MK forum

Yes. How I wish they had the capability and the courage to do so.

Capability yes, for we all have the capability to do what is right or moral or good.

Courage, I doubt it. To act with courage requires a conscience and this is what has been abdicated to self preservation and hiding of secrets in order to preserve reputations that are needed to be maintained in order to keep that what is most valued flowing. That being $$$$.

Nope, no courage detected!!!!!!!
Nope, no conscience detected!!!!!!!!

Hello, hello, anyone home at Sanford?

So why do any of us bother going to church or adhering to any organised religion when this sort of nonsense is so prevalent? When pastors, priests, vicars and their hangers on forgive and absolve themselves of criminal acts that the average citizen would expect to be dealt with under the law of the land.

As a child I grew up with the message of "you must be in The Word everyday". This formula was magically supposed to cure all ills, ensure eternal life and ensure a life of internal peace. But the purveyor of this mantra sacrificed time with his family by delving into "The Word" to extract obscure meanings, which as time has gone on became excuses for the criminal behaviour of fellow missionaries. And just like the article, when challenged, the "good" works were stacked up as some sort of theological balance for the evil done and the command was to close a blind eye to the temptations that these poor unfortunate servants of the Lord had yielded to and praise God for the compensatory good they had achieved.
Decades down the track, nothing has changed, except the mania has got worse. The same mantra is being pumped out, but now with a more sinister hint of desperation, for the evil being exposed requires even stronger words and more time in "The Word" to find justification.

And in all the decades spent "being in the Word", the most simplest lesson seems to have been missed, the message of being charitable to ones fellow citizens. A lesson if put into practise would I suspect make us more Christ like than many other words of wisdom derived from "The Word".

*****************

Then again I might have got this all wrong. Maybe such excusing of ones abuse is not that common and the childhood I had clouded the true view of normality. But then again, what is normal? It certainly isn't me

Thank you, JerryB. I just finished reading the article, and took some time to familiarize myself with Mark Driscoll and the situation at Mars Hill.

I am feeling very discouraged at the moment. I feel like I am drowning in a swamp of ugliness, as I learn of more and more so-called servants of God who are so focused on themselves and their own success that they have lost sight of aspects of Christianity that I hold most dear.

Just yesterday I was thinking about what I would like to say to New Tribes missionaries and their loyal supporters, if they questioned why I continue to fight this battle, the struggle to raise awareness of the pain caused to hundreds if not thousands of children of New Tribes missionaries in decades past. It feels to me, at this moment, that we are not making any headway in this effort, and reading this article about Driscoll has made me even sadder.

MKs endured all sorts of abuse as children. In their schools, dorms, homes, and villages. I now know that there was widespread abuse of all kinds. There was an astounding amount of physical and sexual abuse, and then add on top of that the emotional and spiritual abuse, which was practically universal. The general culture of the mission led parents to abandon their children in boarding schools, pressured them to use harsh physical punishments to obtain perfect, people-pleasing behaviors, and modelled for them the use of religion as a tool to manipulate and control their children. Anyone who knows even basic principles of child development should be able to understand the effects that this type of abuse had on young lives.

In the past four years I have communicated with many MKs who were deeply wounded in the NTM environment. Effects of abuse are very obvious in some cases. We are probably all aware of MKs who suffer from depression, anxiety or other mental/emotional illnesses. We know of relationship failures, addictions, financial and employment struggles, and suicides.

All of this pain weighs me down. But the thing that grieves me the most is the way that childhood abuse has affected people's view of God. The irony of this really gets to me. Many MKs have lost all confidence in organized Christianity. Some hold a belief in God, but other can't reconcile the devastation of their childhood with a God of love. All of us MKs were force-fed a steady diet of "Jesus Loves Me". For some, that message is our rock foundation. For others, none of it makes sense anymore, in light of the way people who claim to love Jesus live and behave.

Mark Driscoll's case is proving once again that people in Christian ministry are not immune to the temptations of the flesh. I am so disgusted with people who use "ministry" as a way to gain power, fame, or fortune. It is no wonder westerners in general are losing interest in church attendance. We all hear far too many stories of pious-sounding people who go to any lengths to protect the empire they've built with their own hands, with their own pride.

How I long to see real Christ-likeness in action. I think of the words of Jesus: "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matt. 11:29) Gentle. Humble in heart. Where can I find those traits these days? Who seeks to be more like Jesus by being gentle, and humble in heart??

Dear Jesus, pull me out of this swamp. I just don't know how much more of this I can bear.

Beware the Alligators
In that there swamp
For they dance to strange tune
As they snort and stomp

Lift up thine eyes
See other Critters about
Some in outfits of white linen
And one with grey cloak of doubt

Gird up thy Lions
And thy wings do not lose
For they will release thee
From the mud that does ooze

Dance with them other Critters
Even when thee feel down
For guaranteed is dancing
To alleviate a deepened frown