Speaking Up with Andrew Pledger

Janice Selbie was raised evangelical and turned to closed Mennonite (Holdeman/Church of God in Christ Mennonite) during their husband's bible college years. She homeschooled her children, wore a head-covering, and was very conservative. Her marriage was difficult and got harder as the years went on. Eventually, they had a series of tragedies strike that she could not explain if there was indeed a loving or omniscient God. This plunged her into a time of existential crisis. She divorced her husband and religion, went back to school to become a registered professional counselor, and connected with Dr. Marlene Winell (who is now her friend and mentor). Then she founded the Conference on Religious Trauma (CORT) and this October the Shameless Sexuality: Life After Purity Culture online conference. 

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Jenny Fleming talks about the pressures of being a pastor’s kid. She recounts her childhood of growing up in the church and the negative impact it had on her. Sunday was the worst day of the week for her and she was finally able to escape religion. She comes on the show to tell her story and give advice to people trapped in toxic religion. 

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TRIGGER WARNING - This episode mentions trauma, sexual abuse, and other sensitive topics. 

This is a DISCUSSION episode where I interview a professional on a specific subject. Julia Capizzi is an engagement journalist looking to serve the informational needs of the deconstruction community. She comes on the show to discuss her mission and the issues of purity culture. 

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Jemima grew up in “The Children of God” cult. Now she hosts a podcast with her friend Whisper. The podcast is called “Butterflies and Bravery.” Butterflies and Bravery is a podcast created and hosted by two cult Survivors and best friends who were born into the notorious Children of God cult. Listen as Whisper and Jemima tell their stories of turning surviving into thriving, interview other Survivors, and straight talk all things cult, trauma, and religion recovery. Our episodes are guest-led, so anything can happen! Our conversations are real, raw and often NSFW. They may be triggering. But they will thrill and inspire you and give you a new perspective on Survivors, healing and the true success of those leaving, living and loving after a escaping a cult. 

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Mitchell Kesller was born in Minas Gerais, Brazil, and later moved to Boston, MA. Raised Bostonian, he moved to Orlando, FL, fell in love with it, and refused to leave. Mitchell believes in a world where those of faith can find comfort in who they are and continuously contribute their tithes to organizations like the Trevor Project, which support the rights and well-being of the LGBT+ community. He recently published his book “Broke the Bread, Spilled the Tea” which digs into the context behind verses used against the LGBTQ+ community. 

For the first time, Rachel Bernstein, therapist and world-renowned cult expert is sharing her story and recounts being raised in Judaism. Rachel is the host of the “IndoctriNation” podcast. For 30 years, she has helped former cult members and those who have loved ones in cults and highly manipulative relationships. Rachel has helped people from over 300 cults throughout her career. She provides individual counseling, family counseling, and, when possible, group therapy for former cult members. She also helps families who are trying to reach out to their loved ones in the cult. She has led workshops and classes at USC in the School of Social Work and the Department of Psychiatry, at California State University at Northridge, and at various colleges and universities in the New York area. She is also a yearly presenter at the International Cultic Studies Association conferences and was a guest lecturer for the Clergy Emergency League and Wisconsin Council of Churches. She has presented at the Pacific Rim Conference for people in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, and China who are affected by cults and relationships with narcissists, and, with colleagues, developed the program "Stronger After", a free 5-session program for initial support and education for people newly out of highly controlling, abusive, and restrictive environments. 

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Marty Nocchi was a Catholic priest for 15 years, Catholic his whole life. As much as he believes there was some benefit and it helped get him to this point in his life, he also believes it’s an unhealthy institution often run by immature and underdeveloped men. If you want to grow, it’s not the place for you or me! 

Lindsay Helm talks about leaving LDS and her memoir “Vixen.” “Do you ever wonder what decisions will shape your destiny? For Lindsay Helm, one of those decisions was made at the young age of thirteen, when she converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints--known to the world as "the Mormon church." Over the course of a decade, Lindsay would take a journey into one of the most secretive and powerful religious organizations in the world. A journey that would cause her to lose her true self as she submitted to the Mormon church's controversial teachings, culture, and doctrine. Little did she know that two people would come into her life and take her on a new journey. A journey back to herself.” - from Vixen by Lindsay Helm 

David Hayward (aka Naked Pastor) was a pastor for thirty years until deconstructing and leaving Christianity. For over ten years, David has been expressing his criticism and questioning evangelicalism through his cartoons. He comes on the show to talk about his deconstruction journey and where he is now. 

