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"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke
Over the last week I've reconnected with some really lovely, caring, solid, brave people. We rallied together and decided that it was time for a few things to be talked about. Stories needed to be shared, evidence needed to be shown, and warnings needed to be given about spiritual abuse running rampant, especially at a Bible Institute with which we'd all been associated.
And, before I go on any further, let me assure you that attempts to repair these damages with the offender alone were made. That didn't go over very well.
We knew there would be some backlash, as there always is when you take a stand for or against anything. We figured we'd be mocked and misinterpreted at any given opportunity by some who relish such behavior. We'd already prepped ourselves for shallow defenses.
And, honestly, we expected silence.
The movement closely linked to the aforementioned institution is very quick (as a whole) to write off any remark made by individuals no longer affiliated with them. While I know good and well this isn't true of everyone, the majority has already determined we're pretty much reprobates and can, therefore, have nothing of any value to say- unless you agree with them. That conclusion makes it difficult for any wrongdoing within the movement to be addressed... because if you speak up while it's still at the center of your world - well - things won't bode so well for you.
So, we find ourselves again drowning in a sea of silence - and no accountability.
I guess one thing I hadn't really prepared myself for were the comments about stirring up strife, manifesting bitterness, and the passive-aggressive posts accompanying all the "peace" scriptures one could find.
When someone tries to bring abusive behavior to light, it is not from a place of bitterness or a desire for revenge. It's out of concern for others who could potentially fall victim to the same scenarios by begging for some kind of accountability to take place. Alleging anything other than that is playing into the abuse on another level. You're shielding the perpetrator while shaming the victim... and making room for more of them.
We know scripture gets twisted far too often. Sometimes it is out of maliciousness and a desire to bend the will of others to your own. Other times it's simply out of innocence or ignorance - and I don't mean that in a derogatory way. We sometimes haven't read the whole context of the scripture or applied it correctly, maybe we don't understand it, or have been taught improper interpretations.
Unfortunately, I think this happens too often where leadership accountability is concerned.
"Touch not mine anointed."
What makes someone anointed? Who gets to decide? I don't consider using a platform to abuse those "weaker" than you or "dependent" on you as anointing. So, in the situation referenced at the beginning of this post, I feel I can safely say, we're not. We're calling out someone masking abuse as a "divine right." There are plenty of anointed young people that he's inflicted harm upon. Where's the outrage over that?
(Nate Mayo of Berean Holiness dives deep into what this phrase actually means, too. Click Here to Read. Spoiler: It's about killing Israelites, not exempting leaders from verbal criticism or accountability.)
"Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins."
Sincere question- Do you think your pastor is stirring up strife when he preaches that pride is sin just because it makes some people uncomfortable? Or is he trying to keep his congregation from damaging their souls by bringing things to their attention? Do you think he does this so he's not "accountable" for their lack of knowledge? Do you believe that truth comes from a place of love even if it's hard to swallow? If you believe the latter, then why is bringing abuse to people's attention in an attempt to stop it classified as hatred and troublemaking?
"Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another; if any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye."
Christ forgave us because we asked Him to, right? He expects repentance, correct? Of course. And yes, while we do have to forgive even if we don't get an apology, that doesn't mean we ignore abuse. We're not talking about someone hurting our feelings or even blatantly doing something simply unkind. We're not stuck on a situation that happened once and never again. This isn't something that was acknowledged and apologized for. No, we're talking about the severe twisting of the Bible and abuse... of young adults... that's still ongoing. While we can pray for God to show mercy to the one(s) guilty of this behavior, we should still care enough about the sacredness of scripture and the fragility of a young person's spirit to not allow it to continue.
"Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace and pursue it."
Absolutely. Do you know what guile means? According to the dictionary:
Sly or cunning intelligence.
That shook me when I looked it up. Survivors of abuse telling their story don't seem to be using that. A teenager recalling an experience that damaged them is just speaking the truth. A person desperately trying to prevent other kids from backing out of the faith by revealing hard, personal things? I don't see what's so cunning about that.
Someone using a position of authority to pick apart scripture to create a narrative that sets him/her up with untouchable control? Well, that's a different story entirely. If you've convinced yourself that isn't happening then explain these quotes which can all be found in the Lessons in Loyalty series:
The meaner I look and the nastier I am in your eyes is directly proportional to your disobedience.
"Protect your pastor... a loyal assistant seeks to cushion the effects of the blunder."
"There are times when you may not agree. It is acceptable to say, 'I don't think this is the way to do it, but if that is the decision you have made, I will abide by it and back it.'"
"Place the needs of your leader before your own. Do his work before doing yours. Remember that your ministry is a ministry of servitude to his ministry."
"Find ways to minimize the mistakes of the head... Find ways to cast a favorable light even in the darkest situations."
"Obey his instructions. Do not be independent and difficult."
"When a simple instruction turns into a prolonged debate, you are dealing with a possible ANTICHRIST."
"Your allegiance to Christ is reflected in your allegiance to those whom He has placed over you."
"Disloyalty is nothing less than rebellion."
"Immature leaders often join the enemy if they feel there is a strong enough case. "
There are many more along these same lines that have been taught and continue to circulate. I hope you see how dangerous this is. Do you not think that it's entirely possible someone, especially a young person, could be really confused on how to handle inappropriate behavior by a leader when hearing this over and over? Do you see how he's mastered the wording to make any "complaint" on a leader seem like outright rebellion? Are you aware at how easily a victim could be too scared to come forward knowing teaching like this will surely set them up to be the enemy? Why is this exposure being ignored? Why are the ones exposing the darkness being referred to as bitter backsliders? Snowflakes? Disgruntled?
