What happens when the version of you that survived… isn’t the version of you that’s whole?

In Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Cristy Carr, we move deeper—beyond awareness and into the work of healing. Together, we explore what it looks like to reconnect with the parts of ourselves that were silenced, shaped, or suppressed by trauma, religious systems, and the need to belong.

This episode isn’t about quick fixes or easy answers. It’s about the slow, often uncomfortable process of becoming whole again.

Dr. Cristy Carr is a therapist, speaker, and author of The Forgotten Self. Her work focuses on trauma, identity formation, and helping individuals reconnect with their authentic selves—especially those navigating faith transitions and deconstruction.

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Special music provided by: Forrest Clay from the Recover EP.

🧭 Episode Summary

Who were you… before you were told who to be?

For many of us—especially those shaped by religious systems—identity isn’t something we discovered. It’s something we inherited.

Beliefs. Roles. Expectations.

All layered over time until the line between who we are and who we were told to be becomes hard to see.

In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, we sit down with Cristy S. Carr to explore the core ideas behind her book The Forgotten Self—and what it means to lose connection with ourselves in the pursuit of certainty, belonging, and faithfulness.

This episode is less about what we believe…

and more about who we’ve become in the process of believing.

📚 About the Guest

Cristy S. Carr is an author, theologian, and speaker whose work focuses on identity, spirituality, and the process of reconnecting with the self. Her book The Forgotten Self explores how we lose touch with who we are—and how we begin to find our way back.

Grab a copy of her new book: https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Self-Remember-Who-Truly/dp/B0G51WPJZN

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Get access to exclusive content, deep-dive educational videos, and bonus conversations

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Episode: Violence and the Bible – What Do We Do With It?

🧭 Episode Summary

Violence is everywhere in the Bible—and for many, it’s one of the most difficult aspects of scripture to reconcile with the idea of a loving God.

In this episode, John explores one of the most pressing and personal questions facing modern readers of the Bible:

What do we do with the violence in scripture—and what does it mean for us today?

Prompted by a recent discussion group and unfolding global events, this episode wrestles with:

• Whether violence is ever justified

• The ethics of war, self-defense, and state power

• How ancient texts have been used—and misused—to justify modern violence

Rather than offering easy answers, this conversation leans into the tension, drawing on biblical scholarship, theology, and ethical philosophy to better understand what the Bible is—and what it is not.

📚 Scholars & Works Referenced

🧠 Foundational Biblical & Ethical Scholarship

• Peter Enns — How the Bible Actually Works

→ Argues that the Bible reflects the perspectives of ancient people trying to understand God, rather than functioning as a rulebook dictated from heaven.

• Greg Boyd — The Crucifixion of the Warrior God

→ Proposes that violent portrayals of God in the Old Testament are refracted through human understanding and ultimately point toward the nonviolent revelation of God in Jesus.

• Eric A. Seibert — Disturbing Divine Behavior

→ Explores troubling depictions of God in scripture and argues that not all portrayals of God in the Bible should be accepted as morally authoritative.

• John J. Collins — Does the Bible Justify Violence?

→ Examines how biblical texts have historically been used to justify violence and urges careful, contextual interpretation.

• Miroslav Volf — Exclusion and Embrace

→ Reflects on violence, justice, and reconciliation in light of human conflict and the Christian call to forgiveness.

🧠 Ethical & Philosophical Perspectives

• Jonathan Sacks — Essays on Ethics

→ Engages deeply with moral questions surrounding violence, responsibility, and the misuse of religious texts.

• Stanley Hauerwas — The Peaceable Kingdom

→ Advocates for a distinctly Christian ethic rooted in nonviolence and the teachings of Jesus.

• Reinhold Niebuhr — Moral Man and Immoral Society

→ Explores the tension between personal ethics and collective political responsibility, including the justification of force.

💬 Join the Conversation

What do you think?

Is violence ever justified? How do you interpret the difficult passages in scripture?

Join us on social or continue the conversation on Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/c/TheDeconstructionistsPodcast