Unholy Charade - Jeff Crippen

Unmasking the Domestic Abuser in the Church

Author: Jeff Crippen Page 1 of 88

Why do we so quickly say, ‘I’m Sorry’?

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On June 2, 2026

In Abusers, RASN

Rev 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.

Notice from this verse (and others) that Satan accuses Christ’s people. He has been thrown out of heaven, but you can be sure that he will uses whatever channels he can to accuse us. This is different than the operation of our conscience. This is the enemy working to cast guilt and shame on those he wants to destroy.

RASNs (revilers, abusers, sociopaths, narcissists) are servants of the devil. So it is not surprising that they use this same evil tactic of accusing their targeted victim. Most all of you know that a RASN is never wrong. RASNs use their accusatory missiles to tell us that WE are the guilty ones, that WE are to blame – you get the picture.

Now, when these fiery darts of accusation come at us, because evil so so deceiving and blinding, our first response is often to say – “I’m sorry.” Many abuse victims can be heard to say these two words countless times each day. They have been programmed by the evil coming at them to accept fault.

Why does this happen? That is to say, why do we so quickly respond to a RASN with “I’m sorry”? Let me suggest some reasons:

  • We do not naturally understand evil and its tactics.
  • We do not understand the mindset of the RASN
  • We do not initially grasp the fact that the RASN accusing us is lying
  • We do not easily understand that the RASN in our life is in fact an enemy. It is difficult to realize that this person who has professed to be our friend or spouse is in reality out to destroy us.
  • We do not quickly realize that in fact we have done nothing wrong, but we are made to feel convicted because of the RASNs accusations.
  • WE do not realize WHO and WHAT this accuser really is. Satan’s servants can disguise themselves as sons of righteousness.

The list could go on – I am sure many of you could add to it.

Perhaps we should work on training ourselves to slow down when some accusation or blaming comes at us. Slow down. An answer need not be give immediately. Take some time to think things through. To examine yourself. To revisit your motives in respect to the thing someone is accusing you of.

For myself, I have said “I’m sorry” too quickly many times when in fact I had done nothing wrong. I regret accepting blame so quickly. It takes some time to think back, consider the facts, and also to examine very carefully what the motives of our accuser might really be. In particular, we should be quite slow to accept any blame or believe any accusation that is coming from someone who fires these kinds of guilt-missiles our way rather frequently.

Blind Rage Makes the Fool Blind

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On May 28, 2026

In Abusers

Luke 4:28-29 And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; (29) and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff.

I find the phrase “blind rage” quite interesting and worth giving some thought to. Why this adjective? Blind? Most of you have been the object of the RASN’s rage (reviler, abuser, sociopath, narcissist), and though you may not have realized it at the time, that rage made the RASN to be a fool.

Consider the verses quoted above. This mob was filled with rage at Christ and in that rage became murderous. They would have thrown him off a cliff if not for the Lord’s divine intervention. They had the Son of God, their promised Messiah, right there among them, yet they raged at the truth He preached to them and in that rage were blind to all else except their intense lust to kill Him. Blind. Blind to His Person and glory.

RASNs rage. Perhaps in somewhat different ways. Some of them rage more silently than others, but nevertheless the flames of rage are there within. And as – is it exaggeration to say “always”? – as it always is with rage, a blindness is produced.

Blindness to what? What is it that the raging RASN doesn’t see? I suggest that what is unseen is the consequences of his rage. Raging blindness is blind because it focuses on one thing and one thing only – vengeance. Revenge. It does not see the truth of the person or words it rages against. It does not see the outcome/results of choosing to rage instead of repenting. It does not see the destruction it will produce. It is blind to all of this because it only sees punishment of the one it rages against. It is blind rage.

Domestic abusers, for instance, when they rage, are blind to the reality that causing trouble for their victim at, for instance, the victim’s workplace, is going to result in the abuser’s own financial loss. When they rage and blindly seek revenge through the courts, they fail to see their own financial loss. In their rage they are blind to the truth that their victim spouse is a wonderfully gifted, talented, and loyal person who should be seen as a jewel to be cherished. No matter. They are blind. They rage. Vengeance, punishment, these are all that matter.

The result? Not only pain and hurt for their victim, but great loss for the RASN himself. I wonder how many such ragers at some point, when the consequences of their blind rage come home, think, “I may not have thought this thing through”? Probably not very many. The blindness lingers long.

