You don't have to be paying close attention to current events to have heard about Christian Nationalism. Christian Nationalist ideas have been swimming in the water of society for centuries but has certainly emerged as a hot topic, especially during this election year. In this podcast, Amy, Craig and Jeff sit down with Aaron Saufley, pastor at Jesus House in Greenville, NC and local hospice chaplain. We break down some of the ideas of Christian Nationalism, give some definitions and talk about how we see this concept impacting society. What is the history behind this movement and where is it heading? It's definitely a timely conversation that you don't want to miss.


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In order for the Church to continue to be God's presence in the world, people must be wiling to dream, think, plan and prioritize differently. Sometimes this means rethinking long-held beliefs or traditional ways of thinking. What does God think of us? And how does “the work of the Church” reflect that? Are we desiring a new way of being the Church, yet still mired in a concept of God that is based on original separation? Stan Mitchell joins us to explore the intrinsic connection between humanity and God that has always been present, and how living into that connection can create a more free and responsive way to be faithful. Join us for a deep and thought provoking conversation as we talk with Stan about how this mindset is an integral part of changing church culture.


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It is very common for us at Finding Free to talk a lot about the Church. What are the trends we see happening? What seems to be on the horizon for the Church to tackle? Most especially- we spend a lot of time on what the Church has missed, trailed woefully behind on, or just seemingly flat out ignored. If you could change something about church culture, what would it be? Like snap your fingers and things be different kind of change. Forget the "change curves" and "giving people only as much as they can handle" and "people resist change because they resist losing what they know and love" ideologies for a minute - what would need to be different right now? In this episode, we talk about just this, asking ourselves and a few others to name the changes that are needed pronto for the church to continue to be the presence of Christ in the world. Yes, talking about the "but how do we get there" is important, but first we must name the issues that need to be different.
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If you grew up in the evangelical church culture, you are probably no stranger to rapture theology. Maybe you remember hearing detailed stories told about what the end of the world would be like or you may have poured over the Left Behind book series, using it as a map for what was to come. Where did this theology come from and is this the only way to view the "end of the world as we know it?". If that rings a bell for you (or sounds a trumpet with some type of being riding in on a white horse) then you will feel right at home with our conversation on all things rapture. Joining us on this episode is Megan Joyner, a chaplain with the U.S. National Guard. We discuss how growing up with a fear based rapture theology impacted our thoughts and faith both then and now.
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What if God saves everyone? Christian Universalism (the idea that God will save everyone and the earth somehow in the end) is one theory of atonement that theologians have discussed for centuries. Though the idea of universal reconciliation was the most prominent atonement theory among early Christ followers, after around the 4th century multiple atonement theories began to surface. In this episode, we dive into this topic with Aaron Saufley, local hospice chaplain and Cedarbridge partner who shares his wisdom and love of learning of all things, especially Christian Universalism. So whether you like to geek out like we do about topics like this or you are just hearing conversations like this one for the first time, we invite you to learn and laugh with us!
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The way we think about Jesus impacts the way we talk about faith and how we treat those around us. Who is Jesus to you? Where did that frame of reference come from and has it ever changed? We don't do a lot of sermon discussion focused podcasts on Finding Free Podcast but there was so much dialogue around Amy's sermon at Cedarbridge Baptist Church on March 3rd that we wanted to dive a little deeper into this conversation. Our discussion is lively and in our typical style, we laugh a lot as we each discuss, 'Who is Jesus to Us'! Even if you don't partake in sermons regularly, we think you will find this conversation insightful and thought provoking.
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Grab your comfiest blankets and a mug of something great and listen to some stories of holidays past. Laugh as Craig talks about the time his grandpa accidentally got sloshed at a family gathering. Giggle as Amy shares her most memorable Christmas present (double AA batteries required). And Jeff has a family 'oops' moment that will have you in stitches. And much more!
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In this episode, Craig, Amy, and Jeff talk about the practices and activities that enable them each to live life from a space of generosity and freedom. From looking at beautiful mountain views to time spent at the beach or doing creative things, they discuss several different ways they have found to feed their souls. Whether through travel or nature, people or adventure, making time to do things that are life-giving and spirit-freeing is crucial to one's personal physical, mental and spiritual health - and it's often the first thing to go when life gets busy and overloaded. When life gets busy and hectic, how do we give ourselves permission to breathe and how do we become grounded once again?
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In this episode, we discuss how lonely the deconstruction process can be, what it's like when spouses have different faith beliefs and how the church can respond. This is an important conversation about holding space for 'what is' for each us. The process of asking questions and waiting for answers doesn't have to provoke fear, though it often is riddled with anxiety and worry from those in the process themselves or those watching others walk that path. How can the Church hold space, create stopping points of peace and allow room for the process of deconstruction?
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In Part 2 we continue the conversation about purity culture and its impacts. We talk more about how conversations about purity and sex can be done better, focusing on dialogue about consent, body autonomy and integrity rather than shame and silence This is a two part series that you don't want to miss!
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We bring back our friend Jeff Bell to talk openly and honestly about our personal experiences with purity culture, sex and the church. We discuss everything from the orgasm gap to masturbation and how the lasting impacts of the purity culture mindset still impact many people today. It's time to hand purity culture, sexual shame, purity rings and lack of positive conversations around sex back to the church and simply say "We can do better!" This is a two part series that you don't want to miss!
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In this episode, our friend Jeff Bell joins us to talk candidly about what it was like to grow up in and be a part of Christian fundamentalist evangelical organizations and churches in the 90's. We discuss what it was like to have this as our main faith experience during our formative years and what it was like to come out of that way of thinking. What did we have to unlearn? What evangelical teachings never set well with us? What was our journey to move past evangelical fundamentalist thinking? Christian fundamentalism had big impacts on our lives that took us years to unravel. In this episode, we share the highs and lows of what we learned and what we learned to unlearn as we grew up and out of Christian fundamentalism.
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This June, the Southern Baptist Convention approved an amendment to the Baptist Faith and Message to be approved next summer during their Annual Convention. The amendment restricted women in ministry, who were already not supposed to hold lead pastor roles, from having any pastoral position, where the title of 'pastor' was deserved.

