An ex-evangelical writer and advocate with a PhD in modern Russian history from Stanford University, Chrissy Stroop is coeditor (with Lauren O’Neal) of Empty the Pews: Stories of Leaving the Church, a collection of personal essays by former conservative Christians. The essay anthology’s title derives from the hashtag #EmptyThePews, which Stroop created in August 2017 as a protest against right-wing evangelical complicity in white supremacism. Stroop’s work, which has appeared in Foreign Policy, The Boston Globe, Playboy, Religion Dispatches, The Conversationalist, DAME Magazine, Political Research Associates, and other outlets, covers matters foreign and domestic while mostly focusing on religion and politics.