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Hail Stones, Strep Throat, and Engine Failure: God’s Punishment, or...
On June 13, 2012, a line of severe thunderstorms boiled through east Dallas, just west of Highway 75. I know, because I was standing beside my car in the uncovered parking lot beside our apartment...
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Beware “A Tale of Three Kings” by Gene Edwards
This book is easy to read and memorable. It just isn’t true. Despite its lop-sided popularity (you can scan a galaxy of 5-star Amazon reviews), A Tale of Three Kings represents an inaccurate and, thus,...
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Self-Deprecating Narcissists: Why Some Christian Narcissists Appear Humble
A humble narcissist? I always wondered how my former pastor could appear so righteous and yet act as a narcissist. Even after writing a post about narcissism in the church, I still scratched my head....
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Broken Cisterns: Cultic Codependency (Part 2 of 2)
Every cult leader practices codependent styles of relating. Every cult member struggles with boundary issues and codependency. Codependent people may feel hooked by manipulative or controlling leaders....
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When Someone You Love is in a Cult
The requests break my heart. I often receive emails from readers asking me to help them extract one of their family members from a cult. Other times, a reader will say: “I think my loved one is in a...
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Book Review of “Banished: Surviving My Years in the Westboro Baptist Church”...
Rare is the person who has never heard of Westboro Baptist Church. The small sect from Topeka, Kansas owes its notoriety to its rabid invective and public pickets against homosexuals and military...
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Top 25 Books for Victims of Spiritual Abuse
If my house caught fire and you gave me five minutes to grab the top 25 books which have helped me to heal from—and take responsibility for—my years in a Bible cult, these are the books I would snatch:...
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The God You Don’t Believe in, I Don’t Believe in, Either: An Open Response to...
It stopped me cold. “Fog” by Katy Drake, via Pinterest Sometimes a reader makes a comment that turns into a blog post, because he or she raises such a compelling or broadly applicable topic. A reader...
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Hope for those Hurt by Spiritual Abuse
“The heavens declare the glory of God.” – Psalm 19:1 A child will handle incredible amounts of pain if only he has hope. It may come through a single soft word, a fleeting kindness, or the frailest...
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Pastoral Bullies: How to Tell if a Pastor “Domineers”
This post originally appeared April 17, 2013 on the “Enjoying God” blog by Pastor Sam Storms. Pastor Storms is a fellow Dallas Seminary grad, taught at Wheaton College, and currently is the Lead Pastor...
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The Terror of “Normal”: Religious Brainwashing and the Boston Bombers
Perhaps you, like I, feel relief after the death of one Marathon bombing suspect and the capture of the second. But perhaps you also feel something else. Something besides relief, anger, or pain....
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Friendly Riots and Sweet Baby Jesus: The Dangers of Antinomianism
I’ve seen only one riot first-hand. But it was a friendly riot. A Christian riot. So it was okay, right? It wasn’t the naked young men streaking through campus who most disappointed me. It wasn’t the...
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Is it a Sin to Seek Medical Help?
A Pennsylvania couple was jailed after another of their children died from lack of medical treatment. Herbert and Catherine Schaible Herbert and Catherine Schaible were jailed after their 8-month-old...
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Unspeakable Hurt: Dysfunctional Families and Recovering from Abuse
Rarely do I write a post which consists primarily of a link. This is such a post. My wife and I listened today to a talk by Lorie Kaufman-Rees. She is the Support and Recovery Pastor at Vineyard...
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Ten Major Symptoms of Spiritual Abuse
Sheep and Wolves, via Pinterest. What is spiritual abuse? I once linked to an excellent article by Mary DeMuth which talks about 10 Signs of Spiritual Abuse. But I have received enough emails and...
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Personality Disorders in the Church: Obsessive-Compulsive Personality...
This is the third in a five-part series on personality disorders in the church. 1.) A Sensitive Topic: Personality Disorders in the Church (Part 1 of 5) 2.) Personality Disorders in the Church:...
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6 Reasons Why Christian Leaders Respond Inappropriately to Tragedy
Photo credit: AP Press, Sue Ogrocki I have watched with interest the response of several well-known evangelical figures to the recent tornado in Moore, Oklahoma. Some have responded with great...
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Why Do Some Christian Leaders Ignore Abuse?
The following is a link to an excellent article by Carolyn Custis James: http://www.whitbyforum.com/2013/06/this-can-of-worms-must-be-opened.html In her post, “This Can of Worms Must Be Opened,” James...
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Theology-Speak and the Response of Jesus
Shortest post ever. But I think this tale by Pastor W.A. Criswell illustrates 1 Corinthians 1:19 where God says: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will...
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Stones of Help and Remembrance
An “Ebenezer” is a stone of remembrance–literal or figurative–which someone sets up in order to remind themselves of God’s faithfulness. The concept comes from 1 Samuel 7:12, where Samuel set up a...
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