Has there been anything in history comparable to the horrific things reports of abuse, bullying and toxic culture coming from evangelical churches over the past few years? Well, yes there has. Right back in the first century, the mission of the church could have almost been undone by the antics of the Corinthian church. There… Continue reading The solution to toxic culture? – a meal with Jesus
Tag: bullying
Abuse, bullying and slander – a war of attrition
When it comes to concerns about abuse and bullying I think we can identify the following types of context Clear examples of coercive, cruel and manipulative behaviour Clear examples of false accusation One off but significant failures The reality that all of us are finite and fallen and consistently get things wrong in terms of… Continue reading Abuse, bullying and slander – a war of attrition
Shepherding and heavy shepherding
Occasionally you hear rumours about a certain type of church. Perhaps you hear that they sit down with the church members and go through their accounts and payslips before telling the members how to tithe, or you hear about the two old ladies who go on a holiday together only to be met with a… Continue reading Shepherding and heavy shepherding
The problem with church lad culture
I’ve not got round to listening to The Rise and fall of Mars Hill podcast. From what I’ve heard, it’s not easy listening. The podcast tells the story of Mark Driscoll’s rise to prominence as an evangelical leader and subsequent fall from grace. Driscoll became a bit of a poster boy for the neo-Calvinists and… Continue reading The problem with church lad culture
Bullying and abuse – do you know what is happening and what to do?
From time to time I write about bullying and abuse. I started tackling this subject a few years back as I not only became aware of some concerning stories surrounding significant ministries but observed first hand how Christians talk to each other on social media. In the last couple of years, some serious scandals broke… Continue reading Bullying and abuse – do you know what is happening and what to do?
Engaging Kevin DeYoung on empathy
I want to give a bit of space to engaging with this article by Kevin De Young. It’s sparked some controversy and quite emotional responses on social media. To understand why, a bit of context is needed. De Young’s article doesn’t come out of completely nowhere. Rather, a debate had already been sparked by comments… Continue reading Engaging Kevin DeYoung on empathy
The happy narcissist
It’s not too difficult to spot a narcissist. They are the ones who believe that the world revolves around them. They have an excessively high view of their own importance and abilities. Now, to be clear narcissism should not be confused with confidence. It is possible to have a natural confidence and awareness of your… Continue reading The happy narcissist
Facing Depression – prominent causes
In this audio podcast, I talk about some of the prominent causes of depression including physical/medical causes, the direct consequences of others’ words and actions, and spiritual causes of depression Video versions of these talks are all available on YouTube
Church Discipline and Church abuse
There’s been some recent discussion on social media about the use of church discipline and whether or not it can be harmful and lead to examples of abuse. The discussion was prompted by this article by Steve Kneale which was then shared by John Stevens – you can read the thread below John’s tweet to… Continue reading Church Discipline and Church abuse
Talking about church culture -and how to change it
One of the things coming out of the recent bullying and abuse scandals within the evangelical church has been the beginning of a conversation about church culture and the need for reformation. I am going to give a little bit of attention to the question here. At this stage, it is important to emphasise the… Continue reading Talking about church culture -and how to change it
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