“Did he abandon you or commit adultery? Did he hurt you physically? If not, you must stay with your spouse no matter what, according to God’s Word.” These are the soul-crushing comments often heard by Christians suffering in horrible marriage situations. But are they accurate? Have God’s people always thought like this? Do we dare […]
One of the best ways to understand the incarnation and the two natures of Christ is to consider the Definition of Chalcedon and the Athanasian Creed.
What is in question is the wisdom and truth of using the gospel as a way of leveraging a discussion in Christian ethics.
What is spiritual manipulation and abuse? Spiritual manipulation is a technique used by abusive churches, cults and individuals to control and acquire gain, all the while giving the impression that their teachings and actions are based on the Bible and approved by God. These people will usually twist Scripture to keep others under their control […]
“In 1974, Susan Foh wrote an article for the Westminster Theological Journal on the meaning of Genesis 3:16, “What is the Woman’s Desire?” From the beginning, Foh’s article was intended as a response to the 2nd wave feminist movement. The article begins, “The current issue of feminism in the church has provoked the reexamination of […]
As noted in a prior post, I have begun a new blog series—called “Bully Pulpit”—on the growing problem of spiritual abuse in the church. Before we get too far down the road, we have to pause and define exactly what we mean by spiritual abuse. We begin by noting what we are not talking about. […]
I’ve been making my way through a new blog series on spiritual abuse in the church which I am calling “Bully Pulpit”. In the prior installment, I offered a definition of spiritual abuse: Spiritual abuse, then, is when a spiritual leader—such as a pastor, elder, or head of a Christian organization—wields his position of spiritual […]
The main purpose of this post is not to tell others how to direct their affairs or to pronounce what actions are tolerable or intolerable. The purpose of this post is to show as clearly as possible what people believe. What one chooses to do with that information is up to them.
We want to be clear that discipline in the church is healthy, and at the same time acknowledge that there is abuse in the evangelical church where it misuses its authority, and where it mishandles Scripture to manipulate and do harm to Christ’s sheep.