A View from the Pews

I don’t think I could explain the circumstances of the lawsuits against the whistleblowers better than Professor Doug Lay. It raises the question in my mind as to whether tithes and offerings of the congregation were intended to be used to pay for the legal fees. Is that a questionable practice? I’m just asking. “This…

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Cause and Effect?

A View from the Pews

I wrote in an earlier blog about the integrity choices of the church leadership in filing lawsuits to silence the whistleblowers. They were made to retain money, power and favorable statistics. In doing so, they pressured the whistleblowers into an integrity crisis of their own. The stakes were high, because they put employment, finances and…

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A View from the Pews

If the leadership wanted to incense their congregation to the point of disengaging from the church, this was the perfect plan. My opinion is speculation, however, either they didn’t think through the possible outcomes or they were so desperate to keep the events under wrap that they didn’t care about what their choices might cause….

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Financial Connections

A View from the Pews

Money talks. Money pressures behaviors, and integrity gets challenged. The shepherds of the church are tasked by Scripture to lead with integrity. The church members must hold their leadership accountable to the high standard of integrity. The church fails when integrity gets trampled in the worship center. “Let’s dig one layer deeper into the shared…

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Truth Will Out – Shakespeare

A View from the Pews

Truth cannot be denied its rightful place in the sun. It cannot be stifled as has been proven in several such cases of major celebrity pastors and priests who tried to go down the path of silencing the story. A victim who is pushed down because of his or her age eventually becomes old enough…

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Truth at What Cost?

A View from the Pews

Lawsuits and loss of employment become weapons in the arsenal of those who fear exposure. I see this tactic everywhere in today’s headlines. It reminds me of the verse in Isaiah, “Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter.” (Isaiah 59:14 ESV)…

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The Ramifications of the Reckoning

A View from the Pews

A dear friend messaged me and used the term ‘fractured’ to describe what happened to FCCF. My first reaction was total agreement for the appropriate use of a word I had not connected with what happened. The church was fractured into pro, con and gone categories. Families and friendships were fractured in the process. Most…

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A Reckoning

A View from the Pews

The predator, Brandon Milburn, was arrested and brought to stand before two of his victims brave enough to come forward, report their abuse to the police and testify against him. There were more victims than these two, some are known. How many more are not known? Brandon faced his reckoning before the court and was…

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What Does a Predator Look Like?

A View from the Pews

What would you expect a predator to be like? They don’t wear a name tag or a label exposing their intentions. They work hard to ingratiate themselves and build circles of influence. They make targets of people they can manipulate to favor them. They morph their personalities to gain access to those on whom they…

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What Does Narcissism Have to do With Church?

A View from the Pews

Pride cannot minister to others. Pride seeks its own reward. Pride doesn’t think of others. Pride sinks ministries. “The correct answer is, of course, nothing. The Bible is clear on the consequences of pride. Is that not why Satan fell? Could it be the reason behind the consequences at First Christian of Florissant? When pride…

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