Institutional Church- The Old Wineskin

We Need Another Reformation

 And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. (Mk 15:38)

You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Pet. 2:5)

When Jesus Christ died, the veil separating man from God was torn. The priesthood as it had been known was abolished and we are all now kings and priests. Theoretically. But you certainly can’t tell it when you walk into any church of any brand where there is always one person that is the “called” one with the anointing and a distinct separation between them and us. It’s called the clergy/laity divide, and it was supposed to have been abolished. We give mental assent to the concept of the priesthood of believers, but we certainly don’t practice it.

As I have navigated my way through deconstruction, I have found myself more and more convinced that the basic traditional church model is entirely man-made. With the institutional church model as the basis for practicing Christianity, the whole concept gets warped and becomes a breeding ground for abuse or burnout. One commenter in a Facebook group I watch believes that the traditional church model is a doctrine of devils. They may have a point.

The Building

Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”  Mt. 8:20

After reading Frank Viola’s book Pagan Christianity (link below), I started seeing how what we call “church” just isn’t what it should be. Viola goes through various aspects of the institutional church setup and points out the origins of each, starting with the buildings. The Greek word ekklesia translated “church” is never used to refer to a building. Instead, it always refers to the body of believers.

Buildings were erected as a means of making Christianity more palatable to pagans and Jews who had their temples. The sermon came from Greek oratory. Choirs and candles? The Romans. Steeples? I don’t even want to go there.

And from there, over the centuries, the building became the “house of God” (like you have to go into one of those places to find God), the rituals carried on inside those walls became “services”, a term never used in that sense in the Bible, and hierarchies developed. Christianity became just another religion.

The Clergy/Laity Divide

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  It shall not be so among you.  (Mt. 20:25-26)  ...hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”  (Rev. 5:10)

People want their leaders. The Jews insisted on a leader, a king, so God gave them Saul (1 Sam. 8).  It would appear we have not heeded that lesson.

Hierarchies.  The clergy/laity divide. I first think of the Catholic caste system with the Pope on down to the peons. But in spite of the 16th century Reformation, hierarchies have persisted, though in Protestant circles in modern times they are more like corporations with CEO’s.

Jesus said, “It shall not be so among you.” But it is, in every “church” building you care to walk into. There is a distinct division between the “called” and the not-so-called. The ones with titles and the ones without. The ones that hear from God and the ones that don’t, and so are dependent on the ones that do. We are all kings and priests, unless you step foot inside a “house of God”.

This, right here, is an absolute breeding ground for abuse. If you want to figure out why there’s so much abuse of all sorts being exposed in churches, look no further. We exalt one leader, give him the authority to speak for God, and we’re off and running. Abusers absolutely target churches because they can exalt themselves as God’s mouthpiece, convince their victims that submitting to abuse is what God wants, then demand that we all walk in forgiveness. What a tidy little package. We’ve created an utter playground for them.

We have been conditioned and raised to believe we need a leader, someone who hears from God to guide us. But we so readily forget what John said-

And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him remains in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. (1 John 2:27)   But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth.  (John 16:13)

But the system passed down for generations insists that we do need someone to teach us, making us dependent on someone else’s opinions and interpretations, and undermining our confidence in our own ability to hear from God.  The need for a pastor is a deception, plain and simple, and I am coming to believe more and more that this insistence on a pastor as a leader is what has kept the body of Christ in infancy, incapable of fulfilling the Gospel.

Patriarchy

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (Gal. 3:28-29)

The insistence on a leader runs hand-in-hand with the patriarchal mindset, the dogged determination to keep women in their places throughout the centuries. Patriarchy gives the green light to narcissistic preachers and husbands to run over the women in their lives.  “There is neither male nor female”, but we’ve all seen what goes on anyway.

Beth Allison Barr’s book The Making of Biblical Womanhood  traces the “biblical womanhood” mindset throughout history and dissects many of the verses that have been used to keep women in their place. It’s a great read I highly recommend, link below.

Titles

But as for you, do not be called Rabbi; for only One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters.  And do not call anyone on earth your father; for only One is your Father, He who is in heaven.  And do not be called leaders; for only One is your Leader, that is, Christ. (Mt. 23:8-10)

Can you get any plainer than that? There’s a reason for this. Titles, positions, offices are just plain dangerous. They feed pride. Addressing the upper echelon (The Big Cheese) of church hierarchy with a title just feeds the monster, making the division between laity and clergy, leaders and followers, that much more pronounced. The terms “father”, “pastor”, “reverend” (which is my personal fav), “deacon”, or if you’re across the pond, “vicar”, they all exist as a way to separate the favored from the masses, the gifted from the not-gifted, the called from the not-called. The whole system is divisive. And in abusive churches particularly, the leadership LOVES titles, and demands that titles be used when addressing them, further cementing the required submission of their victims. Titles feed their need for control.

Abuse is obviously a major pitfall of this system. But it works the other way as well with burnout. People have huge expectations of the pastor or whatever title the leader has. The one in charge is expected to do whatever ridiculous expectations are put on him/her, while the rest sit in the pews and do relatively little. According to Christianity Today as of Nov. 16, 2021, 38% of pastors were considering leaving the ministry.  This kind of burden was never supposed to be.

Time for a New Wineskin

But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results.  Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved. (Mt. 9:16-17)

The old wineskin of the traditional, institutional, man-made church system that was essentially derived from paganism one way or another, needs to go. The traditional church model breeds dependence on man, not God. We have been programmed to depend on rituals to qualify as Christians- scripted, scheduled services in a building, tithing, etc., and on the callings of others, like there’s no calling on our lives. I drive by churches now, and just grieve at the waste of money on those buildings, and the oppression/dependence they (mostly) unwittingly promote.

There are plenty of books now that explore the possibilities, calling one concept "organic church". Basically, they are describing home groups that are much more fluid, with facilitators that encourage group participation, sharing what God is doing, what He's saying to individuals.  These groups aren't set in stone- they move from location to location, and dissolve and redevelop over time. I believe this model is much more apt to allow individuals to develop their own callings. (I've linked a few of those books below.)

I had come across these books as I was researching the concept of spiritual abuse which was practiced in a church I'd attended for 12 years. Pulling out of that has led me to pull out of the whole man-made system, hoping for something better. If you are interested,  Red Flag Churches is the free ebook I put together on what I have learned about spiritual abuse.

I understand how hard it is to get your mind around Christianity without all the institutional trappings we have come to accept. We assume that to be a Christian, we must adhere to the accepted rituals, the acknowledging of an anointing on those in charge, and the assumed lack of anointing on the rest of us. And let’s not forget the undercurrents or outright in-your-face patriarchal mindset so many have been raised with.

We are all kings and priests. We all have the Holy Spirit speaking to us. We have no need for any man to teach us. There is neither male nor female. We are all one in Christ Jesus. We need a new wineskin that will allow this kind of expression.

It may well take another great awakening, another reformation to bring us into the fullness of the Body of Christ as we should be. The deconstruction movement may well be the precursor to such a revolution. It can’t come soon enough for me.

Cease ye from man. (Is. 2:22)

 

 I had put together a couple posts quite some time ago along the same lines-

Liquid Church: The Shape of Church to Come

The Dechurched, the Wilderness Experience, and the Next Move of God

 

 

 Recommended Reading

Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola

 Traces the history of all the traditions we call "church".

 

 

The Making of Biblical Womanhood by Beth Allison Barr

Recounts the history of Complementarianism, or biblical womanhood throughout the centuries.

 

The Church Can Go to Hell by Disember Rose Wattleton

Disember describes her abusive experiences in church and how she's come through it all.

 

 All My Knotted Up Life by Beth Moore

Beth's memoirs, detailing the trials she's gone through, in particular the walls she slammed up against in the name of patriarchy and why she chose to leave the SBC.

 

Reimagining Church by Frank Viola

Church done from a biblical model, not the institutional version we all know. If you are in deconstruction, I recommend all of Viola's books, Finding Organic Church in particular.

Finding Church: What if There Really Is Something More? by Wayne Jacobsen  

This book has absolutely hit the nail on the head. Wayne clearly shows how the true Church is expressed by individuals leading their lives by the promptings of the Holy Spirit and demonstrating the love of God to those around them. It has little to do with "church" as we've know it.

 An Irreligious Faith: How to Starve Religion and Feed Life by Glenn Hager

This is Hager's personal account of his church experience and what led to his leaving institutional church. He has a lot of great ideas for the church of the future.

 

Christianity and Politics

  He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?

Isaiah 44:20

 

Conservative Christian involvement in politics has been going on for a lot of years now. In my memory, it seemed to have started with Jerry Falwell and his Moral Majority which functioned from 1979 through the late 80's, according to Wikipedia. Since then, the Christian conservative right has been building steam, culminating in what we see today- conservative evangelicals neck deep in politics, THE most corrupt, greed-filled, worldly sewer of a system on the planet. And now the movement has a name- Christian Nationalism. How could so many church people have been deceived this thoroughly?

To be carnally [politically] minded is death.

Rom. 8:6 KJV

Christian Nationalism

To understand the drive behind this quest for power, you have to understand Christian Nationalism.  And to explain this, I will use a quote from the book The Power Worshippers by Katherine Stewart, an investigative journalist who has researched this movement thoroughly.

 [Christian Nationalism] is a means through which a small number of people . . . harness the passions, resentments, and insecurities of a large and diverse population in their own quest for power.  The leaders of the movement have quite consciously reframed the Christian religion itself to suit their political objectives and then promoted this new reactionary religion as widely as possible, thus turning citizens into congregants and congregants into voters. (p. 7)

Ms. Stewart has seen the workings of the Christian Nationalism machine. She's been to meetings, has seen where the money comes from, and has exposed their agendas and their exploitation of well-meaning Christians across the country.

Movement leaders understand very well that this access to conservative Christians through their churches is a key source of their power, and for this reason they are committed to overturning regulatory, legal, or constitutional restrictions on the political activity of churches. (p. 7)

Christians, you are being used.

 

This movement is based on the mistaken notion that the US was founded as a Christian nation, something that's not hard to dispute if you just think about it. A bunch of arrogant colonists decided to bull in and take over countries all over the world, subjugate the native populations, commit genocide, force their culture on them, and to cap it off, haul in slaves. All in the name of God. Doesn't sound very Christian to me. 

 

To see how subtly this notion has been foisted on us, just consider almost every sanctuary in the country. There is an American flag right up there at the ALTAR. We have been influenced, in essence, to worship the country along with our God. This adulterates our faith which should be purely for God.

 

For more on that topic, read The Myth of a Christian Nation by Gregory Boyd, a book I VERY highly recommend. And actually, if you are interested in looking into any of this, you ought to read this book first to dislodge any convictions you may have that this is a Christian nation. This is the foundation, the base upon which the rest of this is built.

Now I will explain my views on why the whole concept is so very contrary to Jesus and the Kingdom of God.

Control Issues

This can all be reduced to one question- who is in control? Do Christians think this will make their lives easier? Control the government, have an easier life? And it truly is a matter of control. Christians clearly want control of government. 

Was Jesus an advocate of control? Hardly. That’s the devil’s wheelhouse. And He certainly wasn’t an advocate of controlling the government of His day. Jesus’ followers were expecting Him to do just that but He didn’t. He loved them all, and showed them a higher, better way- the way of love, forgiveness and serving.

But somehow that just doesn’t fit into the conservative agenda; it has become far more important to demonize and defeat the other side and take control. Does this sound like Jesus at all? He told us to seek FIRST the Kingdom of God, but the Church seems to be completely consumed with the pursuit of political power. Are conservative evangelicals pulling the strings, or is Jesus? This quest for worldly power and control is disturbing.

Power corrupts, and when a church leader who already has significant influence gains an audience or role as an advisor to someone with significant political power, it becomes difficult to remain a person of faith and character. Usually, the political agenda and the religious agenda are merged. Then, the politician sounds as though he shares the church leader’s values, and the church leader is associated with platform positions that are not defensible from a Christian perspective... (1)

Puppet is free clipart from clker.

Faith vs Fear

Merriam-Webster's definition of "partisan"- a firm adherence to a party, faction, cause or person; especially: one exhibiting blind, prejudiced, and unreasoning allegiance.

Partisan politics are just that- partisan, requiring adherence to one party, necessitating the rejection of the other. Political involvement breeds disdain and often outright hate for the other side, all fueled by fear. Both sides are guilty of sowing fear of what the others will do if given power. Suspicion and conspiracy thinking abound.

Where is the faith in any of this? It boils down to faith vs fear. In my opinion, you can’t have it both ways. You are either operating out of fear of what the other side will do, or you’re operating in faith, believing God in spite of what the government does. The Kingdom of God and the Great Commission are completely lost in the quest for power, a quest driven by fear.

The fear campaigns have raged for years, sucking in all those who choose to listen, breeding hate galore. The groundwork got laid decades ago, and now each side absolutely hates and demonizes the other. Christian? I don’t think so. Christians have very effectively planted their faith in the political system, in politicians, and in an earthly government, striving for control, and thoroughly convinced they are right. And all of it has been motivated out of fear. The Church has drunk the Kool Aid.

True Christianity is not fear-fueled. Perfect love casts out fear, and thus doesn’t live its life motivated by fear of what the other side might do. All this political action is clearly motivated by control and fear. We gotta have control, or the others will destroy us!

Scared man is free image from clker.

 The Strife Factor

   

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: [there is neither Republican nor Democrat] for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. Gal. 3:28 KJV

 

Again, it’s PARTISAN politics, meaning you take one side or the other. The Bible doesn’t speak favorably of those who promote strife and division, and this is all this political movement does- it exploits Christians in order to control government, multiplying the divisiveness in our society. And for Christians to join in and compound the strife is deplorable- it is thoroughly contrary to the Kingdom of God.

 

Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? 1 Cor. 1:13 KJV

But that’s not the worst of it. This whole conservative, evangelical and primarily white movement is creating a huge division in the Body of Christ, and the devil is loving it- he is exploiting all this to divide and conquer. Church- you are being used!

People that fall into this kind of thinking will just assume that if you aren't for one side, then you MUST be for the other side. A politicized brain will think along party lines and just can't seem to think outside that strife-ridden hate-mongering political box. Tunnel vision is the result with the only goal in mind being political power. What happened to the Kingdom of God in all this? Frankly, it got shoved to the side in favor of worldly power now. They have lost their first love.

Rom. 16:17-18- Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. ¹⁸ For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. [Politicians perhaps?]

1 Cor. 3:3- For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

James 3:16- For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: [there is neither Republican nor Democrat] for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Donkey elephant image is free clipart from Wikimedia.

Hate Thine Enemy

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. John 13:35 KJV

In the Name of Jesus, the Church is promoting hate, strife, divisions and a morally superior attitude that the world sees as incredibly hypocritical. They want control because they fear the other side, and hate is the nasty by-product of all this. And as far as I can tell, Christians have managed to justify this underlying hate without really even acknowledging that it's there.

I find it amazing that well-meaning, otherwise sound thinking Christians can see the "other side" as so thoroughly evil, and exude such hate toward them, and not be even slightly convicted. Like I said, the groundwork for this was laid decades ago, hate and fear having been sown for all things liberal. The attitudes have been pervasive and justified for years, and the ridiculous thing is, one side is no doubt just as guilty as the other of sowing fear and hate. And who knows how much, either way, is actually true? But you gotta believe every negative thing you hear about the other side! But anything negative about my side? Lies, it's all lies! No, it's manipulative politics and a power grab.

 

But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye not be consumed one by another. Gal. 5:15 KJV

 

Angry man is free image from Pixabay.

Herd Mentality

The way Christians have flocked to this mindset has been, to me, mind-boggling. The reasoning they use is all very consistent, with most using the same logic, the same arguments, the same attitudes.

 

With so many big names involved, and the talking points all gone over in churches across the country, it's like a complete take-over of the American church has been pulled off via YouTube and social media. Church leaders are all in lockstep, influencing their congregations who are falling into line without questioning any of it.

Just because everyone else is doing it, does that mean you have to?

To challenge any of this brings a response that is impossible to reason with. And from years of experience, that kind of knee-jerk reaction is suspect to start with and immediately makes me wonder what's behind it all. Priorities have been shifted from bringing the love, forgiveness and grace of the Kingdom of God to a dying world to a dogged determination to control government and squash the other side whatever the cost.

Jesus said that the way is narrow that leads to life (Matt. 7:13-14). Herd mentality leads to error; we are called to be led by the Spirit, not by what everyone else is saying and doing.

Again, just because everyone else is doing it, does that mean you have to?

Sheep herd is free clipart from clker.

The beauty of the cross and the magnetic quality of Calvary-quality love has been smothered in a blanket of self-righteous, self-serving, moralistic posturing. (2)

 Will the Real Church Please Stand Up?

By their fruits you will know them.

Mt. 7:20

This has gone on long enough. Christians have no business justifying their fear, their hate, their promotion of strife and division, and their desire for control. We have been shown a higher way- the Kingdom of God. We are to demonstrate that Kingdom by loving, not hating, by sowing reconciliation, not strive and division, and allowing Jesus to be the Head of His body.

Political leaders are just that- political. By definition they are partisan, full of strife and division, power hungry and full of the hate that goes with it all. We have no business promoting this worldly way of doing things. And again, Jesus rejected this mindset. He was offered this kind of worldly power in the temptation; He chose the way of love, the way of sacrifice, the way of reconciliation. He resisted the devil. But the American church has chosen to bow the knee and in so doing, has compromised itself.

The cost for this depth of involvement in worldly politics is the fruit of the Spirit. Where is the love? the joy? the peace? the patience? the kindness???? When political domination takes over your thinking, the fruit of the Spirit disappears. It's like the people on the "other side" don't qualify as humans, as God's creations. They are demonized and hated, and all this is justified in their thinking. 

 

Political races turn into holy wars, a complete contradiction in terms. There's nothing holy about a war. People deceived by this thinking believe that they are fighting for God, but He provided a better way, and His name is Jesus.

Jesus said, By their fruits you will know them (Mt. 7:20). Is a political mindset destroying your fruit? I'm certainly not saying you shouldn't vote; that's between you and God. It's a matter of how deeply you sink yourself into the world's way of doing things. What I've seen is not the real Church. Is the Kingdom of God your priority or is political domination? Has patriotism completely overshadowed the cross?

Biblically speaking, it is idolatry and spiritual adultery- church people putting their trust in third party "prophecies" and political leaders rather than in their God. Misplaced trust in the world's way of doing things is deadly- it will kill you spiritually and undermine your faith.

