1 Timothy 1:3-6 As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, (4) nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. (5) The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (6) Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion,
I am now compelled, though reluctantly and with sorrow, to make a public statement about my relationship to the blog ministry A Cry for Justice, which is registered to and operated by Barbara Roberts. I need to make it very clear that I resigned from ACFJ last year (Oct 2017). Over 700 of my sermons and articles remain online there, but please understand that I am not a part of ACFJ and more importantly, that I do not endorse the direction it has been going for some time now. [My first book, A Cry for Justice: How the Evil of Domestic Abuse Hides in Your Church, still bears that title. But that is not to be construed that I am still connected in any way with the ACFJ blog which I originally started some years ago].
Readers should also be aware that TWBTC (the woman behind the curtain) who has so faithfully worked behind the scenes at ACFJ for several years has also recently resigned from there. Her reasons for doing so are the same – ACFJ is no longer fulfilling the mission it was established to pursue. TWBTC told me, “I resigned Sept 6, 2018 as a result of seeing the direction Barb was going and because of other concerns I saw from the backend of the ACFJ blog.”
TWBTC has now joined me at my new blog unholycharade.com where we will be working and writing to carry on the mission that ACFJ was originally to pursue and which the Lord blessed to so many abuse victims.
I have asked Barbara Roberts not to use my name on ACFJ or her Facebook or her Twitter accounts or any other media as I do not want people to conclude that I am supporting and agreeing with her current direction or the content of her posts. I have also asked her not to cite my blog posts as support in articles that she writes or statements that she makes. Several other longtime friends of ACFJ have also spoken to Barbara about the things she is writing and which she is promoting, especially on other social media. (With Rachel’s permission, you will find appended at the end of this post, Rachel Miller’s statement made to Barbara Roberts publicly on the ACFJ facebook page today. Rachel was a longtime friend of ACFJ). To this point, Barbara refuses to heed our pleas.
Victims of abuse (and really no one else) do not need to be directed by anyone in ministry to people who are, frankly at best, mental cases who invent conspiracy theories, insisting that people like Billy Graham, Richard Nixon, Nicole Kidman, and other notables ALL molested them as children. You will find more detail about such claims in Rachel Miller’s statement below.
Something has gone very, very wrong at ACFJ. Please understand then that I do not support it any longer in spite of how often my name may be used there. May the Lord bless us all and empower His true work by His Spirit for His glory and for the rescue of the oppressed and for His justice to be effected upon their oppressors.
Rachel Miller’s Statement:
Hi Barbara, like many of the commentators here, I have appreciated and supported the work you and ACFJ have done for those who’ve been abused.
Recently though, your personal interests and focus have shifted dramatically. You have been sharing and promoting ideas and material from questionable sources.
These include several well-known conspiracy theories: CIA mind control, freemasons, the Rothschild family, the illuminati, satanic ritual abuse that includes eating children and drinking spinal fluid, and a secret organization that has been in control of the world for 5000 years called the Hivites. Also more recent conspiracies such as QAnon, deep state, and pedophile rings run by politicians like Hillary Clinton.
One of your sources, Fiona Barnett claims to have been raped as a child by high profile men such as Nixon and Graham as part of a masonic pedophile ring.
As you said, you are free to do what you wish on your own FB and Twitter accounts. But your new interests and loyalties are affecting your work with AFCJ and for abuse survivors.
For example, you are attempting to connect abuse survivors you have come to you for help with these conspiracy groups. See: https://twitter.com/NotUnderBondage/status/1042976977173377029?s=19 That’s seriously concerning.
What you do on your own time is your own business and while I’m very worried about you personally, I’m even more worried about the weak and vulnerable that you, with your new loyalties, are putting into greater danger.
Those who follow and support ACFJ and especially those who seek help from ACFJ deserve to know what you believe and what you’re doing. This is fundamentally an issue of discernment and trust. You are being guided by these conspiracy theorists and it’s hurting the work you’ve done and are doing for the abused.
Becky
As a long time reader & follower, written guest posts in the early years of ACFJ & periodic comments over the last 6+ years, I,too, have been very concerned about the direction the ACFJ blog has gone under Barbara Robert’s leadership. I totally agree it has lost the focus of the mission of ACFJ & has gone in directions totally contrary to scripture .
Jeff & TWBTC, I know these were tough decisions but God will honor & bless you & your new ministry with Unholy Charade. My prayers for you both will continue as they have for all these years.
nurse
I am so thankful that you posted this. I thank God for people like you. I was lead astray by an abuser, and I don’t ever want to be lead astray again.
(Eds note: Screen name edited for safety)
Forrest
Barbara’s direction was a huge part of my own reasons for no longer following ACFJ. This has been in the pipeline for a number of years.
Z
I had followed ACFJ as an abuse survivor and as a follower first of Pastor Crippen’s posts and sermons.
I had been discerning a shift in not only content and tone from Barb’s posts (angry, but the wrong kind-unhelpful angry) but, more importantly, in her comments to abuse victims who commented on her posts-“baring their souls” with heartbreaking stories to her. Her responses were often so abrubpt, harsh, almost accusatory in tone, condescending, lacking compassion..Often I cringed reading her answers to comments of victims. As an abuse victim, my heart often broke when I read her responses to these victims. More often than not, “schoolmarm-ish” corrections, petty rules quoted over and over that were “broken” in their spacing in the comment, their form of the comment, their using capital letters, that improper spacing>hurt her eyes”.????..while completely ignoring the all-too-real, gut-wrenching stories in those comments from real-life people, the abuse victims she was supposed to be helping. Non-responses to the content! Only to the “rules” and the “form” of the comment. A often superior, harsh, entitled, abrupt condescending tone that would be all too familiar to an abuse victim as the SAME tone used by their abuser on them. It felt so hard-hearted. A trigger for some for sure. That meant harm to some already very hurting victims, so I communicated these observations to her as helpful things to think about.
