“Lord, why?! Is anyone fit to lead us? Is anyone trustworthy? How does someone preach on something so beautiful while living a double life? Was he for real? What is real, Lord? Who is real?”
The emphasis on the ones in the pew. This is where the church leaders and school institutions of these churches have tossed their weight and wealth around. They say “trust us....the money will be there...don’t lose your love for this(don’t doubt your ‘Mother’, the one to whom God gave you)”
All the while the burden falls more and more on the one’s that “trickles down to be served” to shoulder.
“The Old Guard” likes silence from the pew. “The Old Guard” doesn’t want the pew to test and converse over Scripture and work out their own salvation with fear and trembling. “The Old Guard” will tell the pew what to believe under all the politics and impostering. All the pew has to do is say “yes” and continue to put on the mask hiding their fear and continue stuffing down their desire to do better, to live better, to worship better.
Thank you for this conversation. Thank you being one of us and continuing to use that to help those in the pew, but also for the ones coming to serve. The ones who genuinely and authentically want to live and breathe Christ into the pew without the politics and weight of their credentials. ❤️
For 33+ years I served as the pastor of a small urban church, just west of Chicago. Always in the shadow of Willow and Harvest. Often beating myself over the head at my inability to see church growth (church growth theory is what we were taught at TEDS, way back when). Why couldn't I be a "leader" like the speakers at the pastors conferences? Am I really a pastor!
What kept me going was the very clear call i experienced in 10th grade, close colleagues, and Dallas Willard. And then Willow! Then Harvest! And a host of others! Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to serve in my little corner!
The question of whether Weems, as a pastor, should reveal so much resonated with me. A recurring resistance to my speaking and writing is from people who think a judge should not admit to a mental health diagnosis. Some warn me I’m opening myself up to attack. Some claim publicly revealing the diagnosis is unethical.
The warnings are valid. The claims it’s unethical are not. In either case, I just keep writing and speaking on it. Got to remove the stigma against mental illness and good health care somehow.
I’m glad Weems resisted the naysayers as well. I bet there were a few who told her the book would be better left unwritten, or at least watered down. Good for her, her agent, and her publisher for bringing the book to life.
And good for you, Aimee, for continuing to run the race. A lot of people would have given up long ago. You’re resilient, and you have the scars to prove it.
”The warnings are valid. The claims it’s unethical are not. In either case, I just keep writing and speaking on it. Got to remove the stigma against mental illness and good health care somehow.”
So important. I both have friends that suffer from mental health issues and I also work with young people young adults supporting them to be more self reliance. I often find that my clients and my friends in this situation recognises that I am not a stranger to anxiety, depression and the likes. Then I get told that the find it easier to connect with me, because of this. It can be easier to take advice or find some support in people that have a somewhat alike experience. Of course, I am not bringing my rawest, freshest unhealed experience to the table in this context. But me, the social worker becomes human and not an ubermensch, often very helpful.
An interesting picture choice. Like all little houses tucked away under a trench coat. Personas tucked in there to display for the right occasion. “Shall I show the red house today? Perhaps the mid-century modern.”
What house am I being sold today?
In it all, God speaks most about my own heart...
That self-reflection and “finding a pew” as you put it, is the pupil’s stance. “What will I learns about myself today?”
How might I be drawn closer to Him through it all. I wonder.
Amen! Thank you for this. So much to comment on. I don’t think anything is supposed to “trickle down”: those who are gifted and ordained to teach and to manage our churches are not above us, they are among us. They are supposed to be “washing our feet,” not setting themselves up as mini-gods whom we’re supposed to admire as God’s “special” people (Matthew 20:25-28). The trappings of the world—credentials, accolades, etc.—are just that. A degree from a seminary doesn’t guarantee good knowledge, and professional time supposedly dedicated to spiritual things may very well be spent hustling, manipulating, and oppressing, in the guise of doing “the Lord’s work.” (1 Cor. 8:1-3, 1 Samuel 16:7, Matthew 23)
I left a church unfortunately pastored by an imposter, and my experience was crushing. But I’ve emerged so much freer, wiser, happier, and grounded in truth. I no longer have to try and go along with a pretense. The fact that this situation was and is real has been incredibly hard to come to terms with, but I’ve realized that it shouldn’t be—we’ve been warned! (2 Cor. 11:12-15, Matt. 7:21-23, Titus 1, 2 Timothy 3:1-8, etc.)
