20 Ways Pastors Bully Their Congregations, or "Why This Blog Started"

Below are 20 ways pastors become domineering bullies in their churches.

This comes from Chris Rosebrough, here. Kudos to Chris, he has really nailed it. Those who have left the modern-day evangelical megachurch with their rock-star pastors who earn big bucks with families on staff, who have a cult-following, can certainly relate to almost every single one of these characteristics of a bully pastor.

I would subtitle this list "why this blog ever got started in the first place, and why it kept going and going and going", with my own emphases added below.

1.  A man can “domineer” or “lord it over” his flock by intimidating them into doing what he wants done by holding over their heads the prospect of loss of stature and position in the church.

2.  A pastor domineers whenever he threatens them with stern warnings of the discipline and judgment of God, even though there is no biblical basis for doing so.

3.  A pastor domineers whenever he threatens them with public exposure of their sin should they not conform to his will and knuckle under to his plans.

4.  A pastor domineers whenever he uses the sheer force of his personality to overwhelm others and coerce their submission. A pastor domineers whenever he uses slick verbiage or eloquence to humiliate people into feeling ignorant or less competent than they really are.

5.  A pastor domineers whenever he presents himself as super-spiritual (his views came about only as the result of extensive prayer and fasting and seeking God. How could anyone then possibly disagree with him?).

6.  A pastor domineers whenever he exploits the natural tendency people have to elevate their spiritual leaders above the average Christian. That is to say, many Christians mistakenly think that a pastor is closer to God and more in tune with the divine will. The pastor often takes advantage of this false belief to expand his power and influence.

7.  A pastor domineers whenever he gains a following and support against all dissenters by guaranteeing those who stand with him that they will gain from it, either by being brought into his inner circle or by some form of promotion.

8.  A pastor domineers by widening the alleged gap between “clergy” and “laity.” In other words, he reinforces in them the false belief that he has a degree of access to God which they don’t.

9.  Related to the former is the way some pastors will make it appear that they hold sway or power over the extent to which average lay people can experience God’s grace. He presents himself in subtle (not overt) ways as the mediator between the grace of God and the average believer. In this way he can secure their loyalty for his agenda.

10.  He domineers by building into people a greater loyalty to himself than to God. Or he makes it appear that not to support him is to work at cross purposes with God. He domineers by teaching that he has a gift that enables him to understand Scripture in a way they cannot. They are led to believe they cannot trust their own interpretive conclusions and must yield at all times to his.

11.  He domineers by short circuiting due process, by shutting down dialogue and discussion prematurely, by not giving all concerned an opportunity to voice their opinion.

12.  He domineers by establishing an inviolable barrier between himself and the sheep.

13.  He either surrounds himself with staff who insulate him from contact with the people or withdraws from the daily affairs of the church in such a way that he is unavailable and unreachable.

14.  Related to the above is the practice of some in creating a governmental structure in which the senior pastor is accountable to no one, or if he is accountable it is only to a small group of very close friends and fellow elders who stand to profit personally from his tenure as pastor.

15.  He domineers by viewing the people as simply a means to the achieving of his own personal ends. Ministry is reduced to exploitation. The people exist to “serve his vision” rather than he and all the people together existing to serve the vision of the entire church.

16.  He domineers by making people feel unsafe and insecure should they desire to voice an objection to his proposals and policies. He domineers by convincing them, ever so subtly, that their spiritual welfare is dependent on his will. To cross him is to cross God!

17.  He domineers by misinterpreting and misapplying to himself the OT command: “Don’t touch God’s anointed.”

18.  He domineers by building a culture of legalism rather than one of grace. People are thus motivated to embrace his authority and bow to his will based on extra biblical rules that supposedly are the criteria for true spirituality.

19.  He domineers by arguing or acting as if his movements and decisions are ultimately determinative of the spiritual welfare of others (cf. 2 Cor. 1:23-25).

20.  He domineers when he leads people to believe that their faith hinges (i.e., rises or falls) upon his life and decisions. He domineers when he uses people as a means to his own satisfaction rather than enabling them to experience satisfaction in Christ alone.

Uh Oh....Mike Huckabee Says Ted Cruz is Not a True Christian Since He Doesn't Tithe

Poor Ted Cruz. He has done his best to pander to the devoutly religious conservative Christians this political season, but he forgot about one of the litmus tests used by the religious to determine if you really do love God: are you giving 10% of your gross income to the lovely Lord Jesus (at your local 501(c)3 religious organization)?

I laughed out loud when I heard Mike Huckabee criticize Ted Cruz:

“I just think it’s hard to say God is first in your life if he’s last in your budget. If I can’t trust God with a dime out of each dollar that I earn, then I’m not sure how I can tell him that I trust him with my whole life. To me, it’s a validation of a person’s stewardship and whether they put God first in their life, not just in their political endeavors.”

Join the club, Ted. When the Godly folk like Pastor Mike find you don't tithe on the gross, your commitment to God, to Jesus, and to church and all things holy will be called into question.

And don't forget: Huckabee is not some outlier in his view of tithing and criticizing the non-tither. The current SBC president, Ronnie Floyd, told his congregation that non-tithers aren't true Christians, and they don't know the same God that he knows:

"You gonna go 'clucking' around here talkin' about how you got saved and changed and goin' to heaven when you die and you won't even trust God financially? Lord help ya. That's not the same God I know." 

Huckabee added this criticism of Cruz:

“It’s a matter of authenticity. If I say I’m a vegan but you look at me eating hamburgers and ribeye every night you’re going to say, I don’t think this guy’s really a vegan."

So Huckabee believes Cruz is "not really" a Christian. Of course Pastor Mike and Ronnie Floyd know that over 80% of their peeps don't give anywhere near 10% of their income. Clear-thinking Christians are beginning to realize these guys are charlatans who misuse their holy book to squeeze as many nickels as they can from the pews.

All of us that have been in the SBC for any length of time have heard the following from pastors: "If you can't trust God with your finances, how can you trust him with your salvation?"

Maybe Cruz knows what I know, and wrote about last fall - using that same logic - since we don't trust 501(c)3's with our salvation, we sure as hell don't need to trust them with our finances to be considered true Christians.

Amen?

Bill Gothard - Another Man of God Who Believes It All

Looks like more trouble for Bill Gothard.  But at least he believes all the Bible and doesn't pick and choose which parts to believe.  And he doesn't "attack" God's man.  So these charges against him by women shouldn't be an issue for his followers.  Get some "Christian counseling" Bill, and all will be quickly forgiven. Unless you don't believe in a young earth or talking donkeys or the sun standing still. Then there would be no salvation for you.  Gotta love fundamentalists. Following men and their teachings instead of God, yet claiming to love Jesus and to love his Word. Wow. Maybe Ken Ham will feel the need to speak out against Gothard like his recent article slamming Barack Obama for saying "Happy Holidays" and Michelle Obama for reading "The Night Before Christmas" to kids.

New Charges Allege Religious Leader, with ties to the Duggars, sexually abused women.

The above link takes you directly to the Washington Post article. Here are some of the "highlights" with my emphasis added:

"Ten women on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against Bill Gothard, who for decades was a major force in the conservative Christian homeschooling movement, charging him and leaders in his ministry with sexual abuse, harassment and cover-up. The lawsuit is part of a battle between dozens of women and the Institute in Basic Life Principles, which was until recently an influential homeschooling ministry, and its charismatic leader Gothard, who urged Christians to focus on their “biblical character” and have large families. Gothard has never been married."  Gothard, 81, resigend from the ministry in 2014 after more than 30 women had alleged that he had molested and sexually harassed women he worked with, including some who were minors.

The article is particularly sickening when it tells of some of the plaintiffs (victims) who went to Gothard for counseling after having been raped by their father, and Gothard allegedly sexually molested/abused them too.

“He was built up to a god-like state in our eyes because he was a man who could do no wrong. I looked up to him as a father figure, almost like how Catholics look up to priests, bishops or their pope,” said Wilkinson, who is now 40. " Yep. This is very common in fundamentalist churches where pew sitters are brainwashed into thinking the newest hireling is "god called" and "god's man."  

And enjoy this contradiction: Gothard says he never touched anyone in a sensual way, yet he and the institute admit that what he did was "inappropriate" and "sin."  What?

After he resigned in 2014, Gothard denied the sexual harassment charges, saying “God is my witness that I have never kissed a girl, nor touched any young lady in a sensual way.”  What?  If this is true, does he claim to have the "gift of celibacy?"  Really?  Is he a totally "asexual" being?  At 81 years old?  And yet dozens of women say otherwise in a sworn lawsuit.  Unless he is gay, and therefore might have indeed never have kissed a girl or touched a female in a sensual way, these charges make sense don't they?  (You fundie men don't really believe an 81-year-old straight man has never kissed a girl do you?  Really?) At least Bill Cosby and Josh Duggar were married and had children when they were accused of sexual crimes against women. They didn't claim to never have kissed a girl!  BUT THIS IS THE GUY MILLIONS OF CHRISTIANS TRUSTED TO TEACH THEM HOW TO LIVE BIBLICAL AND GODLY LIVES, AND HOW TO BE A GOOD HUSBAND AND FATHER!  Could any man possibly be more unqualified? (Yes, one that has been faithfully married for almost 30 years with grown children but who doesn't believe in talking donkeys or the sun standing still or stoning disobedient children as the good book teaches us.)

"In 2014, IBLP conducted an internal investigation, writing in June 2014 that “no criminal activity has been discovered,” saying that what Gothard did was “inappropriate behavior” and “sin.”  What, IBLP didn't believe him either?  He said he never touched any young lady in a sensual way.  So what was inappropriate or sinful?   And you fundies must love this bit of news:  The investigation was conducted by the Christian Legal Association, and the lawsuit says none of the women were contacted during the investigation.  Hard to believe?  

Incredible how fundamentalists still will trust these "men of God" and follow their teachings and be so blind and silent on the abuse these devils are inflicting on the most vulnerable, trusting people.  It makes me sick!  And it should make YOU sick too.  But I wouldn't be surprised if this article "about" God's man offends you more then Gothard's actions.  If so, YOU make me sick too.  Peace.

Faith in Christ - Merry Christmas

I heard a preacher say "Even if God did nothing more for you then create this world, and send his son to die for your sins, that ought to be enough for you to praise him, to worship him and to serve him. Amen?"  

I thought about that. Then I thought about it some more.  Then I realized that pretty much sums up my beliefs and my faith and 99% of what I have been blogging about since August. Nothing I can "attack" there. No arguments I can think of.  And since I do believe that God created this world, and I do believe that I am a sinner, and I have faith that Jesus was who he said he was, and I am trusting in him for my salvation...well then, it makes sense that I should worship him, praise him and serve him.

That is why I am not an atheist or a Deist.  That is why on occasion I get angry, or sad, or frustrated, or discouraged or fired up by those fundamentalist, extremist Christians that say I am not a Christian if I believe those things, but don't also believe every other thing their theological views say I should believe.

Or they tell me that they are "concerned" for my salvation if I am not buying everything else they try to add on to that simple message, no matter how I live my life.  Actions do NOT speak louder then beliefs in their world.  For example, the gospel says nothing about putting your faith in the Bible itself. My faith is not based on what is written in some ancient "sacred and holy" text. For example, I believe there are Jews because I have met some and have seen Israel in the news and seen pictures of the place. It is crazy to think that I believe there are Jews just because the Bible speaks of the Jews. Much of the Bible, thankfully, includes some verifiable people and places and history in the real world. I believe those parts not just because the Bible says it. Another example is this: I don't believe the Roman Empire existed and crucified people just because the Bible says so.  So I DON'T need a belief in the inerrancy of scripture to believe there were Jews under Roman rule and that they crucified people. I can believe that even if I were indeed an atheist.

And please consider this the very few of you who are fundamentalist zealots about your holy book: If the scriptures had been completely lost, but the stories of Christ had been passed down for centuries, I could have faith based on that and the Holy Spirit's work in my life and my grandparent's influence and my parent's influence, or because I heard Billy Graham preach or because a friend shared Christ with me. It's not just about believing a holy book. I never placed my faith in a book. I placed it in Jesus Christ.