I said she, of all people, should know that this harshness, “gotcha on a rule you broke”, superior, hard-hearted tone would be a trigger that could harm many victims who’d just spilled their guts to her.
I also noted that while she merely abruptly quoted the rule breaking infractions to victims who’d just told these sad sad stories to her, with no words of compassion, that when commenters praised Barb or complimented her, she was all too gracious and kind and given to longer/more substantive responses to them. All my observations and he things I thought she might look at and reconsider fell on arrogant deaf ears. Completely “unteachable” and puffed up in her responses back to me. Defensive, combative, never considering my points might have some value for the VICTIMS!
I know I said them in a right spirit. Not accusatory but as helpful things to consider on behalf of victims. Nada. Shut me down.
And I didn’t even know then about the conspiracy theory side writings! I just discerned a “not right spirit”, a shift in focus, for some time towards vulnerable, traumatized abuse victims. For whom I will advocate and who I will try to protect from further harm anytime I can. It’s a sad turnabout.
Jeff Crippen
Z- Sad indeed. You have described the spirit there very accurately. I started ACFJ blog back in about 2012 or so simply to let people know about my first book being available. Abuse victims started to comment and the ministry to them grew wonderfully. At that time we had some extremely wicked Pharisee type pastors who liked to threaten lawsuits for slander and libel and so on, so Barbara, who lives in Australia, suggested we put the wordpress blog account in her name rather than mine, as I live in the U.S. Seemed reasonable to me. But in the end that is why it was me who resigned last year. If it were still in my name I would have stayed and dismissed her.
Over this past year she has, exactly as you described, become more and more difficult to correct and has now jumped into the crazy conspiracy/Satanic ritual abuse business. What is going to happen and what has been happening is that the genuine people we want to minister to are leaving and the people who ultimately will be left are the new crowd that Barbara is promoting. And that will make ACFJ an increasingly dangerous place.
I wish I could give my first book a new title!!
Well, the Lord established ACFJ in the first place and it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. The Lord will deal with this at some point. He may even be doing so now as all these things are coming out into the public light.
Z
Amen Pastor! Keep fighting the GOOD fight! Praying for you.
You’ve blessed me and taught me. And I am truly thankful for you.
Em
Actually, you really can change the title of your first book. The possible exception is if you signed a contract with your publisher assigning the copyright to said publisher. You would then need to work with them and it would cost something in order to change it. It’s just a business negotiation between you and the publisher.
If you own the copyright, you can change it any time you want, but again it costs money to re-publish, as I’m sure you know far better than I.
You can also re-title the book and re-publish it with or without updates, and say on the front cover something to indicate it is a new title of a previous book, such as: (Formerly titled: xyz).
I noticed the same issue only this past year on ACFJ, and thought I was missing something. Glad to know it’s not me. The recent article naming Billy Graham really hit me, not in a good way.
I know that language is often imprecise, and we sometimes say things in such a way that it is understood other than what we intended, through no fault of our own but through the imperfection of language and its imperfect understanding or interpretation. Then it can be used, even accurately quoted, to convey meanings we neither meant nor believed. A little compassion and understanding here would go a long way, especially since Billy Graham is no longer available for interviews. Was he a perfect man? Hardly, only Jesus was that, as we know. The growth of Billy Graham’s ministry and self throughout his life, and the massive positive impact for Christ that his preaching had on the world cannot be ignored as if it never amounted to anything at all. Whatever genuine mistakes he made, those, too, were part of his growth. The mistakes that weren’t actually real, but were misunderstood or misconstrued, should surely not condemn a person. Luckily for all of us, none of us is fit to judge, that office belongs to God alone.
Now that I realize I am not imagining things, I will pray for Barbara to “wake up” as it were. I really thought it was just me being overly sensitive or critical…
Thank you Pastor Crippen, I follow your Light for Dark Times blog and look forward to every post.
Jeff Crippen
Em – thank you very much for the info and encouragement. I look forward to publishing a new post each week, Wednesday is the target day, and providing a safe place for all of us to grow in wisdom and discernment, and especially for victims of abusers who hide in the church to be set free.
Forrest
This isn’t something new. We had a very similar experience with her.
IamMyBeloved’s
Very sad. Imagine what writing a post for her was like. That’s why I stopped. Her continual controlling, demeaning critiquing was hurtful. She also would either add or subtract from the post, or edit it to make it her own and then say “Barb added this portion”, etc. She desired ownership and power over even my writing and I decided I would just do my own blog, as they were my words and I wasn’t into allowing her to demean me and steal them. Jeff was never like that.
I always felt critiquing victims’ comments for form and grammar was incredibly controlling and insensitive.
Z
To IAmMyBeloved’s, Anonymous Pastor’s Wife, Anonymous,
The bottom line we all agree upon is the need to pray for Godly DISCERNMENT when seeking support and help from online and in-person sources.
