There is a verse from the Psalms which used to haunt me as a child. It is about the terrible experience of being betrayed by someone close to you. The Psalmist is in a situation of conflict and he says that he could bear it if it was an enemy responsible for putting him through pain and insult. ‘But’ he goes on to say, ‘it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship…’ Ps. 55.13-14. The whole psalm is a gloomy one, full of indignation at the terrible behaviour of the Psalmist’s ‘enemies’. It is also a prayer that God will protect the Psalmist from these attacks and allow him to escape to a far away place.
The connection that I want to make between this psalm verse and something we might experience now is not to compare it with a falling out with a friend, however much this may happen. I wish rather to compare it with an experience known to many Christians who, for whatever reason, want to leave the Christian fellowship of which they have been faithful members. Certain conservative Christian groups will close ranks totally in this situation, shun the individual leaver and make them feel as though they had never existed. As long as the member remained in the ‘fold’, they were lavished with affection, attention and Christian love. But then a situation arises which might involve a sense of growing unease with the integrity of the leaders. The individual member realises that they have to question what they have been taught and make plans to withdraw from the community. The so-called friends, the former sharers of fellowship and love, are then nowhere to be seen. No recognition of the pain and sense of isolation is afforded to the leaver nor any kind of understanding. All that remains is an emptiness and cold rejection.
When I was researching my book, Ungodly Fear, I met a couple who described the raw pain of rejection when they left their church. They told me that people would cross over to the other side of the road when they saw them coming. It took quite a long time for this couple to accept that Christian fellowship was not in fact about earning love. There are Christians out there, I wanted to explain, who were prepared to love them without making conditions. Families, at any rate good ones, are bound together with bonds of affection that are unconditional. Love and fellowship are not things that are turned on and off according to our behaviour. While there are actions that can crack relationships, every Christian is, or should be, committed to the idea that the bonds of peace should be fought for. The idea that we can turn from love to hate in the flash of an eye because someone does not conform totally to the will of the leader or group, is appalling.
Why do some Christians behave in this way? From a psychological point of view I think the answer is not hard to find. The Christianity that they have embraced is the black/white variety. They have allowed themselves to believe that they have the unadulterated truth, the correct interpretation of the Bible and the perfect version of Church life and fellowship. Overseeing this ‘perfect’ environment is a leader who has their complete loyalty. In this universe there is no room for discussion or debate. The answers are all there in the Scriptures and the leader can always be trusted to provide the answer as to ‘what we think’. The black/white mentality does not allow for compromise or questioning and so everyone who has doubts has to be rejected forthwith. Doubts undermine the perfect oasis of truth that they have had created for themselves. Any doubts expressed by others are taken as a personal attack and have to be fought off. A single doubt about the perfection of Scripture also has to be fiercely driven away and the best way to drive away doubt is to utterly scorn and reject the individual. Thus the love that binds this kind of paranoid Church is one which is conditional. Unless you believe in the way we tell you and follow the dictates of our group, we will reject you and cast you out.
Christian betrayal, in simple terms, is the discovery that the fellowship and love that one had enjoyed up till that point had always been conditional. It was what we can call cultic love. Cultic love, wherever it is found, is the sort of love that will be instantly withdrawn the moment one questions or in any way rocks the boat in the group. This instant change of attitude leads to pain and a sense of total bewilderment. How can people who had shown real love and understanding one moment then turn around and push one away? Many people never recover their ability to enter Christian fellowship again. They have been too severely hurt.
Out in society there are numberless people who have been through this experience of Christian betrayal. We don’t know how many because they seldom come to the attention of church members. But at least let us be aware of them and when we meet them be able to show some understanding of their sense of having been let down. This blog has all such people very much in its sights. The material in the posts and in our discussions are designed to help such people. While few are reading it at this point, one hopes that the material will eventually be read by some of them and that they may come to know that Christian love is not conditional but unconditional as it pours out from God and from those who worship him.
Yes! Stephen is talking about all my yesterdays and the yesterdays of all those who travelled with me. I knew hundreds of those ‘leaders’ who articulated this conditional love. The damage is beyond measure. An unknown number is now out there wandering in the wilderness. They were betrayed. I remain bewildered in the wilderness, but at least the wilderness doesn’t make promises or lie to you!
