Looking for the Real God

#131 Teach Us To Pray - Meeting Jesus (S7E5)

Christy begins a new series on prayer by talking about awkward prayer, formulaic prayer, and the ways we often feel guilt and shame for a lack of prayer. She reminds her listeners that at its core prayer is a chance to connect and communicate with God. Christy talks about her own experiences with prayer and introduces some forms of prayer that she will be exploring in the next few weeks.

#130 Fringe to Mainstream - Politically Homeless (S7E4)

As Christy concludes her series on Fringe to Mainstream, she contemplates the political homelessness that exists for anyone in the middle ground these days. Christy ponders a podcast she listened to recently called The Run Up from the New York Times that is exploring how we got to this fraught place of tension in politics. Looking back at last week's episode on the dogmatism that results from fear and insecurity, Christy lets her listeners know that she feels tired. She is tired from pushing back on broken  ideology that seems relentless. Tired of seeing the same lies she was trapped in during her cult years recycled for a new generation. And at the end of the day, Christy wonders what really matters. Does any of it actually matter?
The Kingdom of Jesus matters. And it's not built with governments, or politics, or power. It's built with love and servanthood, backwards, inside out, and upside down. Knowing and being known by Jesus Christ and then sharing that beautiful relationship with the people around us.

#129 Fringe to Mainstream - Dangers of Dogmatism (S7E3)

As Christy continues her series on how the fringe of conservative Christianity is becoming mainstream, she reviews the latest episode of The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcast. Listening to host Mike Cosper and author and therapisdt Dan Allender discuss spiritual abuse, narcissism, and trauma, Christy realized something. She knows what it is about certain elements of Evangelical Christianity that makes her cringe and think of her cult days. It's dogmatism -- the confident belief that we are right and they are wrong. 
Mike and Dan talk about the fear and uncertainty behind dogmatic beliefs and why people follow a dogmatic leader. This is exactly what Christy sees in the church these days, across politics, and through out social media. We are afraid and we are looking for security and certainty.
Related Blog Posts:
https://christylynnewood.com/is-this-really-what-we-sound-like/
The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill Podcast with Dan Allender
https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/podcasts/rise-and-fall-of-mars-hill/bonus-episode-conversation-with-dan-allender.html
 

#128 Fringe to Mainstream - Idol of Family (S7E2)

Christy chats about her concerns with the way some mainstream evangelicals appear to idolize the family. Their focus on the family unit, protecting their children, fear of the world, and the importance of homeschooling bring her right back to the cult days. Christy knows that trying to isolate and insulate your family out of fear doesn't work. She has seen the devastation that can come firsthand. 
Yes, we should value and care for our spouse and children, but being married and having kids doesn't make you more spiritual. Having many children or choosing to homeschool doesn't make you more spiritual and it doesn't guarantee that your family will be safe or turn out the way you want.
Christy expresses concern for the rest of the church that isn't in a nuclear family when that system is put on a pedestal. What about singles, people who are divorced or remarried, and couples who are childless? Family is a good thing, but idolatry is not.

#127 The Fringe is Becoming Mainstream (S7E1)

Christy kicks off Season 7 with an overview of where she hopes to go this season. As she watches modern evangelical culture, Christy is reminded of her days in Bill Gothard's cult. She is concerned about the direction evangelicalism is taking and the way many fringe ideas are becoming accepted in the mainstream church.
As she reminisces about how it felt to see the Duggar family on national television just a few years after leaving that lifestyle herself, Christy also shares a list of topics that she finds troubling. 
Over the next few weeks Christy will be talking about specific fringe ideas, exploring where they come from, pondering how quickly we become religious, and pointing her listeners back to the person of Jesus Christ and the truth we find in Scripture.
 
To sign up for Christy's bi-monthly Substack newsletter click this link:
https://christylynnewood.substack.com/

#126 My Cult and Christian Nationalism (Summer 2022)

In this final episode of Summer 2022, Christy tackles the ideology of Christian Nationalism. Unknowingly, this is exactly what Christy was taught and believed growing up in Bill Gothard's Christian cult. It was her desire as a brainwashed 15-year-old to redeem culture by influencing it in a way that would cause all people to end up living like her group. A scary thought in her modern mind!
Christy helps to define Christian Nationalism and then walks her listeners through the reason that it's a flawed ideology created by poor hermeneutics and a flawed understanding of history. She understands that most people these days see the brokenness in our world and want to fix it. Many of us are operating out of fear. However it is not possible to create a utopia by our own efforts. And fear makes us do strange things. 
Christy encourages her listeners to take a step back, pay careful attention to how we read Scripture, and get to know people who are different from us so that our perspective can be challenged and changed.
 
Related Links
Articles:
https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2021/february-web-only/what-is-christian-nationalism.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/08/us/christian-nationalism-politicians.html
My Substack:
https://christylynnewood.substack.com/

#125 My Cult and My Kids (Summer 2022)

A friend recently asked Christy how much her children know about her Christian cult days. Thinking that many listeners might have the same question, Christy decided to do a podcast episode. Today she talks about what her kids know and what topics she is cautiously talking through as she parents. Those topics include salvation, modesty, dating, and more.

#124 Naming our Pain (Summer 2022)

Christy continues her summer series reminiscing about the cult days by talking about going back to her hometown and house on a recent family camping trip. Because her story took place in the Thumb of Michigan but most of her healing happened away from that space, going back is always an interesting experience. Christy shares how God used KJ Ramsey's new book, "The Lord is My Courage" to remind her of the importance of naming the pain and evil we have experienced instead of just stuffing or ignoring it.

#123 The Nature of Cults (Summer 2022)

On the first Summer bonus episode from 2022, Christy explores what characteristics define a cult. She finds it fascinating that those cult characteristics fit Bill Gothard's Institute that she was a part of in the 90s, as well as Warren Jeffs and his FLDS group, and even Mark Driscoll and the Mars Hill church.
This summer Christy plans to release a few more bonus episodes with stories from her cult days. Although her story is extreme, all of us are susceptible to false teachers and cultic situations because they always seem good and always promise to meet needs that we feel in our hearts. Find out more characteristics by listening to tonight's episode.

#122 Christianese Phrases - A Word from the Lord (S6E21)

Christy finishes her series on Christianese Phrases as well as Season 6 by looking at what it means to "get a word from the Lord." She explores similar phrases that can also be used to spiritualize any decision we make. It's easy to use Christianese to justify our own plans and desires.
At the same time, Christy believes that the Holy Spirit is real and does speak to and guide us. How can we discern the difference between the Real Holy Spirit and our (or others) own desires?
Scripture Referenced:
John 14:25-26
Luke 12:11-12
1 John 4:1-3
1 Corinthians 12:8-10
Philippians 1:9-10; 4:8