Amanda Ross

Amr8469@psu.edu

Staff writer

On August 11, 2020, the Leaving Eden podcast began airing episodes. Hosted by Sadie Carpenter and Gavri’el HaCohen, the series focuses on Sadie’s deconstruction after leaving the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist church, or the IFB. The podcast is an important resource for both understanding the IFB as well as other Christian fundamentalist movements. 

The Independent Fundamentalist Baptist church is an off-shoot of the Baptist denomination of Christianity. It is a network of several pastor-lead churches that began splitting from the greater Baptist movement in the early 20 century after concerns that baptist teachings were becoming too lenient and progressive. While most congregations share similar beliefs to one another, such as an adherence to the King James bible and strict gender roles, each church is ultimately independently run This is why churches within the movement can vary in both size and structure.

Sadie Carpenter grew up inside the IFB, with her father being a prominent member of their church. Carpenter describes the church she grew up in as ‘cultish’, specifically using the BITE cult model to explain her abuse. BITE covers behavior, information, thought, and emotion controls within a group, with Carpenter explaining how sitting down or standing up certain ways were seen as sinful. She lacked access to outside textbooks, was afraid her own private thoughts would lead to sin, and was taught to distrust any negative emotion. She expresses that it is not the IFB’s conservative beliefs that made it abusive, but the way in which alternative behavior was not just discouraged but severely punished. Struggling in her faith, Carpenter attended private baptist college Hyles-Anderson, hoping to reaffirm her place in the church. However, in 2012, school Chancellor Jack Schaap was arrested and later convicted of of having sexual relations with an underage member of the congregation. The coverup of this incident by the college pushed Carpenter out of church, and began her own deconstruction of IFB teaching.

Carpenter would then go on to meet Gavri’el HaCohen while working at a car dealership, and the two became friends. In early 2020, the two began recording and editing what would become the Leaving Eden podcast. The podcast covers not only Carpenter’s story, but other topics such as doctrinal debates and discussions on church figures. It seeks to provide a balanced perspective on the issues within fundamentalism, as well as giving victims a safe space in which to tell their stories without fear of reproach. Both Carpenter and HaCohen are thoughtful in their responses, growing over the course of the show’s 2 year run to become incredibly insightful. The show shies away from the tendency to mock fundamentalism, knowing that it not only makes it harder for those on the inside, but also dismisses the actual negative impacts of these communities. 

The show also displays a very human quality when discussing its subject matter. Interviewees are allowed to cry and be upset, without it affecting their trustworthiness or expertise. HaCohen and Carpenter are deeply honest about their pasts and support one another through tough episodes. Show topics such as abortion or sexual assault are handled with incredible amounts of care. Yet, the show is not afraid to crack a joke either. This balancing of tones can make even the most serious episodes listenable while still educating the audience. 

The Leaving Eden podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and other major podcast sites. Links to their Instagram, Facebook, and Patreon can be found there.