“How to Guard Against Sexism and Abuse in Christian Communities” with Dr. Andrew J. Bauman

The Allender Center Podcast

The Allender Center

Psychology, Religion & Spirituality, Mental Health, Christianity, Trauma, Health & Fitness, Theology

4.6 • 628 Ratings

🗓️ 16 May 2025

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What happens when a woman names harm in her church community—and instead of support, she’s met with silence, suspicion, or even exile?

Too often, the church’s response to abuse and inequity reveals a painful truth: that protecting systems has taken precedence over protecting people.

In this powerful and layered conversation, Dr. Andrew J. Bauman joins Dr. Dan Allender and Rachael Clinton Chen to confront the realities explored in Andrew’s new book Safe Church: How to Guard Against Sexism and Abuse in Christian Communities.

Together, they discuss:

The cost many women pay for speaking up: isolation, lost community, and spiritual disillusionment
How even “progressive” churches can harbor subtle patterns of power and control
The stark data that exposes ongoing gender inequity in ministry
The personal stories that bring this reality to life—and why representation matters
What a truly safe and equitable church could look like

This is not just a conversation about what’s broken—it’s a call to build something better. A church where truth is welcomed, not silenced. Where policies protect the vulnerable. Where power is shared, not hoarded. And where the sacred image of God in women is honored, nurtured, and empowered.

Whether you’re a survivor, a leader, or someone wrestling with disillusionment, this episode offers a brave and hopeful vision of what the church can become—if we have the courage to tell the truth and move toward change.

Related Resources:

Order your copy of Dr. Andrew J. Bauman’s SAFE CHURCH: How to Guard Against Sexism & Abuse in Christian Communities.
Listen to the Allender Center Podcast episode: “Connections Between Spiritual and Sexual Abuse”
Continue to learn with these self-paced online courses from the Allender Center: Spiritual Abuse & Healing Online Course and the Healing the Wounded Heart Online Course

Transcript

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0:00.0	If you've been doing some personal work, maybe through journaling, therapy, reading, or even listening to this podcast, and yet still feel like there's something missing, you're not alone.
0:14.5	Our stories were never meant to be engaged in isolation.
0:18.6	That's why participating in a story workshop with the Allender Center can be such a powerful
0:23.5	next step.
0:24.9	I'm Rachel Clinton-Centon, and I want to personally invite you to this unique in-person
0:29.6	experience in Seattle, happening August 21 through 24, 2025.
0:35.8	Over the course of three and a half days, you'll receive live teaching from Dan Allender,
0:41.1	Wendell Moss, and myself, and other Allender Center instructors.
0:45.7	But what makes this workshop truly transformative is the time you'll spend in a story group,
0:51.7	a small, intimate setting, led by a trained facilitator who will walk
0:56.1	with you as you engage a part of your story with care and courage. It's a space marked by
1:01.7	compassion, reflection, and healing, a space where deep change becomes possible. If you're
1:08.6	feeling called to take your storywork further and to do it in community,
1:12.9	this might be the next step you've been looking for. Learn more and register now at the
1:18.7	allandercentro.org slash workshops. We would love to have you with us.
1:42.7	Thank you for listening to the Allender Center podcast.
1:44.6	I'm Dr. Dan Allender.
1:46.2	And I'm Rachel Clinton-Centon. We're fiercely committed to providing hope and healing to a fragmented world.
1:50.9	And restoration for the heart.
1:53.4	Thank you for joining us.
1:54.6	Let's get this conversation started. Rachel, we have a dear friend joining us today.
2:11.6	Dr. Andrew Bauman, it is a delight to have you with us.
	...

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