The HARM Spiritual Abuse Does to a Jesus Follower

Sons of Patriarchy

Peter Bell & Sarah Bader

Religion & Spirituality

4.2 • 649 Ratings

🗓️ 4 December 2025

⏱️ 135 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Media inquiries: https://www.sonsofpatriarchy.com/contact

Patreon: patreon.com/sonsofpatriarchy

Website: sonsofpatriarchy.com

Donate: https://donorbox.org/sons-of-patriarchy

Meet Aimee Byrd (a former member of the OPC in the Northeast and prolific author), Ali LeReaux (a former member of the OPC in the Southeast), and Heather Nadreau (a former member of Christ Church Spokane, CREC).

Spiritual abuse so often gets short shrift, but it upends everything you think about the gospel, the church, Jesus, and the pastors who are commanded to shepherd your soul.

The gospel ceases being a salve in favor for a rod. It ceases building you up, by beating you down.

Aimee's books mentioned in the episode:

Saving Face: https://tinyurl.com/5n7jwvmd

The Hope in Our Scars: https://tinyurl.com/3wywurb4

The Sexual Reformation: https://tinyurl.com/y5jh2e28

Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: https://tinyurl.com/29y5he2z

Why Can't We Be Friends: https://tinyurl.com/22vpsy9e

No Little Women: https://tinyurl.com/4r5b988r

Sons of Patriarchy is brought to you by:

Producer, Writer, Editor, and Host: Peter Bell

Original Music, Sound Design, and Mixing: https://aaronfeeneymusic.com/

Social Media: Sarah Bader

Graphic Design: Anonymous Survivors

SURVIVORS - THANK YOU, AND MAY YOU BE HEARD.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Sons of Patriarchy. I'm your host, Peter Bell.
0:05.0	Sons of Patriarchy exists to expose the hidden power structures behind Christian nationalism.
0:10.5	Through survivor testimonies, shared storytelling, and honest expert critiques from across
0:15.9	political, theological, and cultural spectrums, we shine light on systems of abuse and authoritarian control
0:23.6	principally focused on Doug Wilson of Moscow, Idaho, and the movements he has founded and influenced,
0:29.2	as well as across reformed and conservative churches. Our goal is not just to inform, how did we get
0:35.7	here, and what do we do about it, but to spark meaningful
0:39.2	conversations in homes, faith communities, and public spaces about what a healthier, freer,
0:45.9	and more just society can look like. Together, we can dismantle harmful narratives and build
0:52.8	communities of mutual respect and diversity.
0:57.2	Sons of Patriarchy aims to do what Doug cannot. We will unite people. We do not demand you be
1:03.6	like us. We meet you where you are. And while you may not always agree with us, we hope we can
1:09.6	agree on this.
1:13.1	Churches should be safe.
1:19.8	You can find us on all podcasting platforms as well as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and X,
1:22.2	and Sons of Patriarchy.com.
1:30.1	Add free episodes, bonus content, listening a week ahead of time on both audio and video,
1:36.3	monthly Ask Us Anything Specials and many more perks are available across five membership levels at patreon.com slash sons of patriarchy. Much of the same is available via Apple podcast subscriptions for $4.99 a month.
1:48.0	You can give to this work directly at donorbox.com slash sons dash of dash patriarchy.
1:56.7	Exclusive Sons of Patriarchy merch is available at Sonsopatriarchy.com slash merch.
2:02.9	If you'd like to get a hold of us, desire to interview either myself or co-producer Sarah Bader,
2:09.4	or your news media agency looking for information on Christian nationalism,
	...

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