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In the world of religion, Johnna Harris was a shining example of faith and dedication. But behind the facade of her leadership, lies a heartbreaking tale of betrayal and emotional turmoil. As she unravels her journey, Johnna's raw and candid storytelling reveals the devastating impact of religious abuse on her life. But just when it seems like all hope is lost, a surprising turn of events leaves her standing at a crossroads, unsure of what the future holds.\n\nMy special guest is Johnna Harris\n\nJohnna Harris serves as the co-host of the "Bodies Behind the Bus" podcast and is an advocate for survivors of religious abuse. Based on her personal experiences as a former staff member at a California church, Johnna actively engages in supporting survivors and recently specifically involved in supporting survivors seeking justice within the Southern Baptist Convention environment. Her involvement with Sacred Wilderness and her consistent presence on social media platforms demonstrates her commitment to listening to survivors' voices and amplifying their stories. With a deep understanding of religious abuse and its devastating effects, Johnna's work reflects her dedication to promoting healing and advocating for change in religious abuse contexts.\n\nI fully relate to and understand why someone wouldn't go there and would say, it's very relatable when you start thinking about Donald Trump. To me, when you think about how the church in America, western evangelicals, really latched on to Donald Trump and said, this is our guy. This is who we're standing behind. This is who God put in office. This is God's candidate. And a lot of us started saying, wait, has anything you've ever said to me been true? - Johnna Harris\n\nIn this episode, you will be able to:\n\nDiscover the healing power of professional support for survivors of religious abuse.\n\nUncover the impact of spiritual abuse within religious institutions.\n\nEmpower yourself through the art of storytelling and advocacy in the journey of healing.\n\nExplore the unique challenges faced by women in religious leadership roles.\n\nLearn about the devastating effects of religious abuse and how to overcome them.\n\n\n\nDiscover the healing power\nHealing from religious abuse is an essential aspect of reclaiming your life. This healing process often includes seeking professional help, such as the online therapy platform BetterHelp mentioned by host Lori Adams-Brown. Harnessing the healing power by taking care of oneself, working through past trauma, and seeking justice for the injustice committed can be an empowering experience that is crucial in a survivor's journey.\n\nThe resources mentioned in this episode are:\n\nVisit www.betterhelp.com/difference to get 10% off your first month of professional help through Betterhelp.\n\nTune in to the next episode of the podcast to hear more about the specific issues in the Southern Baptist Convention and Johnna's calls to action for advocacy and change.\n\nTake the time to do something nice for yourself today as an act of self-care and self-love. It's important to prioritize your own well-being.\n\nCheck out the Bodies Behind the Bus podcast to listen to stories of those who have experienced abuse within the Western evangelical church and to be a part of the survivor community.\n\n\n\nBut the survivor community is coming out of this religious context that's very fundamentalist. And we are definitely playing that out on each other now, outside of that, and I don't think it has to be that way. I think we can choose a better way and I think we can learn nuance. - Johnna Harris\n\nThe key moments in this episode are:\n00:00:02 - Introduction to Johnna Harris\n\n00:03:15 - Trigger Warning and Two-Part Episode\n\n00:07:25 - Complementarianism vs. Egalitarianism\n\n00:14:59 - Investigation by Baptist Network\n\n00:16:10 - Founding Bodies Behind the Bus Podcast\n\n00:17:05 - The Complexity of Abuse and Loss of Community\n\n00:19:42 - Betrayal and Community Disbelief\n\n00:22:55 - Faith and Integrity\n\n00:26:49 - Wounded Healers and Nuance\n\n00:34:08 - Johnna's Advocacy Journey\n\n00:35:03 - Johnna's Concerns and Calls to Action\n\n00:36:33 - Using Influence for Good\n\n00:37:55 - Closing Remarks and Call to Action\n\nI'm learning that my voice is okay, like, I can be myself. - Johnna Harris\n\nTimestamped summary of this episode:\n00:00:02 - Introduction to Johnna Harris\nLori introduces Jonna Harris, the co-host of Bodies behind the Bus podcast, who shares her experiences of spiritual abuse in a religious environment and her advocacy for survivors.\n\n00:03:15 - Trigger Warning and Two-Part Episode\nLori provides a trigger warning for the discussion of spiritual abuse in a religious environment and announces a two-part episode with Jonna, diving into Jonna's experiences and advocacy work.\n\n00:07:25 - Complementarianism vs. Egalitarianism\nJohnna explains the difference between complementarianism and egalitarianism in the evangelical church and how it influenced her role as a female worship leader.\n\n00:14:59 - Investigation by Baptist Network\nJohnna describes the absurd investigation conducted by a group of pastors from the Pacific church network, which ultimately led to her firing and the mass exodus of the church congregation.\n\n00:16:10 - Founding Bodies Behind the Bus Podcast\nJohnna shares how she started the Bodies Behind the Bus podcast after receiving an overwhelming response to a tweet about her experience, highlighting stories of abuse within the Western evangelical church.\n\n00:17:05 - The Complexity of Abuse and Loss of Community\nJohnna discusses the complexity of abuse, including gaslighting, grooming, and the loss of community as a survivor. She highlights the additional trauma of being discredited in a church abuse situation and the pain of losing the community she had built.\n\n00:19:42 - Betrayal and Community Disbelief\nJohnna shares the heartbreaking experience of being empathized with but also told that there are "two sides" to her story, which made her feel personally attacked and misunderstood. She discusses the pain of losing the community's support and the disbelief survivors often face.\n\n00:22:55 - Faith and Integrity\nJohnna reflects on her faith and how it has been tested by the actions of religious leaders. She emphasizes the importance of seeing people who claim Jesus walking in integrity and character, despite the challenges and trauma she has faced.\n\n00:26:49 - Wounded Healers and Nuance\nJohnna discusses the issues within the survivor community, where some individuals reenact their traumas onto others instead of healing. She emphasizes the need to embrace nuance and growth as a community and the impact of fundamentalist beliefs on the survivor community's dynamics.\n\n00:34:08 - Johnna's Advocacy Journey\nLori introduces Jonna Harris and acknowledges her advocacy for abuse survivors in religious spaces. Jonna's personal experience has shaped her into an advocate, and Lori highlights the importance of her voice in bringing about change.\n\n00:35:03 - Johnna's Concerns and Calls to Action\nLori highlights Jonna's concerns about issues in the Southern Baptist convention and her calls to action for change. Jonna's advocacy work focuses on centering survivors, seeking justice, and mobilizing others to join in the effort for change.\n\n00:36:33 - Using Influence for Good\nLori emphasizes the impact of using one's influence and platform for advocacy, using Jonna as an example. She encourages listeners to prioritize self-care and extends an invitation to join in for the next episode to learn more about Johnna's involvement and calls to action.\n\n00:37:55 - Closing Remarks and Call to Action\nLori wraps up by urging listeners to take care of themselves and acknowledges their efforts in making a difference. She invites them to tune in for the next episode to delve deeper into Johnna's initiatives, emphasizing the importance of self-care and collective action.\n\n\nhttps://www.twitter.com/@awodpod\n\nhttps://www.facebook.com/A-World-of-Difference-613933132591673/\n\nhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/aworldofdifference/\n\nhttps://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com\n\nhttps://www.youtube.com/@aworldofdifference\n\n\n\nFor those who are different and want to make a difference\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices