The Wartburg Watch » Abusive church tactics

Another Mars Hill “Testimony”: One More Reason to Beware of Covenants

dee — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:17:30 +0000

Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. -Martin Luther King, Jr. Mars: Hubble I apologize that we have not gotten to the topic of spiritual abuse resources. We will get to them next week. (Promises, promises). The last two days we have focused on legal ways to leave your church. especially if you have signed a membership covenant. We said that the threat of legal action might need to be employed and this raises the question of the biblical injunction against lawsuits. Kind of sad, isn't it? 1 Corinthian 6:1-6 (ESV) When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be Continue reading →

Written by: dee on Fri, Feb 03 2012.

Categories: Abusive church tactics, Acts 29, Calvinism/Calvinista, Church conflict, Church contracts, Covenants/Contracts, Ken Sande, Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church, New Reformed Theology, Peacemakers/CCEF, Spiritual abuse

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Mark Dever / 9 Marks Edict – You Cannot Resign w/o “Permission”

deb — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:31:11 +0000

"Just as freedom to worship is protected by the First Amendment, so also is the liberty to recede from one’s religious allegiance." Guinn, 775 P.2d at 776 Statue of Liberty It is hard to fathom in the land of the free and the home of the brave that CHURCHES ARE IGNORING THE LAW OF THE LAND in order to impose their will on members (and in some cases, regular attendees). Bobby Jamieson, Assistant Editor at 9 Marks, just posted an article entitled: "Pastors, Don't Let your People Resign Into Thin Air". Jamieson begins with these words: "Does your church let people resign into thin air? A church member simply submits a letter or has a conversation with a pastor, and then poof!—they’re gone. And your church couldn’t say whether the person has joined another evangelical church or dropped off the face of the earth. My brothers, this should not be. . . An encouraging number of evangelical churches seem to be regaining meaningful practices of church membership and discipline. But I’m concerned that even some of these churches, however unintentionally, are leaving their back doors wide open." Doesn't it sound like he's talking about sheep or some other kind of Continue reading →

Written by: deb on Thu, Feb 02 2012.

Categories: Abusive church tactics, Arminianism, Authoritarian leadership, Calvinism/Calvinista, Church contracts, Church discipline, Covenants/Contracts, Mark Dever, New Reformed Theology, Nine Marks, Young, Restless and Reformed (YRR)

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How to Minimize Damage When Resigning From a Mark Driscoll-like Church

dee — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:32:34 +0000

"All the best stories are but one story in reality – the story of escape. It is the only thing which interests us all and at all times, how to escape." AC Benson Free flying astronaut-NASA After reading the events surrounding the resignation from Mars Hill by Andrew and Sophia, many readers have raised concerns about the methods used against church members who decide to get the heck out of there. As recent events have unfolded, we have become aware that some churches believe that a member must “get permission” to leave the church. We have read of a variety of tactics including the euphemism “Meet with us so we can send you off joyfully.” There is no joy in the maneuvering that follows this statement. Members and pastors experience a crisis of cognitive dissonance when some people decide they no longer desire to continue associate with their church. Members and pastors must deal with the fact that some people do not appreciate their "most wonderful church on the planet. " They obviously cannot accept that their church and pastor is less than "almost perfect." When people decide to defect, it casts a cloud on these vaunted opinions. Continue reading →

Written by: dee on Wed, Feb 01 2012.

Categories: Abusive church tactics, Cognitive Dissonance, Mars Hill Church

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Fired Mars Hill Elder Breaks His Silence

deb — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:44:41 +0000

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." George Santayana "Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it." Edmund Burke FreeFoto.com Dee and I began blogging on March 19, 2009, after several years of giving lip service to it. A week before we launched The Wartburg Watch, Dee called me saying, "We've have got to start blogging NOW because if we don't I fear we'll get swallowed by a giant fish!" For the literalists among us, that's figurative language. With some degree of trepidation, we hammered out our thoughts and went online with our first post — Who Hijacked My Church? If you take time to read it, you will see that we have come a long way in our almost three years of blogging. However, history has shown that our research prior to launching this website was on target. At the end of that first post, we highlighted two issues that plague Christendom: (1) The rise of a new brand of Calvinism and (2) The expansion of church discipline. In our assessment of Mars Hill, we find it interesting that these are significant characteristics of Mark Driscoll's church. Since Dee and I missed the Continue reading →

Written by: deb on Mon, Jan 30 2012.

Categories: Abusive church tactics, Acts 29, Authoritarian leadership, Calvinism/Calvinista, Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church, New Reformed Theology, Young, Restless and Reformed (YRR)

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Mars Hill and Mark Driscoll-Under Scrutiny While Another Painful Story Emerges

dee — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:53:10 +0000

“Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more common and also more hard to bear. The frequent attempt to conceal mental pain increases the burden: it is easier to say “My tooth is aching” than to say “My heart is broken.” CS Lewis Cat's Eye Nebula-Hubble NASA Today Mars Hill posted a Scripturally accurate, reasoned account of their disciplinary procedures. Here is the beginning and you can see the rest here. “In recent days, there has been some discussion surrounding Mars Hill Church and our process of church discipline. We do not wish to comment on the specific scenario in question, as this is a private matter between church leadership and members, all of whom have voluntarily agreed to this prior to becoming members. We do want to be as clear and forthright as possible in presenting our theology of repentance, forgiveness, and church discipline and make clear that our convictions on this come from our study of Scripture and our deep love for our members and a desire for them to enjoy the freedom that comes from walking by the Spirit in response to Christ’s work on the Cross on our behalf. Continue reading →

Written by: dee on Fri, Jan 27 2012.

