|
pastor: "Thanks for the meeting. I was able to find out what God wanted me to know. Further,
I wouldn't be coming back to his church."
I have since studied the spiritual issues extensively. I have read up on spiritually abusive
ministries and even studied the characteristics of cults. What have I learned?
First, there appears to be a code-of-silence. Enforced psychologically as the pastor consistently
told the congregation not to talk with those that had left. I watched as an estimated 400-600
people left this church. I knew many of these people. Many I could count as friends. However,
not one of them took the time to warn me that I might be attending a spiritually abusive ministry.
Not one of them warned me that the ministry might, in fact, be a cult. Not one of them warned
me that the senior pastor was subtly perverting the word of God in order to manipulate the
people's behavior. This was one aspect of the code-of-silence. It was outside of the
congregation and involved those who had left but knew something was wrong at this ministry.
Another aspect of this code-of-silence was "within" the congregation and came from those who,
on the inside -- knew something was wrong. Who, for whatever reasons, chose to ignore what
was going on. I can immediately think of a ton of staff members who were cycled in and out of
this ministry. Not one of them dared to speak out. Some families I know even chose to leave the
state. I suspect the real reason they left was to simply get out of the "grip" of this ministry. So
what about me? Do I choose to speak out or remain silent? If so, why? For what purpose? Of
course, I choose to speak out. I choose to speak out to warn you and the people still there --
some friends -- that indeed, something is wrong. Something is perverse at this ministry. The
answer, for me, was contained in the Bible. "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to
you and obey you (pastor) rather than God, you must decide (judge). But we [ourselves] cannot
help telling what we have seen and heard. -- And now, Lord, observe their threats and grant to
Your bond servants [full freedom] to declare Your message fearlessly."Acts 4:19-20, 23
The message I declare for God is simple. Enter this ministry with caution. The foundation of the
ministry is proclaimed to be the Holy Bible. However, the message is subtly changed, by the
senior pastor, from the actual word of God. For those who cherish God's Word -- listen well &
carefully. There are no warning signs on the front door of this ministry. This article may be all
you ever read about it. For those who believe in God and seek a deeper level of spiritual
fulfillment, it is important to remember God's Grace through His Son Jesus. Jesus spent His
time uplifting people. He didn't spend it judging, condemning or manipulating people.
|
|
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
