When To Speak Up About a Toxic Church - Amy Fritz

Should you say something when your church goes toxic—or stay quiet to keep the peace? On Christianity Without Compromise, Amy Fritz, host of the Untangled Faith podcast, joins Jake Doberenz to unpack the spiritual, emotional, and relational weight of speaking out. Drawing from her own journey from rule-following Christian student to institutional whistleblower, Amy shares what it takes to tell the truth when everything in church culture says to stay silent. Together, Jake and Amy examine why Christian institutions often protect their image over integrity, how toxic church environments form, and what it looks like to choose wisdom, love, and accountability at the same time. They confront the idolization of “God’s anointed,” the confusion between fruitfulness and faithfulness, and the corporate structures that reward performance over character—all while offering hope for those discerning what to do next.

[Listen to this episode on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, our website, or your favorite podcast player]

Important Links:

• Diane Langberg: Narcissism and the System It Breeds (YouTube)

• The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb: Searching for Jesus’ Path of Power in a Church that Has Abandoned It by Jamin Goggin and Kyle Strobel

• A Church Called Tov: Forming a Goodness Culture That Resists Abuses of Power and Promotes Healing by Scot McKnight and Laura Barringer

• Untangled Faith Podcast

• Untangled Faith Substack

• How Church Culture Can Turn Leaders Into Idols - David Ruybalid (Episode 35)

• Religious Certainty and Being the Only Ones Saved - Scot Loyd (Episode 44)

• When Spiritual Formulas Distract Us from Jesus - Christy Lynne Wood (Episode 39)

Guest Bio:

Amy Fritz is the host of the Untangled Faith podcast and Substack, where she creates space for Christians to process church hurt, spiritual abuse, and power dynamics in faith communities.

See Also:

Follow this show and Jake Doberenz’s writings at http://jakedoberenz.substack.com.