Mental Health Issues and Christian Fundamentalism *** There's been some great discussion on fundamentalism in the previous post about "Bethany," who over time was able to see the relationship she was in as destructive and abandoned the relationship. I thought it might be good to give the topic a post of its own, so I… Continue reading Does Christian Fundamentalism Cause Mental Health Issues?
Category: Spiritual Abuse
Spiritual Abuse Awareness Month and Survey for Spiritual Abuse Survivors
*** Well, it's nearing the last week of January and I almost missed pointing out that it's Spiritual Abuse Awareness Month. Way back when I started my original blog about my abusive church experience, one woman found my blog and left a comment. Her name was Barb Orlowski. It was the very next week that… Continue reading Spiritual Abuse Awareness Month and Survey for Spiritual Abuse Survivors
Pastor Mike Sperou Will Have His Day in Court: Seven Women Come forward with Sexual Abuse Allegations
*** Pastor Mike Sperou of North Clackamas Bible Community will get his day in court: indicted on three counts of first-degree unlawful sexual penetration of a child under the age of 12 *** *** Last week, a much-anticipated church sex abuse story came out in the media. I've posted a lot of stories here - quite… Continue reading Pastor Mike Sperou Will Have His Day in Court: Seven Women Come forward with Sexual Abuse Allegations
Phil Johnson Claims the Main Trouble in Churches are the Sheep, not Wolves
*** Phil Johnson of Grace Community Church claims that sheep, not wolves are the main trouble with churches *** *** Yesterday, Phil Johnson of Grace Community Church tweeted this: *** He is assuming the primary problem are the "sheepiness" of sheep??? That does not surprise me. Let me show you my personal experience with… Continue reading Phil Johnson Claims the Main Trouble in Churches are the Sheep, not Wolves
When Spiritual Leaders Use Contempt to Control
*** Contempt and Control by Christian Leaders (Mark Driscoll, etc) *** *** My friend, Brad Sargent, has been working tirelessly on behalf of spiritual abuse survivors for decades, documenting people/cases, analyzing outcomes, watching behavioral patterns, etc. He spent over 300 hours documenting and compiling the BGBC Lawsuit Archive which chronicles my defamation lawsuit brought on… Continue reading When Spiritual Leaders Use Contempt to Control
Dissecting Gracealone1’s Comment
*** Sometimes we have commenters here who like to challenge us. Sometimes the language and tone used seem familiar to what we experienced in our abusive churches. Commenter "gracealone1" has been engaging SSB readers on the comments in this article, JD Hall of Pulpit and Pen Launches Voice in the Wilderness Radio, and one of his comments in… Continue reading Dissecting Gracealone1’s Comment
The Lingering Pain of Spiritual Abuse
The pain of her leaving caused me to go deep and question the character of God which was being tainted by a man and his crude ideas, perpetuating a church of hate and discord against anyone who didn’t agree with him and his pure doctrine ideologies.
Mark Driscoll’s New Website, New Image, and the Stuff He Forgot to Mention
Mark Driscoll's new website: what he's sharing about himself and what he leaves out of his story *** Surprise, surprise, surprise! About one week before all of the Mars Hill churches that Pastor Mark Driscoll founded some 18 years ago are about to close, Driscoll has published a brand new website. On the front page you can… Continue reading Mark Driscoll’s New Website, New Image, and the Stuff He Forgot to Mention
Personal Account from Former BJU Student
Rachel Patrick shares personal experiences at Bob Jones University Rachel Patrick was a former student of Bob Jones University (BJU). Although she did not participate in the GRACE investigation, she recently gave a public statement on Facebook, giving permission to share it. It is copied in its entirety as follows: *** I have made this post… Continue reading Personal Account from Former BJU Student
Some Pastors Think They Get to Control the Details of Your Lives, Even the Colors of Clothes You Wear
*** Pastors who use their assumed position of authority to control personal lives. *** for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Hebrews 13:17 *** This is finals week at school, so in the interest of time, I'm going to resurrect an old post from March of… Continue reading Some Pastors Think They Get to Control the Details of Your Lives, Even the Colors of Clothes You Wear
Disagreeing with Someone’s Opinion Makes You Like Satan?
It really is okay for you to have a differing opinion with a Christian leader! *** There is so much tension in the media regarding the Ferguson fiasco. I wish everyone could just hold up a "free hugs" sign like this young 12-yr old in Portland and it would all get better: *** *** Sometimes pastors… Continue reading Disagreeing with Someone’s Opinion Makes You Like Satan?
