Sometimes I forget, since I don’t stay in these environments myself, that not all churches / spiritual communities are healthy. In fact, I expect that many are not at all healthy (though I don’t know how one could measure the extent of this). One big example is that many religious communities have the paradigm that
Category: Shrewd as Snakes
The Key to the Driscoll Controversy
Controversy regarding pastor Mark Driscoll has come to a head recently. The responses to this generally fall into one of two categories in my mind. I believe there is an important, key difference between the responses. I think this difference is worth examining because it can help us understand how to respond in other situations
Problems With Focusing on Sin
I once heard a preacher in a sermon briefly mentioned the corresponding dangers of legalism and license (or sometimes referred to as libertinism). The latter is the fallacy of thinking we have freedom to act any way we choose because of God’s grace and forgiveness. It seems as though this preacher understood legalism to be
Secret Church Review and Problems of Focusing on Sin
Secret Church is an annual event put on by David Platt and his church in Alabama. The event is promoted widely and simulcast to groups meeting across the U.S. and world. Some friends of mine had participated before and organized a viewing locally this year. So I joined them. It was scheduled for a single
Shrewd as Snakes: Holiness vs. Love
I really resonated with a video Dale Fincher recently shared on his blog. I feel like he captures a lot of what I try to communicate on my blog. I don’t believe I was ever really in fundamentalist circles, but I have been in the neo-reformed type of groups Dale mentioned, and most of my
Shrewd as Snakes: Spiritual Abuse 2
Dale Fincher is currently doing a series on spiritual abuse on his blog. (In fact, his whole blog may be about spiritual abuse—I’m not sure.) He talks mainly about his own experiences. I admit, this isn’t something I like to talk about for several reasons. First, I generally try to stay away from speaking negatively
Shrewd As Snakes: Spiritual Abuse
I have heard of spiritual abuse but haven’t had a clear idea what it was or wasn’t. However, after reading these two articles today: “Poets Will Save the Church” and “‘Don’t Talk About It’: Reflections on Spiritual Abuse“, I believe I have a significantly better definition for it. Spiritual abuse is using God, the bible,
Shrewd as Snakes: Condescension as Cover for Insecurity
Going along with my previous post, while it might appear that the one condemning others may be boldly standing against sin, this is ironically a sign of insecurity. A person who is insecure about how good they are may try to show the faults of others to “prove” that others are no better. A person
Shrewd as Snakes: Condemning Sin or Belittling Others?
Sometimes the biggest problem with a message isn’t the main point itself. The overall message may be right and true. However the speaker or author can make major errors along the way. Many wrongs can be hidden in this way, but the ends does not justify the means. Most people miss these problems, yet they
Shrewd as Snakes: Forceful Messages
There are some messages I have heard which might be described as powerful, strong, or forceful. There is a world of difference between a message which is powerful because it boldly speaks the truth, and one which seems strong because of the aggressiveness of the messenger. This is a very dangerous situation, because a convincing