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Andrew Pledger

Podcaster

Andrew Pledger is a content creator, activist, and writer who uses social media to share his story and inspire others. He is a religious trauma survivor who was homeschooled K-12 and raised in a fundamentalist Christian cult (Independent Fundamental Baptist movement). He brings awareness to spiritual and religious abuse. Being a part of the LGBTQ+ community and experiencing religious trauma has inspired him to pursue psychology to help survivors. After being homeschooled, he found his way to Bob Jones University. He attended the fundamentalist Christian college for over three years until he was expelled in his last semester for sharing his story and denouncing fundamentalist teachings. Andrew comes on the show to share his experiences of his upbringing and the level of control and mental abuse he experienced at Bob Jones University. He has a limited podcast premiering soon called "Surviving Bob Jones University: A Christian Cult." This podcast explores the school's history, the psychology of fundamentalism, the criteria for cults, and survivors' experiences.

Aug. 31, 2023

Escaping Fundamentalism and Speaking Out - Part 2

Part 2 of my interview with Andrew Pledger. This episode will focus on Andrew's experience with conversion therapy, how he found support exiting fundamentalism, his expulsion from BJU, and the work he's doing healing and sp...

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Aug. 24, 2023

Escaping Fundamentalism and Speaking Out - Part 1

Andrew Pledger was raised in a fundamentalist Christian cult and realized in his youth that he was gay. He attended Bob Jones University, which is a fundamentalist Christian college with a chilling history of abuse. While the...

Episode page