Chris
I remain apalled at ‘Christian Betrayal’, despite knowing what Stephen says is true. I spend my life trying to encourage people to see my Church as loving, inclusive and compassionate. I fail to understand how anyone could interpret Jesus’ teaching any other way. And yet I keep bumping into high profile examples where the opposite applies. The Church spends a lot of time and energy ‘evangelising’ (sorry if even the idea of that makes you wince, Chris). What we ought to be spending our time doing instead, is to ensure that we are correctly sharing Jesus’s values. I still believe (or do I mean hope?) that there are many churches where good is being done and Jesus’s values genuinely reflected, but those who don’t have an effect totally out of proportion to their number. The effect of what they’re doing leaves scars that don’t always heal. It’s dreadful, but we have to look in the mirror. If we can’t see the beams in our own eyes, we don’t deserve to remain in existence. All of us in the Church owe you the deepest apology, Chris.
Thank you James, I still suffer from self hate in relation to the personality disorder that infected me post shepherding etc. However, I always knew something was wrong (Some inner witness?). So I am culpable, I betrayed the Jesus of history, no one to blame but me! The people who programed me were also products of abusive theaters. All I want, all I hope for, is for a genuine turn of heart in the established church’s and a real look at what it has allowed in and normalized?
Chris
You shouldn’t blame yourself, Chris. It’s the classic abuser’s trick, to try to make us seem to be responsible for the abuse. It’s the abuser who is to blame for abuse, not the victim.
Thank you Stephen I have had abhorent betrayal within the walls of the church today it happened to me again. I was being ministered to by my pastor wife and confiding in her what has been happening in my marraige to the point at in the thick of a battle with my husband I called on her with the hope of advice on how to handle being kicked out of home again and even stipulated that my husband would become enraged that I shared with her. She decided that I am a little bit silly and called him to find out. He, of course, denied anything happened and then I was called into the church for ‘discipline’ because I lied. I am completely guttered that this has again happened to me and that my asking for help has been because they sense ‘a demonic presence’ in me. How terrible is that! Where is the confidence and trust, the wrath Ive received from my hushand for sharing the state of our marriage has been more than I can bare. I reached out for help hoping that I could gain support and strength during difficult times but I was handed over to the wolves. Im devestated that I have now no trust in my church that the relationships I worked on for years were completely a waste of time. I literally fell apart in front of her today; and as broken as she knows I was she watched me drive away and i havent had any further contact to even see how I am. Or an apology for accusing me of lying.
I will follow your blog in the hope to have some peace that others have also suffered as awful as that sounds at least im not alone in this. I will continue to be aiming to be like CHRIST and not the CHURCH as it stands today.
Maria; I have one statement to make concerning
confiding in anyone in leadership in a church…..
DON’T DO IT!! I have found that they are the FIRST
ones that will quickly divulge your private information
to anyone else on staff for the “sake of praying”
for you. Even if you ask them NOT to tell anyone because
you simply need advice and counseling and you
don’t want it getting around the church. They will tell
you it’s between you and them and then they’ll tell
their wife (or husband), the church secretary, or
anyone else around so they too can “pray for
the situation”. I was a counselor in a Christian-
based crisis pregnancy
center and the most important thing we needed was
the ability to keep a clients confidence. It bothers me
that people betray that so readily, even in, or maybe
especially in, the churches of today. I’m not talking
about a need to tell when someone is in a life or
death situation. I’m not talking about reporting abuse
or molestation of children, or things like that, to the
proper authorities. I’m talking about someone bearing
their hearts to us and we promise them we won’t tell
and then we tell the first person we see. It’s shameful!
Unless we have someone’s express permission to
share information with someone else we must SHUT
UP!! I’ve even had someone in leadership not only
NOT keep my confidence but even add to it and make
it out to be something much worse than it was. I think
he did it to cover up the fact that he knew he was wrong in
sharing our private conversation, and somehow to
justify what he had done.I’m also aware of a case in my
former church where my friend went to them and told them
her husband was being mentally and verbally abusive to
her, and her husband, who was there every time the church
doors opened, was able to convince them that she was
the problem. I saw proof of the abuse in some very valuable
things that he had destroyed that were given to her by
her deceased mother….the only things in the world she had
from her mother. He did it because he “thought” she MIGHT
have flirted with another man, all because she left to go
to the store without telling him first. They’ve since divorced
but that man is still in that church and enjoying the favor
of the leadership like nothing has ever happened!
They will more than likely defend the abuser over the abused.
The abuser is more adept at covering up his actions and
more talented at lying than the victim in most cases.
Maria, You are not alone. There are hundreds of people just like us!
