@RTSCharlotte 2021 Year in Review
Well, it’s New Year’s Eve. And I would imagine that most of us are more than ready to get 2021 in the rear-view mirror. We all thought it would be different than 2020, but, alas, it was not to be. Not only is COVID back with a vengeance, but the year has been filled with it’s share of division and in-fighting, both politically and in the church.
But even with these challenges, there were a number of things to be thankful for in 2021. Several years ago, I began a new tradition of the RTS Charlotte “year in review” where I recap how God has blessed our ministry over the … Continue reading...
Interested in Getting a Biblical Counseling Degree without Moving? You Can Do It at @RTSCharlotte
This past April, I spoke at the TGC Women’s conference in Indianapolis. I also spent a good bit of time talking to women at the RTS booth about their hopes and dreams for ministry education.
I was asked repeatedly about which degree program would be helpful for women wanting to go to seminary. Although all our programs are great, I think the RTS Charlotte Master of Arts in Christian Counseling degree (MACC) is a wonderful option.
Here are a few important facts about Charlotte’s MACC:
1. Half of the MACC’s 66 credit hours are in Bible and theology. That means the degree is not filled only with counseling courses, but … Continue reading...
Does Grace Oppose Hard Work? My Upcoming Conversation with Jen Wilkin at the @TGC National Conference
So, today I am headed to Indianapolis for the TGC Women’s Conference (April 9-11), and the TGC National Conference (April 12-14). So excited to be in-person again, talking to real people.
I am speaking three times across the two conferences, so here’s the line-up:
1. Saturday, April 10, 4:30PM, I am doing a session entitled: “Can I Lose My Faith? Understanding Apostasy.” Over the last few years, I have been tackling this theme of apostasy, or “deconversion,” through my new commentary on Hebrews (which will be a book give away at the National Conference), as well as through several blog articles on deconversion in the evangelical world. I hope this … Continue reading...
Why Don’t Churches Stop Spiritually Abusive Pastors?
For the last couple of months I’ve been making my way through a blog series on spiritual abuse which I am calling “Bully Pulpit”. You can see the prior installments here , here, here, and here.
Part of the goal of this series has been to lead up to my session on spiritual abuse at the TGC National Conference. I will be leading a panel discussion on this topic with my friends Dan Doriani and John Yates, at 11AM on April 12th. Please join us if you will be attending TGC, or you can tune-in online.
With the conference right around the corner, this will … Continue reading...
Key Signs of An Abusive Pastor #2: Hyper Defensive About Their Own Authority
“All who gain power are afraid to lose it.”
So said Darth Sidious (aka, Chancellor Palpatine) in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. And despite being from the dark side, he was correct. The biggest motivator for those in power is often their fear of losing it.
Sadly, that is also the case with abusive pastors. Wade Mullen in his book, Something’s Not Right, makes a very similar observation: “The chief desire of abusive individuals and organizations is to attain or retain power” (15).
If Mullen is correct—and I think he is—then we come to another key sign of an abusive leader, namely that they are often hyper-defensive about … Continue reading...