- Johnna Harris's Story of Spiritual and Emotional Abuse and Advocating for Survivors Lori Adams-Brown 37:23
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.
My special guest is Johnna Harris
Johnna 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.
I 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
In this episode, you will be able to:
- Discover the healing power of professional support for survivors of religious abuse.
- Uncover the impact of spiritual abuse within religious institutions.
- Empower yourself through the art of storytelling and advocacy in the journey of healing.
- Explore the unique challenges faced by women in religious leadership roles.
- Learn about the devastating effects of religious abuse and how to overcome them.
Discover the healing power
Healing 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.
The resources mentioned in this episode are:
- Visit www.betterhelp.com/difference to get 10% off your first month of professional help through Betterhelp.
- Tune 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.
- Take 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.
- Check 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.
But 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
The key moments in this episode are:
00:00:02 – Introduction to Johnna Harris
00:03:15 – Trigger Warning and Two-Part Episode
00:07:25 – Complementarianism vs. Egalitarianism
00:14:59 – Investigation by Baptist Network
00:16:10 – Founding Bodies Behind the Bus Podcast
00:17:05 – The Complexity of Abuse and Loss of Community
00:19:42 – Betrayal and Community Disbelief
00:22:55 – Faith and Integrity
00:26:49 – Wounded Healers and Nuance
00:34:08 – Johnna’s Advocacy Journey
00:35:03 – Johnna’s Concerns and Calls to Action
00:36:33 – Using Influence for Good
00:37:55 – Closing Remarks and Call to Action
I’m learning that my voice is okay, like, I can be myself. – Johnna Harris
Timestamped summary of this episode:
00:00:02 – Introduction to Johnna Harris
Lori 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.
00:03:15 – Trigger Warning and Two-Part Episode
Lori 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.
00:07:25 – Complementarianism vs. Egalitarianism
Johnna explains the difference between complementarianism and egalitarianism in the evangelical church and how it influenced her role as a female worship leader.
00:14:59 – Investigation by Baptist Network
Johnna 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.
00:16:10 – Founding Bodies Behind the Bus Podcast
Johnna 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.
00:17:05 – The Complexity of Abuse and Loss of Community
Johnna 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.
00:19:42 – Betrayal and Community Disbelief
Johnna 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.
00:22:55 – Faith and Integrity
Johnna 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.
00:26:49 – Wounded Healers and Nuance
Johnna 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.
00:34:08 – Johnna’s Advocacy Journey
Lori 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.
00:35:03 – Johnna’s Concerns and Calls to Action
Lori 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.
00:36:33 – Using Influence for Good
Lori 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.
00:37:55 – Closing Remarks and Call to Action
Lori 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.
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