The hardest thing to do is to see beyond the theatrical make up of these religious theatres, that dare to call themselves ‘church’s’. I don’t know where God is anymore, all I can say is he ant in those places! Hope this helps. Peace & Love. Chris Pitts
Maria. Thank you for sharing part of your story. I detect that behind the appalling unprofessional account othe pastor’s wife behaviour is a belief in the inferiority of women, based on a reading of certain verses from St Paul. Twenty first century ideas of the mutuality of the sexes have no part in this mediaeval world view which is claimed to be biblical. There is a blog post on mysoginy which you may find helpful. Please be very careful who you trust with personal information. The wolves, as Chris calls them, may quickly turn around and try to destroy all in the name of biblical truth. To summarise a lot of what I am saying through this blog, Jesus never used texts or authority to turn round and desire to destroy people in the name of God. Too many of his so-called followers seem to think it is OK to do this. It is evil, unethical and completely turning the message of Jesus upside down. Also I have written about the issue of demons. Be very, very wary when fervent Christians start to detect devils and Satan. Most of the time they are playing a power game and using the weapon of fear to further their perverse ends. I know it is dfifficult to distinguish between good and evil among Christians when they play these games. Just don’t assume that anyone who calls themselves a Christian is such, until they have proved it. By their fruits shall you know them. Bible text quoting does not constitute showing Christian fruit.
Thanks Stephen, Yes, seeing God where He is not. Elijah found out that God was not in the ‘Mighty Wind’. (1 Kings19 :11). Authoritarian religious theatres claim the mighty wind of power but, the absence of Love is just noise (1 Corinthians : 13: 1 ). I sincerely hope Maria can find some comfort in these words.
Chris
Maria, sometimes it is right to just leave. I know it isn’t easy. Jobs and so on. But think about it. The other possibility might be to ask another church to help you. The Episcopalian church maybe? Anglicans do these things, too. Believe me I know. But they may be less extreme than the church you need to get away from. I’ll pray for you.
Maria and one and all.
Permission, go for it. Maria take public to J. Lee Grady of Charisma Magazine, Rick Ross Institute, Dr. James Dobson and H.B. London Jr., of Focus on the Family, Christianity Today, please report your grievance to spiritualsoundingboard.com/org, please report your pastor’s wife and whom ever to be named in blog please. Wonder how many other people this evil “void and without God” definition of evil they have done this to. 2004 Told over 350 plus, Church Leadership Heads; if they did anything like this to people names were going to get named and going public. Had women leaving churches and killing themselves because of wrong advice and no help and situations like you expressed. How much is the 10 Lies The Church Tells Women and 10 Lies Men Believe based on your Church and it’s leadership?
I to am an abused victim of the church I went to for twenty years or more .. we paid tithes . about weekly.. we loved the people … I needed my church family to pray for me .. I was dealing with the occult in neighborhood and at work with in the last year and a half.. it is so so bad .. the church did pray for me at there prayer meetings.. on wensday night prayer group met. every week I needed prayer .. THis was a huge deal with me.. because I was A christian demons couldn’t attack me well I soon knew people on the church thought I was koo koo I said to my care Pastor I know people on the church think I am koo koo he said you focus on the devil to much I was so schoked he agreed with them .. I was not making any of this up .. my lead Pastor never talked to me about … this he knew everything I was dealing with the pastor never offered help for me Than I was betrayed by my so called christian friend came to fine out she is a witch she used me abused me emotional spiritual and fineanical she caused all kinds of fights between my husband and me…. I do know the church is falling from within there is a lot of polotics today in church … if you are in ministry you are better treated I went to & churches they all have the occult in leadership my old church leadeship from a pastor all down in the worship and music department to teachers … I as of now have only one friend who is a true christian this Passed week end .. I was betrayed again christian she is in the occult . .. I been used as if I am A nobody found out she is a witch to … I confronted her of course she said everything I wanted to hear like how she loves me and helped me yes what she did was she seduced me to gain a foot hold.. what is the church sleeping .. we are in the last of the last days… when you can’t trust a christian friend.. god help us Jesus never turned anyone away the christian love has waxed cold.. you can’t talk out of boths sides of your mouth .. carnal fleshly fuzzy wussy love .. so I stay home I am contend …I have to find my own way Jesus and me I am very sad sad how the church is all about itching ears pep talk messages motivated feel good what you want to hear…the days are surely evil lift up your head you redepmetion drawths niegh
Darelen. Thank you for sharing with us your experiences. It is hard for me to interpret everything that has been going on for you without meeting you. My experience is that it is important to be extremely careful before we find demons in a situation. Demons may sometimes be real but they may also be the projection of the unconscious in to a group. When I used to function as someone who did ‘spiritual deliverance’, I would first of try to evoke calm and peace in the situation before listening very carefully. All too often I was discovering, not demons, but chaotic mental processes which somehow got more powerful because they were being shared in the group. As the outsider to the dynamic I was normally able through simple prayers to calm the situation right down. It is always best to start with the human angle and then invoke the spiritual one when it become necessary. Please seek out someone who understands the language of demons but who also understands the human processes that make ‘demonic’ happenings appear. The environment you are describing makes it difficult for you to find the right advice at the moment. God bless you in your journey to find the security and strength you need.
