Outside of Sunday

Episode 96 - Ashley Stevenson: I Didn't Know It... But I Was in A Cult

Christa Season 1 Episode 96

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 Ashley grew up thinking her church was just another Christian denomination. She believed in God, tried to live a good life, and thought she was on the right path. But as she got older she realised: her church was actually a cult.

In this episode, Ashley shares her honest and raw story of growing up in a Unitarian church, her first moments of doubt and how she finally came to understand the truth about Jesus Christ and the life-changing power of the gospel. 

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0:00 - Coming up this week
0:43 - Introduction to Ashley and her background
2:06 - Growing up Unitarian: Understanding Unitarianism
3:32 - Inside a Unitarian church service: What to expect
4:35 - Worship in Unitarian churches: Are instruments allowed?
6:07 - Speaking in tongues: Is it required in Unitarianism?
7:05 - Ashley’s childhood experiences in the Unitarian church
8:40 - Realising her Unitarian church was actually a cult
10:49 - Was the Unitarian community open or closed off to outsiders?
10:57 - The origins of the Unitarian church
13:25 - Meeting her husband: A pivotal moment
14:03 - Early red flags in her faith journey
14:47 - Do Unitarians identify as Christians?
15:39 - A heated discussion: Unitarian vs. Trinitarian beliefs
16:22 - Studying the Bible together and realising that Jesus is God
18:48 - How Unitarians interpret verses that support the Trinity
20:37 - Comparing Unitarianism to other Christian-adjacent beliefs
22:04 - The difficult decision to leave her Unitarian church
23:12 - Telling her parents 
26:08 - More than the Trinity: How Ashley’s theology transformed
26:49 - Salvation in Unitarianism: What does it mean to be ‘saved’?
28:02 - Ashley’s deeper understanding of the gospel and the weight of sin
29:00 - The contrast between moralism and true Christianity
31:35 - Wrestling with the complexity of the Trinity
34:46 - God’s work in Ashley’s life
36:01 - The role of conviction and transformation by the Holy Spirit
37:13 - Understanding grace, conviction, and the Spirit’s transformation
38:25 - How Ashley now views her family and former church
41:32 - Staying on the narrow path: Key advice for Christians

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