Blind rage is a chief reason RASNs are fools. It makes a fool out of the one raging. It even would kill the very Savior sent for the fool’s own salvation.

The RASN is Worse than a Fool

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On May 10, 2026

In Abusers, Biblical Teaching

Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. (Pro 26:12)

Clearly a RASN (reviler, abuser, sociopath, narcissist) is a person who is wise in his own eyes. If you doubt that, just ask him or her. This kind is unteachable. After all, if someone regards themselves as wiser than anyone else, then plainly they believe they “know it all” and thus have no need to be taught. And of course if everyone else is a fool, then certainly the RASN is not going to be taught by a fool.

The scripture above however says that anyone who is wise in their own eyes is a fool’s fool. That is to say, this pseudo-wise man is more of a fool than the most foolish buffoon to be found. A fool is a person who is devoid of knowledge. Stupid. And his stupidity leads him to foolish decisions. But the Lord says that the RASN is worse than the buffoon. There is more hope to teach and help a fool than there is to do the same for the RASN.

I have often told you that RASNs never change, and this scripture supports that conclusion. Think about it. If the toxic person in your life is a mere fool, there exists some degree of hope that they can be shown their folly, turn from it, and change. But the Lord is telling us here that the RASN – a person wise in their own eyes – has much less hope of change than the fool. Which, I take to mean – the RASN is not going to change.

Why does a person grow in wisdom? Because they receive instruction from people who are wise than they. How do we learn anything at all? We must be taught. We must be teachable. But a person wise in their own eyes will not receive instruction. They know better than anyone else. They are their own teacher, and what they teach is false. It is folly. You all know what happens when you try to correct someone like this. They not only refuse to be instructed, they are going to tell YOU, and in fact they will hate you for implying that they need instruction.

“You can’t tell that guy anything” is a phrase all too common, and true. There really is more hope for a fool than for the RASN. Your abuser, your narcissist, will never change. They are like a little child with dirty diapers who screams and wails when mom tells tells them they need to be changed. A fit description for the RASN. Covered with filth, and yet, just try to tell him he stinks and see what his reaction is.

Betrayal is in the Heart of the Abuser (RASN)

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On May 1, 2026

In betrayal

Now it came about after this that Absalom provided for himself a chariot and horses and fifty men as runners before him. Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way to the gate; and when any man had a suit to come to the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, “From what city are you?” And he would say, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.” Then Absalom would say to him, “See, your claims are good and right, but no man listens to you on the part of the king.” Moreover, Absalom would say, “Oh that one would appoint me judge in the land, then every man who has any suit or cause could come to me and I would give him justice.” And when a man came near to prostrate himself before him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. In this manner Absalom dealt with all Israel who came to the king for judgment; so Absalom stole away the hearts of the men of Israel.
(2Sa 15:1-6)

Every RASN (reviler, abuser, sociopath, narcissist) is a betrayer – an Absalom. Betrayal is at the heart of the RASN’s evil nature. He or she is a traitor, a worker of treason. Those of you who are abuse victims have experienced this betrayal. The thing is inevitable in any relationship with these kind.

The domestic abuser for instance is a traitor to the marriage vows and thus to the one he married. Think of it. Betrayal necessarily involves some kind of vow, some promise. Judas promised to be a disciple of Jesus. But he was the classic traitor. In wartime a citizen of a country becomes a traitor because they once pledged allegiance to the nation. But then they conspired with the enemy. People who profess to be a Christian, but then turn back to the world are traitors of the highest and darkest order. Demas betrayed Paul in this way.

Betrayal is evil and it is painful. Here is someone who claimed to be your friend or spouse or a brother or sister in Christ. But years go by and as they do that evil seed grows, until one day their rebellion against you comes into full bloom. Of course the thing is never admitted. YOU are to blame, you know.

A true brother or sister in Christ will never betray either the Lord nor His people. When they vow/covenant to be a faithful member of the body of Christ, they keep that vow. We have a church covenant which members subscribe to but over the years very, very few people who signed it and promised their fidelity to Christ and His people here, kept their vow. They betrayed us all and went out from us because they were not of us.

I know what betrayal feels like. I have felt it far too often. A man who claimed to be my friend for over 50 years betrayed our friendship nearly two years ago because I refused to “take sides” (his side, of course) when his wife left him. When he learned that we paid a visit to his now separated wife, who we had also known for many years, he was very mean to us. Half a century of friendship – over. Betrayal.

