Articles

  • I First Heard Speaking in Tongues During a Healing Ritual. I Did Not Feel Healed.
    Frankie Temple Ruthless
    Frankie (they/them) is a Chicago based actor, writer, and artist. They discovered the exvangelical community during COVID, when they began making the popular one-person-show “Drunk Bible Stories” (it’s exactly what it sounds like). These days they are working on a coming-of-gender comedy feature with drag queens and cowboys, as well as acting in a number of upcoming projects.

    I First Heard Speaking in Tongues During a Healing Ritual. I Did Not Feel Healed.

    When I was 11, my family began attending a new church: “The Vineyard,” which I later learned was also the name of the denomination. The people there got really into the worship service — clapping, sweating, dancing in the aisles, and the music was deafening. At the Presbyterian church we used to frequent, the adults…

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  • Return to Earth: Former Members Speak On Life Inside and Out The World Mission Society Church of God
    Lilyeve Murphy-Bagliani
    Lilyeve is a Denver-based freelance journalist specializing in history, film, and gender studies. Her background includes research writing for a congressional internship, reporting for the online magazine The Click, and collegiate involvement with the National Organization for Women.

    Return to Earth: Former Members Speak On Life Inside and Out The World Mission Society Church of God

    Editor’s Note: This Story was orginally published on Lilyeve’s Substack on Apr 17, 2025 For Shakira Thomas, it all started with a knock at her door on a hot summer day at her home in the United Kingdom when she was only 14.  Young and curious, she was intrigued by promises of salvation and knowing the meaning…

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  • Are ‘Exvangelicals’ Cult Survivors?
    John Verner
    John Verner is an Atlanta-based investigative reporter, editor, and audio producer whose work focuses on religion, propaganda, cult dynamics, ideological extremism, and survivor-centered storytelling. He previously reported and wrote commentary for The Click News, currently serves as a Publishing Editor at VOX ATL, and created The Cult of Christianity podcast. Verner founded Inside Voices Collective to provide survivors, journalists, and researchers with a professionally edited platform for stories and perspectives that often fall outside traditional media structures and editorial priorities.

    Are ‘Exvangelicals’ Cult Survivors?

    As a child, every Sunday I sat in a pew with my family, singing hymns and listening to sermons that instilled in me deep fear and skepticism about the outside world. I was taught that non-believers were going to hell and that the only way to avoid eternal damnation was to accept Jesus Christ as…

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