Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart. Col. 3:21 Last week I posted about the Calvary Chapel Visalia Pastor Bob Grenier and his wife, Gayle against their stepson/son Alex and former church member Tim. I mentioned Bob's son, Paul's court declaration and the very strong emotions I felt when… Continue reading Calvary Chapel Visalia Lawsuit, Local News Article, Court Declaration
Category: ABUSE & VIOLENCE IN THE CHURCH
Should We Repent for Allowing Ourselves to be Spiritually Abused?
This picture was taken in my neighborhood a while back. I took it from the driver's seat of my car. That is one big honkin' tumbleweed and it always amazes me how tumbleweed can roll through fields, across a busy street and end up in our neighborhood. I had this picture in my mind when… Continue reading Should We Repent for Allowing Ourselves to be Spiritually Abused?
Pastors Who Behave Like They Are Your Boss
So many of us who have gone through spiritual abuse came from a church where a pastor or church leader acted like a bully in our spiritual or personal lives. Pastor Wade Burleson recently posted an article and it is so contrary to what I have experienced in churches. Here is a portion of the… Continue reading Pastors Who Behave Like They Are Your Boss
Kevin Swanson Fails to Provide Sources for Ignorant, Unsettling Statement
* * * * * Those of you who follow me on Twitter (DefendtheSheep), know that I have been trying to get to the bottom of the quote by Pastor Kevin Swanson, the popular homeschool leader who reported… Continue reading Kevin Swanson Fails to Provide Sources for Ignorant, Unsettling Statement
Family Members from Westboro Baptist Escape to New Freedom
* * * Yesterday morning I tweeted about the following story and I've had a number of readers send it to me as well. It's a story of amazing courage and also sadness. Imagine escaping the only life you have ever known - and this means leaving… Continue reading Family Members from Westboro Baptist Escape to New Freedom
Kevin Swanson Spews Nonsense from His Mouth to Further His Birth Control Agenda
* * * Kevin Swanson spews rhetoric: Dead embedded fetuses in wombs for women on birth control pills! I get slightly annoyed, no, actually royally peeved when people use their position of leadership and influence to push their agenda. I've been on the inside of the homeschool movement and seen how this works. The Christian… Continue reading Kevin Swanson Spews Nonsense from His Mouth to Further His Birth Control Agenda
Studying the Words and Life of CJ Mahaney and SGM Image Control
~ ~ Yesterday, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) recently had CJ Mahaney speak at a conference they held yesterday. Here is a tweet that SEBT sent out yesterday quoting CJ: If the mainstream media knows about the story of CJ Mahaney and the lawsuit, you can be sure that SEBTS was very aware of… Continue reading Studying the Words and Life of CJ Mahaney and SGM Image Control
Shamed into Silence
This e-mail came in from Matthias after posting Who is Going to Blast the Bullhorn on Abuse in Church?. I really liked what Matthias had to say and wanted to share it with you (with his permission). Hello Julie Anne, I've been thinking some about your current topic about blasting the bullhorn in abuse in the church.… Continue reading Shamed into Silence
Spiritual Abuse: A Personal Story
* * * “You can never learn that Christ is all you need, until Christ is all you have.” Corrie Ten Boom The following is a personal spiritual abuse story I am posting during January’s Spiritual Awareness Month. I’ve said it before, but after the media… Continue reading Spiritual Abuse: A Personal Story
How Love Bombing Sucked Us in to a Spiritually Abusive Church
* * * Yesterday, brad/futuristguy left a comment which was so good. If you haven't read it, please do. Brad is so insightful in his understanding of spiritual abuse. I've learned much from him. His comment prompted excellent questions by reader, Interested Party. I'll quote part of Brad's post which prompted… Continue reading How Love Bombing Sucked Us in to a Spiritually Abusive Church
Julie Anne: Uncovering the Abuse I Enabled
My teenage daughter went to a winter retreat a few weeks ago and this picture was taken from the church van by the youth pastor’s wife. The snow is pretty evident in the picture, but directly ahead down the road is a valley, but you cannot see the valley because the clouds are covering it.… Continue reading Julie Anne: Uncovering the Abuse I Enabled
Spiritual Abuse Recovery: Caleigh’s Story, “Cross Obsession”
This is Spiritual Abuse Awareness month and I wanted to share a story by Caleigh, a friend and blogger at The Profligate Truth who attended a church from CJ Mahaney's family of churches, Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM). Her church was Covenant Life Church (CLC) in Maryland which recently voted to sever ties with SGM amidst a current… Continue reading Spiritual Abuse Recovery: Caleigh’s Story, “Cross Obsession”
Who is Going to Blast the Bullhorn on Abuse in Church?
