I met Melissa in 2016. She was starting a writing group and I decided to join.
That little group ended up changing our lives. I know this sounds dramatic, but stick with me, here.
(That’s Melissa and I at the 2017 Ramsey Solutions Christmas Party)
In this week's podcast, you were able to hear the two of us talk about all the things happening in evangelicalism in 2018 through current-day that caused us to take a hard look at the place that provided income for our families - Ramsey Solutions.
The similarities between the CEO and the high profile pastors and leaders who were imploding was too obvious to ignore: the narcissism, arrogance, institutional protection, the double standards, the lack of integrity. . .
We knew something was wrong.
But, we weren't allowed to talk about it with each other because it was against the rules of the company "no gossip" policy. So, we wrestled with our fears alone for quite awhile.
I briefly mentioned in the podcast that in December of 2018 Melissa disappeared. She didn’t actually go missing, for real, but when she failed to show up for the annual Christmas party and I couldn’t get her to acknowledge my messages, I knew something was very, very wrong. I wasn’t able to sleep for months while she ghosted everyone I knew.
So, “detective Amy” mode kicked in and I refused to give up until I figured out if she was okay. What I discovered, with no help from her, brought us to the end of our time at Ramsey Solutions.
We'd love for you to listen in on our conversation. We’ll share part 2 next week and I’ll include more than two dozen links to resources we discuss. In the meantime, here are some links to authors/news events/videos/books we mentioned in our conversation. You can also read more of Melissa’s story here: Update on My Statement re: Ramsey Solutions | Melissa J. Hogan (melissajhogan.com)
Links:
The Way of the Dragon of the Way of the Lamb
PhD dissertation from Wade Mullen
Bill Hybels abuse report
James MacDonald reporting by Julie Roys
Rachael Denhollander speaks up about abuse at Sovereign Grace
Boz Tchividjian, Abuse Survivor Advocate/Attorney
Julie Roys
Diane Langberg: Narcissism and the System it Breeds
The Body Keeps the Score
Afraid of the Doctor
Steve Hassan, cult expert
Melissa J. Hogan
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Untangled Faith
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I would LOVE to hear your thoughts and/or questions regarding the episode. One of the benefits of this platform is that we can have a dialogue right here! I always love hearing from listeners.