Purity Culture: Finding Freedom and Reclaiming a Healthier, Values-Based Sexual Ethic, publishes October 15 by Baker Books. Dr. Camden lives in Knoxville, Tennessee with her husband and theirJoin us in Richmond, VA, for the 2025 Gathering on October 10-11.Come and discover a safe and compassionate community of fellow survivors and advocates. If you’re looking for practical tools to help process the pain and trauma of spiritual abuse, this is the event for you.Join us in person or via live stream. Support the show————— We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today. ————— Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more! Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube Leave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners. —————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Surprise! We have a little bonus episode to share from the personal experiences of a few cohort alumni.If you’ve experienced spiritual abuse, religious trauma, or church hurt/harm and are looking for a safe place to gather and process, then the THROUGH Cohort is for you.Over 8 weeks, we’ll work together to build trust, find a community of others who share stories like yours, provide safe and compassionate care, and equip you with foundational knowledge and practical tools to seeing and embracing your identity not as broken, but beloved.Starting October 7, you'll get access to new video lessons in your library on Mondays for you to watch at your convenience. Then, we'll meet virtually on Thursdays or Fridays to discuss that topic at each cohort gathering.Cost is $399 to join, and limited scholarships are available upon request. Seats are available on a first come, first serve basis, so go to brokentobeloved.org/through to apply today!Join us in Richmond, VA, for the 2025 Gathering on October 10-11.Come and discover a safe and compassionate community of fellow survivors and advocates. If you’re looking for practical tools to help process the pain and trauma of spiritual abuse, this is the event for you.Join us in person or via live stream. Support the show————— We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today. ————— Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more! Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube Leave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners. —————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

How many of us know someone who talk about holiness and righteousness, then in the same breath can be found cursing out their opposing political party or candidate?For many of us, the disconnect of faith and politics (or is the over-connection?) has caused much tension and conflict. For some, it’s led to questioning our faith, deconstructing why we believe what we do, and leaving our churches.Seeing signs declaring Jesus Saves from those who violently marched into the Capital building on January 6 was a moment of startling confusion and clarity for many. So what is Christian Nationalism? And what do we do with it?Join me as I talk to expert Andrew Whitehead about his book, American Idolatry, why he chose to write it as a cis white man who claims faith in Christ. Hear how he responds to critics who may accuse him of liberalism or wokeness, and how and why he holds on to hope.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest SpotlightAndrew Whitehead is Professor of Sociology at Indiana University Indianapolis.Whitehead is one of the foremost scholars of Christian nationalism in the United States. He is the author of American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church which was awarded the 2024 Gold Medal Book Award from Foreword Reviews and the 2024 Midwest Book Award. He is also the lead author of Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States.Website | Substack | Instagram | XGet your copy of American Idolatry at Bookshop.org | on AmazonLiJoin us in Richmond, VA, for the 2025 Gathering on October 10-11.Come and discover a safe and compassionate community of fellow survivors and advocates. If you’re looking for practical tools to help process the pain and trauma of spiritual abuse, this is the event for you.Join us in person or via live stream. Support the show————— We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today. ————— Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more! Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube Leave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners. —————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Trauma fundamentally disconnects us.It can disconnect our brains from our bodies. It can sever relationships and entire communities. Those of us familiar with trauma know it can have a real impact on our faith or beliefs. It warps our understanding of others, our sense of safety, and even our own identity.So how do we find connection again?When we are alienated from ourselves, each other, and God, how do we find our way back home? These are the questions that therapist and author Chuck DeGroat tackles in his latest book, Healing What’s Within. This is not a sequel or follow up to his previous When Narcissism Comes to Church, but rather a look at his own journey and process of dealing with his own trauma after spiritual abuse.His deep knowledge and understanding of therapeutic work coupled with his experience as a minister, DeGroat offers incredibly practical tools for us to examine our own stories with curiosity and compassion and find our way back home to safety and security.He reiterates our deepest message and hope, that we are indeed not just broken, but deeply Beloved.Get the full show notes here. 📄Episode Resources and LinksBroken to Beloved Conference (for pastors and church leaders)Broken to Beloved Gathering (for the wounded and their advocates)Episode 001: with Dr. Alison CookGuest SpotlightWebsite | Instagram | FacebookHealing What’s Within at Bookshop.orgJoin us in Richmond, VA, for the 2025 Gathering on October 10-11.Come and discover a safe and compassionate community of fellow survivors and advocates. If you’re looking for practical tools to help process the pain and trauma of spiritual abuse, this is the event for you.Join us in person or via live stream. Support the show————— We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today. ————— Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more! Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube Leave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners. —————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

In this short series, you’ll get to meet each of our board members. Listen to their stories and backgrounds, and why they chose to serve on the board and support the work at Broken to Beloved.This week, I talk with therapist Kat Wilkins.Get the full show notes here. 📝Episode Resources and LinksBroken to Beloved Book ClubThe Understory on Bookshop | on AmazonEpisode 13 with Laura BarringerWhen Narcissism Comes to Church on Bookshop | on AmazonRedeeming Power on Bookshop | on AmazonThis Too Shall Last on Bookshop | on AmazonConference info and registrationGathering info and registrationUse promo code PODCAST10 to get 10% off registration!Guest SpotlightWebsite | InstagramKat's Story as told in:Bully Pulpit on Bookshop | on AmazonUntangled Faith podcast with Amy FritzNarcissistic Systems blog series Join us in Richmond, VA, for the 2025 Gathering on October 10-11.Come and discover a safe and compassionate community of fellow survivors and advocates. If you’re looking for practical tools to help process the pain and trauma of spiritual abuse, this is the event for you.Join us in person or via live stream. Support the show————— We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today. ————— Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more! Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube Leave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners. —————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

In this short series, you’ll get to meet each of our board members.Listen to their stories and backgrounds, and why they chose to serve on the board and support the work at Broken to Beloved.This week, I talk with teacher and author Laura Barringer about her “real” work with Kindergartners, her path to becoming a reluctant author, and how that writing has changed her life today.Get the full show notes here. 📝Episode Resources and LinksEpisode 7: Forced Forgiveness: Misinterpreting Matthew 18  with Dr. Scot McKnightBroken to Beloved Conference info and registrationBroken to Beloved Gathering info and registrationUse promo code PODCAST10 to get 10% off your in person or live stream ticket today! Offer expires Friday, 9/13.Guest SpotlightLaura is a full-time teacher, a part-time writer and speaker, and she is coauthor of A Church Called Tov as well as Pivot: The Priorities, Practices and Powers That Can Transform Your Church Into a Tov Culture. She previously co-authored the children's version of The Jesus Creed and wrote a teacher's guide to accompany the book. A graduate of Wheaton College, she resides in the suburbs of Chicago with her husband Mark and their three beagles.Website | InstagramA Church Called Tov on Bookshop.org | on AmazonPivot on Bookshop.org | on AmazonJoin us in Richmond, VA, for the 2025 Gathering on October 10-11.Come and discover a safe and compassionate community of fellow survivors and advocates. If you’re looking for practical tools to help process the pain and trauma of spiritual abuse, this is the event for you.Join us in person or via live stream. Support the show————— We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today. ————— Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more! Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube Leave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners. —————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.