* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *… Continue reading Faith Tabernacle Church: A Pastor Speaks out about Spiritual Abuse
Category: Spiritual Bullies
Abuse in Church: Do church leaders really care? Show me the action!
# # # A while back I noticed hits on my blog from a site called SharperIron. Fred Butler (Fred and I have some history here - he has issues with Spiritual Abuse Survivor blogs) was posting on the SharperIron site about my case, sharing misinformation about my lawsuit, so I… Continue reading Abuse in Church: Do church leaders really care? Show me the action!
In Honor of Alex and Tim: Time for a Little Party & Celebration
# # # Although Alex and Tim's case is not completely over, it's looking very positive for a complete WIN. We definitely know from the court ruling that Pastor Bob Grenier is deemed as a Limited Purpose Public Figure and that speaking about him publicly is protected speech. That is… Continue reading In Honor of Alex and Tim: Time for a Little Party & Celebration
New Calvinist Procedure For Controlling Parishioners
Paul Dohse of Paul's Passing Thoughts has worked up this great flowchart depicting how many hyper-authoritarian churches control their sheep. I think many spiritual abuse survivors will be able to identify practices shown on the chart. This is excellent!
Beware of False Prophets: By Their Fruits You Will Know Them
* * * * * “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so,… Continue reading Beware of False Prophets: By Their Fruits You Will Know Them
Calvary Chapel Visalia Personal Story: Tina’s Story
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Calvary Chapel is a "franchise" of churches with over 1,500 churches founded by Pastor Chuck Smith. There is no hierarchy structure in place to hold pastors accountable if they behave like bullies or abuse their authority.… Continue reading Calvary Chapel Visalia Personal Story: Tina’s Story
#WHOWOULDJESUSSUE: A CALL TO ACTION
******************** CALL TO ACTION: Bringing Awareness to Pastor Bob Grenier’s Lawsuit Against His Son The following is a call to action. It details a very specific plan to bring awareness to the Calvary Chapel pastor Bob Grenier’s lawsuit against his son. This awareness will be created through a social media blitz. This blitz will begin on… Continue reading #WHOWOULDJESUSSUE: A CALL TO ACTION
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 Issues Response to Dead Embedded Babies Comment
Kevin Swanson has updated his blog with a response regarding the womb being a graveyard for dead babies for women who have taken birth control pills - - - - or something along those lines. Here is a part of his response: In a recent program, the matter of the abortifacient effects of the birth… Continue reading Kevin Swanson Issues Response to Dead Embedded Babies Comment
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
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?
Challenging Pastors Publicly: Good or Bad?
When we go to church and listen to a pastor preach, there may be a “type” of sounding board: A sounding board (also known as a tester) is a structure placed above or behind a pulpit or other speaking platform which helps to project the sound of the speaker. The structure may be specially shaped to assist the projection, for… Continue reading Challenging Pastors Publicly: Good or Bad?
10 Most Popular Articles of the Year at BGBC Survivors Blog
It's always fun to watch which blog posts are popular, so I thought it would be interesting to recap the ten most popular blog posts since the inception of the blog late February of 2012. So, here ya go: 1. Buh-Bye Pastor Edwin Young This was a huge surprise to me. I took a… Continue reading 10 Most Popular Articles of the Year at BGBC Survivors Blog
Chuck O’Neal’s Minister’s License is Revoked and Warning to Readers!
Hey folks, we took a trip for a few days and have been chill-axin' a bit after a 10-hour-drive in adverse road conditions yesterday, but this needs to be addressed. During my time away, I became aware that Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries wrote an article announcing that my former pastor, Chuck O'Neal, had his… Continue reading Chuck O’Neal’s Minister’s License is Revoked and Warning to Readers!
Music and Madness
'Tis the season and my kids and I have been playing a lot of this: and singing in Christmas programs. There are two final music events this week. Music is so wonderfully healing and was certainly a nice distraction from some heavier subjects. But hey, did you happen to read about Westboro Baptist Church's website getting hacked… Continue reading Music and Madness
The Homeschool Movement: Michael Farris, Patrick Henry College and His Response to a LGBT Group
You all might feel like a yo-yo today because I'm going to go down an entirely different path today. This post has to do with Michael Farris, but not about Reconstructionism or Patriarchy. I did, however, think it was important to understand his background and also the vision of Patrick Henry College leading into… Continue reading The Homeschool Movement: Michael Farris, Patrick Henry College and His Response to a LGBT Group
Are Bloggers & the Internet Having a Direct Effect on Churches and Their Policies?
Before I get to the subject of this article, I wanted to give a brief update on my court case: I've had a few people asking me on the blog and privately if my former pastor has paid the attorney's fees. He and/or the church did pay the attorney fees for the two defendants who… Continue reading Are Bloggers & the Internet Having a Direct Effect on Churches and Their Policies?
Chuck O’Neal of Beaverton Grace Bible Church Issues Press Release
Sheep-Dog, a regular reader here, wanted to see the original press release from our former pastor. The link to the original "press release" is no longer working at The Wartburg Watch and the document was apparently removed from the BGBC website. A reader sent O'Neal an e-mail and this press release was included in O'Neal's… Continue reading Chuck O’Neal of Beaverton Grace Bible Church Issues Press Release
Spiritual Sounding Board 