As a matter of fact, I believed and put my faith in Christ long before I was even aware of what was in the book!  It was later that I learned what the book even said. So I can, and do have faith, without a total reliance on any holy book. Let that sink in brother. And more importantly, doesn't that PROVE that God is real better then religions arguing about which book is the truth?  My God gets his message to his people without the need for reliance on a holy book.  There should only be one religion since there is only one God and he calls his people. But when we rely on holy books, we get wars over whose book is the real truth.  Think about it.

But yet, atheists and fundamentalists will both continue to argue to me that it is impossible and illogical to believe in Jesus unless and except you believe in the inerrant Bible that tells you about him.  I get the philosophical arguments they make. I understand the logic. But it is a false and dangerous logic and a destructive philosophy. The same one the atheist uses to explain why they don't believe in God.  Both reason that you can't pick and choose to only believe in Christ if you don't believe everything else. To the atheist, that proves that the entire book is to be dismissed, not trusted and thrown out. But the fundamentalist makes the same argument to me. They tell me to throw the whole thing out if I find any part I don't believe.

Why has belief and adherence to an ancient holy text become more important then loving God and praising him for life, creation, and salvation?  Why are we more devoted to our beliefs, then we are to Jesus?  Why is what we believe "about" Jesus more important then the faith we have "in" Jesus? It's NOT. Unless, you are one of the few remaining fundamentalist that doggedly cling to this harmful view.  And the church and gospel continue to decline in number and influence. 

You do understand that, thankfully, you are in a very, very, very small percentage of the Christian world that holds to such cult like beliefs don't you?  I've said this before: you don't believe everything the Jews or Catholics or Protestants or Methodists or Baptists or non-denominational groups believe do you?  But you don't throw out everything they believe do you?  You pick and choose don't you?  I hope so.

So this Christmas, I am going to thank God for sending his son to die for my sins, I am going to accept through faith, the free gift of salvation he offers, and I am going to continue to try and serve Him (not the local 501(c)(3) or the guy they pay thousands of dollars and benefits to preach there) the best I can while loving and providing for my family and those in need with my time, talent and resources. And I am going to enjoy the Christmas decorations (both the secular and biblical ones), the Christmas songs and music (both secular and biblical) and spending time with friends and family during the holidays.  And if someone gives me a pair of shoes for my feet, or puts a roof over my head, I will thank them for that.  And I will thank God for his creation, love, and salvation. Amen.

Ken Ham - A sad, pathetic, pessimistic view of God's creation.

For those of you who are curious about why the transition of this blog from focusing on stomping, angry, charlatan millionaires who have hijacked the Christian faith, to being more of a focus on the laymen and pew sitters that empower them, Ken Ham gives a great illustration of what many fundamentalists have evolved into.  Angry, disrespectful, pessimistic extremists who are hypocritical at best, and delusional and dangerous at worst. They remind me of Islamic extremists who want to see Sharia law in the United States. It seems both Ken Ham and Jeremiah Wright disagree with some policies in our great country, and if they can't get their way, they criticize and say we get what we deserve. They want their religion to be the law.


Read Ken's full article here: Ken Ham's sad pathetic worldview of our great country in his own words

Many of you will agree with Ken and give him a hearty "A-Men." This blog post is not for you. Nothing will persuade you that you are misguided, misled and miserable.

I humbly suggest to you that Ken is preaching the exact same nonsense that Jeremiah Wright preached that made many Christians so angry. First, Ken says "Our ministry wants to respond to...the President."  I guess this is okay since he's not blogging about the President, who is "God's man" to lead this country since God is in control and gives power to those in authority.  These same folks hate bloggers who "attack" God's man (ie: some guy with a bible degree at your church), but love when one of their own attacks the President!

President Obama said, rightly I might add, that "freedom is more powerful than fear; that we have always met challenges—whether war or depression, natural disasters or terrorist attacks—by coming together around our common ideals as one nation, as one people. So long as we stay true to that tradition, I have no doubt America will prevail. Thank you. God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America." 

