Black men are not supposed to talk about being hurt. Especially not by the church.

In this episode of Surviving the Black Church, Adrian Taylor breaks that silence. As a Black man who grew up in the Black church, endured spiritual abuse from church leadership, and wrestled with the weight of religious trauma alongside the expectations of Black masculinity, his story puts a face on a conversation that too many Black men have had to carry alone.

This one is for every Black man who knew something was wrong — and was told that saying so made him less of a man, less of a believer, or less of both.

Surviving the Black Church — because your story doesn't end there.

For Black LGBTQ+ people, the church is often the first place they learn that who they are is wrong. And the harm that follows can last a lifetime.

In this episode of Surviving the Black Church, we sit down with Nikiya Pruitt — licensed clinical social worker — for an honest conversation about queerness, QTBIPOC identity, and the Black church. Drawing on her clinical work with some of the most marginalized communities at the intersection of race, faith, and sexuality, Nikiya helps us understand what religious trauma looks like for queer Black people — and what real healing requires.

This one is for the ones the church told didn't belong — and everyone who is still finding their way back to themselves.

Surviving the Black Church — because your story doesn't end there.

In many Black church spaces, holiness isn't just a doctrine — it's a culture of control. And the psychological toll it takes on Black people runs deeper than most are willing to admit.

In this episode of Surviving the Black Church, we sit down with Dr. Desiree Robinson — therapist and integrative practitioner specializing in faith, trauma, and intimate wellness — for an honest clinical conversation about what sanctification and holiness culture actually do to Black people who are raised inside them. From shame-based theology to suppressed identity, Dr. Robinson helps us name what so many survivors have felt but never had words for.

This one is for everyone who performed holiness to belong — and is still trying to find their way back to themselves.

Surviving the Black Church — because your story doesn't end there.

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