Reading Time: 9 minutes Franklin Graham’s behavior is not some aberration, and neither was his bizarre decision to bring Panahi’s abuser to a military ministry shindig. It’s par for the course in evangelical ministry.
abuse
#Churchtoo is a universal problem
Reading Time: 4 minutes Tongue in cheek admonition to progressive and mainline churches that like the SBC, they have a problem with #churchtoo abuses in their midst
‘Use as example’: Southern Baptist self-protection in action
Reading Time: 11 minutes The whole document is horrifying reading. But one line in it particularly caught my eye. It read, “Use as example.” Today, we’ll look at this so-called “example” that the SBC’s leaders wanted to stand out as a perfect example of sexual predators in SBC ministerial ranks. Along the way, maybe we’ll see just why the people behind this document wanted to use this particular person, Perez Blackmon, as their ur-example.
Hosea was no hero
Reading Time: 7 minutes Yahweh promised them they wouldn’t have to develop advanced weaponry or curry the favor of neighboring nations because he himself would protect them. Their primary weapons were thoughts and prayers, and for some reason those weren’t enough to keep Israel from being invaded and taken over again, and again, and again.
‘Millions of Souls’: the Manipulation Tactic Christian Predators Love
Reading Time: 8 minutes Hi and welcome back! Happy Chocolate Day! We are still snowbound here at Casa Cas. At least this weather lends itself to introspection. Indeed, I’ve had something on my mind for a bit now: the weird manipulation tactic Ravi Zacharias used on his victims, according to the official sexual misconduct report his ministry commissioned. It […]
Ravi Zacharias and His Strategy of Abuse
Reading Time: 7 minutes Earlier this winter, investigators released their initial report: yes, the accusations were completely credible. Then, a couple of days ago they released their fuller report: this rabbit hole went a whole lot deeper than anybody had suspected.
Op-ed: Paris trial sent an appalling message to clerical abusers
Reading Time: 3 minutes LAST month, the Pope’s former Ambassador to France, ex-Papal Nuncio Luigi Ventura, above, was tried for sexually assaulting five young men, including a Paris City Hall official. One of the complainants’ lawyers suggested that the charges represented ‘the tip of the iceberg’. Ventura, who fled France to return to the Vatican, was found guilty and […]
Donald Trump Jr. and the Lessons Authoritarians Learn
Reading Time: 6 minutes One long-running interest of mine has been authoritarianism — and its effects on individuals. We got a real object lesson in that topic this week. Donald Trump Jr. released a video a few days ago in which he released his most cringey weirdness yet. Today, let me show you what he said — and how his behavior reveals his authoritarian nature and upbringing.
Greg Stier’s Reframing Game: Basic Gaslighting
Reading Time: 9 minutes Today, we’ll cover his second suggestion: emotionally manipulating teenagers with reframing. I’ll show you how reframing works (or doesn’t), and then we’ll see how successful his use of it has been for him.
Accusations of Abuse That Didn’t Age Well (LSP #146, TPD Ch. 26)
Reading Time: 7 minutes Hi and welcome back! I got so excited about writing about SCOTUS yesterday that I forgot it was Monday. Just to keep us moving on track, then, here is the post I should have written yesterday for Lord Snow Presides! In this installment, I’ll whisk us through the chapter synopsis and then look at the […]