The Letter Revisited

Aldo B. Martin Presents: The Reclamation

In February 2003, the Henry Kriete Letter was released. He titled it "Honest to God." The letter's impact was immediate. Aldo has always wondered why the letter had such an impact. "Honest to God" was not the first time that criticisms of the church were penned, published, and distributed. However, those writings did not have the same impact that the letter did. Why? Aldo concludes that the reason for the immediate impact of the letter was due to "our level of indoctrination." Aldo asserts that had Henry Kriete not been a standing evangelist with the organization, his letter would not have had the immediate impact that it did, as the organization was a "self sealing system."
Aldo didn't read the letter back then. He skimmed it. However, he finally read it 20 years later and gives us his thoughts. He also invited two previous guests from Season 2 to join him. Del from London and Tricia from Kentucky sat down with Aldo and had a discussion about the letter's impact. Del first read it 20 years ago and re-read it for this discussion, while Tricia has never read it until now. They discuss a variety of topics in regards to the letter, such as:
- the reason for the letter's impact
- the letter's intended audience.
- the letter's indication of the subculture that existed within the group
- why is the letter still discussed 20 years later
- the letter's argument for the church being a "cult of personality."

Support the show

Stay updated on Aldo's current and future projects by signing up for his Newsletter
Other Podcasts by Aldo B. Martin:
Finding James Baldwin: The Magpie Years
Jammin' on the One
The Fatherhood Project
YALD. The Podcast
So...Tell Me About Your Podcast
To get in touch with Aldo, you can find him on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook