“After a long journey out of evangelicalism a few years back followed by a short stint in an evangelical church for a few months, I left for good in a coffee shop a
while back when a “friend” and leader in the church, who had manipulated me into coming back months earlier, decided that reading all the “clobber passages“ to me was in my best interest. I was already planning on telling him I was leaving and why. This was the whole point I wanted to meet with him. I’m gay and proud and have been out since 2016, and to him, this obviously was a problem. But he told me things were different this time. That the church wanted to be more diverse and accepting. And this was the second time this same church blatantly lied to me regarding this. And it hurt even more that someone I thought was my friend would look at me after I said I was leaving and essentially tell me to not let the door hit me on the way out.
But how does this tie into TLA? Welp. I was listening to The Life After in that coffee shop, trying to muster up some courage while I waited for this so-called friend of mine to show up (30 minutes late) to what I knew was going to be an unpleasant and somewhat traumatizing situation. You gave me courage to speak up for myself and not be manipulated or gaslit anymore.
Thank you, Chuck and Brady, for giving me a voice to speak up and speak out. It’s partly because of you (and my former friend’s inexcusable lateness) that I’m free now and very happy.”
timcoe001 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
07/07/19