Yes, those professing to be “in the business” of assisting and advocating for victims of abuse can be every bit as much “Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing” as false christians. Masks worn covering up a quest for self-aggrandizement, at the least, and at the worst, an abusive mindset they possess themselves.
That is what I discerned with Barbara and I contacted her to tell her, that as a victim, much of her tone, condescension and scolding victims, as if they are children…sounded and felt way too much like what victims hear and are made to feel every day with their abusers. I told her it was triggering for me and I’m sure many others. Not necessary or wise. And that she should know this without being told. Obviously her response was to first want to engage in “battle”. I didn’t take the bait. Then she just ignored me. And I stopped following all her posts immediately.
The lesson is for victims to beware of all who come to our aid professing pure motives. Not all are what they seem. Same with DV/abuse advocate lawyers, as Anonymous said. They can claim to be advocates for victims but can be instead ravenous wolves seeing a financial gain from beaten down women.
There are Scriptures in 2 Peter 2 referring to those who “worm their way into lives of the vulnerable..” and “those who in their greed exploit you..” Predators even in the “advocacy communities”.
God help us be wise as serpents.
Suzy H
The entire tone of a cry for justice has changed hugely since you left, Pastor Crippen. The website became sporadic in the frequency of the posts, more self-focused, and just plain flaky. The links were from questionable sources that didn’t have a particularly strong focus on abuse within the Christian community. They became sensational and focused more on the shock factor of darkness rather than bringing the light of the world, Jesus’ truth, to abuse situations. I’m grateful I found your website, and will pray for Barbara.
Jeff Crippen
Thank you Suzy H.
Warren
We, too, have been growing in our concern and consternation. Thank you for speaking into this so clearly and graciously.
Jeff Crippen
Thank you very much Warren. Blessings to you.
NGL
Hopefully there will be those people who are willing to reach out to her. I sensed the same darkness in several posts during the past year or so, but what really often comforted me, were the many survivors testimonies. The open transparency in them and the sharp insights many victims’ words contain (as opposed to many ‘professional Christians’).. That for me was the best nourishment in the whole blog.
I can understand how loneliness and isolation can be an open door invitation to these conspiracy theories, as I have met people like that before (abused, divorced and lonely women with high intelligence). if the Lord is not our focus, it leads to all kinds of darkness and confusion.
Thank you for sharing this openly, as the blog has been a public ministry. Praying that whatever is of the Lord, will remain, and glorify His name.
Jeff Crippen
NGL – And many thanks to you!
cindy burrell
This is a sad commentary, but I think the clarification is necessary and appropriate. I too have seen a significant shift in the focus of ACFJ and have felt an obligation to back away from it. It has become a strange blend of occasionally helpful truth contrasted against unrelated distractions and divisiveness, so I wasn’t the least bit surprised that you felt the need to part ways. Sometimes that’s just the way things go. Nevertheless, I appreciate your intent to continue to expose wickedness in the body of Christ and provide liberating biblical validation for the wounded and weary. Blessings…
Jeff Crippen
Thank you Cindy!!
Tonya
I commented once on the ACFJ blog, years ago, and the reply was so terse and condescending, that I never commented again, afraid that I would be breaking some rule that I wasn’t even aware of. I just subscribed to read the articles. Thanks for the work you do, Jeff.
Z
Tonya,
That’s exactly what I noticed as I read so many brave, soul-baring, heartbreaking comments. A terse comment back from Barb with no reference to the very relevant, important content of the comment! Just a slap on the wrist for breaking some inane “rule”.
“No, No, No. You broke one of MY RULES. I MUST point out to everyone reading how you did not measure up….” The scoldings! Sound familiar? Sounds a lot like our abusers! Most often without even a passing reference to the individual’s plight or lesson or sad/dangerous/life-altering situation in their comment.
And rarely/never any reference to Jesus. An overall absence of His Love, His Presence in her posts’ content and her answers to victims’ comments.
We need more Christian people weeping with the weeping and mourning with the mourning-showing hurting people the love of Jesus’ and His heart.
I DID learn some good stuff from the blog-but from the commenters mostly. So I’ll say what should have been said- “Bravo” to them! Rarely learned anything of value from Barb’s continual rants.
May Jesus reveal Himself to Barb in a very real, tangible way and get her on the right road.
Jeff Crippen
Z and Tonya – I am very sorry that all of this has happened. But then I suppose even the Apostle Paul had to say things like “Alexander the Coppersmith did me much harm. Beware of him.” As we serve Christ these things are going to happen. That is why we are told that we must test the spirits (1 Jn 4:1) and constantly be comparing teachings with the Word. No one can call Jesus Lord except by the Spirit. Whenever a “ministry’s” emphasis drifts away from Christ and He disappears into the background, it is time to be wary for sure.
Amy
This is interesting that you posted this, because last month I was really confused by the way Barb responded to a comment I left on ACFJ blog in response to another comment. Barb reprimanded me for referring to a book I had recently read about abuse written by a Christian counselor and actually emailed me privately to let me know I hadn’t followed their rules and how they do not allow references to books or other websites to be published in comments. And she went on to tell me how I could not include my website in comments and yet I am on the blogroll for ACFJ and have been for several years. When I mentioned that to her, she simply said, oops, made a mistake. I did question why she would not recommend the book I mentioned and she said the woman’s theology did not appear to be very sound. I felt this was ludicrous especially since Barb said she had not read the book.
Over the past year I had begun to notice a change of tone in the blog post at ACFJ, but was wondering if it was just me. I actually felt like the tone was reminiscent of an abuser towards his/her victim. Now I know it was not just me.
Thank you for the clarification and for the ministry you have in helping victims of abuse.
Jeff Crippen
Thank Amy. Yes, that seems to have become a pretty common pattern as evidenced by numbers of other people saying the same. By the Lord’s enabling we plan now to continue the work that was begun those years ago, now at this new blog site.
Ginger
I have been following a Cry for Justice for a little over a year. I have been bothered also by the attacks upon Billy Graham. I haven’t seen the other conspiracy theories, but I am thankful you have made the reasons clear for why you resigned. We need to be so careful in these last days, and the last thing we need is to re-victimize or to invent abuse where it has not occurred!
pollysoup
Thank you for not turning a “blind eye” to this! You spoke the truth with kindness. I have been very concerned by her responses to victims and advocates on social media. They are offensive and self serving. Her attacks on Billy Graham were taking a clip of a sermon and mis-construing it. I unfollowed her this past spring because of her offensive posts. I am saddened by all of this because this website played a huge part in my healing from abuse.
Jeff Crippen
Thankyou pollysoup. Nope these things are no fun but necessary
Anonymous
I am so thankful to read these comments as I have noticed the same things in the last year. I’ve considered contacting Barbara but held back due to the way I felt it would be received. I’ve read such harshness and condescension in her responses to readers. And the way she seems to be “digging for dirt” where there isn’t any, or simply a style/method that she doesn’t agree with.
Thank you, Jeff, (and Sam Powell as well) for speaking out and shining the light on the situation. I’m glad to hear I was not alone in what I was noticing.
anonymous too
Me too! I am glad to read I was not the only one thinking this about ACFJ. The “tone” of ACFJ has been “off” for a while now and so I have been reading it less and less, and less… and less until I finally just deleted it from my bookmarks all together.
Jeff Crippen
Anon- yes, it is a shame because there are hundreds of extremely helpful articles there. We hope to establish a large library of on target posts here.
joepote01
That’s a sad state of affairs, but I completely understand. I, too, have pretty much lost interest in ACFJ blog because of the direction it has taken and the overall tone. Glad to learn it wasn’t just me.
Jeff Crippen
Thanks Joe. Great to hear from you. Yes, it is sad, but then we press on here. Our goal is to keep publishing regular posts each week (often more than one) that are simply the application of God’s Word to the evil of domestic abusers hiding in the church and to the aid of their victims.
Bill McDonald
There was an old bumper sticker I remember from years ago that said “All Fishermen Are Liars Except You and Me! And now I’m starting to wonder about you…”
The problem with human social justice is that is always possible (and even tempting) to beat others to being more outraged than they are. The idea that one more turn of the righteous screw will solve the world’s evil and rescue victims from the ignorance and apathy exhibited by less enlightened” moves us away from the source of all justice and retribution. As Christians we forget that the battle isn’t ours to win–in ourselves we are nothing in the face of overwhelming evil. It is Jesus that conquers–we are merely just another one of His numberless foot soldiers marching at His command.
The recent tone at ACFJ has been disturbing because of this arrogant sense that it is a human role to become the final say in what is right or wrong. I’ve read and agreed, for example, with much of what Chris Moles has to say about domestic abuse in Christian circles. His thoughts were very helpful in my own awakening about the problem the Church faces. But Barbara’s analysis painted Ps. Moles in tones of dark deceit, manipulation and accommodation of the worst of the church’s abusers in positions of authority. We’re all shades of gray in our purity, but ACFJ’s analysis cast Chris as a direct accomplice to the very evil he claims to be against.
I’ve very pleased to find that you have once again taken up the cross of shining light into dark places. We all support you in this fine and holy work. But all of us must never forget that this Light of Light has power of which we really understand very little. By It ALL things were made. It burns and may or may not consume as it deems appropriate. Our job is to shine it and then let it do its work. The battle isn’t ours, nor the victory.
Q!
Jeff Crippen
Thank you Bill. Very encouraging.
M&M
First of all, thank-you for validating my concerns about Fiona, but I hope you will allow me to partially disagree. Although I’m skeptical of Fiona, I’m not skeptical of the general premise that some people are evil enough to perpetrate ritual abuse in real life. Those victims deserve just as much validation as “regular” victims.
At the same time, I agree with being skeptical of theories that allege all the powerful entities in the world are working together to abuse. In part because of your work, I find it easy to believe that churches or even entire denominations would cover up abuse, but I can’t imagine that the Vatican and the mafia and the CIA and the Australian government and Hollywood and Billy Graham would work together to abuse. If nothing else, it would be just easier for each entity to abuse separately (if they did abuse). Plus none of the Catholic victims that I know of mention being passed off to the mafia or CIA or Hollywood.
Although I’m sad that divisions happen in ministries that affect the most vulnerable people, it’s a good lesson in the difference between learning from others and exclusively depending on others. I’ve received support and good teaching from both you and Barbara so I don’t want to see either as the “bad guy”, but at the same time I think the reason for the split is valid and is a good lesson in teaching each person to follow their own concience. If I depended exclusively on ACFJ for my spiritual guidance, this would be devastating, but since I know it is just one of many sources of ideas that I filter through my concience with Jesus as my only exclusive source, this isn’t devastating. It’s one step in God’s mysterious plan.
