Category Archives: Abusive church tactics
“Every compulsion is put upon writers to become safe, polite, obedient, and sterile.” -Sinclair Lewis, Letter Declining the Pulitzer Prize, 1926 “Fanaticism can often be a normalized phenomenon, and the unwritten recipe suggests that it starts and ends with absolute certainty. If you are always certain about everything, you might just live in an echo chamber, or there might be … Continue reading
“God may reveal Himself and give guidance to His servants any way He pleases. It is not for us to set limits on Him. But it remains a question as to whether or not we are entitled to expect ‘hotline’ disclosures on a regular basis. The correct answer is no. All the Biblical narratives of God’s direct communications with men are … Continue reading
When I read story after story of mishandled claims—all occurring against the backdrop of the thunderous success of the [Liberty] university’s fundraising and enrollment—I was reminded of a different powerful Christian institution, Kanakuk Kamps, which ignored red flag after red flag that it had a superpredator in its midst. After all, he was so successful. He was so appreciated. The … Continue reading
A horrible and shocking thing has happened in this land — the prophets give false prophecies,and the priests rule with an iron hand. Worse yet, my people like it that way! But what will you do when the end comes? Jeremiah 5:30-31 (NLT) “The final key to the way I promote is bravado. I play to people’s fantasies. People may … Continue reading
My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but … Continue reading
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 NIV “What it means to be human, just the properties of human nature, is such that it is inevitable, not likely or probable, but inevitable, that people … Continue reading
In my ongoing efforts to provide the proletariat of The Chapel with some transparent truth, I felt it was important to get a few more things out in the open prior to the Town Hall meetings. In case you forgot, here are the locations and times. I am told that there are still many available seats, so if you are … Continue reading
Editors Note: The story below is reproduced precisely as I received it with the one exception that I deleted the individuals name from the end of the story. This person was happy to have his name published, but I thought I would let him share it with you all in the comment section if he so chooses. What follows is … Continue reading
On Monday, The Chapel re-opened their Slido app for members to ask questions they would like to have answered at their upcoming member’s meeting. The only problem is – if past performance is any predictor of future actions – most of the questions submitted will not be answered. In fact, in my opinion, the questions The Chapel leadership will answer … Continue reading
So many people I’ve talked to in some of these churches have said “I saw the pastor do that and I should have said something.” …Church cultures don’t form overnight and they don’t reform overnight. -Scott McKnight, Toxic Church Cultures | GRACE Live Conversation | Scot McKnight & Boz Tchividjian On October 1, 2021 The Chapel leadership published two documents, … Continue reading
On August 19, 2021 John Griffin, in a plea deal, plead guilty to 20 of the 43 felony counts he was charged with. Griffin was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Griffin, 73, was an elder who ministered to senior adults at Riverbend Community Church, in Ormond Beach Florida. The church is a member of the Southern Baptist Convention and … Continue reading
“Church leaders should not try to silence those who have been hurt, especially if they have been hurt by leaders in the church. Silencing victims will always result in more pain being expressed. Also, those victims will seek solace from friends. These friends may become angry or concerned for their friends and speak to others. This is normal life. The … Continue reading
“The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself: and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture (which is not manifold, but one), it must be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly.” The Westminster Confession of Faith, I.IX “I suppose it is tempting, if the only … Continue reading
About two weeks ago Dee and I were contacted by Wesley Heilman. Wesley is a former member of Immanuel Baptist Church of Louisville, KY. You may recall Immanuel Baptist Church is also the former church of Rachael and Jacob Denhollander, pastored by Ryan Fullerton. Here is what Wesley said in his email: “I was a member of Immanuel for five … Continue reading