Ep. 15 - Death of a Pastor’s Wife | Our Take on the Netflix Series

Before you listen: This episode contains spoilers and touches on abuse. If anything you hear today resonates with you, resources are available. Two we recommend — Flying Free Now ( www.flyingfreenow.com ), a resource built specifically for Christian women, and the National Domestic Violence Hotline . For the hotline please call 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788, free and confidential, 24/7. Netflix included this website with their series wannatalkaboutit.com they have resources for Sexual violence and relationship abuse, mental health and wellbeing, self-harm and suicide. This Episode: In this episode of Faith Rehab Podcast, we get to discuss our thoughts on the Netflix Limited Series called Death of a Pastor’s Wife. It is a documentary about a church, a dysfunctional pastor and church board, an unfortunate set of circumstances and a tragic ending. In this episode we discuss why pastors use their power advantage, why people stay in dysfunctional churches, and why people do not lash out at spiritual abuse. We do not excuse any of the behavior, we do not try to victim-blame, but we do try to analyze these situations based on our own experiences. We look at what happens when your love for a church, or church people, clouds your judgement. We also discuss how sometimes people put their own needs aside to help a ministry or church; those can have sad, negative consequences. We talk about why people try to protect the church, the ministry, or the pastor; and at what cost. We touch on how to find safe people for your life and promise to do a whole episode on finding safe people and learning to trust people again. CJ reminds us that Spiritual abuse survives in complexity and silence. We are constantly being reminded that we can't confuse who God is, and his character, with how the church shows up. God shows up. The church is not God. Thank you for listening to Faith Rehab Podcast. Real healing can come when we go from seeing the hurts of our past as the whole story of our lives and identity, to seeing that hurt as just a chapter in the story of our lives. Faith Rehab is a podcast about church hurt, healing, and rebuilding faith. We create a safe space for honest conversations about spiritual disappointment, doubt, and the process of finding hope again—without pretending or having all the answers. Co-hosts: Steve McNitt, Heidi Brandt & CJ Mateo  Produced by: CJ Mateo Contact us at [email protected] — we’d love to hear your story.