When we truly love someone, we are loyal to them. If we sin and hurt them, we are grieved and ask their forgiveness. Jonathan was David’s loyal friend, even though that meant being alienated from his father, Saul. Loyal friends, loyal marriage partners, do not betray. They do not have a spirit of treason in them. They love, honor, and cherish ’til death parts us.

Let’s Talk About the User

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On April 18, 2026

In Getting Free, Narcissist, RASN

Php 2:21 For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus.

There is another very common toxic type of person who I will call “the user.” To some degree I suppose each of the four types in RASN (reviler, abuser, sociopath, narcissist) are users but besides not knowing how to fit “U” into RASN, I think the user is still another type of abusive person. I say that because like all RASNs the user is motivated by an incredible mentality of entitlement. They are entitled and everyone must acknowledge it, you see.

What does the user do? He or she uses people in a selfish, self-serving way, driven by this mindset of superiority over. They deserve, and you owe. Users have no respect for boundaries. They are trespassers in that they have no hesitation about marching right into your life and expecting you to serve them in some way.

Initially, the user will often seem to be someone who is simply asking a favor. “Can you take me to the store?” “Can you use your truck and help me haul something?” “Could you take my son fishing? I wish his father would do more with him.” And you, being the type of person who is generally glad to help others, agree.

But, over time and in your conversations with others, you come to realize that the user is using. Characteristically. Habitually. So much so that people tell you, “whenever she/he calls, we know they want something.” I once was talking with a teenage daughter of a user and she finished my sentence for me – “Your mother is funny, Whenever she calls I know that___________ and the daughter chimed right in – “she wants something from you.”

Users often operate in such a way that the person being used doesn’t even realize what is happening. That is to say, they do not see the inappropriateness of the user’s request. (I think this matter of “inappropriateness” is a very good adjective to explain why the user’s requests are abnormal. They are not appropriate). “Could you stop by and get the lunch I made for my husband? He forgot it and he is at work.” You say, “sure, I can do that,” even though the workplace is 30 miles away! Other people may well see it. I have been used many times by these types and my wife often said, “you know, they are just using you.”

Users however, have no qualms about making inappropriate requests. It is a habit with them and, besides, they are entitled.

I should add that most of the users I have had to deal with were women. That is just my experience and I am sure there are many men who fit right into this category. But the women users in my experience have been women whose using even extended to expecting others to fill various voids in their lives and families. The problem child becomes your responsibility to help (or should I say, “fix”). The chaos in the family business requires using others to step in and set things straight.

As a pastor, it has taken me years to understand this – and to stop being used. Serving others out of the love of Christ is a right and noble thing to do. But being used by an entitled person is quite another. It takes wisdom (usually gained by the school of hard knocks) to discern the difference.

The user is not a safe person to be in relationship with. And when you stop being used, guess what is going to happen? The user will move on to another target.

I would be very glad to hear your comments and stories from you own experiences with users. Your comments on this blog really help others greatly.

RASNs are Never Wrong – Even if They sink the Boat

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On March 30, 2026

In Abusers, Churches/Church Response

If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. (1Jn 1:10)

RASNs (revilers, abusers, sociopaths, narcissists) are not Christians. How do we know? Because they never confess their sin. They are never wrong. Never. Just ask them. And therefore, as John says, they call God a liar. They are not born again. This is a very important point which abuse victims need to understand if they are going to start on the path to freedom. The denial of this truth is typical in “biblical counseling” and churches where the victims of RASNs are told that because the RASN claims to be a Christian, it is “unchristian” of us to doubt it.

I saw a perfect example of this business a number of years ago. I took a man from our church (he left us long ago when he could no longer hear truth) out in my boat at the entrance to the ocean. I asked him if he would like to steer it for awhile and he did so. Quite soon, he decided to navigate to the opposite side of the channel between the jetties. He didn’t ask. He just did it. Soon we were out of the navigation channel and into much shallower water where jagged rocks lay just under the surface. He clipped one of them and I told him to get back over into the channel. His response? “Do you think I was born yesterday?”

Well, later as we were heading in he was steering again (don’t let a RASN steer you in any way!) and he once again veered off the entrance channel into a very shallow area. I told him he needed to stay to the other side. His response? “Then you take it!” And he walked away from the helm.

