An Update
Dear friends, For several months I have taken a hiatus from blogging in order to spend concerted effort writing the first draft of a book. The draft is taking shape and I hope to have it done by...
View ArticleWhen Your Abusive Pastor Dies
When you hear that your abusive former pastor is dead, the news will not bring you peace and it is unlikely to bring you joy. I am unhappy to say this but it’s true nevertheless and so there it is....
View Article30 Signs of Legalism: A Checklist
The average legalist does not know that he or she is legalistic. I didn’t. I thought I was just following God’s Word. I didn’t think I was a Pharisee; I thought I was righteous. Legalism is rightly...
View ArticleFive Lessons from The Village Church and Karen Hinkley
Several readers have asked me to comment on the recent situation involving The Village Church in Dallas and how it has placed Karen Hinkley under church discipline. Karen’s husband, Jordan Root,...
View ArticleThe Gift of Ordinary Things
When I was young I read books that made missionary life look sexy. I read spiritual biographies of well-known Christian martyrs which made them seem six inches taller and without body odor. Like...
View ArticleBreaking the Chains of Legalistic Parenting
Parenting proves challenging in the best of circumstances. Even the healthiest, most well-adjusted parent faces crises of doubt, exhaustion, and failure. But most of us aren’t completely healthy, are...
View ArticleTruth Without Grace Is Dead
Yesterday I read a bristling article by a Christian blogger/journalist/news figure who proclaimed himself a “professional truth-teller.” He gleefully excoriated another Christian writer as likes and...
View ArticleSpiritual Abuse Recovery: Learning to Risk
I, like many survivors of spiritually abusive churches or cults, experience trust issues and am generally risk-averse. I have become so good at saying “no” to people and opportunities that I have...
View ArticleBook Review of “Broken Trust” by F. Remy Diederich
Editor’s Note: I rarely endorse books. This is an exception. Remy sent me an earlier draft of his book and requested feedback. I made some edits, but mostly I just rejoiced that he had written such a...
View ArticleA Cure for Legalism: The Gift of Incapability
Is grace just a cruel joke? For those of us from fundamentalistic or spiritually-abusive backgrounds, obedience to God’s commands can feel like a painful impossibility. Our old way of trying to obey...
View Article“Men of God Men of War” Memoir Published Today
It’s been almost seven years since I posted on here. Since then my family moved to Cumberland, Maine, to the town I grew up in. I started a hand-hewing business, turning logs into beams using only an...
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