I recently found out that a pastor I trusted has a long established history of disguising behavior… I knew of one instance and thought it was a one-off event and that he was repentant. This man helped me when I was deconstructing, when I had once again been burned by a church. All the while, he was engaged in behavior that would make a pervert blush. May God have mercy on his soul and bring him to true repentance. And then may God bless him and keep him… far away from me!
When, in years gone by, Liam Goligher had privately told me, “You are doing good work,” I had felt encouraged by his praise. Now I feel disgusted. And betrayed.
In years gone by, I had thought of Goligher as a cyber friend and ally. Court dockets now show that he was living double life.
In the past I have publicised Liam Goligher’s sermon series about Esther. I have also praised him for publicly stating that domestic abuse is grounds for divorce. He has been much admired for publicly denouncing ESS (Eternal Subordination of the Son) as an unorthodox doctrine. I honoured him for doing that.
I will now have to put caveats and warnings on all my blog posts that feature Liam Goligher. More work for my already exhausted nervous system. I am angry at Goligher for causing me all this work.
I am furious that he hid his sin from the church for so long.
I’ve written about this at my blog. At my blog post (in the comments) I’ve been sharing some of what Karen Walters has said about Liam . Karen says that in her time at Tenth Presbyterian, she expressed many concerns she had about Liam and the elders, and she was blown off.
I love the thought of staying true to one's vocation, no matter what. Too many churches and Christians, myself included sometimes, have fallen into the cultural trap of evaluating their success based on numbers, followers, budgets, buildings - all the worldly manifestations of "success." God defines success very differently.
“Lord, why?! Is anyone fit to lead us? Is anyone trustworthy? How does someone preach on something so beautiful while living a double life? Was he for real? What is real, Lord? Who is real?”
The emphasis on the ones in the pew. This is where the church leaders and school institutions of these churches have tossed their weight and wealth around. They say “trust us....the money will be there...don’t lose your love for this(don’t doubt your ‘Mother’, the one to whom God gave you)”
All the while the burden falls more and more on the one’s that “trickles down to be served” to shoulder.
“The Old Guard” likes silence from the pew. “The Old Guard” doesn’t want the pew to test and converse over Scripture and work out their own salvation with fear and trembling. “The Old Guard” will tell the pew what to believe under all the politics and impostering. All the pew has to do is say “yes” and continue to put on the mask hiding their fear and continue stuffing down their desire to do better, to live better, to worship better.
Thank you for this conversation. Thank you being one of us and continuing to use that to help those in the pew, but also for the ones coming to serve. The ones who genuinely and authentically want to live and breathe Christ into the pew without the politics and weight of their credentials. ❤️
We do need to recover a priesthood of all believers and what that looks like in church.
For 33+ years I served as the pastor of a small urban church, just west of Chicago. Always in the shadow of Willow and Harvest. Often beating myself over the head at my inability to see church growth (church growth theory is what we were taught at TEDS, way back when). Why couldn't I be a "leader" like the speakers at the pastors conferences? Am I really a pastor!
What kept me going was the very clear call i experienced in 10th grade, close colleagues, and Dallas Willard. And then Willow! Then Harvest! And a host of others! Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to serve in my little corner!
Thank you for sharing this, David.
Yes, yes. Thanks for the reminder to look in the mirror and be sure the face staring back is truly our own.
The question of whether Weems, as a pastor, should reveal so much resonated with me. A recurring resistance to my speaking and writing is from people who think a judge should not admit to a mental health diagnosis. Some warn me I’m opening myself up to attack. Some claim publicly revealing the diagnosis is unethical.
The warnings are valid. The claims it’s unethical are not. In either case, I just keep writing and speaking on it. Got to remove the stigma against mental illness and good health care somehow.
I’m glad Weems resisted the naysayers as well. I bet there were a few who told her the book would be better left unwritten, or at least watered down. Good for her, her agent, and her publisher for bringing the book to life.
And good for you, Aimee, for continuing to run the race. A lot of people would have given up long ago. You’re resilient, and you have the scars to prove it.
Yes! Weems did for pastors what you did for judges with your book, Tim. And of course, so many more.
