Unfolding My Story: The Aftermath of Abuse

It began one year ago today.  A simple plea that some questionable activities be stopped on the computers I administered at my old church turned into an all out war aimed at silencing me legally, vilifying me to my friends and destroying my work towards ministry. Eventually, the war grew so that it also took aim against my family and friends. I have discussed each one of those matters in the past and if I wanted to, I could document them meticulously. That's not my point today. Today, I am writing about the aftermath that makes it hard to even remember what life was like before.

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The Orthodox Church

I am doing an independent study on Eastern Orthodoxy this semester. Right now, I am finishing up Timothy Ware's book the Orthodox Church for that study.

Less than a hundred pages from the end, I really think this book is worth commending. While as a Reformed Christian I have some obvious differences with Ware's positions, I think the book as a whole is very irenic in spirit and compellingly written. The account of Orthodoxy history is especially engaging and has helped me to appreciate further the rich tradition of the Eastern Church. Reviewing the ramp up to the Great Schism of 1054 and the sack of Constantinople in 1204 reminded me all the more about the tragedy of the divided church.

It seems too me that most of us, as Western Christians, have spent too little time examining how some of the distinctives of Orthodoxy might enrich our own theological traditions. I will likely comment more on the book at some point, but, for now, it suffices to say the book is worth your time if you would like to become better aware of the Orthodox Church and its traditions.

He is Risen

In the end, the plans of men can never overpower the truth of the Christ.

Happy Easter, everyone!

Denominationally Speaking

Years ago, I took a quiz on what Christian denomination I was most similar to theologically. A few weeks ago, I ran through the same quiz again to see how much my views had changed. Both some of the changes in ranking and rereading of my comments between the rankings from years ago remind me of how I have indeed shifted theologically, in no small part due to coming under the influence of good teaching on Reformed theology during my time in college. I certainly do not agree now with all that I said back in 2002.

I like to say tongue-in-cheek that I was predestined to be Presbyterian. I went to a Presbyterian kindergarten and then, years later, unintentionally ended up at a Presbyterian college under the instruction of a very wise professor (who happens to be a Presbyterian minister). From there I ended up at a Presbyterian seminary…

God seems to have a trend in mind here for me.

(My current rankings, along with the old rankings, are below the fold — read on to see them and then share your results.)

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The Lost Art of Catechesis

J. I. Packer and Gary Parrett observe,

Thus, for most contemporary evangelicals the entire idea of catechesis is largely an alien concept. The very word itself—catechesis, or any of its associated terms, including catechism—is greeted with suspicion by most evangelicals today. (“Wait, isn't that a Roman Catholic thing?”)

I have noticed that probably the majority of Protestants do look rather funny at non-Catholics who mention using a catechism. This is really a shame because catechisms such as the Westminster Shorter Catechism do offer such a wonderfully rich exposition of the faith. Certainly better than many a Sunday School curriculum will ever do today.

Protestants (generally speaking) desperately need to find ways to embrace theology again and catechesis is certainly a helpful way to ground that, especially if the catechetical answer is not the sum of the teaching.

Packer is right, as he so often is.

Via: Dr. Alan Meyers

Peacemaker and Abuse: Another Perspective

My mother has been blogging about my family's experiences at the old church as well. She writes,

While I said certain words in the beginning of this ordeal, I now hear those same words coming to us by others who had “the experience” at that church. Abuse, violation, darkness, evil, shadows — words that I realize are not unique to my family or me now that I have heard others say them. Words about things that should not have a place on this earth that God has blessed us with.

Things that I told those councils are coming true.

Her pieces present a helpful walk through the events at the old church and the dangers of Peacemaker Ministries' programs. She has written quite extensively on the subject and the pieces are worth your perusal.

Unfolding My Story: Propaganda

Once people started to learn what was happening to me and my family at our old church, some people stepped up to try to help. This did not serve to cause the pastor to rethink his actions, but to annoy him — he complained to me, and, in fact, to the councils one night, about how he was having to waste time “explaining” things to people who were concerned about what he was doing to me. By “explaining,” it turned out, he meant convincing people that the things they were doing to me were not happening at all. If someone questioned an action that was harder to conceal, such as why the church would go to my seminary and jeopardize my work there, the questioner was told, for example, that the church was really trying to “help” me by getting “counsel” for me.

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Unfolding My Story: Twisting Scripture

In my encounter with those using Peacemaker materials at my old church (part 1 and part 2) , a large part of the church abuse that came forth arose through the misapplication and misinterpretation of Scripture. That the misapplication of the Bible intermingled with Peacemaker teachings was key to my experience is part of what makes Peacemaker Ministries' own use of Scripture all the more troubling.

Consider when Peacemaker asks , “Why a Peacemaking Team?” Here is part of their answer:

Because God calls his children to serve their leaders and to advance their vision to build his church. (Emphasis is Peacemaker's.)

Really? The article goes on to explain how pastors should teach this emphasis to their leadership, and particularly their peacemaking team, which can then “remind” the congregation of “core values.” Leaders being served by those they lead fits our normal worldly logic, but does it fit the Bible's view of leadership? Is that how Christ taught by example?

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Unfolding My Story: Church Abuse and Trust

Perhaps one of the hardest parts of moving on post-church abuse (see my first part of this story) is the matter of regaining trust in people. How could something like this happen? How can it not only happen, but — generally speaking — how can it happen and so few were willing to stand up against it? How can more abuse be going on at the very same church right now and the leadership does not care enough to stop it?

The last question is the hardest to swallow. Just weeks ago another person started being harassed at the old church in ways not very unlike what I faced. The leaders of the church know the person has been hurt, yet they do not act. They know other people have also faced situations like what I faced and yet they do not act. Only a handful of people are willing to rock the boat, others either do not want to see or are fearful of the guns turning on them should they admit that they see.

This is not the way things are suppose to be.

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Unfolding My Story: The Dangers of Peacemakers

I said the time had come to start unfolding my story of the last year. It is a tale that added to my vocabulary the phrase “my old church,” as I was given no substantive choice but to leave the church my family had been in for generations. The cost has been painful and severe in numerous ways. The whole generational thing never seemed all that important until all of these events transpired and I realized all that had to be given up.

Why talk about it now or even at all? I have wrestled with that. As I reveal bits and pieces, it will be for two reasons. First, abuses in churches happen far more frequently than I think any of us would like to believe; people need to share these things to help them from happening again and to let those currently going through them know that they are OK, that they are not alone in facing abuse and just because a church is doing these things doesn't call into question God's love for them. It is perhaps one of the greatest scandals of the Church that we attempt to cover the evidence of our failures; I am convinced frank, open communication is far more in line with God's love of truth in the light and would do a great deal to restore the world's view of the Church.

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