Abuse Systems and Transformation Tools, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Christian Media, Clergy Misconduct, Clergy Sex Abuse, Failure to Report Crimes, Leaving the Church, Spiritual Abuse, Spiritual Authority

Should I trust Christian media outlets to share my deeply painful church abuse story? Here’s a follow-up article based on my years of covering spiritual abuse testimonies, including quite a few high-profile cases.

The key takeaway is this: anytime an abuser is given a platform, that space will never feel safe for survivors.

Clergy Misconduct, Clergy Sex Abuse, Failure to Report Crimes, Sexual Abuse/Assault and Churches, Spiritual Abuse, Spiritual Authority, Youth Groups

Update on Dr. Wes Feltner of Berean Baptist and Clergy Sexual Misconduct

At the very least, we should have seen Feltner take responsibility for his clergy sexual misconduct. That never happened...

ABUSE RECOVERY PROCESS-PROBLEMS, child abuse, Clergy Misconduct, Clergy Sex Abuse, Disturbing Trends, Failure to Report Crimes, Russell Moore, Sexual Abuse/Assault and Churches, Spiritual Abuse, Statute of Limitations

Why is there an admission charge for people who want to attend ERLC’s Caring Well Conference?

SBC has failed miserably with sex abuse cover-ups. This a conference where YOU have to pay to attend hear people discuss issues in which THEY (SBC) have failed. This is messed up. It should be free. #SBC #churchtoo Quote Tweet

ABUSE & VIOLENCE IN THE CHURCH, Failure to Report Crimes, Grace Community Church, John MacArthur, Master's University / Master's Seminary, Sexual Abuse/Assault and Churches, Spiritual Abuse, Spiritual Authority, Spiritual Bullies

John MacArthur’s The Master’s University and Seminary: Still on Academic Probation, and Reported Layoffs

"The fact that an outside governmental agency objectively documented and determined that MacArthur’s leadership does not even meet the moral and ethical standards of the world, deems him unqualified to remain at the helm."

Clergy Misconduct, Clergy Sex Abuse, Failure to Report Crimes, Mandatory Reporting, Sexual Abuse/Assault and Churches, Spiritual Authority, The Gospel Coalition

The Gospel Coalition on When to Report Pastoral Sin

Given the timing of this article coming out after the Houston Chronicle's report on sex abuse within the SBC, I would hope that The Gospel Coalition would offer better advice for reporting criminal behavior by a pastor.

9Marks, Addressing Abuse, C.J. Mahaney, child abuse, Clergy Misconduct, Clergy Sex Abuse, Dr. Albert Mohler, Failure to Report Crimes, Mandatory Reporting, Sexual Abuse/Assault and Churches, Southern Baptist Convention, Sovereign Grace Ministries, Sovereign Grace Ministries Lawsuit, Statute of Limitations, The Gospel Coalition, Together for the Gospel

SBTS President Albert Mohler Apologizes for Supporting C.J. Mahaney

"I want to believe that this is a genuine wake-up call for all church leaders to get their collective acts together and take sex abuse and cover-ups seriously. I just wish it came spontaneously from the hearts of leaders - you know, humble leaders who care about the souls in their flock."

ABUSE & VIOLENCE IN THE CHURCH, child abuse, Clergy Misconduct, Clergy Sex Abuse, Crazy Things Church Leaders Say & Do, Doctrine as Idol, Failure to Report Crimes, Leaving the Church, Mandatory Reporting, Pulpit & Pen blog, Sexual Abuse/Assault and Churches, SMH (Shake My Head), Spiritual Bullies, Troubling Tweets, Women and the Church

Seth Dunn Tweets that a Woman Pastor is Just as Bad as a Sex Offender Who is Hired as a Pastor

It is people like Seth, who refuse to take sex abuse of children seriously, why we have had very little positive change in how child sex abuse cases have been handled.

ABUSE & VIOLENCE IN THE CHURCH, Clergy Misconduct, Clergy Sex Abuse, Failure to Report Crimes, Sexual Abuse/Assault and Churches, Spiritual Abuse, Spiritual Authority, Spiritual Bullies

Spiritual Abuse: What Are Nonbelievers Going to Think?

Spiritual Abuse, ReputationJonathan Hollingsworth This is the fourth blog post referring to an article by Jonathan Hollingsworth, What Not to Say to Someone Who’s Been Hurt by the Church. The article resonated with a lot of people, so I thought it might be a good idea to discuss these unhelpful statements one by one here, and give… Continue reading Spiritual Abuse: What Are Nonbelievers Going to Think?

Addressing Abuse, Failure to Report Crimes, John MacArthur, Mandatory Reporting, Master's University / Master's Seminary

Does the WASC Commission Letter Address Reports of Sexual Assault at The Master’s University?

"In 2015 The Department of Education cited The Master's University for violating compliance regulations around several areas, including the Clery Act and VAWA for calendar year 2012. TMU was fined $29,000 in 2017 for its non-compliance."

