Today's guest is Melissa Duge Spiers, author of the soon to be released, Holy Disobedience: A Survivor’s Journey from the Church that Betrayed Her—a book that does just that.

Melissa’s story is one of survival, revelation, and ultimately, moving forward into real life. Raised in the Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) Church, an enormous Christian fundamentalist sect that exists under the radar despite a larger worldwide membership (22M+) than the Mormons or Southern Baptists, she was taught to obey without question, live under rigid purity culture, and conform to a system that demanded silence in the face of abuse. Her world shattered when a family member became the center of an abuse scandal—someone enabled and protected by the very church that shaped her childhood.

Her memoir is not just about leaving a high-control religious environment; it’s about the struggle that comes after—the long, painful process of deconstructing indoctrination, unlearning deeply ingrained beliefs, and reclaiming one’s identity. In sharing her journey, Melissa has become an advocate for those who have left the SDA church, many of whom have faced similar abuses. Through her powerful online presence as “The Glory Whole” on TikTok and Instagram, she has built a community of ex-Adventists and religious trauma survivors, giving voice to the often-overlooked stories of those who have suffered in silence.

If you enjoy listening to the show, please consider heading over to apple podcasts to rate and review us. If you really enjoy the show, we would love to see you in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com/ThereafterPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Also, look for us on social media and shoot us a message to say hello, or chat with us in Twitter spaces on Tuesday mornings in deconstruction coffee hour!Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ThereafterPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@CortlandCoffey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ThePursuingLife⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram/Threads: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ThereafterPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@CortlandCoffey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ThePursuingLife

Bluesky:

https://bsky.app/profile/cortland.me

https://bsky.app/profile/thepursuinglife.bsky.social

Emily Joy Allison is a writer, poet, and yoga teacher. She holds a degree in philosophical theology and apologetics from Moody Bible Institute and a Master of Theological Studies from Vanderbilt Divinity School. In November 2017, as the #MeToo movement was going viral, Emily came forward with her own story of abuse at the hands of her church and launched the #ChurchToo movement overnight. She has been writing and speaking about religious sexualized violence and its theological underpinnings ever since. Emily lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

You can find links to all of her socials as well as info about her book at: https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/author/7702/Emily-Joy-Allison

If you enjoy listening to the show, please consider heading over to apple podcasts to rate and review us. If you really enjoy the show, we would love to see you in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com/ThereafterPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Also, look for us on social media and shoot us a message to say hello, or chat with us in Twitter spaces on Tuesday mornings in deconstruction coffee hour!Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ThereafterPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@CortlandCoffey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ThePursuingLife⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram/Threads: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ThereafterPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@CortlandCoffey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ThePursuingLife

Bluesky:

https://bsky.app/profile/cortland.me

https://bsky.app/profile/thepursuinglife.bsky.social

We are so excited to have Brian G Murphy back on the pod today! Brian has been doing LGBTQ activism and education for over a decade with organizations like Soulforce, GLSEN, and HRC. He received nonviolence training from civil rights leaders including Phil Lawson. He's spoken about sexuality and gender at dozens of colleges and conferences across the country. He's the co-creator of Legalize Trans, an artistic and educational movement to advance gender justice, and the co-founder of Queer Theology, a resource hub and online community for LGBTQ Christians.

And don't forget, he's a certified relationship coach who works with folks to open up their relationship and navigate the issues that come with open relationships and polyamory. He has a certification in coaching through WCI which is accredited by the International Coaching Federation.

Find out more about Brian and learn where to connect with him around the web through his website https://www.briangerald.com/