On this episode of Backsliders, we talk with our new friend, Dorcas Gitimu. She is a 20-year-old Political Science, Foreign Affairs, and Philosophy Student at Youngstown State University. She is also a writer, poet, and creative who writes from her experiences and perspectives moving through the world as a Black Woman who is a self-described “Christian Exvangelical,” as well as a First-Generation Immigrant and a proud Kenyan-American. She came to the United States from Kenya when she was 2 years old, and here, she and her parents became involved in the Assemblies of God denomination. In her words, “In essence, I grew up in Charismatic White Pentecostal Evangelical Christian spaces.” However, Dorcas’ faith was in main part shaped by her parents (both of whom are educators and came to the U.S. for school) and her family, who actually had their own church in Kenya. She jokes with her friends that she’s genuinely never met someone from Africa who is an atheist or doesn’t have some form of faith, because of the “genuine faith-based culture” there. Dorcas also shared with us some of her personal spiritual journey, and that her Christian faith became very real to her when she was 11. She studied the faith for herself, read her Bible, prayed, and never stopped questioning. Fast forward to when Dorcas turned 16 years old: the Trump era happened...and her faith deconstruction started, spurred in large part from “toxic religious set-ups" she experienced in Evangelicalism. After that, she started her faith reconstruction, truly finding and molding a faith that was, in her words, “the Christian faith that I had always known to be better than the road that Evangelicism gave me.” This is a powerful interview and our first episode with a Gen-Z guest! We hope you enjoy listening to this conversation with Dorcas as much as we enjoyed having it with her. Follow Dorcas on Instagram, Twitter, and Clubhouse below and stay tuned for more creations she is planning to put into the world—including maybe a future podcast of her own?? We’d love to listen to it! 

NEW NEWS: If you enjoy this podcast and want to hang out with us a little more, we also have a web series titled Backsliders! This show was recently selected by the Tribeca Film Festival and the Tribeca Creators Market sponsored by HBO! Check out our latest episode by clicking here.

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[WATCH OUR OTHER SHOWS]

Backsliders the series

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[CREDITS]

Intro Music "7.2.19" by Chase Burnett

Outro Music "Stay Mad" by Chase Burnett ft. Julia Nunes

Title Animation/Poster art by Cody Walzel

Special Thanks to Angie Charles

[REACH OUT]

We'd love to hear from you directly! Let's talk about what we were raised to believe, where we are now, and how that affects our relationships with others and ourselves! [email protected] [email protected]