Oddly, I found this post because of something Barb posted today where she apologized for being harsh and admitted that not every story of ritual abuse is true, but she’s not sorry for believing some of the victims or for referencing some of your materials.
I can’t help but think of when Church Protect split up. At first I was hoping Jimmy H would publicly rebuke Jon U, but when he didn’t I respected that he presumably didn’t want to make the staff and clients feel caught in the middle of a fight. But if he had stood up for those who were harmed by Jon I would have respected that because it’s the kind of situation where there aren’t black and white answers since either decision could be made with respect for innocent bystanders. That was my first time realizing that even Christian victim advocates aren’t always united in love and it was upsetting, but now I’m adjusting to it. I can agree with much of what the past Church Protect and the past ACFJ taught while also listening to my gut when it says something is wrong with a statement or teaching.
Jeff Crippen
Thank you M&M. And so we press on with the work of exposing abusers and helping victims. All the while we all exercise good discernment via the Spirit and Word.
cindy burrell
@M&M – …listening to our gut… Exactly. The Spirit nudges us when something is off-kilter. Half-truth is still untruth.
IamMyBeloved’s
I experienced verbal and emotional abuse by Barb, when I would not comply with her demands. Here are a few of her words to me:
She has deleted my comments, unfriended me and blocked me.
IamMyBeloved's
This is a comment I left at ACFJ, in response to the latest video that was posted there. Of course my comment was not posted, but rather deleted by Barb, so I am posting it here. (IamMyBeloved’s)
Response to Barbara’s post “Response to My detractors and apology to ACFJ followers I’ve hurt”
Anonymous
Where are these claims IAmMyBeloveds talks about in her 2nd paragraph — the Richard Nixon, Billy Graham, and whatnot else? Barb’s vouching for a woman claiming to have been molested as a child by Nixon and Graham????
Is this stuff happening on Facebook?
I find this all very hard to follow and to know which is which. Are you (Pastor Crippen) going to reply to the Response and Apology to my Detractors?
I enjoy your blog and all, it’s just I enjoyed and was helped by ACFJ, too. So, I’m not sure what to think about this all. It’s confusing that you (Jeff) left ACFJ under different stated terms, but then again perhaps there was more to it.
What’s distressing is that I don’t have clear indications, but rather am still apparently lacking discernment since it is confusing to me.
I do sure love this blog, though! 🙂
Jeff Crippen
Anonymous- much of it happened on Twitter. Fiona Barnett is the woman. I hesitate to suggest anyone start reading her claims on the web because I don’t want to direct anyone to her. Myself, Rachel Miller, IAmMyBeloveds and others all saw the links where Barbara was recommending and endorsing her (including Barb’s personal FB page), even sending abuse victims to Fiona’s site. I believe you will find one such example in Rachel Miller’s admonishment of Barbara that is included in our post here at Unholy Charade in which we say we are in no way affiliated with ACFJ.
I am not going to reply to Barbara’s post except to reaffirm what IAmMyBeloveds says. Namely, people should seriously consider that all of the original team at ACFJ, including myself – the founder of that ministry – have left.
I am very sorry that situations like this cause readers like yourself to be confused. I understand that. After all, you only have limited information. All I can say is that I am very glad you follow Unholy Charade, that it is a healthy place for abuse victims to come for help, and that our intent here is to stick to the original purpose that the Lord started this ministry for nearly 7 years ago – exposing the wicked in the church and helping and validating their victims.
Anonymous
Rereading this all again has helped clarify things. It’s too much. To a certain degree, a person goes into shock, Perhaps this is what is experienced by those who have been allied with abusers who then find out their friendly, generous, helpful co-worker goes home and beats, terrorizes, and abuses his wife in the privacy and secrecy of the home.
Yes, I am very glad your two blogs exist and that your sermons are available because I learn so much. Growing in greater understanding of God’s Word, seeing it applied and illustrated after having it explained, it’s the most important stuff a person can learn in life.
And I don’t believe in False Memory Syndrome per se as it seems that abusers would love such a syndrome to silence and discredit their victims, much like Parental Alienation Syndrome is nonsense that was fabricated and yet is still wielded against DV victims today in abusers seeking custody just to hurt the mom some more and use the kids as pawns for control and access to their victimized (ex)wife.
But trauma does impact a person’s brain and ability to function in life. I’ve experienced too much evil, too much trauma, too much victimization and violation to handle much more. I’m glad your site exists. You have provided great content.
For those in the US, Happy Thanksgiving 🙂
Anonymous Pastor's wife
TO: I am my Beloved’s — Thank you for posting your posts here on Unholy Charade when they were rebuffed and deleted at ACFJ. These 2 pcomments provide much background, as well as, examples of how badly Barbara Roberts treated those helping with the blog (as noted no one is still at ACFJ, but Barbara!).
But more importantly, how she literally abused the abused who came to ACFJ for help and support- that is the part that broke my heart! [I know those involved in past leadership of ACFJ and they are strong enough spiritually to handle what was directed at them, but those victims of abuse were looking for support, guidance, and they didn’t and won’t get it from Barbara Roberts.]
I’ve been a Pastor’s wife for 40 yrs and I know there are always aspects of a situation like this, involving those closest to the leadership, that just cannot be made public– but your 2 blog comments will be a significant aid in helping those who are confused by Jeff’s and TWBTC’s departure and no longer affilated with ACFJ. And additionally, expose Barbara with your direct quotes. Thank you for your courage in sharing them.