 Purchase David Hayward’s NEW BOOK “Flip it Like This” which features a collection of his favorite original cartoons.  

This podcast series delves deeply into the true story of cult leader Bernard Chaney. Survivors share their stories of the horrific spiritual, physical, psychological, and sexual abuse they experienced and witnessed from Chaney. He is the pastor of "Believers House Worldwide Ministries" and has been for a couple of decades. Victims recount the manipulation, the fear, the guilt, the abuse, and the shame Chaney used to control members. Survivors are seeking justice for all the children sexually assaulted at the church's school called "Voice of Believers Academy." They want Chaney locked up and the school to shut down. Bernard controlled all the members' money, made people eat filth, threatened peoples' lives, physically assaulted members, and much more. Jaye Cole comes on the show to talk about being in leadership under Chaney. He tells the abuse that Chaney committed against members of the cult. Jaye talks about how people can help them find justice. (HELP BRING JUSTICE THROUGH LINKS BELOW) 

BRING JUSTICE

This podcast series delves deeply into the true story of cult leader Bernard Chaney. Survivors share their stories of the horrific spiritual, physical, psychological, and sexual abuse they experienced and witnessed from Chaney. He is the pastor of "Believers House Worldwide Ministries" and has been for a couple of decades. Victims recount the manipulation, the fear, the guilt, the abuse, and the shame Chaney used to control members. Survivors are seeking justice for all the children sexually assaulted at the church's school called "Voice of Believers Academy." They want Chaney locked up and the school to shut down. Bernard controlled all the members' money, made people eat filth, threatened peoples' lives, physically assaulted members, and much more. Sonya Morris tells her story of her time under Bernard Chaney, the pastor of "Believers House Worldwide Ministries." Her daughter was abused at the school for years and was sexually assaulted. Sonya describes the horrific things Chaney would do to members and still had them in his control. She talks about the abuse committed against church members and the control over people. He has manipulated many of his followers who are faithful to him. Chaney is a cult leader, a manipulator, an abuser, a narcissist, and a con man. He controls all the members' money and every aspect of their lives. Bernard Chaney has also abused children at the church's school called "Voice of Believers Christian Academy." He has not been charged with any crimes but is under investigation. Sonya Morris and other survivors want to put Bernard Chaney behind bars because he is a predator who uses spirituality to abuse. The children that are trapped in this cult need to be protected and their parents need to wake up. Survivors of BHWWM are seeking justice and trying to expose Bernard Chaney.

  BRING JUSTICE  

This podcast series delves deeply into the true story of cult leader Bernard Chaney. Survivors share their stories of the horrific spiritual, physical, psychological, and sexual abuse they experienced and witnessed from Chaney. He is the pastor of "Believers House Worldwide Ministries" and has been for a couple of decades. Victims recount the manipulation, the fear, the guilt, the abuse, and the shame Chaney used to control members. Survivors are seeking justice for all the children sexually assaulted at the church's school called "Voice of Believers Academy." They want Chaney locked up and the school to shut down. Bernard controlled all the members' money, made people eat filth, threatened peoples' lives, physically assaulted members, and much more.

Shajuana Coleman tells her story of her time under Bernard Chaney who is the pastor of "Believers House Worldwide Ministries". She talks about the abuse committed against church members and the control over people. He has manipulated many of his followers who are faithful to him. He controls all the members' money and every aspect of their lives. Bernard Chaney has also abused children at the church's school called "Voice of Believers Christian Academy." He has not been charged with any crimes, but he is under investigation. Shajuana wants to put Bernard Chaney behind bars because he is a predator who uses spirituality to abuse. The children that are trapped in this cult need to be protected and their parents need to wake up. Survivors of BHWWM are seeking justice and trying to expose Bernard Chaney. (HELP BRING JUSTICE THROUGH THE LINKS BELOW)  

BRING JUSTICE

Eleanor Skelton grew up in fundamentalist Christianity. Specifically, the IFCA, and IFB church (Independent Fundamental Churches of America; Independent Fundamental Baptist). She was expected to attend a Christian college and conform to strict gender roles. When she refused to enroll in a Christian college her parents became more controlling. Every aspect of her life was under control and she details the power her parents had over her. Eleanor talks about her journey of walking away and helping others escape toxic religion. 

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