Wade Mullen Profile picture
Dec 20, 2018 10 tweets 2 min read Read on X
The spiritually abusive organization becomes like a machine that views their people as objects to be separated into Cubicles of Charm or Crucibles of Condemnation based upon their willingness or refusal to unconditionally comply with the demands of the organization. [1/10]
Cubicles of charm are filled with grandiose and flattering statements that tell supporters they are models for others, special, blessed by God, and the reason for the organization's success. Such messages are accepted, enjoyed, and returned without much regard for truth.
In the spiritually abusive organization, excessive charm becomes excessive condemnation the moment loyalty is betrayed. Any non-supporters are moved to crucibles of condemnation where the heat is turned up until their resistance is melted down and they either comply or leave.
This spiritual abuse almost always happens in isolation behind closed doors where the organization's leadership is able to take greater risks. The crucible is a hidden tool to silence. Having only known a climate of charm, those in the cubicles dismiss any reports of the abuse.
What the organization fails to understand is the crucible of condemnation will eventually produce something new to them: people they cannot charm, intimidate, or silence; those who have survived the crucible and are compelled to make the truth known out of a concern for others.
As truth-telling increases, so too does the spiritual abuse. The steady messages of charm sent to the cubicles will now include warnings of participating in gossip, reminders of their commitments, requests for patience and understanding, and reasons they shouldn't be alarmed.
In anticipation of a growing threat, the leadership will abuse the Bible by boosting teachings on love, grace, forgiveness, and mercy while burying teachings on truth, justice, light, and accountability. People are then led to believe any support for the opposition is unbiblical.
Their abuse grows more severe as they boast in their connection to God and His Kingdom, establishing themselves as agents of God under spiritual attack from those who now want to derail their ministry, a tactic which provides justification for any and all methods of intimidation.
Those who have harmed others in crucibles of condemnation then establish themselves as friends of God, and those who are seeking to stop the harm are called enemies of God. People are implicitly made to believe any support for the opposition will be a choice to be God's enemy.
They might maintain control if they can convince people of these lies. But if they fail, the weight of the truth will eventually cause the machine to break down, the cubicles will collapse, the crucibles will be revealed, and the organization will lose its power to separate. END.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Wade Mullen

Wade Mullen Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @wademullen

Jun 14, 2021
Guidepost Solutions has been hired by The Summit Church, RZIM, and most recently, the SBC Executive Committee, to help these churches and ministries respond to allegations. Here is why this concerns me:
They have historically served wealthy individuals and corporations. Here's an interview where one of their leaders discusses how they address "delicate matters" like abuse allegations.

fa-mag.com/news/delicate-…
In 2011, they were hired by former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn to probe into the "background of the 32-year-old hotel maid whose allegations" led to charges of attempted rape against Strauss-Kahn.
macleans.ca/news/world/sup…
Read 11 tweets
Aug 10, 2020
Defenses often appear as four layers of walls.

1. Denials - “Categorically false!”

2. Excuses - “I didn’t mean it.” “It was out of my control.” “Someone else is to blame.”

3. Justifications - “No real harm was done.” “It was consensual.”

4. Comparisons - “We’re all human.”
I’ve found these defenses are raised like the walls surrounding a fortress. When denials fail, excuses are used, when excuses don’t work, justifications are made, and when there are no more justifications, comparisons are drawn.

It is difficult to get through these defenses.
Those who try are likely to be met with attacks against their credibility, character and, in some cases, physical safety.

These attacks take different forms depending on the situation - but just about every defense will be accompanied by an attack against the truth-teller(s).
Read 6 tweets
Jun 4, 2020
This is an example of a tactic of justification I've seen time and time again in response to a crime: denying that the victim is a "real victim."

It's used when it is undeniable a crime has occurred and irrefutable that the offender was wrong.

I call it the "victim scale"...
The goal of the "victim scale" is to manage the impressions others are forming of the victim by presenting only their shortcomings so others conclude the victim is partly to blame, deserved it, isn't innocent in the matter, should have done something to prevent, etc.
The victim might also be weighed against others, in this case Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and Philando Castille, and then made to appear worse by proclaiming how they are not like those individuals - suggesting that the victim is not a "real victim" like the others.
Read 6 tweets
May 2, 2020
High praises and underlying fears often coexist in a coercive environment.

This can be a confusing experience as you struggle to reconcile the flattery you hear with the fear you feel.

That fear is telling you something important about the flattery: it’s meant to ensnare you.
It can be hard to tell the difference between flattery and sincerity.

Flattery mixes exaggerations and untruths with compliments and always has selfish motives.

Flattery is given to get something from you - like compliance - so it might feel like nets are being laid around you.
A common example is when the flatterer tells you how exemplary you are without actually knowing you well enough to determine that - needlessly comparing you to others in a way that is intended to make you feel special.
Read 7 tweets
Jan 14, 2020
We risk giving harmful advice when we view abuse through the framework of conflict between parties in need of reconciliation.

The predator objectifies, targets, isolates, traps, abuses, and discards.

There is nothing to reconcile if the “relationship” was a prison all along.
When the “relationship” is defined by the predator who intends to harm, pushing reconciliation is like asking the victim to walk back into a trap to see if it will close on them again.
When abuse is seen as an issue of conflict, victims are asked to engage in private meetings with the abuser, own their own contribution to the abuse, put away bitterness, extend forgiveness, and agree to non-disclosure.
Read 7 tweets
Jan 9, 2020
When you present a difficult truth to others, you hope the focus will remain on what you presented. You might expect straight-forward denials like “I don’t believe you” or “That could not have happened” or outright lies. But comparisons introduce what I call “complex deception.”
Comparisons take various forms:

You might hear a comparison to a past event: “This is a witch hunt!”

Or a comparison to others: “Nobody is perfect.”

Or a comparison to a supposed greater trauma or wrong: “It’s not as bad as...”

Each comparison adds complexity to deception.
It’s as if the person reaches their hand through a portal to another dimension and pulls material into the conversation that you weren’t expecting to have to address. The deceiver accesses arguments you didn’t even know were there and then presents them to you for your response.
Read 8 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(