"Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding." Jeremiah 3:15
This is the first of a series of blogs on "Spiritual Abuse" what it is and why we should be concerned about it. A recent series of status posting's by Apostle John Eckhardt on Facebook has inspired me to put in my "2 cents" as it were. This is a sensitive subject to tackle for a variety of reasons but it seems necessary. Unfortunately, there seems to be a polarized structure in churches. On one hand, we find there are churches who are so run by the board that the pastor is an indentured servant and afraid to speak in truth to the people without fear of being fired. On the other, we find that there are other churches where the pastor is quite a tyrant. The following quote from Steven Lambert:
"Signs of Controlling churches: Members are required to obtain the approval or "witness" of their leaders(s) for decisions regarding personal matters."One thing, that the LORD has surely endued us with is a mind and the ability to make decision. Why then would the LORD set us in a spiritual environment to remove said ability or render us powerless. Godly leadership cannot be Godly if it does not have the attributes of God? Namely the understanding and respect of the will and thought processes of human beings. If the church you are attending does not encourage free thought and understanding and encourage asking questions and making inquiries in a respectable manner, then it is probably a good idea for you to start seeking the LORD for a new place of worship.
This is very serious issue. And this entry is intended to be terse. I will be delving much more into this topic in the upcoming weeks. Stay tuned for more.
