Dis-obedient women How a small group of faithful women exposed abuse, brought down powerful pastors, and ignited an evangelical reckoning

Journalist Stankorb debuts with an intimate and engrossing look at how a small number of evangelical women have engaged in an "online battle" with the American evangelical church, challenging the rigid gender roles favored by ultraconservative church leaders. Drawing on candid interviews with her subjects, Stankorb profiles Vyckie Garrison, a former member of the Quiverfull pro-life ministry, who launched the No Longer Quivering blog as a resource for women seeking to disengage from ultraconservative branches of the church; Ashley Easter, founder of stayathomedaughter.com, a website that promoted the doctrine of female submission (including the idea that daughters should stay at home until marriage) until Easter discovered the benefits of "an equitable relationship"; and the members of Recovering Grace, a website launched in 2011 to help young women abused by Pastor Bill Gothard, head of the nonprofit Institute of Basic Life Principles, who resigned under a cloud of suspicion in 2014. By sifting through the history of these blogs and websites, Stankorb sheds fascinating light on the process of deprogramming from extremist religion. Weaving in her own faith journey as the child of an abusive alcoholic father, Stankorb delivers a compassionate portrait of pain and perseverance. (Aug.)

An exploration of the vast array of online communities "questioning some of the impacts of evangelicalism's ascendant effects." In her wide-ranging debut, journalist Stankorb chronicles the many ways in which American women raised as evangelicals have used the internet as a tool to expose examples of sexual abuse and other deep-seated problems in the churches in which they grew up. Examining blogs written primarily in the 1990s, the author crafts a "snapshot in time" of how the newly powerful internet allowed people--particularly women--who were otherwise isolated and often nearly powerless to reach others who shared their experiences to unite and reveal problems within evangelical churches. Prominent in the narrative, which relies on extensive interviews with those who call themselves "exvangelicals," are stories of abuse by youth pastors in Southern Baptist churches around the country as well as the influential Maryland megachurch the Covenant Life Church. As horrifying as the abuse are the accounts of its systematic coverup and attempts to shame those who eventually dared to report abuse. Many of Stankorb's subjects grew up in a world of purity rings, restrictive home schooling, and "stay at home daughterhood," where they were expected to follow orders from the men in their life even after reaching adulthood. This makes their choices to speak out even more striking. Stankorb unevenly weaves in stories of her own life, growing up in a mildly religious family headed by an alcoholic and sometimes abusive father. While she effectively recounts the individual struggles within particular churches, she is less successful with broader themes. The narrative occasionally becomes mired in anecdotes about the many people she interviewed and the infighting among the members of the movements that grew up in opposition to evangelical churches. Still, the author's message is worth hearing. A provocative yet unfocused glimpse into resistance to predators hiding behind religion. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.