If you find yourself thinking, "how can we identify potential abusers in our church",

Below is a 🧵identifying behavior patterns from abusers (not just pastors) I've observed over the last 14 1/2 years of pastoral ministry:

(1) Abusers master the Art of Projection.

https://twitter.com/da_horton/status/1529111371886891008

(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.

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(4) Now that the SAFT report is out, the shift away from all the anti’s in (3) have been replaced by pietist statements per sexual abuse

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).

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 🛑

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)

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".

For the Past 14 Years I’ve processed this:

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

THREAD: On the claim @drjjwilliams is one of the "most forceful voices for CRT and intersectionality in the SBC."
For the past few days, I noticed @SovMichael tweeting meme's with quotes from him & reached out to get context regarding what I saw. Mr. O’Fallon said…

(1) it was from an article Dr. Williams wrote (bit.ly/2RiJzDA).

At the top, I noticed a disclaimer "authors note" refuting his claim, to which Mr. O'Fallon said it was posted after his podcast aired. O'Fallon interpreted this act as Dr. Williams covering his tracks.

(2)

Thread: A Better Pathway Forward for the SBC & Critical Race Theory, Evangelism, & Discipleship

Since @edstetzer & @CTmagazine blessed me with an opportunity to give a Missiological assessment of CRT, I've had solid conversations with many about the SBC/CRT issue.

(1) Central has been the question "how do we move forward?" Here is one thought I've shared a lot over the weekend:

I think our best way forward begins with a Task Force (TF) of SBC professors/scholars dedicated to doing a robust mixed-method research project.

Hear me out...

(2)

Thank you for your patience @Ptr_StephenFein 🙏🏾

I’m not fully aware of the exchange regarding the Res. 9 Committee, floor comments, etc. Any links you can share will help me become aware of the context of this portion of your question.

Per a better way for SBC & CRT...

(1)

https://twitter.com/Ptr_StephenFein/status/1370430037833388042

I think a motion to develop a task force, w/ convention approval, that shares bi-monthly updates to our new Prez & EC about it's progress on a mixed-methods research project surveying SBC pastors/messengers, & delivering the final report at the 2022 Convention is best.

(2)

I'd like to share some answers about the work of #EthnicConciliation (EC) in the USA Church per FAQ's I receive.

#1 - Although there are some similarities between the two, #EthnicConciliation is not the same take as the more widely known term "racial reconciliation".

(1) #2 - #EthnicConciliation addresses both "racial" & "reconciliation". "Racial" = more than one race, which isn't supported in Scripture. "Reconciliation" implies conciliation in America between the ethnicities (or nations) en masse has already taken place, when it never has.

(2)

You'll always win if you change the rules when you're losing. It then becomes natural to assume God's favor is on you b/c your "winning record" is evidence of His will. For decades Evangelical Conservatives (EC's) have told us "justice" must be Biblical, not social.

1/ Biblical = aligned with God's righteousness not pursuing human rights. We were told don't protest, trust the system, & leave it in God's hands. If we didn't comply, we were called: Communists, Critical Race Theorists, Heretics, Liberals, Social Justice Warriors, et al.

2/

A Missiological word on Critical Race Theory from an Evangélico to American Evangelicals (Pt 4):

To me CRT is an available tool a Christian missiologist can use when performing cultural exegesis, to provide missionaries with insights on how to integrate faith & work.

1/ Ashford says culture = products humans produce when they interact with each other & God’s creation (Every Square Inch by Bruce Ashford).

Morgan/Peterson say exegesis = careful study of passages, foundation of all good theology, & includes historic & literary context of

2/

The SBC is headed for an unnecessary "civil war", all in the name of a pseudo-conservative resurgence. In the meantime, baptisms are down. For those outside or inside the SBC who are not aware of the Conservative resurgence please read this book (amzn.to/3pkKaAg)

1/ The Conservative resurgence sought to purge the SBC of legit liberalism (but still had blindspots w/ sins of its leaders). The book (in post 1) explains how the "SBC" works, & the process of leadership position appointments produce transformation inside the convention.

2/

On Dec 8 my mother-in-law Norma Cisneros went home to be with our Lord. It’s taken time to process this yet, it still seems surreal. I met Norma on a Saturday morning in August 1989, the same day I met my future wife @ea_horton!

Elicia’s family and my mom @hortonNana were grouped together for evangelism in the Roanoke & West Bluff housing projects on KC’s Westside.

Christians in America should read the works of C. René Padilla, Samuel Escobar, Orlando Costas, & "A Gospel for the Poor" by @dc_kirkpatrick.

Those who are making Critical Race Theory a test of Orthodoxy are following suit with what Latina/o Evangélicos faced in the 60's-80's North American/British Conservatives, organizations, & missions agencies turned the fight regarding "Inerrancy" (a fight w/ modernism) against their own brothers & sisters in Latin America (IFES Papers '1972).

Reflecting on the Cochabamba Declaration (of the FTL) Escobar said...

A Missiological word on Critical Race Theory from an Evangélico to American Evangelicals (Pt 2):

The history of American Evangelicalism is riddled with fighting & fractions. Evidence for this is seen in the history of the denominations. In the 2020 Evangelical landscape

(1) "Liberal", “Social Gospel”, "Marxist" are applied to those who not only embrace CRT but also Christians who Evangelicals label proponents of it. To understand the use of these terms’ history can't be neglected.

Fundamentalism was the Evangelical response to Liberalism.

(2)

I want to publicly say express thanks to mi Padre who loved me & made deposits of Spiritual Capital in my heart when I didn’t realize it. Pero, I’m 40 yrs old y soy padre de tres hijos, in retrospect I now recognize more frequent deposits of Spiritual Capital mi Padre made than ever before.

A Missiological word on Critical Race Theory from an Evangélico to American Evangelicals (Pt 1):

Evangelicals can’t begin to process the battle we’re (self included) entrenched in if we don’t first look through the corridors of history to track how we got here.

(1/12) 18th Century: At one time Evangelicals were known for centering the Bible, the Crucifixion, Conversionism, & Social activism (see Bebbington). All the while at-large turning a blind eye to the sin of greed, chattel slavery, & the sin of partiality based on skin (racism).

(2/12)

As an Evangélico, I want to share a common pattern I've encountered inside of Evangelicalism the past couple decades to help provide insight for those engaged in fruitless online debates:

Step 1 - Make a hyperbolic claim about a specific person (or designated group).

(1/7) Step 2 - When asked to provide evidence in support of said claim either:

(a) provide generalized anecdote(s)

(b) backpedal away from the specific person/group initially called out & shrewdly pivot to a broader group

(c) share a YouTube link

(d) all the above

(2/7)

#SuicidePrevention Post:

This picture was taken during a time where severe depression, anxiety, & suicidal ideations were in my mind & heart non-stop.

I took this picture with my son Duce to remind me of the pain of abandonment my wife & kids would bear if I took my life. A few years beforehand I opened up about my battles to people I trusted. Some didn’t understand, how I, a pastor and preacher of the Gospel could have such struggles. This inability to understand was no fault of theirs. I didn’t even understand my own struggles.