Gwen Shamblin Lara (Scott Sabo via Wikimedia Commons - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)

Karen:

The story of church leader Gwen Shamblin Lara

Episode sources:

1. The Way Down (HBO Max)

2. “The Weigh Down Diet” by Gwen Shamblin 

3. Weigh Down website

4. “Meet Our Leaders” (Remnant Fellowship)

5. “Joe Lara” (Remnant Fellowship)

6. “How to identify a cult: Six tips from an expert” (CBS News) 2018

7. “Controversy surrounded Brentwood church, founder for years; Gwen Shamblin Lara among those presumed dead” by Phil Williams (News Channel 5 Nashville) 2021

8. “Gwen Shamblin's will, potentially worth millions, leaves nothing to her Remnant Fellowship church” by Phil Williams (News Channel 5 Nashville) 2021

9. “New Gwen Shamblin video: 'I think we are the most highly investigated church in the United States'” by Phil Williams (News Channel 5 Nashville) 2021

10. “Gwen Shamblin interviews reveal late Remnant leader's thoughts on divorce, child spankings and cults” by Phil Williams (News Channel 5 Nashville) 2021

11. “Before HBO Max: Explore NewsChannel 5's Gwen Shamblin, Remnant Fellowship investigations” by Phil Williams (News Channel 5) 2021

12. “2021: the year that Gwen Shamblin's life, death made news around world” by Phil Williams (News Channel 5 Nashville) 2022

13. “Plane Crash Complicates HBO Max Documentary on Diet-Inspired Church” by Nicole Sperling (New York Times)

14. “‘This is a cult’: inside the shocking story of a religious weight-loss group” by Adrian Horton (The Guardian) 2021

15. “Church stands by parents convicted of death” (Associated Press) 2007

16. “What To Know About Gwen Shamblin’s Husband & Ex-Husband” by Justice Namaste (Bustle) 2021

17. “Our History” (Remnant Fellowship website)

18. “Who Was Gwen Shamblin's husband Joe Lara? Meet the 'Tarzan' Actor” by Molli Mitchell (Newsweek) 2022

19. “The Way Down Subject Delaney Wingerd Is Still Part Of Remnant Fellowship” by Gretchen Small (Bustle) 2022

20. “Faith-based Child Abuse?” by Corrie Cutrer (Christianity Today) 2004

21. “DIETERS PUTTING THEIR FAITH IN SUSTENANCE OF THE SPIRIT” by Dana Hull (Washington Post) May 17, 1997

22. “Delivering us from Caloric Temptation” by Julia Lieblich (Newhouse News Service) June 6, 1998

23. “The Gospel of Gwen Shamblin: The Weight-Loss Cult Leader Who Poisoned Women’s Brains” by Nick Schager (The Daily Beast) 2021

24. “Gwen Shamblin Lara Accused of Being a Cult Leader in New HBO Docuseries” by Jessica Lea (Church Leaders). 2021

25. “BIBLE-BASED WEIGHT LOSS WORKSHOP SUED FOR RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION” by Nicki Pendleton Wood (Nashville Post) April 27, 2001

26. “Gwen Shamblin Lara, other leaders of controversial church presumed dead after plane crash” by Keith Sharon (The Tennessean) 2021

27. “Substitute God for Food: Author” by Byron Hensley (The Mufreesboro Daily News Journal) 1997

28. “'Continue the dream': Remnant Fellowship Church founder's children will keep church going after her death” by Brinley Hineman (The Tennessean) 2021

29. “Slim for Him” by Rebecca Mead (New Yorker) 2001

30. “Gwen Shamblin in the Balance” by John W. Kennedy (Christianity Today) 2000. - https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2000/october23/14.15.html 

31. “The Weigh Down Heresy” by John W. Kennedy (Baptist Press) 2000

32. Remnant Fellowship: A Brief History And A Dire Warning” by Adam and Maria Brooks (Spirit Watch Ministries)

33. “The Fallout: Gwen Shamblin’s Denial of the Trinity” by Wendy Griffin (Christian Broadcast News) 2000

34. “Church Lady of Diet Weighs In On Trinity and Her Flock Flees” by Ianthe Jeanne Dugan (Wall Street Journal) 2000

35. “Churchgoers leaning on God to shed their unwanted pounds” (The Tennessean) 1994

36. “Here's the Current Status of Remnant Fellowship Church After Gwen Shamblin Lara's Death” by Lauren Kranc (Esquire) 2022

37. “Percy Priest Lake plane crash: Both engines, more human remains recovered” by Hannah McDonald (News Channel 5) 2021

38. “Divine Dieting” by Gayle White (The Atlanta Constitution) 1997

39. Gwen Shamblin interviewed on ABC's 20/20

40. “A year after Gwen Shamblin Lara's death, her presence looms large at Remnant Fellowship” by Amanda Pèrez Pintado (USA Today) 2022

41. “Henley-Shamblin Vows to Be Jan. 7” (The Memphis Press-Scimitar) 1977