Archive | July 2012
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A Land That I Heard Of
Every childhood has its clouds, we discover. Every cowboy has his sad, sad song. Somewhere over the rainbow Way up high, There’s a land that I heard of Once in a lullaby. My mother’s beautiful soprano voice would sing to me when I was feeling blue as a little boy. I remember the piano room […]
Throwing Christians to the Christians? Blogging as Bloodsport
“Whatever you have done to the least of these my brothers, you have done it unto me.” – Jesus Who needs lions when you can throw Christians to the Christians? This started out as a blog post about Mars Hill and Pastor Mark Driscoll. It was not going to be a favorable post. I once said […]
Someone Like Me: Anatomy of a Cult Member
I find this post somewhat embarrassing to write, but they say “our scars become our ministry” and I think God gets all the glory for that. In this blog I have focused often on cult leaders and what makes them tick, and it seems only fair to turn the lens around and focus on what […]
Eight Ways to Identify Religious Brainwashing: Demand for Perfection (Part 3 of 8)
This is the third in an eight-part series on how to identify brainwashing in a destructive group or cult. It is based off of Dr. Robert Jay Lifton’s “Eight-Point Model of Thought Reform” and borrows from several other authorities on the topic of religious mind-control.* 1.) Part One: Milieu Control 2.) Part Two: Mystical Manipulation […]
The Bay of Legalis: A Parable
The chaplain wore dark glasses. He jumped off the ship, his hands full of chains and the chains attached to caskets and in each casket a living human being—100 in all—men, women, and children. On every casket shone a crooked cross. He jumped with a grin on his face and the sun shining and the scent […]
We Swallowed Camels: Reflections of a Legalist
“There are no disputable matters,” my pastor said to the small group of men gathered for fellowship on a Saturday morning in the late 1990s. Mid-October maples flamed outside the church windows while Canada geese honked overhead. Leaf crumbs littered the floor. I liked to sit on the side of the table where I could […]
Wisconsin Faith-Healing Case May Set Precedent
Faith-Healing Case Goes to State Supreme Court In 2008, Wisconsin 11-year-old Madeline “Kara” Neumann died after her parents prayed for her recovery but did not take her to see a doctor. Before her death, Kara’s father saw that she looked dehydrated and so he recommended using Pedialyte. However, her mother said that would “take glory […]
Liberty for Captives 