Sounds good to me. Sounds positive and optimistic. Nothing offensive or inflammatory to Christians there. But Ken still wants to pop-off in his blog post (sorry, online article/newsletter)to take issue with what our President meant as "common ideals."  Ken said these ideals were built on the authority of the Word of God.  NOT TRUE. Jefferson and others were Deist, who fled England to GET AWAY FROM AUTHORITARIAN RELIGIOUS GOVERNMENT!  The common ideals are equal protection, due process, our Constitution and Bill of Rights. And freedom. Freedom from the state run Church of England and from the nationalistic Catholic Church. Freedom from religion in goverment.  These are NOT just fallible man's opinions!  But this type of thinking is exactly what the Muslim extremists would argue to you, Ken. This is what they would want.  They want Sharia law. They want their holy book to be above all other laws. Those are the foundations of their society. Not ours. And neither is the Bible.  We are a nation of laws. Kim Davis and the planned parenthood shooter, both put their religious convictions above the law.  You can't do that here. You CAN do that type of thing in Muslim countries who are controlled by religious leaders and their holy book is the law. You also can't discriminate here.  But that's a post for another day.

But no big deal, Ken is wrong and is hypocritical. So what?  The thing that is most disturbing to me and most indicative of where the fundamentalists Christian extremists have taken Christianity is that Ken (and those that "A-men" his nonsense) are sad, angry, miserable, pessimistic people with no hope and they don't even realize it.  Like Jeremiah Wright, Obama's pastor (yes, Obama attended a Protestant church for over 20 years with his family before becoming President) who proclaimed "God Damn America" and  "the chickens have come home to roost", Ken Ham is saying the exact same thing.  Read his article again carefully. How is this different than what Jeremiah Wright had to say? You fundies were outraged at Jeremiah Wright were you not?  But you A-men Ken Ham?

What am I referring to?  Ken says if “common ideals are not built on the authority of the Word of God, then the common ideals are just man’s fallible opinions—which, frankly, will mean that America will not prevail." What?!  The Constitution, Bill of Rights, equal protection, due process, discrimination laws, religious liberties, freedom of speech, right to bear arms, etc. are all just "man's fallible opinions?"

And what part of the "Word" does Ken want to see us build on? Stoning disobedient children?  Killing and raping other civilizations that God tells us to kill and rape? Women remaining silent and not wearing make-up or jewelry? No, Ken and his ilk are seeing a progressive culture, technology, medicine, science, human rights and quality of life that is getting better and better as the culture moves away from the dogmatic beliefs of the far Christian right wing extremists and their ancient Holy Book injustices.  So he ramps up the rhetoric. And his subscribers eat it up. Ironically, Ken wants to see us go backward to Biblical times, the same as the terrorists. And why do we blame Obama for doing nothing when Christians are beheaded and persecuted and not blame ourselves or blame God?  According to Ken, the chickens have come home to roost, and we deserve this and if we act better and believe better, God will help us. This is sick, sad thinking.

Ken goes on to declare: "A fallible human being like the President can claim all he wants that America will prevail, but there’s a God in heaven who is in absolute control of the affairs of the nations!" The President is optimistic, but Ken not so much.  Ken elaborates: "Sadly, our President, even though he stated last night that he wants God to bless America, will not acknowledge the Creator God of the Bible—in fact, he has done the opposite: actively supported the removal of the one true God from the public arena. His belief in this regard was seen, for instance, in the recent lighting of the national Christmas tree in Washington, DC, when the President began his speech by saying “happy holidays”—twice."  OH MY! Really Ken? That proves your accusations, great illustration to support your points, Ken. The faithful Christian husband and father (no hint of scandal in his personal and family life for 8 years of office) says "happy holidays" and Ken says that is why God allows terrorism all over the world.

Ken even tells us what "we all know:"  "While he may use the word Christmas on occasion, we all know that when the President says “happy holidays,” like in his speech, it’s largely a deliberate way to keep Christ out of Christmas.  Now, Christians should respect the office of the presidency and pray for our elected officials. But when their actions go contrary to the absolute authority of God’s Word, then we should say something." (On this I happen to agree with Ken. We should say something. Especially when men of gawd do those things.) What? What actions has the President done that are contrary to scripture.  And why is it that "we should say something" about this, but not when pastors actions (like adultery, child molestation, manipulating the gospel for personal gain, etc.) are contrary.  Then we are "taking up offenses" and should "let God handle it" right, Ken? 

