The Value of Compassion I still remember where I was when terrorists attacked the World Trade Centers on September 11, 2001. I was a pastor at my first church and sitting in the office. Technology was not what it is today, but it was easy to find coverage and immediately I was fielding calls and trying to make sense of what we saw repeatedly on television for the next few days. Three days later, President Bush addressed the nation and... Read more
Good Questions – Part 2 – Get Rid of Satan? “A prudent question is one-half of wisdom.” Francis Bacon My deconstruction began when I started asking questions. The questions weren’t the regular softball questions we asked Sunday school teachers which propped up what the teacher was already trying to assert. These questions caused the rest of the class to groan, mumble, and most likely, talk about me behind my back. I continue to ask the questions in this series.... Read more
Reclaiming Married Sex from Purity Culture Megan Benninger has survived spiritual abuse in a variety of institutional settings, including a religious cult and a Southern Baptist church. She and her partner founded Baptist Accountability, an online database that tracks abuse within Baptist churches. Megan works tirelessly to educate others about spiritual and sexual abuse within churches and religious organizations. I was lucky to create a Leaning Forward conference with all these women and their wisdom! Leaning Forward is the title of... Read more
How to Speak Women Susan Cottrell is an international speaker whose TEDx talk has 1.6 million views. OutSmart magazine called her “The Mother of All MamaBears.” The Advocate dubbed her “our favorite affirming matriarch.” She is a prominent voice for the LGBTQ community and their faith parents who have been featured on ABC’s 20/20, Nightline, and Good Morning America, on NBC News Out I was lucky to create a Leaning Forward conference with all these women and their wisdom! Leaning Forward... Read more
Why Worship is NOT Necessary Worship was important to me in fundamentalist, evangelicalism. My congregations considered the worship service primary. As you know, it included public prayer, recitation, music, and then a sermon. This was what we considered corporate worship, although we acknowledged that a person could worship anywhere. Worship was one of the big five purposes of the church. We were hoping to praise and acknowledge God for who He is. Sometimes public worship was very moving for me,... Read more
Trauma and the Black Community Nikki G. is a Life Coach and Advanced Certified Trauma Recovery Coach (in training) who helps survivors recover and thrive after Narcissistic Abuse, Religious Trauma, Spiritual Abuse, and cult involvement or High Demand Groups. I was lucky to create a Leaning Forward conference with all these women and their wisdom! Leaning Forward is the title of a book by Karl and Laura Forehand about moving beyond the confines of organized religion. It is also the title of an... Read more
Deconstructing the Holidays Sometime during this Christmas season, I commented on a post from one of my old friends who is a pastor when he was bragging about his Christmas production. When I first knew him, his church in a different city, produced what could only be described as a Broadway production at Christmas time. It was complete with live animals and a triumphant procession through the sanctuary to a song that had little to do with Christmas. It was... Read more
The Intersection of Patriarchy and Abuse Ashley Easter is a trained victim advocate, an author, a founder of an internationally attended abuse survivor conference, CEO of Courage 365, a television producer, an ordained reverend, an international speaker, an empowerment coach, and Vice-President of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests. I was lucky to create a Leaning Forward conference with all these women and their wisdom! Leaning Forward is the title of a book by Karl and Laura Forehand about moving... Read more
New Lenses – My Story – Karl Forehand The first time I remember understanding something about God was when my mom took me to a large Baptist church in the Oklahoma City area. I was beyond shy most of my life, but that day, I told my mom I wanted to walk the aisle because the preacher had convinced me that I was sinful enough that God did not want anything to do with me. My only option to avoid... Read more
As A Woman with Paula Stone Williams I was lucky to create a Leaning Forward conference with all these women and their wisdom! Leaning Forward is the title of a book by Karl and Laura Forehand about moving beyond the confines of organized religion. It is also the title of an online conference we have hosted for several years. This year, we decided to host a series of podcasts primarily to help us understand religious trauma and how to move forward.... Read more
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