Bodies Behind The Bus
The Bodies Behind the Bus is a podcast centering on the voices of spiritual abuse survivors. We began with stories out of the Acts 29 network and have branched into many organizations since our launch. We are the discarded few. We have been abused, gaslit, ignored, slandered, deceived, intentionally hurt, and betrayed. Our stories were manipulated and our voices were stolen. We were left alone with all the confusion, grief, hurt, and pain but today we begin to reclaim our stories and find our voices once again because we matter, and being a body behind the bus is not the gospel.
Episodes
James shares his experience with the Austin Stone church, including his early motivations for moving to Austin, the challenges he faced as a Mexican American in a predominantly white evangelical institution, and the barriers to leadership he encountered despite his qualifications. He discusses his experience raising support, internal cultural tensions, tokenism, health struggles tied to workplace stress, and the events that led to ...
Kelley joins the podcast to share her experience as both a former member of the Austin Stone church and staff member of its affiliated nonprofit, For the City. She discusses the church’s culture, internal power dynamics, financial mismanagement, and the challenges of working within a complementarian system. Kelley reflects on her personal story of spiritual and emotional harm, organizational dysfunction, and the long-term impact of...
Ben joins the Bodies Behind the Bus podcast to share his experience at Austin Stone Church, a large SBC-affiliated church in Austin, Texas. He reflects on his decade-long involvement, including leadership roles and the creation of a ministry for LGBTQIA+ individuals. The conversation explores church culture, leadership dynamics, personal transformation, and the challenges of reconciling faith with identity. Ben also discusses his d...
In this episode of Bodies Behind the Bus, B shares her deeply personal story about the emotional toll of navigating immigration, identity, and faith. B recounts her years at the Austin Stone Church in Austin, Texas, where she joined a residency program to serve the local Latino community, only to face institutional racism, cultural insensitivity, and burnout. Her story highlights the disconnect between church rhetoric and practice,...
In this episode, Johnna & Jay introduce a new four-part series investigating The Austin Stone Church in Austin, Texas. Joined by Board member Emily, they discuss the church’s influential role in evangelical culture, its connections to Acts 29 and the SBC, and a troubling pattern of abuse, cover-ups, and systemic harm within its leadership and programs. The episode highlights the church’s public image versus its internal realiti...
In this episode, Jay and Johnna debrief the 2025 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. They discuss why Johnna chose to attend alone, the deaths of two high-profile survivors—Jennifer Lyell and Duane Rollins—and the emotional and physical toll survivor advocacy has taken. They reflect on the SBC’s failure to follow through on promised reforms, the lack of accountability, and the ongoing harm caused by the institution’s refusa...
This episode examines the legacy of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and draws a clear line from that policy to other moments of systemic injustice in American history—slavery, Japanese internment, discriminatory policing, and modern ICE raids. Through historical analysis and personal reflection, Jay challenges the narrative of American exceptionalism, exposes the role of the white church in reinforcing inequality, and confronts the ...
Mollie Callahan, spiritual director and seminary student, joins to discuss the misuse of church discipline, its harmful impact, and how scripture has often been misapplied in these situations. She examines 1 Corinthians 5, Matthew 18, and stories like the woman caught in adultery, Zacchaeus, and the woman at the well to reframe church discipline through the lens of Jesus’ compassion, agency, and pursuit of the hurting.
In this episode, Joyce shares her story of involvement in a PCA church in Florida and how her experience of marriage, faith, and community unfolded over more than a decade. She describes the early support her family received, her deep investment in church life, and how that shifted when she began raising concerns about her marriage. Joyce outlines the church’s response, her efforts to seek counseling, the process of pursuing divorc...
In this “At the Bus Stop” episode, Dr. Jared Stacy, a theologian and ethicist, joins Johnna and Jay to unpack the link between conspiracy theories, Christian nationalism, and the culture of abuse within white evangelical spaces. Drawing from his personal experience and academic research, Jared explores how storytelling shapes power, how conspiracy theories thrive in religious communities, and why many churches prioritize maintainin...
Be sure to listen to episode 79 “Alicia’s Story” to hear about her experience with this same pastor.
Alicia’s Story: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/alicias-story-columbus-oh/id1601586078?i=1000663185044
In this community conversation, the team from Bodies Behind the Bus responds to recent events involving The New Evangelicals and the release of a NetGrace investigation. They share their perspectives on accountability, integrity, and the responsibility of platforms in survivor spaces.
Allegations against Tim Whitaker and The New Evangelicals show how hierarchy transfers to progressive ministries | BAPTIST NEWS GLOBAL
In this episode of The Bodies Behind the Bus Podcast, we welcome Beth Allison Barr, historian, professor, and author of The Making of Biblical Womanhood and her latest book, Becoming the Pastor’s Wife. Beth shares her insights on the historical roots of pat...
This episode of Bodies Behind the Bus features Margaret Bronson and Eric Isaac discussing the rise of Christian nationalism and its intersection with fundamentalist cult beliefs. Margaret shares insights from her experience in a high-control religious group, highlighting issues of female subjugation, the quiverfull movement, lack of education, and financial entrapment. Eric connects these experiences to broader patterns of spiritua...
Subscribe to Jemar’s Substack Here: Footnotes by Jemar Tisby | Jemar Tisby, PhD | Substack
Buy “The Spirit of Justice” https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-spirit-of-justice-stories-of-faith-race-and-resistance-jemar-tisby/20859536?ean=9780310144854
“I Am the Spirit of Justice” for kids ages 4-7 https://bookshop.org/p/books/i-am-the-spirit-of-justice-jemar-tisby/21291875?ean=9780310145561
“Stories of The Spirit of Justice” for kids ages 8...
Walker contact: walkerbbtb@gmail.com
Crissie contact: inspiredifferences@gmail.com
Link to Transcript from Concerned Congregant meeting (200 in attendance) - October 2021https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MUJ_ri2nuRP2vnAf6oU1iXIGljSVFHu3/view?usp=sharing
Congregant Feedback Survey (leadership stated they didn't think there were any concerns following the October meeting, and then refused to start the GRACE survey (which w...
Walker contact: walkerbbtb@gmail.com
Crissie contact: inspiredifferences@gmail.com
NDA document -https://drive.google.com/file/d/11mn6mrHTZ4VVvEQAUHZnqwCgRd5IHlaS/view?usp=sharing
Find more information, and future stories here - https://chapelillbiblechurch.org/
Keep up with all things on X @CHBConfidential
- Chapel Hill Bible Church: Pastor Eric McKiddie Is Gone and Pastor Jay Thomas Is Under Fire - thewartburgwatch.com
- Chapel Hill Bible Church: A Petition Signed by 78 and the Use of NDAs to Keep Things on the Down Low. What’s Going On With the Leaders? - thewartburgwatch.com
- Prominent North Carolina Church Embroiled in Controversy Following Alleged Abuse & 3 Investigations - julieroys.com
- Chapel Hill Bible Church leaders face all...
Popular Podcasts
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.
Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S. centering Latino stories, hosted by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Maria Hinojosa Every week, the Peabody winning team brings you revealing, in-depth stories about what’s in the hearts and minds of Latinos and their impact on the world. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. www.futuromediagroup.org/joinplus