Right Side Up Podcast with Danielle Strickland

In this episode, we feature a special guest who did not contribute to the book, Need to Know: Paul Young. Well-known as the author of The Shack, Eve, and other books, Paul has always impressed me as someone who truly values and elevates women. We discuss the power of storytelling, the role of women in the church, and the importance of truth-telling for pastors. Paul shares his powerful personal story detailing how women were safer figures for him than men, the impact of early childhood trauma on his faith, and the need for authenticity in leadership. We also explore metaphors for God and the rehabilitation of Eve’s reputation in the Biblical narrative.Show NotesLink to order the book: Need to Know: Empowering Female Leadership and Why It’s Essential for the Future of the ChurchkeywordsNeed to Know, Paul Young, The Shack, Eve, women in the church, storytelling, trauma, faith, authenticity, theology, redemptiontakeaways* Women play a crucial role in the future of the church.* Trauma can significantly impact one's faith and identity.* Authenticity in leadership is essential for church growth.* Truth-telling is vital for pastors to foster genuine connections.* The metaphors we use for God shape our understanding of God.* Eve's story highlights the need for women's empowerment.* Healing and restoration are necessary for personal and communal growth.* Community and connection are vital for overcoming trauma.* Men must become allies in the movement for women's flourishing in the church.Sound Bites* "The unexposed is the unhealed."Chapters00:00 Introduction and Background03:23 The Power of Fiction and Storytelling07:35 Encountering God Outside of Traditional Beliefs09:57 Questioning Assumptions and Theology13:46 The Impact of The Shack and Authenticity in Art18:49 Healing and Personal Growth as a Foundation for Writing20:27 Navigating Success and Criticism27:32 Exploring Women's Stories and Challenging Traditional Beliefs28:30 The Power of Metaphors in Shaping Our Understanding of God31:47 Challenging Gender and Racial Stereotypes in 'The Shack'37:02 Confronting Brokenness and Embracing Love and Humility38:11 Addressing the Damage of Abuse and Creating a Healthier Church45:34 Advice for Male Pastors: Truth-Telling, Challenging Doctrines, and Prioritizing Love51:44 A word to the perpetrators Get full access to Right Side Up: Danielle Strickland at daniellestrickland.substack.com/subscribe

