Tried With Fire

See updates at the bottom of the post - This sister-in-Christ is currently at the PCA General Assembly. She is waiting to see if her concerns will be addressed regarding how her domestic abuse was handled by her local church . The following video contains her interaction with the presbytery clerk . "Over the next year and a half, there was no acknowledgement from any of the Presbytery officers dealing with my case nor any of the elders at Faith Presbyterian that Charles had sinned, been abusive, or done anything seriously wrong at all. In one meeting I attended with two friends present, one of the Shepherding Committee officers compared Charles Garland’s tone to that of Jesus and the prophets in Scripture calling out those who were self righteous. The chair of the committee said he couldn’t be sure the recording was even real; perhaps I had digitally altered it." I know that all SBC leaders/pastors are not like Paige Patterson. Neither are all PCA leaders/pastors l...

Rachael Denhollander was interviewed by Christianity Today . This article is a bombshell because she gives the reason they lost their church - The Denhollanders were advocates of the abuse victims in Sovereign Grace Ministry churches. I had my suspicions when she alluded to this in her victim impact statement. This interview confirms it. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark, and something is rotten in reformed-ish circles. While power and authority are not necessarily evil in themselves, they can become instruments of abuse when someone greater wields it over someone lesser to gain something that they could not get unless pressure was brought to bear. There are plenty of examples in the secular world like Harvey Weinstein. But how much worse is it when the gospel of Jesus Christ is used to silence victims and advocates? This is spiritual abuse. I think it would be worth taking a hard look at how reformed-ish circles use and misuse authority. This misuse is not across the b...

It is only right and good to honor the strength and courage of Rachael Denhollander and her fellow survivors who disclosed all they suffered at the hands of Larry Nassar . He was sentenced to 175 years in prison, which sends a clear message of the heinous nature of his crimes. However, his is not the only reckoning. If you listen to the victim impact statements, there were repeated calls for Michigan State University and the US Gymnastics Association to be held accountable for their inaction and creating a climate where an abuser could have easy access to his victims. There have been calls for the resignation of the president of Michigan State University with resultant wagon circling. But as of last night, Lou Anna Simon resigned. I truly hope the church-at-large is taking notes because we don't have a spotless reputation when it comes to dealing with child abuse or abuse of any sort nor when it comes to standing with the victims. It would be hypocritical to applaud Nassar's...

I wrote this nearly two years ago prior to the T4G 2014 conference. A shadow was cast upon that event because of an alleged coverup of child molestation by the leaders of Sovereign Grace Ministries. The person in question was convicted, so the abuse was real. However, there were still unanswered questions about how the situation was handled and the lack of accountability of those in authority. Here we are two years later with another T4G conference slated in April, and recently a pastor "confessed" to a sexual "incident" (his words) with a minor when he was her youth pastor. This was statutory rape. Period. The response of his church to his "confession" was a standing ovation. As a friend put it, "Don't people realize this was a crime ?!"  I wish I didn't have to ask these question, but I will ask them again. Several years ago, I would have been thrilled to attend Together 4 the Gospel. I had no pretensions to being a pastor. I woul...

Another story has come to the light of a youth pastor who allegedly sexually assaulted a minor in the past. In light of #metoo and #churchtoo, the issue of abuse isn't going away and it shouldn't. The church of Jesus Christ should be a safe place, but sometimes it isn't. Wolves come in disguised as sheep or shepherds. Sometimes our naiveté or unwillingness to learn about these issues makes Christians easy prey. Stories like this make me angry especially when there is a coverup involved. So these are thoughts that have been going through my head that I need to get out. - One victim speaking gives courage to others, which has led to arrest and conviction of predators. Isn't it better that criminals are brought to justice? Isn't it better that darkness comes to the light? - If rehabilitating the abuser is important to you, what about the victims? What will it take for them to go on with their lives? Are you giving them the same care and concern? - If there is a ...