The Wartburg Watch » Church discipline

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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Tomczak Sets the Record Straight

deb — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 04:55:58 +0000

"But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive." Genesis 50:20 (NKJV) Larry Tomczak The departure of Larry Tomczak from PDI (renamed Sovereign Grace Ministries) has always been somewhat of a mystery until now… For those not familiar with him, Larry Tomczak took a young C.J. Mahaney under his wing back during the Jesus Movement (1970s) and together they founded a Bible study in the Washington, D.C. area called "Take and Give". They attracted a large following which numbered into the thousands and eventually started a church in Gaithersburg, Maryland that is now called Covenant Life Church. Mahaney became the pastor of the church. They also established an outreach ministry called People of Destiny, which focused on church planting, and Tomczak led this effort. He also served as pastor of Fairfax Covenant Church before relocating to Atlanta. (SGMers, if I don't have the history correct, please let me know.) Next year Tomczak will be marking his 40th year of full-time ministry. This milestone must be extremely important to him because he has finally decided to "tell the story of Continue reading →

Written by: deb on Fri, Dec 02 2011.

Categories: Authoritarian leadership, C.J. Mahaney, Calvinism/Calvinista, Church conflict, Church discipline, New Reformed Theology, SGM, Sovereign Grace Ministries, Young, Restless and Reformed (YRR)

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The Pearls’ Profit-sharing Program

deb — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 01:45:15 +0000

"All that we call human history–money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery–[is] the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy." C.S. Lewis Hey NGJ True Believers, LISTEN UP!!! If the recession has hit your family hard, Michael and Debi Pearl, out of the goodness of their hearts, have come up with a phenomenal way to boost your income (not to mention theirs!) All you have to is peddle Pearl paraphernalia. What a fantastic ministry/business opportunity you can do together with your kids. It’s called the “Business in a Box” and here's how it works. Go to the No Greater Joy website http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/ and click on “Learn about Distributorship Program”. When you do, an exciting opportunity awaits you. Here's what you'll discover… “NGJ's Home Business-in-a-box! A rewarding home-based business for your entire family! No Greater Joy Ministries has a home-based business program custom made for families just like yours. The following information gives you an outline of this program, how it works, the cost, and how your family can get started right away! How this program can benefit your family and Continue reading →

Written by: deb on Fri, Mar 25 2011.

Categories: Abusive church tactics, Child Discipline, Michael and Debbie Pearl

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Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child and a Trip to Home Depot

deb — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 02:14:37 +0000

An explanation of the image: It is one of your blog queens who gave up her glamorous image for the sake of a point. She is wearing Three Stooges lounge pants, a “10 Reasons That Captain Kirk Is Better Than Captain Picard” T Shirt, a bathrobe and Cheetos (the national uniform of bloggers.) However, she is also wielding a plumbing supply line in order to beat any kids or dogs who try to steal her Cheetos or Star Trek T shirt. ********************************************** Today we are wrapping up our review of To Train Up A Child, authored by Michael and Debi Pearl. Their approach to “child training” has drawn both applause and criticism. It is interesting that there seems to be no middle ground with regard to the Pearl’s approach to child rearing. Before we get into the Pearls’ teachings on “the rod”, we want to share another unusual way they “trained” their children. Michael Pearl writes: “When I was yet young I determined that I would rear no sissies. When an infant fell over from a sitting position to the floor and bumped his head, we pretended to ignore it. When a toddler took a spill, we let him lie, Continue reading →

Written by: deb on Thu, Mar 24 2011.

Categories: Abusive church tactics, Child Discipline, Michael and Debbie Pearl

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Child “Training” Pearl Style

deb — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 00:45:28 +0000

“The child must know that he is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world there hasn’t been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him.” Pablo Cassals www.studentsoftheworld.info/sites/society/childabuse.php TWW has found the Pearl’s advice so concerning, we are doing an extra post this week. Clarification: TWW recognizes that good Christians are all over the place on the issue of spanking and we believe it is a worthy subject for discussion. Both of us have spanked our kids, albeit rarely. This series is looking at abusive punishment and treatment of children. Michael and Debi Pearl have established quite a following in the seventeen years since To Train Up A Child was first published. Have you ever wondered what Michael Pearls’ qualifications are for doling out “child training” advice? Here are his qualifications according to the No Greater Joy website. “No Greater Joy is the ministry of Michael and Debi Pearl under the auspices of No Greater Joy Ministries Inc. Michael has been a pastor, missionary, and evangelist for over 40 years. The Pearls’ five children were all homeschooled, and have grown up to become missionaries and church leaders. Though holding a BS Continue reading →

Written by: deb on Wed, Mar 23 2011.

Categories: Abusive church tactics, Child Discipline, Michael and Debbie Pearl

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My Experience with Church Discipline at Covenant Fellowship – Debra Baker

dee — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 21:47:45 +0000

“Spiritual abuse is the misuse of a position of power, leadership, or influence to further the selfish interests of someone other than the individual who needs help. Sometimes abuse arises out of a doctrinal position. At other times it occurs because of legitimate personal needs of a leader that are being met by illegitimate means. Spiritually abusive religious systems are sometimes described as legalistic, mind controlling, religiously addictive, and authoritarian.” –David Henke freefoto.com We anticipate the following objection. Why are you dredging up something that happened so long ago? There are many reasons. When this incident occurred, there was no internet available for Debra to tell her story. Until fairly recently, the church/pastors controlled the microphone. They were able to tell a story from their perspective. Pastors and church leaders have as much of a sin problem as those they lead. Yet, in some churches, they hide behind an artificial wall of "authority" or "covering" which allows them freedom to follow the dictates of their own sinful nature with precious little accountability. The Internet has changed all of that. Finally, incidents hidden in the past can be brought to light and analyzed. Stories such as Continue reading →

Written by: dee on Fri, Mar 11 2011.

Categories: Abusive church tactics, Church discipline, SGM, Sovereign Grace Ministries

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