Throughout the life of this blog, not only has my spirit morphed and changed, but my purpose and motivation. In the early days of exiting from Spiritual Abuse and a high-control environment, I was angry, bitter at times, and retaliatory at others. Through the years of counseling others in my ministry, I have seen the same pattern play out time and time again. So while I think it natural, I also think it, in retrospect, deserves a few clarifications, corrections, and more importantly, apologies. In this video, that is my purpose, to clear up a few points and to apologize for times that I have n ..read more

If ever you have tried, like me, to argue with legalistic practices (by the way, you can have reverse legalism too!) which almost always revolves around dress standards and lifestyle choices, you’ll know it’s a slippery slope. What begins with organizational rules quickly becomes defended by calling them personal convictions. One man told me, they are just the filter that we live life through. For instance, the Articles of Faith of the Holiness/Oneness Pentecostal Movement, otherwise known as their dress standards, otherwise known as Holiness, otherwise known as personal convictions, otherwise ..read more

What is crazy is that people are STILL asking this question! In balance, it’s also healthy that people are asking this question. I believe at the heart of most Christians is a desire to please God – and on the other side of the coin, there are others who use that desire to please God as a means to control other men and women. The line between Legalism and Christian Freedom is always hanging in the balance. Few things expose that balancing act like smoking, drinking, tattoos, playing cards, gambling, etc., etc. Of course, the entire argument, the one about tattoos, always revolves around a sing ..read more

Most of my writings are inspired by real-life events. I feel somewhat akin to comedians who routinely say, “I don’t have to try to come up with material. I live, things happen, I make jokes about it.” Sometimes it seems this also is how God teaches us things – how events of life bring about understanding, or at least it brings about questions and we must go seeking answers. Recently, as my children grow (two daughters) the subject of modesty comes up from time to time. Some influences from our past, some just natural curiosity of a growing mind. And truth be told, as at rather of daughters, I ..read more

In this article in the series of Vague Dogmas, we are taking a brief look at a belief within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) that claim supernatural protection and power comes when a follower of the LDS church wears what they call the Temple Garment. The term Magic Underwear is a derogatory term used by non-LDS followers and we are using it here to follow our theme of Holy Magic dogmas. According to the LDS church history, documentation and leadership, the Temple Garment is an article of clothing worn both day and night to be a constant reminder to the adherent o ..read more

Recently I was reminded of several events of home invasion that took place during my time in the cult – the independent Oneness Pentecostal church I belonged to for 15 years, that illustrates the overbearing control some pastors and leaders take over the flock, the congregation, the members, and how that control ultimately leads to invading your personal life, your home, and sometimes, your person. I would be remiss, due to recent comments, not to mention that not all Oneness Pentecostal pastors and churches do all of the things I mention in my blog. However, I believe the Oneness Pentecostal ..read more

I always felt like I was being a little dishonest in my days as a legalist when I spoke of the rules and regulations of the faith I belonged to, particularly in trying to explain them to new converts or questioning prospects. Our ladies weren’t allowed to cut their hair, color their hair, trim their hair, perm their hair, wear short sleeve shirts, tights/leggings, wear metal of any kind in their hair, or any form of jewelry/ornamentation, etc. The same rules applied to me, as a man, with other requirements as well, such as abstaining from facial hair or allowing my hair to grow past a few inch ..read more

As much of my work is heavily focused on coming against false doctrines, and more importantly, doctrines of the Oneness Pentecostal movement, it is no surprise that I from time to time, get dyed-in-the-wool apologetics commenting on my YouTube channel. What always amazes me is that they all use the same exact lines, like reading from the playbook of David K. Bernard (President, United Pentecostal Church, International.) They never come to the conversation with studied information, important Biblical foundations that look at the whole picture. Rather, small verses are cherry-picked to fit an ag ..read more

For a very long time, I have asked myself this question. What are the limits? Is there a limit? Am I rebellious for even asking that question? Is it something that should be talked about? Is the question undermining a pastors role? Muzzling the ox so to speak? Yet, having come out of an extremely legalistic system that taught, and still teaches, absolute obedience to the pastor, I realize it is something that has to be talked about. You see, a pastor, someone supposedly walking after the Spirit, exercising his position of teaching, leading and feeding the flock of God, should carefully find th ..read more

Over the weekend I went looking for more books to read. Last week I found the History of Early Christianity and have been enjoying reading through that. This weekend I found the book Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome. This is not a mockery of PTSD, or other trauma-related issues, but seemingly a mirror into something I have witnessed over the past 16 months. That bad religion creates real, lasting traumatic injuries to the heart, mind, and soul of its victims. People inside the systems mock these comments and dismiss them, which is a sad similitude to the early scandals of sexual abuse withi ..read more