ABUSE & VIOLENCE IN THE CHURCH, child abuse, Clergy Misconduct, Clergy Sex Abuse, Failure to Report Crimes, Mandatory Reporting, Mark Driscoll, Phil Johnson, Sexual Abuse/Assault and Churches, Spiritual Abuse, Spiritual Authority, Spiritual Bullies, Tom Chantry

Tom Chantry: Update on His Molestation, Child Abuse, and Assault Charges; and Looking Back

Tom Chantry, Molestation, Child Abuse, and Assault Charges, ARBCA *** Back in his heyday, Pastor Tom Chantry was a highly respected commenter at Pyromaniacs blog hosted by various Calvinist dude-bros such as Phil Johnson, Dan Phillips, Frank Turk, et al. We know he has been on trial for child abuse, molestation, and assault charges. Today,… Continue reading Tom Chantry: Update on His Molestation, Child Abuse, and Assault Charges; and Looking Back

ABUSE & VIOLENCE IN THE CHURCH, Abuse Systems and Transformation Tools, Calvinism, Clergy Misconduct, Clergy Sex Abuse, Complementarianism, Debi Pearl, Doctrine as Idol, Failure to Report Crimes, It's All About the Image, John MacArthur, Legalism, Mandatory Reporting, Mark Driscoll, Michael Pearl, Parenting, Phil Johnson, Sexual Abuse/Assault and Churches, Sovereign Grace Ministries, Sovereign Grace Ministries Lawsuit, Tom Chantry

Tedd Tripp and Tom Chantry: Shepherding a Child’s Heart … or Not

Tedd Tripp, Tom Chantry, Failure to Report, Mandatory Reporter, Spanking, Shepherding a Child's Heart *** *** In the late 1990s, I attended a parenting seminar by Tedd Tripp. It may or may not be significant to note that the seminar was held at a Sovereign Grace Ministries church in Chesapeake, Virginia. Shepherding a Child's Heart… Continue reading Tedd Tripp and Tom Chantry: Shepherding a Child’s Heart … or Not

Classical Conversations, Doug Phillips & Vision Forum, Failure to Report Crimes, Homeschool Movement, It's All About the Image, Legalism, Mandatory Reporting, No-Talk Rule, Patriarchal-Complementarian Movement, Spiritual Abuse, Spiritual Authority, Spiritual Bullies, Stay-At-Home Daughters Movement, Vision Forum

Classical Conversations #1: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Classical Conversations, Homeschool, Classical Education, #ClassicalConvMadeKnown ***   About 10 years ago, I was at a homeschool family camp with my family in Washington state, and it was talent-show night. Previous years at the talent show, children and families sang, kids performed skits, or danced a routine. However, this year, there were a couple of… Continue reading Classical Conversations #1: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

ABUSE & VIOLENCE IN THE CHURCH, Abuse Systems and Transformation Tools, Clergy Misconduct, Domestic Violence and Churches, Extra-Biblical Nonsense, Failure to Report Crimes, Legalism, Mandatory Reporting, Misuse of Scripture, Narcissistic Pastors, Paige Patterson, Sexual Abuse/Assault and Churches, Southern Baptist Convention, Spiritual Abuse, Spiritual Authority, Spiritual Bullies, Women and the Church

BREAKING NEWS: Dr. Paige Patterson Terminated, Effective Immediately: No Title, No Housing, No Ongoing Compensation

Paige Patterson, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, SBC, #Churchtoo, #ChurchToo, #MeToo   *** A new statement was just released at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary: During the May 30, 2018, Executive Committee meeting of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS) Board of Trustees, new information confirmed this morning was presented regarding the handling of an allegation of… Continue reading BREAKING NEWS: Dr. Paige Patterson Terminated, Effective Immediately: No Title, No Housing, No Ongoing Compensation

9Marks, ABUSE & VIOLENCE IN THE CHURCH, Clergy Misconduct, Clergy Sex Abuse, Complementarianism, Failure to Report Crimes, Fred Butler, It's All About the Image, John MacArthur, Safe Churches, Sexual Abuse/Assault and Churches, Women and the Church

Fred Butler, #MeToo and the Worldly Culture

***   Who is Fred Butler? I saw this tweet the other day. Long-time blog readers will recognize the name, Fred Butler, an employee of Grace to You, the radio ministry of Pastor John MacArthur. Butler's tweet references another tweet from the @9Marks Twitter account which quotes from an article recently posted on their site.… Continue reading Fred Butler, #MeToo and the Worldly Culture

ABUSE & VIOLENCE IN THE CHURCH, C.J. Mahaney, CHURCH GOVERNANCE & POLICIES, Church Governance or Policy Issues, Clergy Misconduct, Clergy Sex Abuse, Failure to Report Crimes, Leaving the Church, Mandatory Reporting, Meetings with the Pastor, Personal Stories, Sexual Abuse/Assault and Churches, Sovereign Grace Ministries, Sovereign Grace Ministries Lawsuit, Spiritual Abuse, Spiritual Authority, Spiritual Bullies, Troubling Tweets

