Jasmine: "We're talking about God's preservation of a persecuted church here in America, and his preservation of a persecuted people here in America, for His glory."

Abena: "And one thing I'd love to point out is the absolute miracle that that is. Besides the suffering and all of that, we are talking about a people who were given a false gospel. Literally, pieces cut out of the Bible; only certain cherry-picked lines of Scripture. Frankly, today, people are led astray with much less effort. But like, I'm talking about people who had been given a false gospel, and somehow God actually was so faithful and present with them that they actually found truth."

Portia: "And God still did it. That's what people don't understand."

Joining Jasmine and Portia today is Abena Ansah-Wright, a PhD. Candidate at Vanderbilt University with a focus on Civil War history. Listen as they discuss the perseverance of the enslaved saints, God's faithfulness to an oppressed people, and the ways in which the church was - and is - implicit in this oppression.

Here is the John Gottman book referenced in today's episode: The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country's Foremost Relationship Expert