Categories: Abusive church tactics, Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church

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Run Baby Run: Personal Insights on Mars Hill and Mark Driscoll

dee — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:20:02 +0000

To be risen with Christ means not only that one has a choice and that one may live by a higher law – the law of grace and love – but that one must do so. The first obligation of the Christian is to maintain their freedom from all superstitions, all blind taboos and religious formalities, indeed from all empty forms of legalism.-Thomas Merton Salem Witch Trials-Salem Witch Museum. Update on CJ Mahaney: Well, folks, this one is a real yawner. We called it last summer. CJ Mahaney has been declared, “FIT for duty.” However, there is a bit of a hooker. He is coming back as President of Sovereign Grace Ministries for a short time. Then he plans to leave to “start a church. “ You can read about it over at the Gospel Coalition here. However, as an alert reader informed us, no comments will be allowed. Surprise, surprise-one of their very own, Kevin De Young, Gospel Coalition, ( the other two have some ties as well) was part of the three “impartial” men who exonerated him. Conversely, over at the Christianity Today blog here, there is a lively discussion ongoing with our very own “Deb” contributing to Continue reading →

Written by: dee on Thu, Jan 26 2012.

Categories: Abusive church tactics, Mark Driscoll

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Mark Driscoll’s Mars Hill-A Tutorial on Spiritual Abuse

deb — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:18:22 +0000

God will not hold us responsible to understand the mysteries of election, predestination, and the divine sovereignty. The best and safest way to deal with these truths is to raise our eyes to God and in deepest reverence say, " O Lord, Thou knowest." Those things belong to the deep and mysterious Profound of God's omniscience. Prying into them may make theologians, but it will never make saints. -AW Tozier Massive Solar Flare 1/ 2012 NASA-Goddard As many of you are now aware, Matthew Paul Turner has posted two explosive articles: (1) MARK DRISCOLL’S CHURCH DISCIPLINE CONTRACT: LOOKING FOR TRUE REPENTANCE AT MARS HILL CHURCH? SIGN ON THE DOTTED LINE here (2) MARK DRISCOLL’S ‘GOSPEL SHAME’: THE TRUTH ABOUT DISCIPLINE, EXCOMMUNICATION, AND CULT-LIKE CONTROL AT MARS HILL here. We want to commend both Turner and Andrew (who is the subject of these posts) for their courage in allowing this story to be presented to a watching world. This saga has carefully exposed the underbelly of what appears to be abusive leadership at Mars Hill Church and sounds a clarion call to those in the pew. It is time to stop the excuses and start dealing with the bizarre "goings Continue reading →

Written by: deb on Wed, Jan 25 2012.

Categories: Abusive church tactics, Acts 29, Calvinism/Calvinista, Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church, New Reformed Theology, Young, Restless and Reformed (YRR)

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TWW Angry? You Betcha!

dee — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 02:59:55 +0000

“A man is about as big as the things that make him angry.” Winston Churchill Courtesy of NASA Well, well, well, we just found out that someone believes that your glam blog queens seem “angry". We have a hunch that this “observation” was made by someone whose sacred cow (human or theology) was the subject of one of our illuminating posts. Immediately, I thought, “Did they include the word, “bitter?” You see, this is a common tactic for people who wish to blow off another point of view. Somehow, if said accuser who is uncomfortable, can “prove” that his tormentor is angry — especially angry plus bitter — then, ipso facto, this makes them the problem, not the sacred cow. You should see how many times people email us, accusing us of being bitter. It is becoming laughable! We believe this tactic must be taught in today’s seminaries and in-club conferences. Unfortunately, many people who have tried to communicate their concerns to some of today’s hyper-authoritarian pastors have found themselves on the receiving end of the left boot of fellowship. They are told by their “divinely” appointed rulers that they are angry, bitter and some are even deemed unregenerate. Continue reading →

Written by: dee on Thu, Dec 29 2011.

Categories: Abusive church tactics

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A Letter to My Daughters – Megapastor Excoriates TWW

deb — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 04:53:48 +0000

"Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the LORD is the great God, And the great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also. The sea is His, for He made it; And his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand." Psalm 95:1-7 (NKJV) U.S. Sheepherding Experiment Last Sunday I had just arrived home from church where I heard an encouraging Thanksgiving message entitled "God is Great, God is Good!", based on the above passage. During the church service we sang "Be Exalted O God" and "Count Your Blessings", and I was doing just that! Then my cell phone rang. It was my older daughter calling to say that she had just gotten out of church and that the pastor had lambasted certain bloggers in his Continue reading →

Written by: deb on Wed, Nov 23 2011.

Categories: Abusive church tactics, Acts 29, Calvinism/Calvinista, New Reformed Theology

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SGM and Confusion in the Camp

deb — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 04:24:17 +0000

"For God is not a God of confusion but of peace." 1 Corinthians 14:33 (ESV) What in the world is going on in Sovereign Grace Ministries? We are totally perplexed. The SGM leadership is causing confusion in the camp, and it is wreaking havoc throughout this "family of churches". Remember, God is not the author of confusion. In our previous post, we featured Mickey Connolly's admonition to the CrossWay congregation at a recent Family Meeting. He warned them not to read anything written by Brent Detwiler or the anti-SGM blogs IF it would cause them to fall into temptation. Here is what he said: "From our biblical study, which we have presented to you tonight, and our prayerful perspective, we believe, sadly, that Brent clearly fits the definition of a man who is causing divisions and because of his refusal to cease has the potential to cause even further division and therefore must be marked as divisive. Having nothing more to do with him, or avoiding him, would include not discussing these things with him personally, reading any of his materials on blogs or Facebook. That means if you have to defriend him to avoid the temptation, do that, or following the Continue reading →

Written by: deb on Fri, Nov 18 2011.

Categories: Abusive church tactics, Mark Dever, SGM, Sovereign Grace Ministries

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