Sovereign Grace Church Leaders Remove Wife from Women’s Small Group Leader Position after Couple Asks Questions

*** Both Jeff Owens and his wife Sarah recently sent out a thread of tweets regarding a recent experience they had at their former (unidentified)  Sovereign Grace church. I think these tweets deserve a wider audience. What you will read is not healthy at all, and people need to understand the dismissive and bullying behavior… Continue reading Sovereign Grace Church Leaders Remove Wife from Women’s Small Group Leader Position after Couple Asks Questions

ABUSE & VIOLENCE IN THE CHURCH, C.J. Mahaney, Calvinism, Christian Marriage, Clergy Sex Abuse, Domestic Violence, Extra-Biblical Nonsense, Failure to Report Crimes, James Dobson, John MacArthur, Legalism, Mandatory Reporting, Mental Health and the Church, Personal Stories, Recovery Process, Sexual Abuse/Assault and Churches, Sovereign Grace Ministries, Spiritual Abuse, SURVIVOR STORIES, The Gospel Coalition, Women and the Church

Personal Story: What Did the Church Teach You about Yourself?

Spiritual abuse, sex abuse, patriarchy, domestic violence, Sovereign Grace, Desiring God, CJ Mahaney, John Piper, Mental Health *** *** Part of recovery from abusive churches is coming to grips with what you were taught and how it affected you. Sometimes, and very appropriately, the ability to see this clearly results in anger. Jennifer Michelle posted… Continue reading Personal Story: What Did the Church Teach You about Yourself?

ABUSE & VIOLENCE IN THE CHURCH, C.J. Mahaney, Failure to Report Crimes, Mandatory Reporting, Sexual Abuse/Assault and Churches, Sovereign Grace Ministries, Sovereign Grace Ministries Lawsuit, Statute of Limitations

Rachael Denhollander Challenges Sovereign Grace Churches to Respond Appropriately to Sex Abuse Cases

Rachael Denhollander, Sovereign Grace, Sex Abuse, Pedophiles *** Rachael Denhollendar (the Christian attorney and sex abuse survivor who brought down Dr. Larry Nassar) has been very busy since the recent case of convicted pedophile Dr. Larry Nassar. She is now taking on the task of drawing attention to how the church, specifically the leaders at… Continue reading Rachael Denhollander Challenges Sovereign Grace Churches to Respond Appropriately to Sex Abuse Cases

C.J. Mahaney, Failure to Report Crimes, Kevin Swanson, Sexual Abuse/Assault and Churches, SMH (Shake My Head), Sovereign Grace Ministries, Sovereign Grace Ministries Lawsuit, Spiritual Bullies

Pastor Kevin Swanson’s Blame Game When it Comes to the Dr. Larry Nassar Child Sex Abuse Cases

Kevin Swanson; Larry Nassar; Child Sex Abuse; Rachael Denhollander -by Kathi with editorial comments by Julie Anne Kevin Swanson's February 9, 2018 broadcast on Generations covered the recent gymnastics and sexual abuse case by now-convicted sexual predator, Dr. Larry Nassar. Right Wing Watch picked up his broadcast and noted that he blames immodesty in the… Continue reading Pastor Kevin Swanson’s Blame Game When it Comes to the Dr. Larry Nassar Child Sex Abuse Cases

ABUSE & VIOLENCE IN THE CHURCH, Christian Marriage, Divorce, Domestic Violence, Domestic Violence and Churches, Failure to Report Crimes, Leaving the Church, Marriage, Meetings with the Pastor, Personal Stories, Women and the Church

A Personal Story and a Sad Conclusion When Pastors Failed to Respond Appropriately to Domestic Violence

Domestic violence, Church response, Rob Porter *** You may have heard in the news recently about Rob Porter who worked for President Trump in the White House. Porter recently resigned his position as White House Staff Secretary after allegations of domestic violence from his two ex-wives surfaced in the media. It was disheartening to hear… Continue reading A Personal Story and a Sad Conclusion When Pastors Failed to Respond Appropriately to Domestic Violence

ABUSE & VIOLENCE IN THE CHURCH, C.J. Mahaney, Clergy Misconduct, Clergy Sex Abuse, Disturbing Trends, Domestic Violence, Domestic Violence and Churches, Doug Wilson, Dr. Albert Mohler, Failure to Report Crimes, John MacArthur, John Piper, Justin Taylor, Mandatory Reporting, Mark Dever, Mark Driscoll, Owen Strachan, Phil Johnson, Sexual Abuse/Assault and Churches, Spiritual Abuse, The Gospel Coalition, Tullian Tchividjian, Voddie Baucham

Will Those in the Real Gospel-Centered Churches Please Stand?

Gospel-Centered Movement, TGC, YRR, Calvinists, Jared Wilson *** Over at The Gospel Coalition website, Jared Wilson has published the Top 125 Influences of the Gospel-Centered Movement. Now, I admit at first, I had assumed that he was talking about all influential Christians. As I read more of his intro, I saw that he was really… Continue reading Will Those in the Real Gospel-Centered Churches Please Stand?