First, I need to tell you that I have the greatest respect for pastors, and ministers. I have worked for many pastors over the past 20 years, and have found them to be honorable, God-fearing, and really exceptional men. They have all been men. I’ve only seen one woman associate pastor in a Baptist church.
Some pastors are bullies. Pulpit bullies.
A year ago a pastor stepped behind his new pulpit for his first sermon with the congregation that had just called him to be their pastor. I was there for his first sermon.
He laid out his outlook for the church.
He told them that he spent one hour every morning in prayer. If anyone wanted to come to the church and join him in prayer they would be welcome.
His congregation did not know it, but they had just been set up. They had been set up to believe that this pastor knew the truth. They were led to believe that someone so in touch with God would not be in the pulpit telling them anything but truth.
This pastor does not believe that women are equal to men before God in the home or the church. He is the same pastor who compared a wife to a dog, said there is a movement to have mankind and womankind language in the Bible (which separates women into a separate species), and said that women’s role was housework, whether they liked it or not because life was not always fair.
He bullied his congregation and almost dared them to find anything wrong with what he has to say because he is in touch with God. Few people spend an hour a day in prayer, and we stand in awe of those that do. However, in my experience most pastors cannot set aside the same hour absolutely every day because of other pastoral duties, and family responsibilities.
Jesus said to keep your prayer life secret, not to blare it out on the streets.
Wednesday we will discuss the larger context of Pulpit Bullies.
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I hate to be a spoil sport but there would be no pastors like this if they had no followers. It is the followers I worry about and that I think we should try to reach. There will always be charlatans. The institutions breed them. Especially the seminary’s.
The first thing we have to do is convince people through scripture that it is not a sin to question or rebuke those with “Christianese” titles. Many believe that it is a sin because they have been taught that. So the cycle continues…people bring charlatans into their church and then must not question them because it is “sin”. Pretty good gig for the charlatan, eh?
It is the pew sitter that must be educated about the Word then they won’t fall for this stuff because they will recognize the red flags of the charlatan.
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Exactly. It is the pew sitters that I hope we reach with our book project.
And you know, even I hesitated to write this. My husband Don is the one who coined the phrase Pulpit Bullies. I have met so many wonderful pastors and I don’t want to be seen as a person who speaks against pastors. But I can’t give them a blanket pass on these things either.
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BTW: He showed his ignorance if the pew sitter were even bascially educated in the Word, they would have seen it. Does he even know what “anthropos” means in Greek?
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Ummm, what does it mean?
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“Anthropos” is translated “brethren” in the KJV, “brothers” in the old NIV, and “brothers and sisters” in the new NIV. The word is a gender-neutral word for “fellow siblings,” and is the most common way Paul refers to his readers.
Male-gendered words used to be considered gender-neutral in English, but no longer are. That’s why the new NIV changes the translation to “brothers and sisters,” to give modern readers a more accurate understanding of what the word “anthropos” actually meant.
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pulPIT BULLieS
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Lydia
I like your use of the word “charlatans” referring to “titled” Pastors. 😉
Even looked it up in the dictionary. 😉
Charlatan
A person falsely claiming to have a special knowledge or skill; a fraud.
Wikipedia
A charlatan (also called swindler or mountebank) is a person practicing quackery or some similar confidence trick in order to obtain money, fame or other advantages via some form of pretense or deception.
The word comes from French charlatan, a seller of medicines who might advertise his presence with *music* and an outdoor *stage show.*
That seems to describe my experience with Pastor/Leaders. 😦
Some might have been nice guys but, I can’t find anyone in the Bible
who had the “title” and “position” of “Pastor/Leader.”
Can you name just one? I mean from the Bible?
And every Pastor/Leader I’ve met also has the “Title” Reverend.
Does anyone, in the Bible, have the “Title” Reverend? Oy Vey!!! 😦
Ezek 14:1-11 Talks about “Idols” of the heart.
Mat 23:10 Jesus teaches His Disciples NOT to be called Master/Leader.
King James Version –
Neither be ye called masters: for “ONE” is your Master, even Christ.
The Interlinear Bible –
Nor be called leaders, for “ONE” is your leader the Christ.
Phillips Modern English –
you must not let people call you leaders, you have only “ONE” leader, Christ.
In my experience…
“Titles” become “Idols”
“Pastors” become “Masters”
I’m Blest… I’ve returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of my soul… Jesus… 😉
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A. Amos Love, I am so glad to hear from you again! I am still “making waves” as you told me once before. Your posters on your website are absolutely beautiful. Thanks for writing.
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anthropos means humans and is inclusive of either male or female humans. So many places in Scripture use anthropos, but quite a few translations use man as if it were male human and not merley human being.
Good Scripture. But let’s not give a bad name to those wonderful pitbull dogs who have often been abused by bully humans. 🙂
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isn’t adellphos brothers and sisters? and anthropos , humans being?
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Yes, you’re right, TL. My mistake; sorry. But as we both pointed out, both words are gender-inclusive.
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I knew you knew that. 🙂 We all need grace for busy days.
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sorry Shirley!
A few years back, I would read scripture to my then 6 year old daughter every night. Finally, one night she said, “aren’t there any “sisters in there”? It hit me that we have several generations that do not understand “brothers” means both. So, I started digging and found that all this talk about inclusive language in the bible being wrong was pure propaganda. Such as the propaganda aimed at the TNIV. The things certain leaders said about it was pure bunk.
Now, I make sure she is reading so she is included in those promises from our Savior.
TL has it right. Athropos is human being but almost always translated as “man”.
A pulpit bully will tell you that any translation that uses “brothers and sisters” will lead to homosexual pastors. (rolls eyes)
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It is so sad that so many little girls must grow up on the male superiority and preference bunk!
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Yes, and it does little boys no good, either, to grow up with privilege based on their gender.
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exactly, Kristin. It does them great harm because they do not look at women as capable of the same anointing of the Holy Spirit as they are. They miss out on the Holy Spirit’s works in women. And they tend to not receive correction and redirection from their wives, but think their wives are their for their pleasure rather than soul mates who will benefit one another.
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