Wade Burleson Message on Escaping the Subtle Abuse of Spiritual Authority

Friends, most weeks I participate in the weekly online "EChurch" at Wartburg Watch - and Wade Burleson is the pastor and his sermons are posted as part of the EChurch service.

This week is a sermon by Wade that I want to post here for others to see.

Wade addresses spiritual abuse - pastors and church leaders who try to shut down and squash questioners. The problem is really two-fold: men who claim to have spiritual authority over church members because of their title of "Pastor", and sadly we have many church members who think they are gaining God's favor by submitting themselves and their families to such abuse.

Wade's message is one that SBC church members today need to hear badly. There are haughty seminarians in pulpits who claim authority over people, who claim they have special knowledge from God on what true Christians believe and what they must do and must not do. We have many supposed "men of God" who claim to know what percentage you must give to your church else you're not a true, committed believer. We even have seminarians and pastors claiming that you MUST believe the bible to be completely sufficient for all psychological counseling, else you are not right with God.

If you're in a church where most weeks your seminarian-man-of-God is telling you what you MUST DO in order to know you're a true believer - you really should get out of Dodge. If you're told you must give 10% or you are disobedient and may incur God's wrath - or that if you're not telling others about Jesus each day you're not really a believer, get out fast. Don't expose your family members to such rubbish.

Things are getting nuttier and nuttier in SBC mega churches especially - and as they do, the pews are emptying of clear-thinking people and the nut-factor percentage in the pews is growing, making them more dangerous places than ever.

Enjoy Wade's message.