Unholy Charade - Jeff Crippen

Unmasking the Domestic Abuser in the Church

Author: Jeff Crippen Page 58 of 88

The Abuser as the Invisible Man

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On June 15, 2020

In Churches/Church Response

Ephesians 6:12 ESV  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Recently I watched the newest movie version of The Invisible Man. NOTE: I do not recommend that just anyone watch it, particularly abuse victims. I can assure you that it will be very triggering because the plot concerns a very evil, narcissist/sociopath abuser whose wife is trying to escape from him. So I say again, this movie is not for everyone.
However, I was impressed with how accurately the script represented the domestic abuser, and how the victim’s family and friends refused to believe her. Elizabeth Moss did a very good job portraying this role.
But what I wanted to especially focus upon in this article is how it struck me that the invisible man is a very accurate image of the domestic abuser – especially the kind that pretends to be a holy, saintly, Christian. Let me explain.

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Daughters, be Wise and Beware

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On June 10, 2020

In Abusers

Proverbs 5:3-5 ESV  For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil,  (4)  but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.  (5)  Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol;

I am going to turn this scripture around. It is written to a son, but surely we can use it as a warning to daughters as well. Because as many of you have learned by sad experience:

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Superficial Christianity Invites and Enables Evil

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On June 8, 2020

In Churches/Church Response

These paragraphs were taken from a church’s web page. Read them, and then I want us to think about how a “church” like this is fertile soil for the wicked, including abusers:

Our Core Beliefs: If you were to ask 10 different people at Our Savior’s Church their individual beliefs about heaven, sin, free will, or any other theological issue, you would probably get 10 unique answers! Nevertheless, there are certain core beliefs which we share that define who we are and who we understand God to be. A good way of explaining these core beliefs lies in the name of our national church body.
We believe in the transforming power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and understand forgiveness and faith as radical gifts from God that are given no matter who we are or what we do.
We are “church.” That is, every member is bound together in the Body of Christ, gifted by the Holy Spirit, and empowered to be a doer of the Gospel.
We life, work, and serve our American context knowing what we do here also impacts the world.

Now, think carefully about these words. Let me translate them for you:

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Update on our friend Mack's Condition

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On June 4, 2020

In Blog News

Thank you all for continuing to pray for Mack and his wife Rite (prounounced “reet”). Mack remains in acute rehab about 50 miles away from us, which is closer than the initial hospital he was in. He has had ups and downs and some times of intense pain.
However, we are encouraged with the progress he is showing and hope that his date of coming back home (it has been 42 days now) will be soon. His pancreas is still not at all back to normal, but his kidneys are fully functional and that is a huge hurdle crossed.
The covid thing still prevents any visitors but we are able to talk with him through his ground floor window and that is a giant advantage over ICU.
Mack and Rite and all of us here really do greatly appreciate all of you praying for them. We will keep you updated as change occurs.

Part 2 – Critique of Screwtape's Letter

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On June 3, 2020

In Churches/Church Response

We continue to point out the lies and false teaching disguised as “Bible” which Pastor Screwtape and his associate, Wormwood, laid upon this man who was married to an abuser wife. As I have written before, this is a clear case of the woman as the abuser and the victim’s “church” leaders lording it over him and seeking to keep him in bondage. Here then is a second excerpt from the letter the victim received, followed by my comments:

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Part 1 – Critique of Pastor Screwtape's Letter

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On June 1, 2020

In Churches/Church Response

On May 11th we posted the wicked letter from “Pastor Screwtape” and his associate, Wormwood, that was sent to an abuse victim in their “church.” You can read the letter here.  Now I want to dissect this collection of lies and perversions of scripture so that we can all clearly see the typical tactics these kinds of false shepherds use on victims.  We start in this post with just one paragraph (which Screwtape wrote after opening with a couple of the typical “softening up the target” talk that express how much the victim is loved…blah, blah, blah.  Then the first fusilade is fired:

“First, it is the will of God that you do not divorce your wife. As we have emphasized repeatedly, the Lord has permitted divorce (and remarriage) for one reason only, that being “sexual immorality” (Matt. 5:32; 19:9). Although some good men disagree, we have emphasized that Paul did not add to our Lord’s one exception in addressing the church at Corinth.  He wrote in 1 Corinthians 7:10f, “A wife is not to depart from her husband. But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife.” Your intention to divorce Your wife transgresses this clear command of our Lord.”

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Part Three – The Damage Women's and Men's Ministries can do

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On May 27, 2020

In Churches/Church Response

This is another excellent comment left in response to the post on this subject last week. Amy tells her story and her insights are right on. I wanted to be sure everyone sees what she wrote, so here it is in this stand alone post.  Thank you Amy!

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Part Two – the Damage Men's and Women's Ministries Typically Do

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On May 25, 2020

In False Teaching

Last Wednesday I wrote a post on how men’s and women’s church ministries very often promote abuse in the church. In response, Wingingit made a wonderfully accurate comment that really says what I was trying to say, only better.  So here is her comment in a stand alone post to be sure everyone sees it. Many thanks to her:

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Update on Mack – Good News from the Doctor

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On May 22, 2020

In Blog News

Rite (Mack’s wife) sent the following good news update this morning. Please continue to pray for Mack and Rite. He still has a long way to go:

Dr McCord update:
– This morning they checked his labs and Mack’s kidneys are functioning on their own❣️❣️ Dr McCord said it is amazing how they are doing❣️ I told him it is answered prayers, that there are many praying for him. The dr said it is a nerve racking time to let him go to rehab, but they will keep a close eye on him there.
– Mack will have a follow up with his surgeon, Dr Worst, later to see about the fluids around his kidneys. The fluids are the reason he will continue with tube feeding, to bypass the pancreas.Once he is stronger, and the cyst has matured, they may remove it.
– They will check around next Wednesday to see if he needs dialysis.
–
Thank you fro the support and prayers ❣️you are all so much appreciated ❤️

Please Pray for Mack and His Wife

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On May 21, 2020

In Blog News

I would like to ask all of you to pray for my friends Mack and his wife Rite (pronounced “Reet”). Mack has been an elder in our church here for many years. Both he and Rite were here when I came 27 years ago and they have faithfully stood with us through many trials. Mack supported the start of our ministry to expose abusers in the church and help victims and he stood with us against some wicked people who tried to prevent it.
Nearly 4 weeks ago, Mack was stricken with pacreatitis and rushed to the hospital. He has been in the hospital now for nearly a month, most of which was in ICU. His kidney are not working right, his pancreas is not back to normal, and he has had issues with blood pressure and his heart. He is slowly improving but has a long way to go.
What makes this even more difficult is that due to the corona virus, none of us can go visit him. So he has not been able to see Rite for all this time – fortunately they can facetime at least.
So I thought I would ask all of you to pray for Mack and Rite, that the Lord might heal Mack quickly and bring him back home. If you have followed our livestream worship service broadcasts on facebook, you have seen Mack up front each week leading the music.
Thank you all.

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