We're concerned. We're obligated.
"Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful to even talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them..." Ephesians 5:10-14
It's honestly been astounding - the lack of acknowledgment people have given someone who has been so vulnerable in sharing experiences she had to go through. We're not talking about "emotional offense." Obvious methods of grooming, manipulation, and control have been laid out in detail. Hours of physical labor were demanded with no reprieve. She was not allowed to go to the doctor without repercussion. She ended up in the ICU and had a premature birth stemming from the severe stress, lack of proper rest, and inability to receive adequate medical care as needed - all under the guise of "spiritual discipline and loyalty to a leader."
After these articles were released about Free Gospel Bible Institute, others have since publicly come forward recounting situations they faced while there. If you read even just a few, you can clearly see the abuse of power: threats, humiliation, taking away privileges, throwing items at students, and even some accounts of physical altercations.
Everyone, yes, everyone, that I've interacted with outside of the movement, (and even several within,) easily see this as abusive behavior. I'm afraid for the others, it's quite possible that this atmosphere of authoritarian leadership is so normal to them, they don't recognize it for what it is. To those individuals who are putting all the responsibility on the victim to reconcile and restore, etc. I urge you to take a second look. A person can forgive without reconciling. Why would you ever expect a victim of abuse to go make up with their abuser? It's honestly a ludicrous and extremely unfair burden to place on someone. And, if you continue to ignore the actual facts or refuse to educate yourself in the abuse of power, you're not keeping the peace, my friend. You're just washing your hands of it.
But does that make you completely unaccountable?
Let's go back to Matthew 27.
Pilate knew Jesus was innocent. His wife knew. Yet, to keep the peace with the majority, he gave into their demands to crucify Him. He refused to make himself a target. It was better for him to just let things play out as they would. So he publicly washed his hands to say, "I am innocent of this man's blood. The responsibility is yours!"
Now, as we've seen and heard for ourselves that FGBI's infamous Lessons in Loyalty series tends to equate references of Jesus to head pastors/leaders, I'm not trying to do that here. I'm trying to get us all to understand that simply staying out of a situation or playing it off as nothing doesn't resolve anything.
Pilate washed his hands, but the innocent still suffered. He allowed the guilty to go free to "keep the peace."
Jesus called religious abuse out for what it was on numerous occasions... no matter how high their position of authority was. If they were wrong, they were wrong.
What I don't understand, is so many of these people shaming the ones who have exposed the evident abuse, by comparing us to Haman and other similar Bible villains, also feel it's entirely their responsibility to sound the alarm for any and all who find discrepancies or inconsistencies within their teaching, all because of outward standards not matching up to their expectations.
I'm sorry... the hypocrisy is just too much sometimes. If you won't hold accountable the people in your movement when there are actual FACTS, it's not a great look to resort to name calling and mocking others because of an opinion rooted deeply in tradition.
Even as I type this, I'm honestly already discouraged, because I too often have seen complete disregard for any pleading for change. Still, there's always a ray of hope that someone brave enough will investigate and demand some kind of corrective action where needed.
It would have been much easier to stay quiet. I mean, it's in my past. These people aren't part of my world. I won't be sending any kids to that school. I'm established in a healthy church and community. I'm surrounded by people who genuinely love Jesus and others. I'm happy. I'm healthy. I'm loved and supported by those who walk alongside me. So why would I put a target on my back?
Because I believe people have been abused.
I witnessed some of it myself... and I care enough about the children of individuals who think me a heathen to try and shield them from the potential devastation they could face if things don't change.
Maybe your child didn't experience what you consider abuse. Great! We're so thankful they didn't.
But someone else's did.
Are you willing to take the risk that someone else you care about could be destroyed? Can you not even look into the situation? I mean, the accounts are numerous... and more are coming. It's not a band of crazies carrying torches ready to burn down the castle. It's witnesses to corroborate someone's testimony. It's a showing of solidarity. You don't have to be loud in your support, but you should care enough about people to validate their experiences... instead of shaming them more by pinning feathers in the hat of the one causing the harm and shielding them from any and all responsibility.
In my closing statements, I have another lingering question:
Why are the sermons so often focused on loyalty to leaders anyway? If the students are seeking to draw closer to Christ, wouldn't the proper loyalties pan out? Young people feeling called to serve in ministry need to be taught proper theology and sound doctrine. They need to be encouraged to focus on and love Jesus unconditionally and to love their neighbors as much as themselves. For even Jesus says, "The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments." Why is so much time being spent molding them into proper soldiers for men - who are supposed to be following the example of Christ? "You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant... For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life..." Mark 10:42-45
I'm afraid somewhere along the line the vision became distorted and the message morphed into dangerous ideology.
"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits." Matthew 7:15-16
If anyone thinks for some reason it's improper to use his quotes, let me also add this one:
"Nothing excites me more about ministry than hearing someone repeat what I said."
Lessons in Loyalty, Lesson 10
If you are disentangling faith from these teachings, there are former students and faculty who care and want to support you in any way we can. For details, see BereanHoliness.com/fgbi
If you have concerns or experiences from Free Gospel Bible Institute you’d like to share with us, you can do so here: https://forms.gle/oY9P69wtdNehtwEBA
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