...the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.  Hos. 4:12 KJV

What if the Church spent as much time in prayer and really listening to the Spirit as it does listening to all those worldly voices out there? God can accomplish a whole lot more through a body that will cooperate, submit to Him, and let Him do things His way. That requires laying down all the fear, control, manipulation and hate and learning to live by faith, being led by the voice of God, and manifesting the fruit of the Spirit to all, regardless of political persuasion. Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, ⁴ for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. ⁵ We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.  2 Cor. 103-5 NASB

Tree Planted by Water is free clipart from christart.

WWJD?

Jesus probably would... be the only person to bring Democrats and Republicans together. (3)

We have far too often placed our worldly citizenship before our heavenly citizenship (Phil. 3:20) and allowed the flag to smother the cross. (4)

 

1 Hager, Glenn. An Irreligious Faith: How to Starve Religion and Feed Life (p. 57). Communitas Books. Kindle Edition.
2 Boyd, Gregory A. The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church, Zondervan, 2005, p. 138
3 Hager, Glenn.  p. 78.      
4 Boyd, Gregory A. p. 111

 

 

Recommended Reading

 

The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church by Gregory Boyd
Boyd makes a clear distinction between the Kingdom of God and earthly kingdoms, and explains how the American church has blurred the lines between nationalism and Christianity to the hurt of the Kingdom of God.

 

 

 

The Power Worshippers by Katherine Stewart

Ms. Stewart has researched the Christian Nationalism movement and exposes the origins and the goals of those whose quest for power has corrupted the Christian faith.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taking America Back for God by Whitehead and Perry

The authors use survey data and interviews to examine the Christian Nationalism movement and the implications for democracy.

 

An Irreligious Faith: How to Starve Religion and Feed Life by Glenn Hager
This is Hager's personal account of his church experience and what led to his leaving institutional church. He has a lot of great ideas for the church of the future.

Are You in a Red Flag Church?

Spiritual Abuse Basics: Are You in a Red Flag Church?

 Take heed that no man deceive you. Mt. 24:4

 

Do you attend a church where everything is seemingly great, but leaves you wondering and empty inside? Does everyone seem to enter into worship and seem to be satisfied, but you're not? If you have a nagging feeling that something just isn't right but you can't nail it down, you may be in an abusive church. Satan masquerades as an angel of light and will come looking like a ministry full of light and life and all things wonderful. But underneath is nothing more than control masked as protection.

Red flag churches aren't obvious. They have a very slick veneer of spirituality that deceives those who attend into thinking they are in a solid fellowship. The truth isn't apparent until you've been there for awhile and start to see the junk that goes on underneath the surface. Scripture is twisted to meet the requirements of the assumed authority of the leadership, but just enough truth is preached to keep people hooked. The doctrines promoted in these churches place huge stumbling blocks in the path of those searching for the truth, deceptive doctrines that essentially pull people into seeking the honor of men rather than the honor of God.

 

A quick checklist of points to watch for:

 

    1. Constant preaching on submission to authority.

    2. Works. Be there. Serve til you drop.

    3. Loyalty. Please the leadership.

    4. Secrecy and information control.

    5. Isolation.

All of these are expounded upon below. All these are huge, huge red flags.

If you have been attending a church that leaves you feeling empty, confused and feeling guilty, and if you feel like something is wrong, but you just can't put your finger on it, you may be in an abusive church. The main problem is that as long as you are in a church like this, the only thing that you will recognize is the nagging feeling that something is just not right. The bewitching influence of the false doctrine preached in these churches blinds their members to the truth so that getting through to those under this influence is a bit of a trick.

Another problem is in seeing the situation as actually abusive. I was very slow to acknowledge the abusive nature of the church I was in, mostly because I knew that the pastor's intent was good, that he was a "nice guy", and that much of what went on in the services had enough truth in it to keep most of us hooked for years. I left out of frustration, but it took a good year or so to come to terms with the fact that it indeed was both a cult, and abusive. The terminology put me off for a long time.

 

 In my research after pulling out of that church, I found that the whole basic setup we call "church" is mostly traditions of men. The structure that is adhered to in any traditional church is the basic "one man rule" setup that puts one man, woman or couple in charge, leaving everyone else dependent on them for a "word from God". The Church was never intended to be patterned off man-made power structures in the first place. We are to be led by the Spirit, not some man-appointed leader. Jesus even told us in Matthew 20:26 that "it shall not be so among you." Paul said, "But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you." (1 John 2:27) 

 

But walk into any church in any town, and that's what you'll see- some man or woman set up as the spiritual authority, and the rest relegated to sheep status. And in my opinion, this is the basic problem that lends itself to abuse so very readily. We are too programmed to submit to a man-made authority without testing the spirits, without being led by the Spirit. Would that I had been led by the Spirit when I first walked in those doors. Maybe Christians are just too gullible.

Because you are reading this, I assume you have questions concerning the church you attend, or perhaps one that someone you know attends. I can't stress enough the subtlety of spiritual abuse; if you have any doubts at all, the chances are great that the church you question is not right. This post will give you an overview of what to look for to identify an abusive church. If you want more information, a free download of my book Red Flag Churches: Distinguishing Protection from Control is available at smashwords.com.

 

The Spiritual Covering Doctrine

Absolute Authority, Submission and Obedience

In abusive churches, submission to authority is the main theme of most sermons and something that is always lurking around in the background. In their estimation, the dumb sheep need their leadership and oversight because they are more "spiritual" than the rest of us. They have the calling, they have the training and possibly the education, and so they are qualified to lord it over the congregation.

One of the main tenets taught in these churches is that you must be submitted to authority to have authority, a concept taken from a Watchman Nee book, Spiritual Authority. Beware of any church that uses this book as required reading for any leadership training. Out of this concept comes the whole spiritual covering doctrine, a doctrine that essentially says that you can't leave their oversight or evil will befall you- a neat little controlling mechanism. Any church that uses this book as required reading is more than likely abusive- a red flag church.

Submission IS a biblical concept, but not the way it is demanded in abusive churches. Submission in biblical context is mutual with submission to one another, not the very one-sided version found in these churches. Along the same line are the armor bearer books. These books promote a position of servitude to a leader, but with a façade of honor. These so-called armor bearers are people that follow the leaders around like puppy dogs doing their bidding, and not just in church. This extends into their personal lives as well, doing errands and whatever else the controlling leadership desires. 

 

Serving is one thing, but requiring servitude from someone to prove their loyalty is entirely different. Beware of any church that uses these books as required reading. I don't really know if the author's intent is biblical or not, I just know how controlling leadership uses these books for their own purposes.

Authority is never really delegated in these churches because absolutely everything goes through the leaders anyway. They bestow title and position, but there is no real authority that goes with it. Those that receive these honors are just people who rubber stamp the leadership in whatever they decide they want, and any challenge to their authority is deemed a challenge to God Himself. 

 

One of their favorite Bible verses is Psalm 105:15- "Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm." That one is trotted out regularly to threaten anyone that might take issue with them. "Mine anointed" creates the aura of holiness that builds the intimidation factor- "I'm holy and you're not, so you can't touch me."

Titles are very important to these kinds of leaders, titles and image. Everything is a façade with image being the overriding priority in their thinking. Because image is so important, they will lie from the pulpit to protect it. You will not know why people have left unless you actually go to the ones that left and ask, and that is actively discouraged. An ex-elder once told me that they were instructed by the pastors to make them look good. That was the only reason they were bestowed with the title "elder". Red flag, perhaps??

See my post The Spiritual Covering Doctrine for more information.

Religion- The Stumbling Block

Works, Works and More Works

Abusive churches are run by a system that promotes works and rules that are both spoken and unspoken. To gain the attention of the leadership and possible ministry position, people jump through hoop after hoop of works to prove their loyalty. And abusive leaders love loyalty.

 

Religion is works and works will bewitch those under its influence, and I can speak from firsthand experience when I say that you just don't see it until you get out from under it. It wasn't until I left that I realized everyone in there was consumed with brown-nosing to gain position and power.

These churches are psychological pits of codependency- people in leadership that need to prove themselves with works, and those that choose to submit to their authority and are willing to play the game. It is a sick treadmill in which the people are completely dependent on the leadership for everything, and some of the people want it that way.

Never forget- religion bewitches. Works bewitch. Under its influence you no longer see things as they are.

Idolatry

Worshiping Men and Money

Your loyalty is gauged by your performance, so as you begin to be consumed with proving your loyalty to the leadership, your focus shifts more and more away from pleasing God to pleasing men.

The intimidating nature of the leadership lends itself very readily to encouraging idolatry, with loyalty oaths and statements being rather common in these churches. These contracts or whatever you care to call them are statements of allegiance to men and lead to ungodly soul ties and idolatry. (For more information about soul ties, get the book Breaking Unhealthy Soul Ties by Bill and Susan Banks.) When this kind of commitment is made, leaving becomes much more difficult, and the draw back into the controlling environment becomes very strong. If you are presented with one of these contracts, DON'T SIGN!! Then sit back and look for other red flags.

Along with the idolatry aspect goes the whole atmosphere of covetousness. The prosperity doctrine is preached and people are encouraged to "use their faith" to obtain the bigger houses and better cars that consume the desires of the leadership. This blatant conspicuous consumption is actively encouraged and considered the "blessing of God". 

 

This leads into the demand for the tithe. They twist arms by threatening people with the curse if they don't tithe, something that is completely unbiblical. And they are told that their giving determines their blessing from God, essentially throwing grace out the window. Giving becomes yet more works. Since leaving this church, I have also rethought my position on the tithe. If you are interested, check out To Tithe or Not to Tithe where I have also included links to several good books on the subject. Tithing is a touchy subject but one that needs to be openly discussed and not just accepted.

Silence, Secrecy and Information Control

NEVER Expose the Problem!!

It is absolutely against the unwritten rules to speak against the leadership in any way, shape or form. One never, never questions anything they do. This is the rule that enforces complete silence and it is this rule that allows the leadership to run completely unchecked. They do what they want with no accountability whatsoever. 

 

The concept of accountability is a very one-sided process in these churches, with the congregation thoroughly accountable to them, but they are accountable to no one, even though they may say they are. The accountability our pastor claimed was back to the pastor that taught him all this mess in the first place, making it completely worthless. And realizing that the mess goes back to their home church drives home the extent of the problem. Those people have "sent out" other preachers to propagate these dangerous doctrines in other parts of the country.

Nothing is ever done in the church without clear, specific approval. Without that permission granted from on high, you are in danger of committing grave sin, the sin of offering "strange fire", another doctrine that is twisted to serve their own agenda. As stated before, absolutely everything is directly managed by the leadership. We sat through plenty of  "sermons", a.k.a. brainwashing sessions, on offering strange fire that further instilled fear of ever questioning, let alone crossing, the leadership.

The basic characteristics of witchcraft are manipulation, intimidation and domination. If you see these operating in your church, run!! Control is the name of the game, and submission to authority is the chief doctrine that is continually preached- witchcraft indeed. They will do what they have to in order to manipulate, intimidate and dominate their way into your life.

One of the truly aggravating aspects of these churches is the whole atmosphere of secrecy that permeates the place. No one knows anything and this is the way they want it. Information is tightly controlled so that if you want to know anything you have to find it out from the leadership. In the church I attended, even the lady that answered the phone had no clue about anything. She had to field calls all the time from people asking about things she was never told about by the leadership.   

 

Particularly where finances are concerned, if financial information is not openly available to everyone, this is another huge red flag. If they can't be honest and open about how they're spending your money, find that exit and RUN!

Idolatry in the form of the worship of man and the atmosphere of covetousness permeates these places and opens the door to every evil work (James 3:16).

Isolation

Then there's the rule that says that thou shalt never visit another church. You will receive all you need from them, so you don't need to go anywhere else. Other ministries are regularly denigrated and ties to the outside are cut off. This kind of secrecy and isolation create a great deal of frustration, but of course you're not allowed to talk about it.

I specifically remember the sermons built around the symbolism of a tree- if you pull up a tree by the roots to transplant it regularly it won't ever bear fruit. Right? The illustration was complete with visual aids in the form of a blackboard with a chalk drawing of a tree. We were told that if you don't "get planted" in a church, if you don't quit jumping around, you'll never bear fruit. 

 

This was just another angle on the move to convince you that you can't leave the place. We got the blackboard lesson at least once a year, and every time it was preached it built the walls around the place a little higher and a little thicker. And the irony was that even though you never left the place and stayed dutifully planted as taught, you weren't going to produce fruit. These places drain you; they don't feed you. 

 

They are essentially fruit robbers- there is no love, joy or peace in these places. Instead, they promote confusion, frustration and upset. And the longer you stay planted in such an environment, the worse it gets.

The Borg

or Mind-Numbed Robots

In abusive churches, you are expected to go to the leadership for everything; they want to do your thinking for you. Often you are told that you don't hear from God accurately, undermining your confidence. You never make your own decisions in a place like that because you're just dumb sheep that don't have the sense to come in out of the rain without being told. If they know you do hear from God, that would threaten their position of authority, so your confidence will be attacked. Ask me how I know.

Leadership presents themselves as more spiritual than the masses, and you are continually told to trust them. Dependence on them for everything is the goal, of course. A friend of mine likened it to The Borg on Star Trek- your independent thinking disappears and is taken over by the collective thought of the leadership and all those duly brainwashed into their vision, their goals, their ministry. 

There is no such thing as a vision apart from the "vision of the house". Everything is geared toward that end. Churches that operate in a godly manner will do their best to help you work toward the vision God has given you, lifting you up and promoting you in the process. This will never happen in an abusive church. You are only there to be used by the leadership to promote them and their goals. "Vision of the house" is one of those catch phrases bandied about regularly. It's not found in the Bible.

If you aren't a Star Trek fan, you can read about The Borg at Wikipedia.

Let the Peace of Christ Rule

Peace Should Be the Deciding Factor

And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ's] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always]. Col 3:15 AMP

This is such a crucial point- ALWAYS follow peace. If you have no peace in your church, it's time to consider finding another one. Abusive churches will leave you feeling frustrated, unspiritual, joy-less and confused; in other words, in a state that is anything but peaceful. According to the Word, allowing your peace to be taken from you will set you up as a target for the devil:

And God's peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Phil 4:7 AMP

You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You. Isaiah 26:3 AMP

The longer you stay in a place where you have no peace, the more access the evil one will have to your mind and heart. Your protection is in peace, it is not in submission to the authority that hangs the spiritual covering doctrine and submission over your head.

I understand all too well how difficult it is to make the decision to leave, mostly because of the investment made into the place in time and resources. You just don't want to face the fact that you made a bad decision. But there are many, many others in the same boat, and God is more than able to recompense. 

 

If your church leaves you in a state of upset, I encourage you to just leave quietly and cut your losses. It is a command to seek peace. For more on leaving an abusive church, see Making the Decision to Leave an Abusive Church.

Bottom Line

Judge the Fruit

It's so important to judge the fruit, not the gifts, and listen to the still, small voice that is trying to guide you into peace. It's so very easy to be beguiled by the spiritual show, but it is the fruit you must look at very carefully.

First, decide if there is any fruit being produced by the church- are people being ministered to, are people getting born again, is there any ministry being done outside the church, ministry to those in the community? Abusive churches become very closed communities with no ministry outside their own group. 

 

Also look at the fruit displayed by the leadership- do they walk in love and patience or are they harsh, rude and even mean? To see any negative side to their character, you may have to look behind the scenes. Image is all important, so the oh-so-spiritual front may be all they will display during services, though I am sure there are exceptions to this. The leadership had truly bad fruit behind the scenes where I attended.

Second, look at your own fruit. Are you in peace and joy when you attend services there, or are you left in frustration, confusion and even anger? If your church does not produce the fruit of peace and joy in your spirit, there is something wrong.

And last, if you begin to look around and see that people around you are merely striving for position, title and power, you are in a place that actively promotes idolatry. Jesus is no longer the Head in a red flag church. Abusive leadership consider themselves as a mediator between you and God, usurping Jesus' role as the only Mediator we need. This is idolatry run amok.

If your church fails these tests, you need to consider moving on for the sake of your own well being and certainly for the sake of your family, especially if you have children that are being influenced by this kind of atmosphere. 

 

This post is a summary of my book Red Flag Churches which is available as a free download. I encourage you to get educated- this is the first step in finding freedom and true peace. I have several related blog posts which will give you a good start, and a list of great books follows that helped me wade through all of this.

IN [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off]. Gal. 5:1 AMP

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. 

1 John 5:21

Cease ye from man . . .

Isaiah 2:22

Recommended Reading

Understanding Is the First Step to Freedom

Books

Red Flag Churches- book recounting my experiences in an abusive church. Available as a free download in several formats at smashwords.








 

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse by  David Johnson, Jeff Van Vonderen

This is the first book I found that really opened my eyes to the deception going on in the church I attended. This book is very easy to understand and highly recommended; if you don't get any other books, get this one. It is also available for Kindle.

Exposing Spiritual Abuse by Mike Fehlauer

This is the book written by the man who wrote an article I found online that began my journey out.

Charismatic Captivation by Steven Lambert

This is a very detailed, in-depth look at spiritual abuse. I don't agree with all his points of view, but he goes into great scriptural detail explaining why abusive church doctrines are so wrong.

Authority, Accountability and the Apostolic Movement by Stephen Crosby

This is another wonderful text that goes into great detail explaining spiritual abuse and why the doctrines are unscriptural.

Churches That Abuse by Dr. Ronald Enroth  An indepth look at quite a few abusive systems and an analysis of how they operate and what they have in common.

 Blog Posts

Key Truths for the exiles scattered by toxic church systems- blog by Deborah Brunt Blog dealing with the abuse experienced in Baptist systems.

How to Deal with Spiritual Abuse Triggers- blog post by Aprille with a lot of very helpful information on dealing with the triggers that result from experiencing spiritual abuse.

More Good Reading

Breaking Unhealthy Soul Ties by Bill and Sue Banks

The whole concept of soul ties is explained, both healthy ties and unhealthy ones.

Toxic Faith by Stephen Arterburn, Jack Felton

When the drive to attend church becomes a problem.  Balance is the key.

Codependent No More by Melody Beattie

A very thorough reference that explains codependency and how it affects all concerned. Much of what goes on in abusive churches can be explained by the codependence concept.

Boundaries  by Henry Cloud and John Townsend

Learning how to say "no" to maintain peace.

Websites

These websites provide lost of information on church abuse and are all well worth checking out. Some have links to other organizations and websites.

Cultwatch.com

No Eden Elsewhere

Stop Spiritual Abuse