Season 2, Episode 2: Alexa Barkley

A HUGE thank you to Alexa Barkley for her encouragement and wisdom.  She has provided some resources and references that you might find helpful:

Here is the article that tells a few more/different details of Alexa's story

Alexa's correspondence with the Canadian Baptists of Ontario & Quebec (CBOQ)demonstrates very typical behavior for organizations that are lacking trauma-informed care principles and are oriented around a desire to protect the institution instead of orienting around making the situation right.  This correspondence also demonstrates the effort so many survivors go to in order to 1) be heard, 2) be grace-filled, and 3) use their voice to educate decision-makers.  It is nothing short of heroic.

Jaymie Friesen of the Mennonite Central Committee is part of Alexa's circle of support and her letter to the CBOQ is a powerful demonstration of truth-telling and holding decision-makers accountable for their responsibilities.  It is educational and not abusive, but it pulls no punches.  The Mennonites also have an Abuse Prevention site that is incredibly insightful and helpful.  It demonstrates incredible transparency in naming abusers who have had credible claims brought against them.  Well done, MCC.

Into Account is a powerhouse USA-based advocacy organization that Alexa referenced & that Hagar's Voice highly recommends for survivors seeking advocacy or decision-makers seeking guidance.

#ChurchToo: How Purity Culture Upholds Abuse and How to Find Healing is a resource Alexa mentioned.  She also recommends You Are Your Own – A Reckoning with the Religious Trauma of Evangelical Christianity & Pure – Inside the Evangelical Movement That Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free & Putting Trials on Trial – Sexual Assault and the Failure of the Legal Profession  Each of these books is available in multiple formats.

Those interested in the connection between purity culture and abuse might consider the thus-themed season of the Reclaiming My Theology podcast by Brandi Miller.  This season ran from Nov 2022 through May 2023 and is an in-depth autopsy of the theologies behind the purity movement and the ramifications of it still playing out today on more than just gender dynamics.  This podcast can be found on all major platforms.

If you'd like to connect with Alexa, you can find her on Instagram @alexa.m.barkley or Facebook as alexa.barkley.7