A RASN not only cannot admit fault when it comes to steering a boat, they will never admit their sin. Any “confession” on their part (which is rare) is just a sham, a fake designed to deceive. It would be a number of years before I learned just what this man was. He wasn’t simply a stubborn, bull-headed guy. No. He was a self-centered, bullying, false Christian who wouldn’t even listen to God’s own Word.

A couple of years later he came up to me after I had taught a Bible study and blurted out, “I don’t care what you say. My mother is in heaven. I saw her pray one time.” I had said nothing about his mother. I never met or knew her. But it was the truth of God’s Word that he hated. Soon after he took himself and his wife out of our church. Now he knows. But its too late. Too late.

We dismiss, far too often, RASNs as being simply “difficult people.” That is letting them off too easy. Classing them like that is just an excuse to cling to the false notion that just about everyone who says they are in Christ, are. The truth is this – the way is narrow and few are they who find it. A person who says they love God but they hate their brother is a liar. No, this fake and stupid boat navigator was what the Lord calls a fool. He was an arrogant, abusive, narcissistic man who, for many years, had been excused by the previous pastors of our church who compromised God’s Word so as to broaden the narrow way for the likes of this guy.

Faulty Doctrine in the Church Enables Evil

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On March 19, 2026

In Churches/Church Response, Evil

I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth. (1Ti 3:14-15)

The Church is commissioned by Christ to uphold His truth without any dilution or compromise. A local Christian church is to be THE household of God wherein people can find, see, and hear God’s truth. Truth about God Himself. Truth about man and sin. Truth about Christ and salvation through faith alone in Him alone. In other words, a place where God’s Word is faithfully and accurately preached, taught, obeyed, and lived.

Very, very few local churches are the pillar and support of the truth.

As a result, evil is able to flourish. Church discipline is not practiced so that the wicked are exposed and expelled. False shepherds stand in the pulpit. People who are not saved are assured that they are. And the innocent are oppressed by the wicked who creep in among the sheep.

This is why so many of you have been victimized by evil people who were in a church that you attended. Where the lie is taught, evil is able to flourish comfortably. People who bear bad fruit, who wear a saintly mask but in fact are the devil’s emissaries find themselves very comfortable and accepted and justified in such a place.

When we use the word “doctrine,” what we mean is the content of what we believe, and when we speak of “bible doctrine,” we mean that body of truth which God’s Word teaches us. Many professing Christians say that they don’t want to be bothered with “doctrine” because it is boring and something just for academia and theologians. But every one of us embraces a doctrine about God and about ourselves and about salvation. If that doctrine we hold to is not what the Bible teaches, then we are embracing lies. It is Christ’s truth that sets us free, that shows us the Narrow Way that leads to life, that frees us from Satan’s bondage and makes us children of God. All of that is doctrine.

Now, the primary reason that you who have been oppressed by a RASN (reviler, abuser, sociopath, narcissist) is because of lies, false doctrine. Specifically, false doctrine about who a Christian is, what regeneration is and what a born again person will necessarily look like. You have been taught false doctrine about forgiveness, about sin, about the church, and more. And because of this, evil has been able to be pronounced “not so bad” or even “good.” You have been told that you are required to forgive and reconcile with evil. That God does not permit divorce. And all of these lies and more are what keep people enslaved to wolves.

All of this is why I preach through God’s Word. We recently completed some 130 video lessons on Ephesians and we are halfway through Romans now 127 lessons and going. (You can find these on our Light for Dark Times Jeff Crippen Youtube channel). Without this kind of preaching and teaching (and I back up what I teach with the works of respected men like Martyn Lloyd-Jones and Robert Haldane)…without this kind of preaching AND obedience to it, a church is never going to be the pillar and support of truth. Instead, it will be the pillar and support of a den of wolves.

You are all invited to join our church online – even become real members of it. Others have done so and we know them. They email and text me, the join in on Sundays with us, they follow the mid-week Bible studies, and they can be assured that there will be no wolves lurking by them. I know that all of us want an “in-person” church, but let me tell you – being in-person with a place where evil is enabled and God’s Word is distorted is NOT preferable to joining in with a real church online. Don’t let anyone pull the “but that would be forsaking the assembling together with the saints” (see Hebrews on that) twist of Scripture. You are not gathering together with the saints if you gather in a false church. Think of Paul’s epistles. Some of the churches had never laid eyes on Paul. He wrote to them and I guarantee you that if he had livestreaming tech in his day he would have used it!