IamMyBeloved’s
Thank you, Pastor’s Wife. I am in hopes that others will come to Unholy Charade and find the necessary help they need and see my comments to help bring truth and shed some light for them.
It seems to me, that abuse victims may have difficulty seeing abuse in someone who has appeared to be an advocate to them and may still give allegiance and blind trust to someone they believe is an advocate. As a former abuse victim myself, I think the same kind of “fog” develops over time. The victim may think, “this person has been such help to me and spoken such good things, it must be me and the person is just having a bad day. I will cut them some slack”; or else buy into their nuance for the abuses, such as “cultural differences”. I bet most if not all victims wish they had a penny for every time they thought that about their abuser while living in his “fog”, before their awakening.
anonymous
It’s true about the whole abuser-advocate blindness for victims. There are many wovles in the DV community. Advocates get free passes but prey on abused women all the same. Just shows the vulnerability of abused women. Kind of like the story about the dying traveler lost in the desert, no water, about to die of dehydration, comes across a puddle, drinks it down so gladly and gratefully, sees it as the very saving grace, yet it wasn’t water, but rather camel urine. Not the greatest story, as obvious holes in it (because most any liquid at the point of dying of thirst in the middle of a dessert becomes indeed the means of survival, but still, one gets the drift).
So many wolves. Don’t even get me started on attorneys claiming to be for battered women — those are but thieving, criminal, predatory thugs, and there’s at least one book written on the family law legal industry and how they prey on and target battered women for the easy money they represent, as battered, downtrodden, despairing, suicidal, victimized women with abusers to deal with don’t have the means to take on dirty, predatory, criminal, shady, abuser attorneys, too.
One really starts to despair. Thankfully this world is not our home and Jesus is coming for us and will gather us up on Judgment Day and it’ll be off to our Heavenly Home with the LORD.
M&M
Aaaaaaaah!!!!!! Sounds like she’s not really sorry because that is too harsh to be “cultural differences”. Now my only confusion is how did she become this way? Not that we’ll ever know, but this isn’t the same person that I “met” online in 2015……
IamMyBeloved’s
M&M – “how did she become this way?”
Someone may start out with good intentions, but as they gain more and more fame, so to speak, they become arrogant and puffed up and begin to believe they deserve more than what they already have and are entitled to all the power and control the crave in order to have more fame. Unless they remember that all we have has been given to us, they will esteem themselves more than they should, and that’s when things begin to run amuck. One thing then leads to another and I personally believe, the real person they’ve always been, surfaces. Remember, most if not all abusers, wear a mask and initially, it’s so real looking and sincere, that people cannot really tell that it’s a mask, until it falls.
M&M
I know abusers wear masks, but I want to believe that Barb had sincere compassion at some time. However, I can admit that the truth is I don’t know.
Z
Well done, IAmMyBeloveds! Discernment. Truth. Teachable vs haughty unteachable spirits. Necessary “checks and balances” on content and attitude.
Thanks for looking out for us victims first and foremost.
Nyssa The Hobbit
I posted a comment here a while ago but it hasn’t shown up for some reason. In any case, I got a comment deleted–not moderated, deleted–because it didn’t match the site’s Reformed theology. Which was confusing, because I was basically agreeing with the point of the post from the standpoint of Eastern Orthodox theology. I spent hours looking into ESS and discovered that it was Arianism reborn, a heresy that Orthodoxy put down with the Nicene Creed.
I was looking forward to an interesting theological conversation in the comments, and instead got censored for not being Reformed. Which would be understandable on, say, a church-run blog, but not on a blog which is about abuse. Though I’ve noted that even blogs and forums focused on one particular church/type of theology will usually allow debate, to foster understanding and maybe persuasion.
Jeff Crippen
Hi Nyssa- I am not clear on if you mean our blog here or acfj? I am reformed in my theology but I prefer not to engage in technical theological debates/discussions here. I certainly love theology and will contend for sound doctrine but I want to focus here mostly on practical applied doctrine. I don’t want to give the impression what you are speaking of here isn’t practical or important but I know that abusers (not you of course) often just love to focus on doctrinal detail in order to avoid being exposed regarding the evils they are practicing. Hope you understand.
Thanks again.
Nyssa The Hobbit
Oh–I must not have been clear. My comment was deleted on the ACFJ blog.
Jeff Crippen
Got it. Thx!!
Nyssa The Hobbit
My comment was on a post about ESS. So I naturally assumed theological discussion would be okay, especially when it essentially agreed with the post. 🙂
Jeff Crippen
Understood
Linda Lee/@LadyQuixote
I discovered A Cry For Justice a few years ago. After reading some of the posts, I felt like I had come home. So I posted a comment, my first comment there, in which I told, in a nutshell, about my history of abuse. I did not go into any gory details and I kept it very short. But when my comment was posted, most of what I had said was deleted. I asked why that was, and the answer, from Barbara, seemed very terse. A bit snarky. Certainly not empathetic, compassionate, or abundant in Christian love. Apparently I had broken a rule of hers in my comment, although, after all of this time, I don’t remember exactly what the issue was. I only remember feeling like her response to my deeply vulnerable and heartfelt comment was strangely COLD. Not overtly hateful, but certainly not helpful or healing. Because of this experience, I deleted the ACFJ blog from my watch list.
