Listener Stories

Welcome to our story archive wher you can read through actual stories submitted by actual listeners. Some stories have been edited at the listener’s request to remove identifying information. Feel free to leave a comment on any of the stories you read here.

Share Your Story

Your story is important and we’d love to hear it! You can add your story to our site by filling out the form to the right. Your submission will be sent to our team and we’ll get in touch to let you know when your story has been added to the site!

Stories From Our Listeners:

Click on a story below to read the entire story. 

Independent Baptist turned agnostic?

I am from a family of 8. I was born in Michigan, I had a near death experience at 2 years old. I have always struggled with BPD, and always will. I was raised with strict religious fundamentalism as one of 6 children to my parents, we were all homeschooled and kept...

Recovering fundamentalist MK in the UK

Thank you for your podcast all the way from the UK. I ran so far from the IFB after I got kicked out of Tennessee Temple University,  I got so far into drugs, alcohol,  sexual sin. I was a hurting, young missionary's kid and I have only one memory of a Pastor that...

Hyles graduate gone rogue!

My story starts in the 5th grade.  That's when my parents enrolled me into an ACE Christian school.  Shorty after that they started to attend Beth Haven Baptist church in Greenville, MI.  This was the sponsor church of the school.   It was a rough start.  Just getting...

Recovering IFB Air Force Chaplain

First of all, I want to say thank you for your ministry. The past few years my family has been struggling within the legalistic confines of fundamentalism and questioning why we have been doing what we were doing. We made a choice to search the scriptures in our...

Creeping into legalism

This concerns more of what has happened with my daughter and how our church decides to discipline those who do not abide by their rules, which really have become a double standard depending on your name and/or monetary standing within the church.  I've found this to...

Damage done

I grew up in a Christian home and raised by awesome parents and went to church every Sunday. Started going to church camp during middle school there you saw preaching and the alter calling. Girls and boys and separate swim times and dress codes, but more saw the...

What Got Me Here

Hi JC, Brain, and Nathan. I would love to share my story with you guys and others. I grew up in an Independent, Fundamentalist, legalistic, Baptist, KJV only, no drums allowed, bass can’t be too loud, no contemporary song singing, only skirt/dress/button up wearing,...

Legalism and Youth Ministries

I grew up in the IFB community. For the longest time I have struggled with accepting God’s Grace. It was engrained in me that after salvation you must work to maintain and stay in His good graces; but that is not the case. I finally got into a good baptist church that...

Your teaching teens to ask questions !

My story is a familiar one. I was raised at Franklin Road Baptist Church. I grew up playing with friends at the Sword of the Lord. I was dyed in the wool fundamentalists my whole life. I was a preacher boy, a youth leader, and even preached for my church. The only...

Newly Recovering

Dear Nathan, JC, and Brian, I don’t know where to start because the last month has been a whirlwind for me… I’m a young adult woman who has been raised in the IFB my whole life. Growing up, I was taught separation and told how to live so I could stay “on fire for God”...