Mike Sperou, Sex Abuse, Jennifer, North Clackamas Bible Community I saw this poem show up through my Facebook news feed. This is from Jennifer and you can read more about her here. Folks, this is the aftermath of sex abuse, of what it's like when your parents abandon you because they are brainwashed and defend their… Continue reading Friday Poem Therapy from a Survivor Sexually Abused by Her Pastor
Category: Reader’s Prose
First Church Men’s Breakfast Group
*** Families of First Church's Men's Breakfast Group Mourn Their Loss *** *** Please pray for the families of First Church's Men's Breakfast Group as they grieve. The Men's Breakfast Group was comprised of faithful men who cherished God's word. More than just a once a month pancake gathering, the Men's Breakfast Group loved… Continue reading First Church Men’s Breakfast Group
Personal Story: I am a Spiritual Abuse Survivor
*** A spiritual abuse survivor shares her personal story *** A long-time reader recovering from spiritual abuse recently shared her story with me and has given me permission to share it with you. She is choosing to remain anonymous. It is very well written. I'm going to issue a trigger warning for content related to:… Continue reading Personal Story: I am a Spiritual Abuse Survivor
Elephants and SGA’s Everywhere! Coming to Terms with Homeschooling’s Pitfalls
The need of parents to both deal with the pitfalls and understand their Second Generation Adults of homeschooling (those who suffered in a high demand Christian homeschooling culture). A post by Cindy Kunsman of UnderMuchGrace.com In the Spiritual Sounding Board series about the Second Generation Adult who grows up in high demand religion… Continue reading Elephants and SGA’s Everywhere! Coming to Terms with Homeschooling’s Pitfalls
A Revised 23rd Psalm: From the Eyes of Someone Harmed by a Church Shepherd
*** What does an abusive shepherd or pastor look like? How does it feel? A spiritual abuse survivor shows us using the format of the 23rd Psalm. *** *** Today I was given permission to share very personal prose. While the words of Psalm 23 and the Good Shepherd are normally very comforting, in this… Continue reading A Revised 23rd Psalm: From the Eyes of Someone Harmed by a Church Shepherd
Can our Faith and Love Co-Exist with Extremism?
* * * Having been spoon-fed by my former pastor a form of extremism, or rigid, legalistic, black/white rules and practices, I have pressed myself to re-evaluate those rules and ideas and measure them with scripture using my own eyes and discernment. What freedom! The following article is by Brenda, a… Continue reading Can our Faith and Love Co-Exist with Extremism?
Moved by Compassion: The Story of Cherith
* * * The following is a guest post by my long-time friend, Maryl Smith. In Maryl's work, she has the opportunity to get acquainted with people in a more personal setting. She is very sensitive and a big support to people who have endured all kinds of abuse, including spiritual… Continue reading Moved by Compassion: The Story of Cherith
Complementarianism, Egalitarianism, or Mystery
* * * The other day when we were discussing the terms Complementarianism, Egalitarianism, and Patriarchy to describe how Christian couples view their gender roles within the marriage (What is Difference Between Complementarianism and Patriarchy?), Pastor Ken Garrett must have gotten a bee in his bonnet and wanted to dig a… Continue reading Complementarianism, Egalitarianism, or Mystery
50 Ways to Leave Your (Spiritually Abusive) Pastor
* * * Gary from the Calvary Chapel Abuse blog wrote this poem to the tune of Paul Simon's Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover and gave me permission to share it here. The YouTube is below so you can get the tune in your head while reading. The lyrics are… Continue reading 50 Ways to Leave Your (Spiritually Abusive) Pastor
Hannah’s Purity Ring Story
After posting the article, Fathers and Daughters: Who Owns a Daughter's Heart?, it opened up a can of worms for Hannah, my 25-year old daughter. For new readers, she's my daughter who was also named in the defamation lawsuit by our former pastor (you can read her story from her perspective: Hannah's Personal Story in Her Own… Continue reading Hannah’s Purity Ring Story
New Milestone and News Article
Wow - a milestone - over 200,000 blog hits. That's awesome and sad at the same time. It's always sad that there is a need for this kind of blog, but it's great that people are reading and hopefully learning, praying, and spreading the word about this real issue happening in so many churches.… Continue reading New Milestone and News Article
A Parable of Suffering
* * * I've been excited about this next post and couldn't wait any longer to share it with you! The MSNBC.com article regarding my case brought a number of visitors to the blog. One person was Craig Vick, who also is a pastor. He read the blog and stayed, participating… Continue reading A Parable of Suffering
Spiritual Sounding Board 