Up next on the Need to Know season of The Right Side Up podcast, we discuss clergy sexual abuse. This episode includes content that may be difficult to hear for some people, so we encourage you to listen to your body as you engage with this important topic. Our guests are book-contributors Lori Anne Thompson and Angela Lam. Lori Anne shares her personal journey of writing about her experiences with clergy abuse, the challenges of confronting such trauma, and the importance of sharing narratives to foster understanding and empathy. Angela speaks to the role of church leadership in addressing abuse, the bravery of survivors, and the need for systemic change within religious institutions. We reflect on the significance of spiritual reckoning, accountability, and the hope for healing and resurrection amidst darkness.Show NotesLink to order the book: Need to Know: Empowering Female Leadership and Why It’s Essential for the Future of the ChurchRecommended Resources On Clergy Sexual AbuseLimited SeriesShiny Happy People on Amazon Prime : while showcasing an very conservative strain of Christianity, the subtlety of spiritual manipulation, the effects of purity culture and the “group think” that allows/protects abuse to happen in plain sight are seen in far broader contexts in modern evangelical ChristianityKeep Sweet, Pray & Obey on Netflix: speaks to the coercive power of religious authority and the compliance training women especially have been subjected to. This series is a radical case of both but this actually makes it easier to see. The same roots of these things (coercive power and compliance training of women) are deeply embedded in the dynamics we’re seeing play out in all Christian denominationsThe Secrets of Hillsong by FX on Hulu: demonstrates the systemic nature of how abuses of various types are normalized to such a degree that the general populace is somewhat inoculated to seeing it.BooksThe #MeToo Reckoning: Facing the Church Complicity in Sexual Abuse and Misconduct#ChurchToo: How Purity Culture Upholds Abuse and How to Find HealingA Church Called Tov: Forming a Goodness Culture That Resists Abuses of Power & Promotes HealingRedeeming Power: Understanding Authority & Abuse in the ChurchWhen Narcissism Comes to Church: Healing Your Community from Emotional and Spiritual AbuseWebsiteshttp://www.clergysexualmisconduct.com/http://www.adultsabusedbyclergy.org/https://www.hagarsvoice.com/ArticlesClergy Sexual Abuse as Moral Injury: Confronting a Wounded and Wounding ChurchDisabusing the Church (the value of trauma-informed churches)Social Media Feedshttps://www.instagram.com/religious.harm.recovery/https://www.instagram.com/restoredvoicescollective/https://www.instagram.com/brokentobeloved/episode keywordsclergy abuse, personal narrative, resilience, faith, accountability, survivors, church leadership, trauma, healing, hopetakeaways* Writing about trauma requires descending into painful experiences.* Identifying with the crucified Christ helps in understanding clergy abuse.* Sharing personal narratives can cultivate empathy in others.* Bravery in confronting abuse often comes with immense personal cost.* Church leadership must prioritize accountability over self-protection.* Systemic change is necessary to address the culture of abuse.* Spiritual reckoning is essential for healing within the church.* Understanding betrayal trauma is crucial for recognizing abuse.* Hope and resurrection can emerge from the darkest experiences.* Leaders are invited to break ranks and stand with survivors.Sound Bites* "Writing was an ascent into an incredibly dark and painful personal hell."Chapters00:00 Introduction and Overview01:59 Angela Lam's contributions and background06:18 Lori Anne Thompson's Lived Experience and Contribution to the Book11:17 Reading an Impactful Excerpt from Lori Anne Thompson's Chapter14:36 The Power of Narrative and Identifying with the Crucified Christ23:31 The Shift in Public Response and the Importance of Media Coverage25:17 Encouragement for Survivors and Allies29:00 Breaking Ranks: Challenging the Status Quo38:42 The Crucifixion of Jesus: Exposing Systems of Evil55:37 The Invitation to Stand with Jesus: Finding Hope in Resurrection Get full access to Right Side Up: Danielle Strickland at daniellestrickland.substack.com/subscribe

Happy Thursday! Continuing the Need to Know season of The Right Side Up podcast, today we get into our first conversation with two contributors to the book. My dear friend Bob Ekblad is joined by Janet Munn, an author, speaker and leader in the Salvation Army. In this conversation, we explore the intersection of gender, power, and faith within the church. We reflect on need for a reimagined understanding of God that transcends traditional male-centric views. What is the church’s history of female leadership? What power dynamics distort equality today? How do allies get involved? Find answers to all those questions and more.Show NotesLink to order the book: Need to Know: Empowering Female Leadership and Why It’s Essential for the Future of the ChurchKeywordsGod, gender, power, church, leadership, women, equality, community, advocacy, nonviolenceTakeaways* God is described as both male and female in scripture.* The distortion of power dynamics harms both men and women.* Women must be empowered to lead and serve in the church.* The church needs to reimagine its structures to be more inclusive.* Active nonviolence is essential in addressing social injustices.* Voices of women are crucial for the health of the church.* Encouragement to persist in advocacy for gender equality.* The original biblical narrative supports mutuality between genders.* Jesus' choice of women as the first witnesses to the resurrection is significant.* Allies are needed to help amplify women's voices in the church.Sound Bites* "God is not male."* "We need allies who will help us."* "Distortion of power causes great damage."Chapters00:00 Introduction to the Need to Know season and the book01:55 Reimagining God's Gender09:39 The Gap Between Theory and Practice24:08 Rethinking Power and Spiritual Authority34:16 Practical Steps for Gender Equity42:04 Holding Leaders Accountable and Leaving Spaces that Do Not Value Women46:24 Reimagining Church Structures and Systems Get full access to Right Side Up: Danielle Strickland at daniellestrickland.substack.com/subscribe