Domestic Abuse Victims are All Around Us

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On March 12, 2026

In Churches/Church Response

Woe to those who enact evil statutes And to those who constantly record unjust decisions, So as to deprive the needy of justice And rob the poor of My people of their rights, So that widows may be their spoil And that they may plunder the orphans. (Isaiah 10:1-2)

I am frequently asked “how many people are in your church?” I reply, “about 20 and then around another 20 who join us online regularly on Sundays.” And you can see in the questioner’s eyes – “Hmmmm….” and read their thoughts – “Nothing happening there.” A response like this betrays the fact that the person asking the question is ignorant of the Lord’s ways. They haven’t given a thought to questions such as – “How many people faithfully follow Jesus? Or Paul? What expectation does the Bible give us as to how many people are going to genuinely follow Christ?

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
(Mat 7:13-14)

But let me get to my main point. Local churches very typically have in their membership RASNs who are hiding behind a saintly disguise. And when they are exposed, they lash out, blame, accuse, and leave. They do not repent. They leave. The darkness hates the light. And this is what has happened here in our own church, and it will happen in any church that brings the light of God’s truth upon evil faithfully. We have experienced all of this and we have concluded, correctly so, what the headline of this article states – Domestic abuse victims are all around us. They are not a rarity. RASNs (revilers, abusers, sociopaths, narcissists) LOVE to hide as saints in the church. They are the creeps who creep in among us. And in most cases, they are very comfortable there as they enjoy safety from the naivete and even willful blindness of professing Christians.

I say that domestic abuse victims are all around us, and that means also that RASNs are all around us. Not only have I seen the proof of this statement in our experience in our church over the years, but I see it in my contacts with people “out there.” In everyday contacts with strangers. When the situation and the conversation warrants it, I bring up the subject. I might hand the person a copy of my book – Unholy Charade – when I see that “look” on the person’s face that says, “I know this thing. I have or am in it right now.” Or “I have a son/daughter who is in this very situation.”

And what I am saying here is that such reactions are not rare. Once a number of years ago I spoke at a pastor’s conference, having been assigned to present the morning “devotion.” What “devotion” means in such cases is “find something in the Bible to make everyone feel good at the start of their day.” But I didn’t. What I did do is expound on Jude’s statement that creeps creep in among us in the church, abusers, sociopaths, child predators, narcissists, and I gave personal illustrations of exactly how such creeps had attacked our own church from within. Well, the crowd went totally silent. Remember, these were pastors, their wives, elders, and other church leaders. Dead quiet. An uncomfortable silence. Why? Because I had shone light upon the very evils that they had among them in their own churches and had been ignoring or simply did not know what to do about it.

Afterwards, two things happened. First of all, a number of people came up to me and said “We have exactly such a situation in our church,” or in other cases a woman might give be a look and thumbs up and mouth the words “thank you.” The second thing that happened was that one of the conference organizers called me and said that the leadership had decided not to upload my “devotion” to the group’s website, as is normally done, because “it was too sensitive a topic.” And guess what? Not too much time afterwards the ugly truth was uncovered that the very leadership of that organization had been for years covering up one of their own pastors who was abusing children in his church. That guy is now in prison and a very large number of churches left that organization.

RASNs and their victims are all around us. We need to bring up this subject in the course of our daily contacts and direct them to the truth of God’s Word about it. One way I choose to do this is to give them a copy of my book, Unholy Charade, (I am not trying to sell my books here by the way) and to provide them with the website address of this blog, send them to our site at sermonaudio.com/crc or our Youtube site at Light for Dark Times, Jeff Crippen where they will not only find truth about RASNs, but will hear about Christ and the salvation He has effected for all who will turn to Him in faith and repentance. I encourage you all to do the same as you can.

Churches Welcome New Members and Appoint Elders Without any Background Check

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On March 3, 2026

In Churches/Church Response

1Ti 5:22 Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin.

We all know, anyone knows (unless they are completely lacking in discernment) that evil people, counterfeit Christians, narcissists looking for self-glory, and other such types very typically seek out the local church as their stage of operation. How could anyone not know this? There are regular reports of pastors and church officers and church members being busted for molesting children, stealing church funds, being caught in adultery, and on the list goes. You know this. We know this. Who doesn’t know it?

