Paul's Passing Thoughts

First, elite Churchians call the church a “train wreck,” so, I am merely agreeing though I disagree with the soteriology that makes such a confession virtuous. Like many, I have thoughts running in the back of my mind that we may call “peripheral thoughts,” that is, thoughts that are in the peripheral but have not been brought into full focus. For some time, former victims of “church hurt” that are now “advocates” for those who suffer various and sundry abuses from the hands of the church has been running in the background of my mind. That is, until my daughter shared a post with me from one of many “advocates” peppered throughout the internet yesterday; now my thoughts about these advocates are running in front of me.

I read the post and commented on the stream, but latter in the day when my daughter visited me and started a discussion on the post, she said something that solidified my former peripheral thoughts into a monument in the middle of the road. More on that later.

John Piper is a primary predator of the church. As Andy Young pointed out in last year’s conference, all of these people are filthy rich. There are vast problems with making salvation an institution. Salvation is a family affair and an spiritual/organic body affair, and an organized body doesn’t function like an institution; one is a cooperative or collective effort of different gifts, and the other runs almost entirely on authority resulting in caste and top-down rule. You know, the “ruling elders.” Such a term is laughable on its face.

The post was a pushback to Piper’s statement that godly women should endure some occasional roughing up from abusive husbands before going to the church for help. My comment on the stream follows:

John Piper’s worldview flows from his false gospel. Evangelicals need to decide what they believe about the new birth once and for all. And by the way, the “church” is not going to help you. ALL, I repeat, ALL instances of rendered justice for ills taking place in church have been by the hands of the secular government. For one thing, if you are a “sinner saved by grace” and your husband is a sinner saved by grace, who are you to judge your husband for beating you? Piper et al are continually ridiculing the idea of “greater and lesser sin” which comes from their new birth rejecting progressive justification. Piper believes Christianity is a PROCESS of salvation. As he has said in no uncertain terms, “Christians still need to be saved.” Come now woman, are you going to drag the unregenerate into this and ruin your husband’s life and throw him off the path of salvation because his sins are supposedly worse than yours and miss the opportunity to “show forth grace”? All of these statements by these loons come from their distorted view of justification and it is totally annoying how people focus on what this jerk says rather than why he says it.

Now we come to my daughter’s follow-up comments later in the day which I am paraphrasing: “That lady who posted it was a former victim of church abuse and is now writing to help other women. She speaks at conferences and churches and has written a couple of books, and never dreamed she would be able to make a living sitting in front  of her laptop with a cup of coffee.”

Bingo.

Hence, in regard to the subject of discernment bloggers, spiritual abuse recovery blogs, etc., I have no more peripheral thoughts but only one focused indictment: most, if not all, are secondary predators making bank on the carnage produced by John Piper et al. They are scavengers working on the leftovers. Note my comment that, “All of these statements by these loons come from their distorted view of justification and it is totally annoying how people focus on what this jerk says rather than why he says it.” It may indeed be annoying, but I must practice what I preach and focus on WHY these “advocates” do that and not WHAT they do.

Because there is good money in it, and true problem solving results in you working your way out of a job. I never cease to be amazed at how much money there is in religion. First, look at the massive infrastructure and lifestyles of celebrity pastors supported by the church serfs. Then, past that, the victim priesthood that makes up spiritual abuse blogs. We can also add church missionaries that are the biggest bunch of do-nothings in the world. And by the way, MOST good causes supported on the backs of the laity like Samaritans Purse and Habitat for Humanity are extremely profitable business enterprises that pay many people six figures.

Abused church women are trapped by church orthodoxy. Being a “keeper at home,” and the “husband’s help-mate,” and wanting to honor God by having a “quiver full,” they have no money of their own, no career, six kids, and their salvation owned and overseen by the church hierarchy. What are they going to do? Well, indeed, some flip out and drown all of their children in the bathtub. That’s one way out, though rare. Some fall into deep depression and check out of reality. That’s more common. After all, good Churchians can’t stay drunk all of the time but they can get happy pills from the doctor with blessing from the church to boot. “Hit me with your best shot baby those morning meds are kicking in bigtime, and hurry up, we don’t want to be late for church.”

What these women really need is a refuge to start a new life. My vision, a massive home fellowship network that could facilitate that, is the real cure. We have a home for you and your children, and everything else you need to start a new life. Pack some bags and if you don’t have a car with a title in your name we will pick you up. And in the meantime, now that you have some control over the situation, your dumbass husband may see the light; his call. To a significant degree, this is exactly what TANC Ministries has done and hopefully can do more in the future.

But the idea that these women can be helped by blogging is not only completely irrational, but detestable.

paul