Friends! Welcome to the Need to Know season of The Right Side Up. This season is all about supporting the forthcoming compilation book, Need to Know: Empowering Female Leadership and Why It’s Essential for the Future of the Church. In this introductory episode I share why empowering women is so important for the future of the church. You’ll hear me emphasize the importance of collaboration between men and women, the need for systemic change, and the role of theology in promoting gender equity. I reflect on the historical context of female leadership, the challenges of addressing abuse within church systems, and the necessity of honest hope and lament in the journey towards transformation. Order the bookkeywordsfemale leadership, church, empowerment, theology, equity, abuse, collaboration, hope, transformation, systemic changetakeawaysEmpowering female leadership is essential for the future of the church.Cultural awareness is crucial for understanding gender dynamics.The cost of allyship can be surprising for men.Theology plays a significant role in gender equity discussions.Church systems often perpetuate abuse and harm.Historical examples, like the Salvation Army, show the impact of female leadership.Collaboration between genders is vital for church growth.Honest hope requires acknowledging and lamenting past injustices.Transformation involves a deep personal and collective metanoia.Listening and learning are the first steps towards living differently.Chapters00:00 Introduction: The Need to Know02:27 The Cost and Challenges of Empowering Female Leadership06:09 The Interconnectedness of Power, Empire, and Leadership08:01 The Importance of Doing Exegetical Work on Women11:20 The Historical Role of Women in the Church18:48 A Call to Repentance, Learning, and Living Differently Get full access to Right Side Up: Danielle Strickland at daniellestrickland.substack.com/subscribe

Bob is someone I have long admired for his witness of the ways of Jesus. He talks with us about his own story, the need to break allegiances with our dominant cultural idols (even national ones), and the ongoing journey of being faithful to Jesus in an age of rising nationalism disguised as Christianity. This is so eye opening and beautiful.tierra-nueva.orgpeoplesseminary.org Get full access to Right Side Up: Danielle Strickland at daniellestrickland.substack.com/subscribe

Wow. What is the perfect body anyway?! So many good questions and an invitation to explore disability from a Kingdom perspective. Fascinating, challenging, and always a little fun!wellspringtoronto.ca Get full access to Right Side Up: Danielle Strickland at daniellestrickland.substack.com/subscribe

Aaron White: The Pedagogy of Education... Learning a curiously different way and the deep and wide academy.How we think about thinking? Yep, kind of. Challenging assumptions of learning and the inflexible way we've made knowledge about sitting still and why there are better ways... a great discussion! deepwideacademy.com Get full access to Right Side Up: Danielle Strickland at daniellestrickland.substack.com/subscribe

Julie Faith Parker: Eve Isn't Evil - a feminist Old Testament Scholar helps us see the scriptures afresh! WOW. This is an eye opening conversation about how we've often viewed women (especially in the Old Testament) in ways that are not faithful to the text and have limited the Sacred story because of our own assumptions and prejudice. Get ready to be amazed and to get introduced to Eve Isn't Evil a new book that helps us explore the full range of women in the Bible! juliefaithparker.com Get full access to Right Side Up: Danielle Strickland at daniellestrickland.substack.com/subscribe

Micah is a gifted creative who hails from Long Beach, California. He is an incredible spoken word poet, a musician, and a speaker. I've shared the stage with Micah at many events around the world and have always been impacted by his faithful witness. Micah shares his journey, creative insights, and a lot on love. Don't miss this one! micahbournes.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@micahbournes Get full access to Right Side Up: Danielle Strickland at daniellestrickland.substack.com/subscribe

The delightful and complicated journey out of patriarchy and how God sees women. Terran is South African. He is a gifted leader, church planter, bridge builder, and theologian. We catch up with his own story of awakening to the liberating good news from the scriptures and how that has lead him to help others and empower everyone! Incredibly insightful and exciting interview. terranwilliams.com Get full access to Right Side Up: Danielle Strickland at daniellestrickland.substack.com/subscribe