Building Safe Sanctuaries

Untangled Faith Podcast Episode 133

I first discovered the work of Dr. Diane Langberg while trying to make sense of a situation in our former church in which the pastor had plagiarized virtually every word of every sermon (even the personal stories he shared were someone else’s).

I kept wondering why, even after that pastor was let go, things didn’t seem better. Dr. Langberg’s talk on Narcissism and the System It Breeds helped me understand that systems can fall into narcissism as easily as people.

I often tell this story and how it ended with my husband watching the video with me and how he pointed out that what she was saying fit perfectly with what we were seeing at his place of employment. That was an initial crack that broke wide open several years later.

I’ve had the privilege of meeting Dr. Langberg and she’s just as kind and wise in person.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of interviewing her about her new book, When The Church Harms God’s People: Becoming Faith Communities That Resist Abuse, Pursue Truth, and Care for the Wounded. (affiliate link)

We talked about how the therapy world has changed since she started her practice 5 decades ago, what true repentance looks like, and the challenge for those who have been harmed in the name of God to enter into faith communities in a way that is rightly vigilant while still allows for their hearts to stay soft.

I also tell Dr. Langberg a story about what my friends and I observed in watching her and her husband earlier this year.

I think you’ll love this conversation.

I’d love for you to listen:

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