What's interesting is if you address these people and question the way they are attack you and your beliefs, they quip they are telling you this in love and they are being Biblical. It never feels like love. It's rude. It seems like a clanging cymbal to me. Love is patient and kind, right?
Category: Spiritual Authority
Response to Pulpit and Pen and the Death of Rachel Held Evans
My heart remains heavy for those wounded by leaders whose arrogance use the Bible as a weapon to harm instead of to heal. I've been on the receiving end of that arrogance and it is not pleasant.
Spiritual Abuse: How Unsanctioned Friendships Can Enable People to Leave High-Controlling Churches
"They taught me that sometimes the exit door of an abusive church is held open by the gracious hands of friends who have nothing to do with church, or even with Christianity, but who simply would never turn their back on a friend."
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."
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.
Harvest Bible Chapel’s Pastor James MacDonald is OUT; the Painful Personal Stories Left in the Wake
Well, he finally did enough damage that even his elders cannot cover this up. James MacDonald was caught saying despicable and cruel things on a recording which was aired by Chicago-area radio personality and former Harvest Bible Chapel congregant, "Mancow" Muller. on WLS/AM 890. And he was fired!
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?
Spiritual Abuse: When People Tell You, “No Church is Perfect”
Spiritual Abuse, What Not to Say, Jonathan Hollingsworth Being hurt at church is tough, and sometimes it's a lonely journey. You may have experienced something that other congregants have not experienced. Some people may have good intentions, but say things that are not helpful, and in fact, may be hurtful. This can lead to… Continue reading Spiritual Abuse: When People Tell You, “No Church is Perfect”
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
John Piper – God Purposely Plans Our Pain
God uses sinners and Satan as part of his purpose to cause us pain?
God plans the hurt in our lives?
Thoughts?
Bill Hybels, the Willow Creek “System,” and Why the Women Needed to Speak Publicly
Bill Hybels, Clergy Sexual Misconduct, Willow Creek Church *** Scot McKnight at Jesus Creed wrote a very important article about the Bill Hybels/Willow Creek sexual misconduct scandal. This is a very important article that summarizes the system that was in place which allowed Bill Hybels to not only go unchecked, but to be protected and… Continue reading Bill Hybels, the Willow Creek “System,” and Why the Women Needed to Speak Publicly
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
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
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
Survivor Emily Jaeger Responds to Bill Gothard’s Reactions to Her Revealing She is “Jane Doe III”
Bill Gothard, sex abuse, cults, lawsuit, Emily Jaeger, freedom, IBLP *** A note of introduction from Julie Anne: Emily Jaeger is one of the sexual abuse survivors and plaintiffs in the Bill Gothard/IBLP sex abuse lawsuit. Her official statement about the lawsuit was posted on Spiritual Sounding Board a few days ago. Then someone close… Continue reading Survivor Emily Jaeger Responds to Bill Gothard’s Reactions to Her Revealing She is “Jane Doe III”
BREAKING: Lawsuit against Bill Gothard and The Institute in Basic Life Principles Dismissed
Bill Gothard, IBLP, Sex Abuse, Lawsuit *** I have received the following statement from the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Bill Gothard and The Institute in Basic Life Principles. *** *** The statement reads: Our Statement Due to the unique complexities of this case, including the statutes of limitation, we have made the difficult decision… Continue reading BREAKING: Lawsuit against Bill Gothard and The Institute in Basic Life Principles Dismissed
Guest Post: My Dinner With Ravi: An Atheist meets the “Great Apologist of our Time.”
Ravi Zacharias, RZIM, Steve Baughman, Apologist, lawsuit, sex scandal *** This article was originally posted at the blog, Ordinary Times on culture and politics and was reprinted by permission. It is written by attorney Steve Baughman who has spent the last 2-1/2 years trying to get Ravi Zacharias to come clean with his exaggerated academic… Continue reading Guest Post: My Dinner With Ravi: An Atheist meets the “Great Apologist of our Time.”
Two Posts Containing Ravi Zacharias’ Personal Emails Were Removed: Why? (Updated)
Ravi Zacharias, RZIM, Clergy Sexual Misconduct *** NOTE: This post is updated. The earlier version is at the bottom of this post. When I began blogging, I did so to tell my own spiritual abuse experiences. There were no rules. I followed my heart. I still do the same today. I probably do things that… Continue reading Two Posts Containing Ravi Zacharias’ Personal Emails Were Removed: Why? (Updated)
Spiritual Abuse, PTSD, and the Aftermath
Spiritual Abuse, PTSD, Recovery, Beaverton Grace Bible Church, Chuck O'Neal *** When someone deals with spiritual abuse, it can have lasting consequences. One popular response is making the decision to no longer go an institutional church. I get that. I'm pretty sure I relayed the story either in a post, or in comments, that one… Continue reading Spiritual Abuse, PTSD, and the Aftermath
Dr. Dan Allender: Trauma, Our Personal Stories, and Recovery through Music
Dr. Dan Allender, Trauma, Music, Spiritual Abuse Recovery, Personal Stories *** Those who have been reading here for a while know how important I believe it is for survivors to tell their abuse stories. It took a while for us to believe the lies our church leader(s) told us about who we are and who… Continue reading Dr. Dan Allender: Trauma, Our Personal Stories, and Recovery through Music
