Integer quis nisl at orci feugiat lobortis quis a odio. Etiam efficitur metus ultricies nisl lacinia malesuada. Mauris ante eros, convallis vitae eros ut, congue placerat ante. Etiam metus massa, volutpat sit amet sapien ut, condimentum ultricies dui. In mauris metus, semper eu consequat eget, porttitor sed dui. Nam eu hendrerit nibh. Mauris vulputate lectus…
Ed: I recently asked Phil Snyder, who is being sued by his former church, Tenth Presbyterian in Philadelphia, about an upcoming hearing in the matter. Below are his thoughts. My conclusion is that the church’s efforts to silence Phil via this lawsuit, as well as its apparent smear campaign, in which it claims that Phil…
For several years, I served as a diocesan sexual misconduct training and prevention facilitator. The experience was tremendously rewarding, and meeting people throughout the diocese a wonderful opportunity. That said, my sense was that even the most motivated cringed at the prospect of spending the better part of a Saturday in a classroom. And it…
Integer quis nisl at orci feugiat lobortis quis a odio. Etiam efficitur metus ultricies nisl lacinia malesuada. Mauris ante eros, convallis vitae eros ut, congue placerat ante. Etiam metus massa, volutpat sit amet sapien ut, condimentum ultricies dui. In mauris metus, semper eu consequat eget, porttitor sed dui. Nam eu hendrerit nibh. Mauris vulputate lectus…
Ed: The following is reprinted with permission from The Wartburg Watch. Note that while I have deep concerns about the church’s conduct, I say that with utter respect for the child’s parents.Check out the references to the church’s Dead Raising Team, too. Seriously creepy. (As of this posting, the autopsy reports have not been made…
Yesterday, I received an email from Catholic priest David Nix, who allegedly is responsible for the death by suicide of Alana Chen. In Nix’s email (screen cap below), he demanded that I remove a reference to him on the site’s listing of abusive church leaders. That’s not going to happen, and here’s why. Before we…
This just in. Unconfirmed sources report that disgraced pastor Andy Savage, who sexually assaulted a teen entrusted to his care, is holding church services Sunday evenings at the offices of Speak Communications, located at 1648 West Massey in Memphis. Speak, which allegedly is owned by Andy’s brother, does marketing communications for churches. Sources say Andy’s…
Editor: The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is one of the largest denominations in the United States. With over 4 million members, it is more than twice the size of The Episcopal Church (TEC). The two churches have been in full communion since 1999. But ELCA and share more than just the ties of…
Too many Christians, including church officials, don’t understand abuse or recognize it. Wade Mullen does an excellent job of exploring the dynamics of spiritual abuse.
Integer quis nisl at orci feugiat lobortis quis a odio. Etiam efficitur metus ultricies nisl lacinia malesuada. Mauris ante eros, convallis vitae eros ut, congue placerat ante. Etiam metus massa, volutpat sit amet sapien ut, condimentum ultricies dui. In mauris metus, semper eu consequat eget, porttitor sed dui. Nam eu hendrerit nibh. Mauris vulputate lectus…
If my experience with Episcopal priest Bob Malm has taught me anything, it’s the importance of maintaining free speech. That includes standing up for fellow bloggers. So, before we go any further, let me say this to Greg Kelley: I’m publishing about you too. If you want to make Amy “highly regret” anything, I Guess…
Despite coming from differing faith traditions, DeDe Duncan-Probe and Blase Cupich understand abuse and how to heal.
Jules Woodson first appeared in the media roughly a year ago, when fellow blogger Dee Parsons, among others, covered her sexual abuse at the hands of her former youth pastor, Andy Savage. A teen at the time, Jules accepted a ride home from Andy, only to be coerced into a sexual encounter along a dark…
“When it comes to controlling human beings, there is no better instrument than lies. Because you see, humans live by beliefs. And beliefs can be manipulated. The power to manipulate beliefs is the only thing that counts.” Michael Ende link Over the weekend, I decided to Google church and pastoral abuse. Normally, we already have…
I have recently come across the work of an organisation that seeks to help promote peace, the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. The names are those of the two boys who lost their lives in the terrorist bombing outrage in Warrington in 1993. This organisation recognises that working for peace needs to have…
Shannon MacVean-Brown, the newly elected bishop for the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont, recently spoke to National Public Radio (NPR) about the challenges facing The Episcopal Church (TEC) particularly in a region where relatively few attend any church, and where TEC has a small footprint. Her comments on inclusion are noteworthy, particularly as they pertain to…
Years ago, activists within The Episcopal Church began clamoring for the development of programs to prevent and address sexual misconduct. The move came at a time when the church was struggling to find ways to include those who historically had been marginalized on the basis of gender, national origin, sexual orientation, and other criteria. Many…
The following excellent observations on abuse of power and church is courtesy of the Rev. Richard Newnham, His blog is here. 1. I talk a lot about how the “business model” has usurped the “family model” of church governance…the “congregation” has replaced “employees” and they have as much say about how the church is run…
Reprinted with permission. Stephen Parsons, a retired Anglican priest, publishes Survivingchurch.org, a blog dedicated to church abuse of every sort. After church on Sunday I took part in two conversations over coffee which indirectly touched on the church abuse issue. Neither mentioned in any way spiritual/sexual abuse, but each of them reminded me how much…
I’ll be the first to admit: I’ve often been no fan of interim ministries. Why? Because these interregnums are too often periods of turmoil and confusion, in which churches and their members are left to flounder, while giving and membership collapse. But when understood and done correctly, interim ministry is a vital step towards congregational…
Ed: Please consider donating to Phil’s GoFundMe effort. Tenth Presbyterian in Philadelphia, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church of America, a conservative neo-Calvinist denomination, is again trying to silence a whistleblower. Specifically, church officials have filed suit against former member and deacon Phil Snyder, who has repeatedly spoken out about allegations of sexual misconduct involving the…