And YET, in spite of the clear commands of God’s Word, one such command cited above, local churches, pastors, elder boards, denominations, Christian schools regularly (dare I say even typically) NEVER look into the background of a person they want to appoint as an elder, a deacon, a youth ministry leader, a Sunday School teacher, or, believe it or not, sometimes even a pastoral candidate!

I have seen this evil over and over and over. Here is a man, for instance, relatively new to a church and having come from another church, who appears to be a fine, godly saint. So, he is appointed as an elder. But no one bothered to look into his background. To check with his previous church or to interview other references. The thing is unthinkable but I can tell you it happens over and over again.

Why? That is a good question, is it not? Why? How does such a church know that he is not a pedophile, or a divisive man of whom Paul commands us:

Rom 16:17 Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.

How does such a church know that this man is not an abuser of his wife? Or a full-blown narcissist? They do NOT know because they do not really know the man. So, they go right ahead and appoint the man into a church office or accept him/her as a member or Sunday School teacher. They have just welcomed a wolf into the flock. They are guilty and as Paul told Timothy, they will share in such a person’s sins.

But back to the question – why? Secular businesses and organizations regularly do background checks. Has the person ever been arrested? Has he or she ever been terminated from employment? And yet churches not only rarely ignore such investigations, they actually believe that this man or woman who they don’t really know, is what he or she says they are. What about Jesus’ teaching about wolves in sheep’s clothing? Well, these people just ignore that.

And, therefore, local churches have domestic abusers, narcissists, even pedophiles serving in various church offices and positions. The pastor himself may be such a one. No one checked. And guess what happens if you suggest that such a background investigation be made? You will be labeled a troublemaker, unspiritual, lacking faith, or even somewhat slanderous.

The devil and his servants are so very, very subtle and deceptive. Churches that hastily accept a person and judge by appearances (the appearances they see on Sunday mornings that is), are being disobedient to God’s Word and unbelieving of that Word.

What might be other reasons for such willful carelessness? Well, ignorance of evil would be one reason. Ignorance of how narcissists and sociopaths and socially charming pedophiles operate. Such church leaders who are this careless are not fit to shepherd Christ’s people. Another reason is that well, “we just don’t want to risk offending the man.” I have personally informed people on a couple of occasions that we would be looking into their background and guess what? They never came back. Good!!

I am sure there are other reasons – perhaps you can suggest more in the comments here. But I can tell you definitely – the common, typical practice of local churches is that they never look into the background of a candidate for membership or appointment to a church office.

Such so-called shepherds will give an account to the Chief Shepherd one day.

The Good Ol’ Boys (and girls) Club Silences the Case of Abuse Victims

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On February 17, 2026

In Churches/Church Response, Evil

Gal 2:11-14 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. (12) For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. (13) The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. (14) But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?

Paul rebuked Peter not only to his face, but in the presence of all. Publicly. Because the truth of the gospel was more important than anything, and Peter was sliding into a denial of it.

There is a good ol’ boys club mentality (with women members as well) that refuses to do what Paul did. Our of a craving to remain well-liked, popular, rewarded and part of the in-group. there is an unspoken climate in professing Christendom which says, “you must never criticize anyone in the group. And certainly never publicly. And if you do, you will be guilty of a terrible disrespect to your brethren and there will be consequences.” And thus, when celeb type preachers and other popular figures in churches and other groups teach that, for example, abuse is never grounds for divorce, they must never ever be called to accounts for their error.

I have experienced this myself for many years and I could give you many examples of how I have been expelled from the “in groups” because I have publicly, in my books and speaking and this blog, rebuked popular Christian men and women for the harmful and dangerous error they teach. Good bye any invitations to speak at conferences. Good bye to my books being promoted. Good bye to acceptance in a denomination of churches. And so it goes.

You see the same thing operating to the detriment of our nation when you look at Congress for instance. The rule is – you must never call another member of Congress to accounts for their even harmful errors. If you do so, you will be ostracized. Punished. It will cost you. This is how the world works – and if you have ever been a whistleblower you know what I am speaking of.

But the church is supposed to be the pillar and support of truth. We are not to be respecters of persons. When false, unbiblical doctrines are being preached and people put in bondage under them, we are to shine the light of truth upon the error and let the rats scurry off if they won’t repent. But this is simply not common in our day. Typically the truth-tellers are driven away while the rats enjoy advancement up their self-created career ladders.

But I do not care. I really don’t. Paul named names and he did so publicly. And so must we.

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