Faithful Politics Podcast
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Christian Patriarchy and Abuse: Tia Levings on Leaving High-Control Religion
Posted
May 5, 2026
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36
May 5, 2026
36
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What does religious trauma actually look like inside high-control Christian environments?
In this episode of Faithful Politics, we sit down with Tia Levings, author of A Well-Trained Wife and I Belong to Me, to unpack her experience inside Christian fundamentalism and her journey out. Tia shares what life looked like inside a patriarchal, high-control religious system and how those environments shape identity, relationships, and personal agency.
We explore how theology, culture, and authority structures work together in these spaces. Tia explains how belief systems are reinforced through obedience, how questioning is discouraged, and how survivors often internalize blame for harmful outcomes. She also discusses how movements like the Institute in Basic Life Principles and figures like Doug Wilsoninfluence broader religious and political culture.
The conversation goes deeper into the concept of religious trauma and how it can mirror symptoms associated with PTSD. Tia walks through common patterns survivors experience, including loss of identity, fear responses, and difficulty trusting themselves after leaving. She also explains why rebuilding a sense of self is often harder than leaving the environment itself.
We also examine the connection between high-control religion and broader political movements, including Christian nationalism. Tia highlights how these belief systems scale beyond individual households into larger cultural and political influence.
Finally, Tia shares what healing looks like. Her latest book, I Belong to Me, focuses on recovery, autonomy, and rebuilding identity after leaving high-control environments. This episode offers a practical and honest look at what it takes to move forward.
Buy the book, I Belong to Me A Survivor’s Guide to Recovery and Hope after Religious Trauma
Guest Bio
Tia Levings is an author and advocate focused on life inside high-control religious environments and the recovery that follows. She is the author of A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy and I Belong to Me. Her work centers on religious trauma, deconstruction, and helping survivors rebuild identity and autonomy after leaving fundamentalist systems.
Support Sarah Stankorb’s work and preorder Damned If She DoesWhy Women Quit Church and What It Means for the Future of Religion, Releases September 15, 2026. Bookshop.org
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