This episode is part 2 of the conversation that Amy Fritz and Melissa Hogan started in the previous episode. Amy shares more of what she was seeing in Ramsey Solutions that felt very similar to news of scandal with other Christian ministries and leaders. In this conversation Melissa and Amy talk about over two dozen resources they found helpful in recognizing and processing abusive and/or unhealthy organizations, understanding the hurdles whistle-blowers have to telling the truth, and the...

Amy Fritz is joined by Melissa J. Hogan for a conversation about how they realized they were connected to an unhealthy organization. Amy and Melissa met when Melissa's husband at the time, and Nathan, Amy's husband, were working at Ramsey Solutions. In this episode they talk about how the events happening in the Evangelical world in 2018 and 2019, along with different strategic resources, helped to open their eyes to red flags in the organization. Links:  The Way of the Dragon of the Way of...

On Episode 2 of the Untangled Faith Podcast, Dr. Gary David Stratton joins Amy Fritz to discuss  Zach Stewart's pastoral plagiarism. Mary DeMuth joins us again to talk about what healing looks like on the other side of spiritual abuse, and we hear the second part of Colleen's story of what happened after discovering that her pastor had plagiarized hundreds of sermons.    Links: Episode 1: Recognizing Spiritual Abuse and Part 1 of Colleen's Story Honesty Matters: The Problem of Pastoral...

We're no longer releasing new episodes of the Untangled Faith podcast. Instead, we'll be re-sharing some of the old classic episodes. Thanks for supporting the podcast!   On the first episode of The Untangled Faith Podcast, Amy has a conversation with author and speaker, Mary DeMuth about the characteristics of a spiritually abusive environment.  We also hear from the first in our series of wounded resisters as Colleen shares part 1 of her story of discovering her pastor was hiding a big...

Amy shares her decision regarding the future of the Untangled Faith podcast. Thanks so much for your support over the last three years.   How to reach Amy: Email: [email protected]    

Chuck DeGroat returns to the Untangled Faith podcast with host Amy Fritz to explore the transformative work of moving from self-awareness to self-regulation and how our response to shame changes everything. “I call the work that I do sometimes excavation work, because we're removing rubble. . .There's a lot of rubble that has kept me inwardly oriented and not as merciful or more prone to bitterness than prone to justice as I do my own work. And as I identify these parts of me that are...

Content Note: There is discussion regarding abuse in this episode. Please take care when listening. Author, Ryan George, joins Amy to share his personal experience of leaving a high-control religious community, and what it was like to realize, while listening to a podcast, that his dad was a serial abuser. He also shares what pulled him out of the IFB world and what that means when it comes to helping others.   Buy Ryan's book: Hurt and Healed by the Church: Redemption and Reconstruction...

Becky Castle Miller joins Amy to discuss strategies for assessing the character of church leaders, the importance of being informed, and how to navigate the often-discomforting process of learning about and responding to accusations against those in power.  You'll also get to listen in on some of our personal experiences—the struggle of having to reconcile conflicting information about individuals we once admired and our responsibility to inform others, while remaining sensitive to those at...

Kristen LaValley joins Amy for a conversation about how suffering changes how we view God, religious cliches, being willing to see other's pain, and what she thinks about the recent influx of books decrying deconstruction.   Resources: Kristen's new book: Even If He Doesn't Follow Kristen here: (2) things i'm thinking about | Kristen LaValley | Substack A master list of books, movies, videos, and podcasts that might help you with recovering from and making sense of spiritual abuse: Spiritual...

What happens when your dream dies? Amy shares about what that experience was like from their eager anticipation to join Ramsey Solutions to the point where it fell apart.   If you enjoyed this episode, you're going to love these ones: 90: Historical & Cultural Influences on Evangelicalism. Guest: Karen Swallow Prior – Untangled Faith Podcast 96: The Reshaping of the American Church. Guest: Bob Smietana – Untangled Faith Podcast   Support the show: Subscribe to my...

Welcome to Untangled Faith, where we navigate the complex journey of faith and the challenges we face in our spiritual communities. In this episode we're diving deep into the world of church affiliation and the personal implications it carries for believers. Guests Nathan Fritz, Amanda Turnbull, and Melissa Anne share their comfort (or discomfort) with the idea of church membership as well as some of their backstories that have informed how they approach this topic.   To follow more the...

Looking for a place that allows you to pull up a seat at the table and have honest and vulnerable conversations about faith and life? Hi! That's exactly what we're doing at the Untangled Faith Podcast. Hello! I'm Amy Fritz, the host of the Untangled Faith podcast. I pressed "publish" in April of 2021 and we're still going!  I'm fine-tuning a bit as we move into 2024 and I can't wait to have conversations with voices that understand what it's like to navigate these spaces that are full of land...

