It’s an all-too-familiar story: A charismatic Christian leader, revered for his work and teaching. Then, explosive allegations he engaged in manipulative sexual and spiritual practices. But this isn’t a podcast about another good guy who turned out to be a bad guy; it’s about the rest of us who are left to wrestle with the aftermath—and ensure abuse like this doesn’t happen again.

Hosted by Jenna Barnett, Lead Us Not is a new miniseries from Sojourners magazine. The series explores the legacy of Jean Vanier, a Christian leader once regarded as a “living saint” for starting L’Arche, a global network of communities promoting the dignity of people with intellectual disabilities. But nine months after Vanier’s death, a different story emerged.

You’ll hear from past and present L’Arche members, scholars, theologians, and activists all trying to understand: When trusted leaders commit sexual and spiritual abuse, how do our communities move forward? And if an abusive person shapes our faith, how does that distort our understanding of God?

Listen to the trailer and subscribe today, wherever you get your podcasts.

Produced, written, and edited by Jenna Barnett
Sound design and mixing by JP Keenan
Graphic design by Tiarra Lucas
Music in the trailer is by Yehezkel Raz and Borrtex
Executive production by Betsy Shirley

You can learn more about the podcast, sign up for email updates and bonus information about each episode, and get a transcript of each episode at sojo.net/podcast.

Follow Sojourners on Facebook (@SojournersMagazine), Twitter (@sojourners), and Instagram (@sojogram), and share your thoughts about the podcast with #LeadUsNot or by emailing response@sojo.net.

Sojourners is an independent, award-winning magazine of faith, culture, and politics. Our mission is to inspire hope and action by articulating the biblical call to racial and social justice, life and peace, and environmental stewardship.

Introducing: Lead Us Not

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