Sarah Stankorb is a journalist, and former evangelical, who has her finger on the pulse of women and their relationship with the church in the U.S. In her most recent book, Damned If She Does, Sarah writes about what she discovers from talking to dozens of women about their experiences with church and why they have made the decision to leave. The reasons are as varied as the women expressing them, but there are some commonalities. Some women became disheartened by the inconsistency in morality within the church, others weren’t running from religion and consider themselves to be more religious now, some found the focus on various binaries to be more harmful than helpful, and many were dumbfounded with the American church’s mingling with liars when they preach about seeking “absolute truth.” In this conversation, Sarah and I ask questions together and let our curiosity explore what calls women to church in the first place and what compels some to leave.
Mentioned in this episode:
Damned If She Does: Why Women Quit Church and What It Means for the Future of Religion by Sarah Stankorb
Disobedient Women: How a Small Group of Faithful Women Exposed Abuse, Brought Down Powerful Pastors, and Ignited an Evangelical Reckoning by Sarah Stankorb
Ep. 263 with Sarah Stankorb
Born Again Queer: A History of Evangelical Gay Activism and the Making of Antigay Christianity by William Stell
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