Throughout the month of December, we've been counting down the most downloaded episodes of the Untangled Faith Podcast. Today I share the most downloaded episode of 2023.Episode 71- Why You Should Reconsider Taking A Job At Ramsey Solutions has been downloaded over 4400 times since it was released last February. Melissa Hogan joined me to talk about our concerns about our understanding of a new employee agreement Ramsey Solutions was requiring of all employees.Note: Amy will be taking off the...

I'm counting down the most downloaded episodes of 2023 and sharing them with you this month. This episode was the 2nd most downloaded.Kristina Kallman and JJ Merrick join Amy to share their thoughts about Shiny Happy People and how the IBLP and Bill Gothard world intersected with their lives.Resources: Episodes you might...

I'm counting down the most downloaded episodes of 2023! In this episode Pete Singer, Executive Director of GRACE joins Amy to talk about third party assessments and how we should respond to those "over sensitive" to abuse. Resources:   Episodes you might enjoy: https://untangledfaithpodcast.com/2023/06/14/84-boz-tchividjian-on-fighting-against-abuse-in-the-church/ https://untangledfaithpodcast.com/2023/04/12/75-surviving-healing-the-pitfalls-of-advocacy-guest-lori-anne-thompson/   Support the...

I'm counting down the most downloaded episodes of 2023. This episode with Amber Cullum came in as the 4th most downloaded episode. She and I sat down and talked about what it's like to reckon with problems in our own faith communities. Resources:   Episodes you might...

"I think there's so many people that are hurting quietly and feel like they're not good Christians or they don't measure up or they're not good enough. And, you know, if God could just use my story, even , to just comfort somebody else, then that's a good thing. And I know that he'll redeem it somehow. "- Ashley Pritchard Bo and Ashley Pritchard sit down with Amy to share where there are now after a painful church implosion. Resources: A master list of books, movies, videos, and podcasts...

 "The sustained influence of an abusive leadership structure sinks its tentacles very deep, and you are not extracted from it without great harm." - Bo Pritchard Bo Pritchard continues to share his story with the Untangled Faith podcast. This is the fourth part of this story. You can catch them all by starting with episode 103 here: Untangled Faith: Recovering From Spiritual Abuse (pod.link)   Episodes you might enjoy: Colby and Kat Wilkins’ Story – Untangled Faith Podcast Support the...

"We're not trying to bring any system down. We're not trying to embarrass anyone. But how do we say things in such a way that they can see what apparently they're just not seeing right now?"- Bo Pritchard This is part 3 of Bo Pritchard's story. Resources: Bully Pulpit Book: https://amzn.to/3uxHpTO (affiliate link)   Episodes you might...

Bo Pritchard continues to share his story with the Untangled Faith podcast. This is part 2 of Bo's story. Don't miss the first part in episode 103 here: 103: Sensemaking Painful Church Experiences. Guest: Bo Pritchard – Untangled Faith Podcast Bo Pritchard sits down with Amy Fritz to share his story of longing to be an "us" in a church community and learning the hard way what happens when a community values transactions over relationships. Stay tuned because this account overlaps with the...

The meta narrative around the story is relationships versus transactions. The things I remember are not events, they're relationships. - Bo PritchardBo Pritchard sits down with Amy Fritz to share his story of longing to be an "us" in a church community and learning the hard way what happens when a community values transactions over relationships. Stay tuned because this account overlaps with the story the Kat and Colby Wilkins shared on the Untangled Faith podcast in 2022. Resources: Leave a...

If you're going to act like your neighbor or love your neighbor and act like good global neighbors in the world, there will be a cost to it... it's just going to come with a cost. - Emily SmithDr. Emily Smith, author and epidemiologist joins Amy Fritz on the Untangled Faith podcast to talk about the cost of speaking out the science of being a good Samaritan Resources:  https://emilysmith.substack.com Emily's new book The Science of the Good Samaritan https://amzn.to/46O8Ua0 Episodes you...

Lauren and Luke Smallcomb from Flourish Therapy join Amy on the Untangled Faith podcast today to talk about healing from painful experiences in faith communities. Lauren and Luke have their own story of disillusionment as they reckoned with the American evanglical faith system they were brought up in. After serving as missionaries for several years, the Smallcombs transitioned to doing counseling while still living abroad. You're going to enjoy hearing their story and their insights.   In...

Today’s episode is a conversation I’ve been wanting to have for a long time. It just so happened that several things happened recently that prodded me forward to find someone to have this conversation. Today we’re talking about problematic platforms. How do we decide which invitations to accept when it comes to sharing a message we’re passionate about. What if the platform is being offered by someone you have ideological issues with or hosted by a organization you aren’t sure about.   I...