About a year ago or so, I read something online that contained a link to a post on ACFJ. Remembering my earlier dissatisfaction with that blog, I was hesitant to even read it, but I did. Then I posted a comment, making no reference to my previous negative experience with A Cry For Justice.
Barbara posted my new comment in its entirety, and responded with great warmth and affirmation. (Apparently, I had not inadvertently broken any rules, that time.) I was pleased by her positive response. However, because of what had happened a few years earlier, I did not feel safe on that blog. So I continued to stay away.
I have a very precious online friend, a beautiful devout Christian, who has been the victim of much abuse in the past. She and I email from time to time. She recently mentioned that she had been hurt in the past by ACFJ, although she did not give me any details. I told her that I had been wounded there, too, although I also did not provide details. Then she and I agreed to pray for the administrators of ACFJ, and to leave it at that.
I just finished reading all of the preceding comments, and my heart goes out to everyone who has been wounded and confused by either immature Christians, or by wolves in sheep’s clothing, whether online or off. I have experienced a lot of that kind of wounding in my lifetime. Truly, the wound I got at A Cry For Justice a few years ago, was very minor in comparison to some of the unbelievably evil wolf-sheep that I have encountered in the past! But the spirit at ACFJ did not seem right to me from the time I posted my first comment there — although, like others who have commented above, I wondered if I was being overly sensitive.
Somehow, I recently stumbled across this new Unholy Charade blog. I like what I am reading here, so far. God bless you, Jeff Crippen, and God bless everyone commenting and reading on this blog. Jesus Christ is Lord! Truly, to paraphrase one of the comments above, our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ will ultimately vanquish all evil from the earth, forever! In the meantime, our duty is simply to keep our eyes and our trust on Him.
Tomorrow, December 6, I am having surgery under general anesthesia for cancer on my face and neck. I am particularly concerned, because my lymph nodes in my neck are swollen and tender. I am also nervous, because I have had a very bad reaction to anesthesia in the past. But I know that God’s got me. Like the beautiful song by Hillsong says: In my Father’s house is a place for me, I’m a child of God, yes I am! God is for me, not against me, I am who He says I am! I am chosen, not forsaken, I am who He says I am!
Praise God for His amazing grace and His healing love!
Jeff Crippen
Linda – The most important thing in your comment is your need for prayer regarding your surgery and we will be praying for you. I am very sorry for your bad experiences at ACFJ. I started that blog in 2012 to let people know about my first book with the goal of helping abuse victims, particularly those in the church. That was the purpose and mission of that blog. If you look at, for example, the latest post, it has absolutely nothing to do with helping domestic abuse victims and is in fact teaching dangerous heresy.
I myself left ACFJ in 2017 after experiencing the very same harshness you describe many times. Unfortunately the blog was no longer in my name.
All of us who once teamed there with Barbara Roberts have left and I hope that fact is real food for thought. I am very privileged to have TWBTC who worked with us for so long at ACFJ here at Unholy Charade helping me. She is tremendous and really has a calling from the Lord for this ministry.
I promise you and all of our readers that this blog will remain true to its mission for the glory of Christ.
Please let us know how your surgery comes out and we can continue to pray for you.
Linda Lee/@LadyQuixote
Thank you! Your answer to my comment and prayer need is a huge blessing right now. Thank you, and I am praying right now for God to bless your ministry and your life.
Nyssa The Hobbit
I remember years ago, reading that the Orthodox church has safeguards to help people discern where visions etc. are coming from. This impressed me because for years I’d been influenced by Charismatic teachings which can lead to self-deception. So I don’t trust any sort of visions or claims that “God told me this” any more.
Jeff Crippen
Well that is very wise indeed.
Anoymous Pastor's wife
Linda Lee, read your comments today. Have already been praying for you. Please update us via the blog. May God give wisdom & knowledge to your surgeons & give you peace & comfort that comes from others praying for you. 🙏
Nyssa The Hobbit
Are you referring to the post about light? The Nicene Creed says God is Light of Light. Or do you mean the one about Paul? Not challenging–just confused. 🙂
Jeff Crippen
The one about light. Yes the Bible does say God is light. But that is not what that post says. It is very deceptive. What she is doing is promoting the false theology of a woman who claims she was molested as a child by Billy Graham, Richard Nixon and other celebs as part of a CIA- Roman Catholic – masonic lodge Satanic conspiracy. Insane.
The Bible warns us that our enemy can appear as an angel of light. These claims that Jesus appears as “the light man” to save people, when held up against Scripture, are plainly false. This is rank and dangerous deception which myself and others have called on Barbara to stop promoting. She refuses.
Don’t be duped.
Anonymous Pastor's wife
I read the light post at ACFJ today, and it is as heretical as I can think of reading.
Many of Barbara’s “light” quotes are from references to Jesus after he’s in heaven and we see him there in his glory. Other quotes in context refer to Jesus as light in the sense of being a guide.
The transfiguration happened once!! Those seeing Jesus after the resurrection happened once.
Barbara is so far off base. It boils my blood. The audacity to suppose any of this happens now. All Barbara is trying to do is to provide justification and support for Fiona’s hair brained heresies and conspiracies, etc
Barbara is a false prophet as predicted would begin the end times.
anonymous
[Note: Comment edited by moderator. Anonymous, you may email us privately if you would like to follow up on your other questions you sent]
The “light man” post was really something. I didn’t read the post but rather glanced at it and it seems some child is claiming a vision of a “light man” or so.
