Reading the SATF report of the SBC has surfaced many emotions.
(1) God bless the bravery & courage of every survivor - y’all paved a way for many others hiding in the shadows to come forward, and finally be believed.
(2) The facts in this report can’t be blamed on CRT.
(3) Much of the anti-CRT, anti wokeism & liberal drift language got momentum when stories of abuse via #SBCtoo started gaining traction.
(4) Now that the SAFT report is out, the shift away from all the anti’s in (3) have been replaced by pietist statements per sexual abuse
(5) There will be more stories abuse that will come out as more survivors begin sharing their abuse. May they be loved and walked with on the path of healing
(6) Our human heroes of the faith are still human
(7) Our blind spots are best pointed out by others
(8) Anything we build that’s not centered on Jesus is direct competition to Him building His church. His church is the only organism this side of eternity guaranteed to be present and flourishing throughout eternity, not anything we as humans build
(9) We’re naturally prone to be romantic revisionists of history when it involves the legacy of one of our heroes mostly because we are convinced following the path they paved for us leads to glory (on this side of eternity)
(10) Listen to survivors even if you’ve never experienced the abuse you have. Their vantage point carries value, even when they’re not believed, their voice is not devalued!
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(a) They refuse to confess their sins & toxic destructive behavior patterns directly.
(b) Yet, they directly accuse their victims of the sins & toxic destructive behavior patterns they personally have committed towards their victims.
(2) The longer Abusers have hidden in church culture they've become more fluent in using Christian clichés when they are pressed to be held accountable. Clichés such as: "Love does not keep score", "I don't hear any grace when you talk to me", and "You can't judge my motives".
A 🧵 on defining & understanding aspects of “White Supremacy” & Observations inside Evangelical Point of View’s (POV’s).
I open with 3 vital prefaces, offer brief suggested definitions grounded in scholarly work, and list observations hoping we move towards balance & clarity.
P #1: Calling out White Supremacy is not a direct attack on those identifying/categorized as White. It's naming a man-made way of life that prioritizes & produces benefits 1st for the profile of those who created it & 2ndfor those adjacent who support it (knowingly/unknowingly).
P #2: I’ve seen 4 voices on this topic:
- Anti-Intellectual: depreciates nuance,data,rationality
- Intellectual: uses complex nuance, data, Scripture, rationality
- Non-Intellectual: uses anecdotes, hyperbole, misuse of Scripture
- Pseudo-Intellectual: poses as Intellectual but
Sometimes Mental Illness wins. Everyday I wake up it’s a fight to not become another victim of it.
The battle is real. The struggle is exhausting and life still goes on.
The Lord is My strength.
One of the worst things you can do to a person who struggles with Mental Illness is use it against them during an argument.
This takes us to a dark place that some of us never return from.
Please 🛑
Since ADHD is hereditary, some days there’s an overwhelming sense of guilt I feel when I see our children wrestling with the same issues I do. I feel as if I’ve poisoned them and want to protect them from myself but also the world we live in, who likely won't understand them.
Q: D.A., what prevents American Protestants from seeing eye to eye about "the gospel" and "social issues'?
Me: On factor is the different lived experiences in either Individual leaning cultures vs Collectivist cultures.
Q: What do you mean?
Me: A 🧵. . .
(1)
First let me define my terms: Individualistic Culture &
Collectivistic Culture
Individualistic Culture – A laxly associated network where personal comfort, desires, interests, and preferences have greater emphasis and priority over those of larger communities or groups.
(2)
Collectivistic Culture – A loyally connected interpersonal environment where the interests and well-being of the overall group are given emphasis and priority over individual desires and interests.
Now, how these relate to American Protestantism teases out my thought.
(3)
Abusers in the church master the Art of Projection.
They refuse to confess their sins & toxic destructive behavior patterns directly. Yet, they directly accuse their victims of the sins & toxic destructive behavior patterns they personally have committed towards their victims.
The longer Abusers have been inside church culture they have become fluent in their use of Christian clichés when they are pressed to be held accountable.
Clichés such as: "Love does not keep score", "I don't hear any grace when you talk to me", "You can't judge my motives".
Abusers in the church are disciplined in keeping their tone pleasant & soft when they speak to others in order to hide their patterns of aggression and harm towards their victims. They know non-victims will step up and say "I've never heard them talk this way towards me".
Abusers in the church win the loyalty of the friends of their victims. So, in private they can discredit their victims so well the friends of the victims believe the abuser & fail to check on victims!
Their lies go unchecked. 🤦🏾
(2) Abuse in the church is not a one way street it is a multilane freeway w/ the following lanes:
Leaders to Leaders, Members, Minors, & Pastors
Pastors to Leaders, Members, Minors, & Pastors
Members to Leaders, Members, Minors & Pastors
Visitors & Online Folks to all the above
(3) Abusers master the Art of Projection. They refuse to confess their sins & toxic destructive behavior patterns directly.
Yet, they directly accuse their victims of the sins & toxic destructive behavior patterns they personally have committed towards their victims.