In this episode, Craig and Amy share their reflections, frustrations and thoughts about the recent SBC decision. No, we are not Southern Baptist, but when a large denomination makes a statement like this; it is up to those standing with women in ministry to speak loudly against oppression and discrimination....
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In this episode we bring back our friend and colleague Stan Mitchell. Stan was founding pastor of Gracepointe Church in Nashville, TN and walked with that church through the process of becoming an open and affirming church in 2015.  Stan has since mentored numerous churches and families as they wrestle with their own stories of inclusion.  In Part 2 of the LGBTQ Conversation in Local Churches series, Stan gives us his insight on why these conversations are difficult but necessary in local churches...
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Over the last few years, we have received a lot of questions about this very process.  What was it like to have a conversation on inclusivity in a local church?  What did you actually do, talk about, and how?  What did you learn along the way?  In this episode, we dive into the process of what that was like for our local church, and we hope our story helps if your local church congregation is discussing inclusivity soon...
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Stories matter. Telling our stories matters. And hearing the stories of others matters. Craig and I are honored to hold and share Zachary Pomeroy’s rich and powerful story of discovery, heartbreak and healing. We invite you into this space knowing that you will hear things that are difficult, humbling and transformative. It certainly was that for us as we had this conversation with Zach in our small and sweaty podcast shack in late June. But Zach's is a story we all need to hear and we are honored to bring it to you.....
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Every experience we have in life impacts us. Some experiences leave a huge impact, like a canyon in the desert. Others might leave such a tiny ripple that we don't even notice the effects. Religious trauma, hurts from the institutional Church, or any pain we experience at the hands of those who represent the spiritual to us are deep wounds that leave an impact that often takes years to process.

This sermon that our dear friend Layne Rogerson gave at Cedarbridge Baptist Church in Greenville, NC back in June of 2021 speaks to this very idea. Layne shares parts of her family's story and weaves in the truth that even amid pain and struggle, God is at work, moving all things toward redemption and blessing. With Layne's permission we wanted to share this sermon with the Finding Free community and talk about why it was so meaningful to us.
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“In the most general sense, faith deconstruction begins with people realizing that the answers they possess are answers they have memorized that were achieved or developed by other people or authority figures…they were not their own answers. The demand of deconstruction is not that you find different answers, though often that happens, but that you ask the questions and find out for yourself.”
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