stephen all my doctors know what i have been dealing with. They have been withme for 20 years or more I am on meds.. meds. will not take care of the spiritual problem I am dealing with… I need a church who will help me not rebuke me …. this is relly deep all I went thru. still gone thru… My doctors don’t want me to work because I get attack in the work place big time by the occult… IT is time for the church wake up .. the occult is in leadership … I went to 7 churches in my area most churches have a welcome center to meet with the pastors they knew me and I knew them the occult is in all seven churches… I know there is no perfect churches …. The local churches are getting involed in new age big time you are serveing another Jesus the bible is clear not to worship other gods we serve a jealous God …we are to worship the lord God and him only not our fleshly desires…In one church the pastor was praying for me then someone put their hand on my upper right arm when it was over I knew that was demonic … I didn.t ask any one to lay hands on me because I know there are witches and the occult in the churches today big time … that is what happen leaving that church I felt the demonic on my arm… it actually hurt for some time… Sttephen hope fully this is helpful to you … living in the last of the last days there is a falling awy started from the true church only Jesus saves only one way to the father is thur the son……. only one way to God all other ways is another Jesus.. I pray the Lord opens the peoples eyes to people who under this other Jesus …. read the whole bible don’t just believe everything you hear.. the devil goes to church to he is the great deciever of the brothernd waringKnow the JESUS OF THE BIBLE you can slowly get sucked in to another Jesus…. Darlene
Darlene, Stephen’s right. We need the right combination of good spiritual support, counselling (someone to talk to, basically) and some help with things like not sleeping well, where medical assistance may be necessary. You do sound as if you need a new church. But we’re not there. So it’s difficult. I’ll add you to my prayer list. Try not to let the devil frighten you. Remember he is already defeated. All the best.
EnglishAyhe yes I am well aware of medical.conditions I am on some meds.. they will not help me with the spiritual situations condtion I am in with the occult this is demonnic they hear everything I do in my house.. they want me Isolated they hate the Jesus in me… friends who say they are christian.. used me and abused me spiritualy mental fineanical .. I have one friend .. she it the real christian the church is falling away from the whole bible .. I know there is no perfect church… for someone to use me when I am down and out …the christians they kick me down and through me under the bus .. people who said to me God put us together this is a God thing…people from my church for 20 years or more… I went to 7 other churches who are in wolves clothing.. a persons words to day aren’t true … satan runs most churches to day …. the witchcraft and the occult new age bid time is in the church so who do I trust.. Most good churches that use to be good and true …are no longer the falling away from the true bible today when the occult is in all 7 churches I went that is bad.. God help us .. prayer meetings have now gone by the way side …true christian fellowship is slipping a way … this all is so so sad .. I at times feel like Job … I am gone to live because he to lives… This world is not my home…alot of the world is in the church to day keep up with the jones the church is pittiful … read mt.. 24 we are living it yes I really really care what the churches are doing sad when your pastor rebukes you and the other pastor saids I am koo koo sad Jesus never turned anybody away .. we are to do unto others as you would have them do unto you the ten commandments thou shall have no other Gods beforeme so this is a very hurtful time in my life … Darlene
Dear Darlene
the situation in many churches is indeed very sad. There are leaders who do not appear to care. However there are a few churches
around where the Bible is faithfully preached and the leaders desire sincerely to follow God. Pray and ask God to lead you there. However my attitude id that there is no perfect church . I attend church to worship God and to do what i can to help people there. I expect very little from people these days. I however believe that God can do te impossible and transform lives.
Lost Christian just found by my Lord God after 40 years.Now on right path in life have been tasked with his vision of life in Northern England.New ways of living and North going independent. Need Christian advice and absolute confidentiality.Face to face meeting only,so I know I can trust you and advice is true and honest.Full story at meeting.
If you wish to be in touch, please email me at parsvic2@gmail.com This will enable us to decide what is the best way to proceed. Stephen