Unpacking Church Camp with Cara Meredith

This one’s personal.

In this special episode of Daring to Dad, Ryan reconnects with longtime friend and author Cara Meredith to talk about a place that shaped—and complicated—both of their lives: church camp.

They dive deep into Cara’s new book Church Camp, exploring the tension between beauty and harm in white evangelical youth culture. Together, they unpack formative experiences like Cry Night, purity culture, “don’t make purple” rules, emotional manipulation, and the racial and gendered norms embedded in camp life.

They reflect on what it means to hold grace for younger versions of ourselves, how shame gets passed down through spiritual systems, and what raising kids with a grounded sense of love and identity can look like—without recreating the patterns they’re still unlearning.

Cara also shares how her theology and parenting have evolved, why she still loves camp, and the power of asking questions even when you’re afraid of the answers.

About Cara: Cara Meredith is the author of The Color of Life and Church Camp. She lives in Oakland, CA, where she works in development by day and writes by night. Follow her on Substack at carameredith.substack.com or on Instagram @carameredithwrites.