Ken even drags faithful Christian wife and mother, Michelle Obama into it with these egregious and damning accusations against her: "Also at the Christmas tree lighting, the first lady, along with the Muppet character Miss Piggy, read a story from the children’s book A Visit from St. Nicholas—a story about Santa Claus."  Oh, the horror and blasphemy. She must be stopped. Great point, Ken. And way to follow that accusation with a plug for your own business interests: "At our Christmas Town program at the Creation Museum, we celebrate Christmas in the right way." Cha-Ching!

I could go on and on about all the nonsense, contradictions, hypocrisy and manipulation in Ken's short article, but I will end with this most scary worldview, shared by Jeremiah Wright in his "God Damn America" sermon.  Ken says emphatically and clearly: "Second, did God hear President Obama at the end of his speech when he said “God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America”? I suggest God did not. (He claims to know what God hears and cites Isaiah chapter 59) He then explains it this way: "God’s principles do not change. What he said to the rebellious Israelites, He also says to us today." There you have it. The owning of slaves, the treatment of women, the raping, the stoning all apply to us today. So, according to Ken our sin as a nation is great. Although there are churches on every corner in every town in every state. And tax exemptions given to all religious organizations. Ken still laments "the reminders of the Christian faith are being removed from this nation—crosses, Nativity scenes, and displays of the Ten Commandments are being taken down from public places. Also, prayer, the Bible, and the teaching of creation have been largely removed from public schools"  Oh my!  Seriously Ken? Is this all the proof you have to rally your troops to send in donations and support your business interests? Wait until they come for your tax exempt status, then tell us how persecuted you are. Or wait until we put prayer back in school and the Muslim, or Rabbi, or Priest or liberal protestant come in to pray.

And this quote sounds an awful lot like Jeremiah Wright's "chickens have come home to roost" sermon when Ken asks the rhetorical question: "How could God hear this plea when the iniquities of this nation and the President are so great?" He then answers it himself for his readers: "I humbly suggest that God “will not hear” the President when he asks for God’s blessing on this nation! How could God hear this plea when the iniquities of this nation and the President are so great?"

That is sick. That is hopeless. That is manipulative. That is defeatist. That is sad if it represents the thinking of Christians in this great country.  So what is Ken's advice on how to fix all this?  He states: "This nation as a whole, and the President in particular, needs to repent before the one true God and return to His Word as the absolute authority in ALL matters of life and conduct. The President can talk about the threat of continued terrorism all he wants. But unless this nation deals with gross sin that permeates the culture, I sadly predict that this nation will not see the end of terrible tragedies, like terrorism."  He quotes Jeremiah chapter 18, verses 5-10 as a reminder to us that God is in control of the nations.  This ought to terrify anyone that sees radical Islam as a threat.  Ken wants the same theocracy and adherence to a Holy Book to govern life and conduct. Stoning disobedient children? Killing and raping the people of other nations who God says to take their land? Scary, scary, scary. Maybe we can bring back the Inquisition and let Ken decide who to question and what questions to ask and what the right answers should be? Then God will bless our land, whatever that means.

Ken, seriously, maybe you have this all wrong.  First, maybe we are blessed by God. Gas prices are low. Unemployment is low. Churches are tax exempt. Freedom of religion is protected. It's a great, great, awesome country.  Equal rights have never been more available to more classes of people. But if you disagree, and think this country is in bad shape because they took down the Jewish law from the courthouse, maybe God is punishing our country and bringing disaster upon us because of all the abuse done by the clergy and religious men and churches who have done nothing but build more buildings and careers and then suddenly want to blame everybody but themselves for society's ills.  Maybe as was said to David by the prophet: YOU ARE THAT MAN! Fundies need to stop blaming everybody and everything else, and look in the mirror. Look in the churches. Then and only then, will God bless the USA.  Can I get an "A-men?"  No?  Okay. Peace.