Archive | March 2013
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When Someone You Love is in a Cult
The requests break my heart. I often receive emails from readers asking me to help them extract one of their family members from a cult. Other times, a reader will say: “I think my loved one is in a cult, but I’m not sure. How can I know for certain? Please help!” One of the […]
Broken Cisterns: Cultic Codependency (Part 2 of 2)
Every cult leader practices codependent styles of relating. Every cult member struggles with boundary issues and codependency. Codependency is the greatest relational dysfunction in cults and unhealthy religious groups. It represents a form of idolatry where we put someone else in the place of God. God calls such relationships “broken cisterns” which cannot meet our […]
Self-Deprecating Narcissists: Why Some Christian Narcissists Appear Humble
A humble narcissist? I always wondered how my former pastor could appear so righteous and yet act as a narcissist. Even after writing a post about narcissism in the church, I still scratched my head. But no more. Recently, my friends over at “Recovering Grace” re-posted a blog which describes exactly how this behavior happens. […]
Beware “A Tale of Three Kings” by Gene Edwards
This book is easy to read and memorable. It just isn’t true. Despite its lop-sided popularity (you can scan a galaxy of 5-star Amazon reviews), A Tale of Three Kings represents an inaccurate and, thus, harmful perspective on spiritual authority and those who have been wounded by its abuse. Gene Edwards first published A Tale […]
Hail Stones, Strep Throat, and Engine Failure: God’s Punishment, or Occupational Hazards?
On June 13, 2012, a line of severe thunderstorms boiled through east Dallas, just west of Highway 75. I know, because I was standing beside my car in the uncovered parking lot beside our apartment building at Dallas Seminary. I watched afternoon sunlight turn a weird shade of green. I smelled ozone in the air. […]
Liberty for Captives 