Radio talk-show host Janet Mefferd has a lengthy column explaining why a certain figure in Moscow, ID Continue reading
Abuse In The Church
It Can Be Difficult But We Need To Open Our Eyes And Pay Attention To The Facts
I am not going to quote this article on the Heidelblog because some of the language in it is not fit for a family publication.
Former Mars Hill Elders Plead For Driscoll To Resign Over Continuing Abuse Of The Sheep
Kate Shellnut posted a story yesterday at Christianity Today revealing that 39 elders from the former Mars Hill church, from which Mark Driscoll was removed because he abused the staff and members, have published a letter calling for him to resign from . . . Continue reading →
Julie Roys Interviews Insiders From Mark Driscoll’s Current Congregation
And the hits just keep coming. Not only is Christianity Today producing a podcast series doing a post-mortem of Mars Hill Church
Are P&R Churches “Wholly Inadequate” To Investigate Abuse?
Julie Roys reports that, on May 14, 2021, the Central Indiana Presbytery (PCA) approved a committee report recommending that the Presbytery bring charges against a pastor (Teaching Elder).
Gothard Replaced The Covenant Of Grace With A Covenant Of Works
One of the formative experiences of the earliest part of my Christian life was my exposure to Bill Gothard and the Institute of Basic Youth Conflicts. Each night for several nights we piled into the church bus (it was a Southern Baptist . . . Continue reading →
A Follow Up Regarding Abuse In The Church: We Are Talking About Practice
Last week I wrote an introduction to spiritual abuse and how laity and officers should respond. A correspondent writes to ask what the laity are to do when when ruling elders and ministers refuse to address a situation. May a lay member . . . Continue reading →
It Happens In The Church
I grew up in the church. Some of my favorite memories come from the time I spent there — Sunday school, AWANA, VBS, youth group, and fellowship meals. For hours we would play hide-and-seek, run up and down hallways, and occasionally sneak . . . Continue reading →
A Beginner’s Guide To Addressing Spiritual Abuse In The Church
Recently I had an interesting exchange on social media regarding the extent of spiritual abuse by leaders in confessional Presbyterian and Reformed Churches. The charge is that spiritual abuse is a widespread problem in the confessional Presbyterian and Reformed world. I am . . . Continue reading →
Spiritual Abuse Is Real
When you talk to people who have been under abusive leadership, certain words often come up: authoritarian, manipulative, controlling, mean, cruel, vindictive, defensive, and unable to take criticism. Things don’t always start out this way. Often this sort of abusive behavior will . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 142: When Pastors Abuse
And What To Do About It
I am interrupting the series on the doctrine of God (again), I Am that I Am, to talk about a recurring problem in the church: abuse of the sheep by the shepherd. Recently Julie Roys featured audio from a public conference by . . . Continue reading →
On Disciplining Abusers And Protecting The Sheep
If skilled professionals (e.g., cops, nurses, and physicians), who deal with such cases routinely, are capable of failing to address the danger in which Nicole Brown Simpson founder herself, how much more difficult might it be for ministers, elders, and deacons to see the symptoms and address the problem? We (ministers, elders, and deacons) need to learn the symptoms and signs of abuse and must become prepared to take concrete steps to help. Continue reading →
When Pastors Abuse
In the wake of the recent discussions about church discipline there have been many online discussions about whether churches should exercise ecclesiastical discipline (yes, it’s one of the three marks of the true church—see Belgic Confession art. 29), how, and when. In . . . Continue reading →