”The warnings are valid. The claims it’s unethical are not. In either case, I just keep writing and speaking on it. Got to remove the stigma against mental illness and good health care somehow.”
So important. I both have friends that suffer from mental health issues and I also work with young people young adults supporting them to be more self reliance. I often find that my clients and my friends in this situation recognises that I am not a stranger to anxiety, depression and the likes. Then I get told that the find it easier to connect with me, because of this. It can be easier to take advice or find some support in people that have a somewhat alike experience. Of course, I am not bringing my rawest, freshest unhealed experience to the table in this context. But me, the social worker becomes human and not an ubermensch, often very helpful.
Yes, it humanizes us and opens the door for others to share and connect.
Oh yes! That is so much more important than "keeping up the apperances".
An interesting picture choice. Like all little houses tucked away under a trench coat. Personas tucked in there to display for the right occasion. “Shall I show the red house today? Perhaps the mid-century modern.”
What house am I being sold today?
In it all, God speaks most about my own heart...
That self-reflection and “finding a pew” as you put it, is the pupil’s stance. “What will I learns about myself today?”
How might I be drawn closer to Him through it all. I wonder.
Yes, that image is so curious for me. So many metaphors can be pulled from it! What's living in the cracks?
Maybe being okay with being human is the most Christ-like thing one can do.
Amen! Thank you for this. So much to comment on. I don’t think anything is supposed to “trickle down”: those who are gifted and ordained to teach and to manage our churches are not above us, they are among us. They are supposed to be “washing our feet,” not setting themselves up as mini-gods whom we’re supposed to admire as God’s “special” people (Matthew 20:25-28). The trappings of the world—credentials, accolades, etc.—are just that. A degree from a seminary doesn’t guarantee good knowledge, and professional time supposedly dedicated to spiritual things may very well be spent hustling, manipulating, and oppressing, in the guise of doing “the Lord’s work.” (1 Cor. 8:1-3, 1 Samuel 16:7, Matthew 23)
I left a church unfortunately pastored by an imposter, and my experience was crushing. But I’ve emerged so much freer, wiser, happier, and grounded in truth. I no longer have to try and go along with a pretense. The fact that this situation was and is real has been incredibly hard to come to terms with, but I’ve realized that it shouldn’t be—we’ve been warned! (2 Cor. 11:12-15, Matt. 7:21-23, Titus 1, 2 Timothy 3:1-8, etc.)
Such good points here, Bonnie. Man, I'm sorry for what you've endured in the church.
I recently found out that a pastor I trusted has a long established history of disguising behavior… I knew of one instance and thought it was a one-off event and that he was repentant. This man helped me when I was deconstructing, when I had once again been burned by a church. All the while, he was engaged in behavior that would make a pervert blush. May God have mercy on his soul and bring him to true repentance. And then may God bless him and keep him… far away from me!
This is terrible, Regina, I'm so sorry.
When, in years gone by, Liam Goligher had privately told me, “You are doing good work,” I had felt encouraged by his praise. Now I feel disgusted. And betrayed.
In years gone by, I had thought of Goligher as a cyber friend and ally. Court dockets now show that he was living double life.
In the past I have publicised Liam Goligher’s sermon series about Esther. I have also praised him for publicly stating that domestic abuse is grounds for divorce. He has been much admired for publicly denouncing ESS (Eternal Subordination of the Son) as an unorthodox doctrine. I honoured him for doing that.
I will now have to put caveats and warnings on all my blog posts that feature Liam Goligher. More work for my already exhausted nervous system. I am angry at Goligher for causing me all this work.
I am furious that he hid his sin from the church for so long.
I’ve written about this at my blog. At my blog post (in the comments) I’ve been sharing some of what Karen Walters has said about Liam . Karen says that in her time at Tenth Presbyterian, she expressed many concerns she had about Liam and the elders, and she was blown off.
Aimee, I hope you don’t mind me sharing the link to my blog post here. https://cryingoutforjustice.blog/2023/12/13/liam-goligher-turns-out-to-be-a-wolf-in-shepherds-clothing/
My mistake: it’s Karen Walton, not Karen Walters.
I love the thought of staying true to one's vocation, no matter what. Too many churches and Christians, myself included sometimes, have fallen into the cultural trap of evaluating their success based on numbers, followers, budgets, buildings - all the worldly manifestations of "success." God defines success very differently.