Isn’t Christ only going to return once? As in, until Judgment Day, we are not going to be seeing Him as He is only going to be coming back to earth then, on Judgment Day and He’ll be in full glory.
It makes me think of the Boy Who Came Back From Heaven, it was a bestselling book, and it was a fable.
I certainly felt this whole “light man” thing was baloney and actually scary, which is why I simply glanced at a sentence or two and left it alone, not bothering to read more. Perhaps this is the true Holy Spirit at work in me. Giving discernment, but coming along at a very slow pace.
Nyssa The Hobbit
Oh, okay. Sounds like something I’m not familiar with, then, that can easily be missed.
Jeff Crippen
And that is the deception. People who continue to swallow what is being taught over there are going to be led away from the real Christ and into darkness. Here are some good Scriptures on this:
2Co 11:3-4 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. (4) For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.
2Co 11:13-15 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. (14) And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. (15) So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.
Z
Great discerning observations, Linda. We must be wise as serpents while remaining harmless as doves.
I am praying for your surgery to be smooth and successful, for the anesthesia to go perfectly well with no side effects, and for you to be calm and secure-knowing you are in the arms of Jesus the whole time.
The words to that Hillsong song are an “anthem” of mine as well! May those words pervade your mind throughout this surgery ordeal.
God bless you dear sister. You have a family here on this blog!
Linda Lee/@LadyQuixote
Dear Z… your comforting words just moved me to tears. God bless you. Thank you!
twbtc
Also praying for your surgery and recovery!!
Nyssa The Hobbit
Some people aren’t good at counseling, but then, such people probably shouldn’t be moderating at a blog like that. 😛 I’m glad you found a better place, and I’ll send up a prayer for you as well. 🙂
Jeff Crippen
Thank you Hobbit!!
M&M
Wow, Linda, I didn’t know the harshness went that far back in time, but I believe you!! She says “Jeff didn’t say he left because of me” but maybe he just didn’t say it because he didn’t want to make the readers feel pressure to pick sides or something.
crankybeach
And as of this week, my old link to “that other place” now brings me to this blog. Hmm….. Looks like some sort of electronic justice has prevailed at least in the realm of domain name ownership….
Jeff Crippen
Crankybeach- it wasn’t intentional, though I suspect we will be accused of trickery. That original domain address is owned by someone (not me) who is now affiliated with the Unholy Charade blog. WordPress assigned it here upon renewal as we found out later. We are seeing what we can do to deactivate it so it doesn’t direct people here.
crankybeach
Thanks for the explanation. Interesting. But I expect that even if by some maneuver, tricky or otherwise, you had obtained the domain that some might argue should be rightfully yours anyway, many of us would find it quite justified. After all, whose book bears the title?? I’ll give you three guesses and the first two don’t count. Thanks for all your hard work.
And if you do manage to deactivate the domain, there will have to be some mechanism in place so that nobody else can ever register it again. Can that be done, or will you have to just permanently park it?
Jeff Crippen
Unknown. We will have to see what WordPress says. Yes, the acfj blog was originally mine. I started it. We put it in the current owner’s name some years ago for what I thought were good reasons. Oh well. We live and learn.
Remnant
I posted the following to Barbara’s blogspot, which never made it out of moderation, and earned myself my first ever twitter block for it. Not a bit disappointed.
I cannot stand stupid, unethical stuff like this.
—-
Jeff wrote the book by this title,
Jeff started the blog by this title.
Why not let him have the title? Surely there are a million others you could come up with,
It would be good Holy and kind to return this title to him and choose a different one for your own use. It truly looks poorly on you to do this and feels like you betrayed Jeff’s trust in you.
It would be the right thing to do. I’m crying out for justice for Jeff.
Jeff Crippen
Oh man! Thx Remnant. You are brave.
Remnant
Brave? Naw.
Just tired of of experiencing unholy betrayal and listening to the silence of witnesses.
I was hoping she would take this opportunity to give herself some cred, but I guess she’d rather stick with the foolishness of it all.
Anonymous Pastors' Wife
Remnant.
Thank you for sharing your “unposted comment” from A Cry for Justice website. I couldn’t agree more with your comment and your evaluation of why it was moderated & not posted. I can’t take stupid either. A close friend’s dad says “You can’t fix stupid” and that statement describes how Barbara handles the blog that she now leads.
ACFJ is Jeff’s book & he started the blog – to me it was ‘poetic justice ‘ that the situation developed where ACFJ links were being forwarded to Unholy Charade by a quirk within WordPress . I’m very glad control of the domain name cryingoutforjustice .com does not belong to Barbara Roberts & never did!!
It was not intentionally done. It just happened because of how WordPress handles their blog domain names.
I’m praying the situation will open ACFJ bloggers to the real Barbara Roberts. Unfortunately, ACFJ has lost the focus for which it was originally started by Jeff Crippen – the victims of domestic abuse who are searching for answers & support – NOT theological exposition that ramble on & on but give no basic encouragement & support for the abuse victims just trying to survive from day to day. If looking for that support & encouragement, abuse victims now have the Unholy Charade blog that Jeff Crippen started last fall with this very blogpost!
Thank you for your courage to support Jeff. As Jeff said: ‘you are brave!’
Blessings,
Anonymous Pastors’ Wife