Reader, Jeff Brown, shared a comment this morning and because it is an older post, I wanted to shine a little more light on it in a new post: JANUARY 22, 2013 @ 8:10 AM We talk about the Big Dogs, but not much about the audiences who storm these conferences, and don’t seem… Continue reading Who is Going to Blast the Bullhorn on Abuse in Church?
David Hayward: An Abusive Apology
A few people sent me a link to a post and cartoon by David Hayward of nakedpastor.com, and it really must be shared. Here's part of David's bio: David started a blog called nakedpastor in 2006, and initiated his public analysis of religion, religious community and spirituality through his writings, art and cartoons. Thousands of people are challenged… Continue reading David Hayward: An Abusive Apology
Sovereign Grace Ministries Lawsuit, Patriarchy, and Spanking of Adult Children
Does it seem like I'm picking on Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM)? Is Sovereign Grace Ministries the problem? It's just a problem with those particular leaders in SGM, right? They are mostly located on the East Coast, so they have no effect on me and my church, right? This is where I say a resounding: NO!… Continue reading Sovereign Grace Ministries Lawsuit, Patriarchy, and Spanking of Adult Children
Sovereign Grace Ministries Amended Lawsuit – Leaders: Show Me the Proof!
I went to the Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM) website to see if they had released a statement about the newly filed amendment which was filed on Friday (new details in this excellent article). I could find no statement, but found an article on the front page by Stephen Altrogge: A Step-by-Step Guide for Killing Your Church,… Continue reading Sovereign Grace Ministries Amended Lawsuit – Leaders: Show Me the Proof!
Sovereign Grace Amended Lawsuit Has Been Released
Kris from SGMSurvivors.com has posted the complete lawsuit (addresses redacted) at her site, including a summary of the newly added complaints. Please take a look. Dee from The Wartburg Watch and I have been in contact and will be following and reporting more on this case soon.
Sovereign Grace Amended Lawsuit Has Reportedly Been Filed
The Wartburg Watch ladies and I are waiting for official word that we can report on this case. The rumors aren't pretty. Here's the deal - - Susan Burke is a very reputable attorney. She is not going to amend the civil lawsuit unless there is justification to do so. I have been reading the… Continue reading Sovereign Grace Amended Lawsuit Has Reportedly Been Filed
Spiritual Abuse: Perversion in the Church – Bishop Wayne T. Jackson Lays on Top of Men During Ordination
Do you remember the Pastor Jack Schaap video in which he spoke at a FBC Hammond Youth Conference in 2010? At this conference, Schaap used hand gestures in a way that simulated masturbation as church leaders in white jackets sat behind him and watched as if this was normal behavior for a pastor. … Continue reading Spiritual Abuse: Perversion in the Church – Bishop Wayne T. Jackson Lays on Top of Men During Ordination
Spiritual Abuse: Pastors as Psychopaths?
Can you think of any profession where one can obtain a CEO-like position having no formal training, no formal credentials, or no former experience? In the secular world, CEOs usually need to have some experience and qualifications behind them. Frequently, a CEO will have many years of experience in the company and move… Continue reading Spiritual Abuse: Pastors as Psychopaths?
Spiritual Sounding Board 