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Hard-Core Christian Patriarchy and Abuse
Two outstanding articles—really two of the best I’ve read in the last year—highlight the trouble with hard-line Christian Patriarchy. The first article, “Let Us Prey,” appeared in Chicago magazine in December 2012. It is about the sex abuse scandals in the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist Church (IFB), a movement which promotes complete male authority, complete female […]
Only Baptists Go to Heaven
When I lived in Maine, I once saw a man leaning off the side of a railroad trestle, ready to jump. It was winter time and I knew if he plunged into the frigid water he would die. I ran over and said, “Don’t do it!” He looked at me plaintively and said, “Nobody loves me. […]
Grace-Based vs. Shame-Based Families and Churches
I have to confess that in my mission to confront spiritual abuse with grace and truth, I often write blog posts against aberrant doctrine or practices, rather than casting a vision for what God calls us to. Is it true that the purest form of Christianity is to define ourselves by what we are not? […]
How to Rescue Someone from a Cult
Okay, it’s not that simple. You usually can’t just rescue someone from a cult. Put aside images of white horses, commando raids, or black bulletproof sedans. While a few cult converts may walk away shortly after entering a spiritually abusive group, for most it is a longer process. It can take months or years. And […]
Frankenstein Faith: Vestigial Organs in the Body? Natural Family vs. Spiritual Family (Part 3 of 10)
As a four-year-old, I knew enough to realize that my sister was very sick. There was a blur of fluorescent lights in the Emergency Room, the cool swish of long white coats, a beeping of monitors, the smell of rubbing alcohol. I heard a whispered word: “tonsillitis.” Two days later my sister lay recovering at […]
Frankenstein Faith: “Because I’m Your Pastor, That’s Why!” (Part 2 of 10)
We’re in a ten-part series about scriptural distortions used by cult leaders or those who spiritually abuse others. One of the greatest abuses of scripture is to use Bible passages to make people follow you. The New Testament knows nothing of this. New Testament spiritual authority is based on truth and trust (good character), not […]
10 Questions a Church Should Ask When it Receives Bad Press
In my experience, most churches act in predictable ways when the media accuses them of cult-like behavior. They either huddle up like the three monkeys, or else leap into damage-control and lash out at their accusers. I know, because eleven years ago my church appeared on the front page of the State’s largest daily newspaper […]
Frankenstein Faith: Love Thy Neighbor but Hate Thy Parent (Part 1 of 10)
In this series, we’re talking about ten distortions of scripture which lead to spiritual abuse and/or mistreatment of other people. You can read the intro to the series here. This first post (a long one—sorry) is about the misguided practice of shunning parents who may not agree with their son or daughter’s involvement in a […]
Seven Obnoxious Jesus Jukes (Re-Post from “Mercy not Sacrifice”)
[This was written by Morgan Guyton on August 21, 2013 and originally posted on his blog, “Mercy not Sacrifice” There is something beautiful about re-posting a well-written piece. It’s like, “Wow, that’s exactly what I wanted to say, but I couldn’t have written it as well as you did.” Thanks, Morgan, for always making me think. I’ve […]
Liberty for Captives 