Signs of a Controlling Church<<<

[seekerman]

If they refer to the 'church' building as "the house of the Lord" or some such phrase suggesting the building is somehow the dwelling place of God and therefore holy, you can be assured that a controlling spirit is at work. It's a spirit which has been around as long as the romanist system of religion has been around, which was long before the sudden appearance of the oneness pentecostal sect in 1913. Their humanist promotion of the concept that a building is to be served and coddled because it's somehow the dwelling place of God has it's roots directly in the romanist system of religion.

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by Steve Epley

The two points I would be concerned with is #3 & #8.
If he is speaking of a local church being the only true church I would agree but if he is saying folks outside the Apostolic church are saved then he is in error and a false prophet.
We commanded not to fellowship the unfruitful works of darkness which would be false churches.
Outside of those two I see no problems. He had some odd treachings himself through the years just saying.

But you are not concerned with the others?

**Does every decision people make in your personal life have to be approved by leadership?

Really? That does not concern you? Are you ok with it?

11. Are marriages being broken by leadership?
12. Are people manipulated in their giving by leadership?

Really? Bro Epley, surely you don't approve of marriages being broken by anyone right? Surely you believe giving should be from a giving willing heart and not by manipulation?

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by ILG

The church we took over (where the records were not what they were supposed to be) some of the people int he church were told not to talk to other people in that very church and, of course, they were instructed to not speak to people who left after the church split. I thought that was very tragic. My daughter had a hard time deciding if the UPC was a cult or not. Later, she decided that the church we took (pastored) had been led by a cult leader before we arrived and she decided that that church had been a cult but that the UPC is probably not. (I don't believe it is but some of the churches are.)

The UPC itself is not a cult in that sense of the word but there have been a number of cult like leaders within our ranks.

The fact is, in my opinion, they either started out right and went bad or they were never really the right personality type to be a Pastor.

Some might be called to preach or evangelize but don't have the right leadership skills to Pastor and so when they are thrust into that situation they don't know how to handle having people under them. Rather than love them they manipulate and control them.

It's akin to an abusive marriage where the man tries to keep his wife his "property" and from leaving by controlling her. He has insecurities and fears she will leave and so he tries to keep her when all she really needed was for him to love her and treat her right.

People that stay in that kind of system become themselves rather jaded psychologically.

[MissBrattified]

Originally Posted by Praxeas

But you are not concerned with the others?

**Does every decision people make in your personal life have to be approved by leadership?

Really? That does not concern you? Are you ok with it?

11. Are marriages being broken by leadership?
12. Are people manipulated in their giving by leadership?

Really? Bro Epley, surely you don't approve of marriages being broken by anyone right? Surely you believe giving should be from a giving willing heart and not by manipulation?

Prax, I think you misread his post. Bro. Epley was saying he agreed with those danger signs, except for #3 and #8. I tentatively agree with his exceptions, being as they can be based in interpretation of scripture, albeit to the extreme sometimes.

[navygoat1998]

Originally Posted by Praxeas

The UPC itself is not a cult in that sense of the word but there have been a number of cult like leaders within our ranks.

The fact is, in my opinion, they either started out right and went bad or they were never really the right personality type to be a Pastor.

Some might be called to preach or evangelize but don't have the right leadership skills to Pastor and so when they are thrust into that situation they don't know how to handle having people under them. Rather than love them they manipulate and control them.

It's akin to an abusive marriage where the man tries to keep his wife his "property" and from leaving by controlling her. He has insecurities and fears she will leave and so he tries to keep her when all she really needed was for him to love her and treat her right.

People that stay in that kind of system become themselves rather jaded psychologically.

Praxeas I think some of it is how they were raised up in church and what they observed from their own pastor as role model for ministry. A heavy hand breeds other heavy hands.

[BrotherEastman]

I was in a church where the pastor told a young lady not to marry me after she had already said yes.

[rgcraig]

Originally Posted by BrotherEastman

I was in a church where the pastor told a young lady not to marry me after she had already said yes.

He knew you were a maverick!

[ILG]

Originally Posted by BrotherEastman

I was in a church where the pastor told a young lady not to marry me after she had already said yes.

So, did she marry you anyway?

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by MissBrattified

Prax, I think you misread his post. Bro. Epley was saying he agreed with those danger signs, except for #3 and #8. I tentatively agree with his exceptions, being as they can be based in interpretation of scripture, albeit to the extreme sometimes.

oh....

[BrotherEastman]

Originally Posted by rgcraig

He knew you were a maverick!