Tag: abuse

When your pastor gets depressed -what might have caused it?

I recently wrote an article for the Grace in the Depths website outlining the common signs and common causes of depression.  I did so because one of the challenges we face when talking about church leaders and depression is identifying that someone has depression. The second and related challenge is that often the subject remains… Continue reading When your pastor gets depressed -what might have caused it?

Idolatry and Abuse

I am republishing this article from 2016 in the light of recent challenging news stories How can we be alert to the risk of abuse, manipulation and control in church life?  Sometime back, I  preached on 1 Corinthians 12:1-3. I talked about how the devil wants us to stop hearing God and instead turn to… Continue reading Idolatry and Abuse

Hard Pressed (Psalm 3)

I’ve mentioned when talking about my experience of depression that whilst not everyone experiences suicidal thoughts, the same type of feeling can be experienced either as a desire to hit the self-destruct button or to run away and hide. That desire to flee can come of a sense of being overwhelmed, anxious and not knowing… Continue reading Hard Pressed (Psalm 3)

Bullies in the workplace

“I would not be saying that, given the current economic climate if I were you.” The words are etched on my mind. I’d disagreed with one of our directors and he had not taken kindly to it. He was known for his temper and he was known to be one of the Managing Director’s henchmen.… Continue reading Bullies in the workplace

Be careful who you give platforms to

Although Donald Trump had already amassed his billions and was famous when it happened, his celebrity status took off when he became the star of The Apprentice. This gave him an incredible media platform. Were we uncomfortable with his brashness, his crudeness and aggression? Yes we were. Did a number of other businessmen and women… Continue reading Be careful who you give platforms to

Learning from Steve Timmis and the Crowded House (The 31:8 Report)

I would like to draw your attention to the review that the churches safeguarding body, 31:8 carried out following the high profile accusations of bullying and abuse relating to their senior leader and Acts29 CEO Steve Timmis. News — The Crowded House   Final+Report+-+The+Crowded+House+Learning+Review+-+October+2020.pdf (squarespace.com) I think it would be helpful for any church leadership team… Continue reading Learning from Steve Timmis and the Crowded House (The 31:8 Report)

Priti Patel and bullying accusations

At the end of last week, we saw the conclusions of the investigation into claims that Priti Patel, the Home Secretary had bullied staff.  It is important to note what was actually reported.  I quote at length the substance of the conclusions here. “The Ministerial Code says “ministers should be professional in their working relationships… Continue reading Priti Patel and bullying accusations

The deeper infection that has contaminated our political system

Let me just remind you again of the EHRC charge sheet against the Labour Party “The Party is responsible for three breaches of the Equality Act (2010) relating to: political interference in antisemitism complaints failure to provide adequate training to those handling antisemitism complaints harassment”[1] I want to ask you to consider the unprecedented seriousness… Continue reading The deeper infection that has contaminated our political system

What drives false teachers, bullies and abusers?

False teachers also tend to be bullies and abusers. The reverse is also true, abusers and bullies tend to be false teachers if they happen to be involved in church life and leadership. There are a couple of reasons for this. First of all, false teaching is itself a form of spiritual abuse, secondly false… Continue reading What drives false teachers, bullies and abusers?