Amy Fritz the Community of the Broken

Amy Fritz is the host of the Untangled Faith podcast, a mom, and wife, with a heart for those hurt by leaders they trust. Today, Amy shares how her somewhat charmed upbringing was shattered when her mom died suddenly, how she ran away to Middle Tennessee, and discovering that all was not as it seemed at a prominent Christian organization. Dealing with the sense of betrayal took time and ultimately gave her compassion for others dealing with the trauma from spiritual abuse. Amy’s story reminds us that God is still good even when the leaders who use his name aren’t.

Listen to Amy’s story in your favorite podcast player now!

Stories Amy shared:

• Being a mom and wife in Middle Tennessee
• Growing up in Minnesota in a new Christian family
• Feeling like the trophy student and model Christian
• Losing her mom to brain cancer during an MRI
• Struggling with the problem of pain and grief in the world
• Running away to Middle Tennessee and joining The Lampo Group
• Getting a warning from another wife early on
• Realizing that there were problems at the company
• The social media interactions that raised red flags
• The moment the spiritual abuse dawned on her husband
• Noticing her friend had disappeared
• Leaving the company with no job ahead of time.
• Being harassed by his former company
• What Amy has learned about herself after going through heartbreak

Great quotes from Amy:

I had such a golden growing up experience that I did not see a lot of terribly painful things.

All the truthful things in the world, they don’t stand up next to sitting next to somebody and letting them grieve.

We talk a lot about sin nature but don’t seem to apply it to ourselves.

Narcissism is in the blood of our churches.

I knew God would provide for us.

Resources we mentioned:

• Amy’s website & podcast 
• The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb: Searching for Jesus’ Path of Power in a Church that Has Abandoned It by Jamin Goggin & Kyle Strobel
• The Daily Beast article on Dave Ramsey
• Narcissism and The System It Breeds by Diane Langberg
• The Religion News Service Article featuring Amy

Related episodes:

• Kyle Strobel and Integrating Spirituality and Theology
• Nicole Jacobsmeyer and Joy After Suffering
• Chuck DeGroat and the Invitation to Obscurity