Ep 6. Trauma-Informed Faith: Creating Physical, Emotional, Spiritual, & Safety

Ep 6. Trauma-Informed Faith: Creating Physical, Emotional, Spiritual, & Safety

Author: Godly Response to Abuse in a Christian Environment (GRACE) August 7, 2025 Duration: 58:58

Guests: David Pittman & Robert Peters.

Interviewer: Pete Singer.

Join Robert, Hannah and Zane as they discuss a previous GRACE Live Conversation with David Pittman and past-Robert about the various dimensions of safety and how we can create safer environments and cultures in faith communities. Plus, in honor of Robert listening to himself in an old interview, we talk time-travel, practical safety measures, and wrestling through the fallout of spiritual harm.


Resources Mentioned:

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed by podcast guests are their own and may not represent the views of GRACE as an organization. Similarly, the presence of a guest on the podcast does not constitute an endorsement of them, their work, or any organization they represent. This podcast is also not a forum for GRACE to discuss past, present, or future investigations or engagements but rather to draw out broader themes, principles, and research around abuse in faith contexts.


There’s a difficult conversation happening in many faith communities, one that can no longer be avoided. The Grace Awakening: Reckoning with Abuse in the Church is a space where that conversation is centered with clarity, compassion, and a commitment to truth. Hosted by the team at GRACE-Godly Response to Abuse in a Christian Environment-this podcast goes beneath the surface to examine how power operates, how systems can fail, and why patterns of harm persist within Christian contexts. You’ll hear from leading experts, journalists, and thinkers who help dissect these systemic issues, not to condemn from a distance, but to navigate a path toward accountability and healing. Each episode tackles tough, necessary questions, often focusing on stories and dynamics that have remained hidden. The goal is understanding and, ultimately, transformation. For anyone who cares about the health and integrity of spiritual communities, this series offers vital perspective and a sobering yet hopeful dialogue. Tune in for a podcast that believes faith should be a place of safety, not secrecy.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 16

The Grace Awakening: Reckoning with Abuse in the Church
Podcast Episodes
Ep 15. Turning the Page: Whats Next for GRACE [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:08
Guest: Laura ThienThat's a wrap! In the final episode of Season 1, we speak with the new GRACE Executive Director, Laura Thien, about her journey in abuse and trauma work and what she sees coming for GRACE in 2026. Plus,…
Ep 14. It’s Not An Affair: Let’s Talk Adult CSA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:56
Guests: Amy Stier and Emily Petrie In this episode, Robert has attorneys Amy Stier and Emily Petrie back to recap a GRACE Live Conversation they had over the summer on adult clergy sexual abuse and answer the many questi…
Ep 13. Silence is Deadly: Image Management & The 4 Walls of Defense [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:31
Guest: Wade Mullen. In this episode, we have a NEW interview with author and GRACE Editor in Chief of Institutional Response, Wade Mullen. Join Robert, Hannah, and Zane as we talk with Wade about image management, the sl…
Ep 10. Silence is Deadly: NDAs and the Church [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:01
Guests: Scot McKnight & Boz Tchividjian. Interviewer: Maureen Garcia. Join Robert, Hannah, and Zane as they break down a previous GRACE Live Conversation with author and professor Scot McKnight and attorney Boz Tchividji…
Ep 8. Trauma-Informed Faith: Collaboration and Mutuality [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:34
Guests: Cheryl Lerfald & Janet Magee. Interviewer: Pete Singer. In this episode, Robert and Hannah continue their review of trauma-informed care principles through a GRACE Live Conversation with Cheryl Lerfald and Janet…
Ep 7. Trauma-Informed Faith: Why Empowerment, Voice, & Choice Matter [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:09
Guests: Amy Stier & Leanne Mellado. Interviewer: Pete Singer. Tune in as Robert, Zane, and Hannah digest a previous GRACE Live Conversation with Amy Stier and GRACE Board Member Leanne Mellado on the trauma-informed care…