What Happened When You Shared Your Abuse Story with Someone for the First Time?
*** What Happened When You Shared Your Abuse Story with Someone for the First Time? Did They Believe you? *** This is the fourth time I've started this post. I can tell when something is triggering me when I lose my writing mojo. Last week, the media reported additional women speaking out about being sexually violated/raped… Continue reading What Happened When You Shared Your Abuse Story with Someone for the First Time?
Why Don’t Young People go to Church?
*** My friend, Pastor Jeff Crippen, who blogs about domestic violence at A Cry for Justice posted the following note on the A Cry for Justice Facebook page and I asked pretty please if I could share it with you. Yes, I really did say, "pretty please." LOL Sadly, at Spiritual Sounding Board, we do often… Continue reading Why Don’t Young People go to Church?
VCY America Founder, Vic Eliason, Sends Letter Threatening Legal Action to His Daughter, Ingrid Schlueter
*** VCY America Founder sends letter threatening legal action to his daughter, Ingrid Schlueter, via attorney Patrick Russell *** There's a section in the bible on civil lawsuits in 1 Corinthians. I remember looking up this passage after I was sued by my former pastor and church. I wondered how he could call himself a pastor… Continue reading VCY America Founder, Vic Eliason, Sends Letter Threatening Legal Action to His Daughter, Ingrid Schlueter
Is anyone celebrating the demise of Mark Driscoll and Mars Hill churches? Is it really over? Should current Mars Hill pastors be leading new churches?
*** Mars Hill Churches dissolving, becoming independent churches. Are people really celebrating? Should current Mars Hill pastors assume the role of pastors in the new independent churches? *** Yesterday, Mars Hill Pastor Dave Bruskas announced that the Mars Hill board decided that Marks Hill churches were dissolving: Today, I am excited to share… Continue reading Is anyone celebrating the demise of Mark Driscoll and Mars Hill churches? Is it really over? Should current Mars Hill pastors be leading new churches?
Word of Faith: Finding the balance between truth and abuse
*** Word of Faith teachings: the balance between truth and abuse *** Julie Anne is out on the road for most of the day and she asked me to post a discussion piece about Word of Faith. -Kathi First, I would like to thank Loura Lawrence for sharing her story with us.… Continue reading Word of Faith: Finding the balance between truth and abuse
A Personal Story: Spiritual Abuse through Word of Faith Teachings during Tragic Infant Loss
*** Loura Lawrence shares her personal story of infant loss and spiritual abuse through Word of Faith occult-like teachings *** October is the month designated for pregnancy and infant loss awareness, so this story is timely. Last week, I received a personal story of infant loss and spiritual abuse. Imagine combining the tragic loss of a… Continue reading A Personal Story: Spiritual Abuse through Word of Faith Teachings during Tragic Infant Loss
After Mark Driscoll’s Resignation, Can Mars Hill Be Saved?
*** Pastor Mark Driscoll recently resigned from the church he founded, Mars Hill. Can Mars Hill be saved? *** Mars Hill plans on moving forward as clearly identified in this statement put out by the Mars Hill Board of Overseers: Michael Van Skaik, Larry Osborne, Jon Phelps, and Matt Rogers: On Tuesday, October 14,… Continue reading After Mark Driscoll’s Resignation, Can Mars Hill Be Saved?
Bill Gothard’s New Program/Ministry: Total Success Power Teams
Bill Gothard launches new accountability ministry/program: Total Success Power Teams BACKGROUND A few weeks ago, I was given some information regarding a new "program" that Bill Gothard is promoting. I was shocked that he'd want to get back in the saddle of ministry work so soon after resigning from the Board of the Institute in Basic… Continue reading Bill Gothard’s New Program/Ministry: Total Success Power Teams
Christian Domestic Discipline (Wife Spanking): A Personal Story, and a Closer Look at Patterns Connected with this Abusive Practice
Christian Domestic Discipline, "wife spanking," Christian Patriarchy Movement, Spanking of Adult Children, Denominational Practices and teachings *** Two summers ago, I received a phone call from a pastor who shared his growing concern about wife-spanking in his family of churches. Months later, I finally reported on the topic of wife spanking in this article: The Christian… Continue reading Christian Domestic Discipline (Wife Spanking): A Personal Story, and a Closer Look at Patterns Connected with this Abusive Practice
Spiritual Sounding Board 