TW: child sexual abuse, pedophilia, depression, attempted suicide

Today we’re chatting with Sarah! In this episode, Sarah answers all of my questions about the subgroup of Christadelphians called the “Bereans”, shares her experience of growing up in a small ecclesia as a victim of child m*lestation by Christadelphian brothers, and the story of how the Berean Christadelphian community discovered and responded to the abuse (Surprise! NOT WELL!) We also learn about Sarah’s second baptism, the revelations that shocked her as she learned more about the outside world, and discuss the harmful consequences of some of the Berean-specific Christadelphian beliefs for victims of child abuse. Sarah also shares the positives in her life now that she left the Christadelphian community, the lessons she’s learned about trying to heal, and about the joy and freedom she has in her adult life.

Listener discretion advised.

Resources and References:

Wikipedia on Berean Christadelphians

Berean Christadelphian Website

Church law and tax website: “Minimizing the Risks of Child Molestation in Churches”

American Mandatory Reporting Laws

“KidFlix” platform busted news article

Wrested Scriptures by Ron Abel (Book- PDF Link)

Accidental Saints by Nadia Bolz-Weber (Book)

Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion by Gregory Boyle

Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans

The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels 

Jim Palmer Substack “Deconstructionology”

The End of Faith by Sam Harris

Supernatural: What the Bible Teaches About the Unseen World and Why it Matters by Dr. Michael Heiser

On The Origin of Time by Stephen Hawking 

Donald Hoffman (Author)

Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind by Annaka Harris

Frederico Faggin on Consciousness

Dr. Tara Swart

Dr. Gabor Mate

Dawn Smith: TedX “Why I Left an Evangelical Cult”