Many would rather live a lie in peace, than live for truth.
The Prophets?
German martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer:
Where the world seeks gain, Christians will renounce it; where it exploits, they will let go; where it oppresses, they will stoop down and lift up the oppressed. Where the world denies justice, Christians will practice compassion; where it hides behind lies, they will speak out for those who cannot speak, and testify for the truth.
Do we really want virtue, justice and truth – especially when they challenge the status quo of our settled lives, churches and ministries?
Do we really value virtue, justice and truth – even if they challenge any self-affirming relationships with Jesus and each other?
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. (1 John 1:5-6)
May God send prophets among us yet again.
~ Jim
Roots
The last several years have been a wonderful journey of seeing folks come to the Lord and fellowships emerge in highly improbable places. In my own life, the roots for this go back to my dad and mom, Bob and Mary Jane Wright.
In the 1970s and 80’s, the Lord used them as pioneers in what we’d now call simple “organic” church – before that term became popular (even though today, unfortunately, it can mean nearly anything).
Forty years ago, they helped birth a regional network of open, participatory fellowships in Maryland, where people could find and express the vibrant life of Christ in dynamic gatherings as everyone ministered one to another – rather than having directed, scripted meetings.
Often, we gathered in living rooms, shared meals as we shared Christ with each other, and sat in circles to encourage and minister one to another. We didn’t worry about being led by a “worship band” or some “professional clergy”, as anyone could start a song, pray, share a teaching, give a testimony, ask a question, or otherwise participate as part of the whole Body of Christ – just like we are told to do in the New Testament.
Rather than being directed pew sitters in a scripted “service”, we learned to let the vibrant life of Christ flow through us – each and every one.
We didn’t “go to church” to encounter Christ, but were the church as we expressed Christ one to another and to a waiting world. And by so doing, many became strong in the Lord and made a difference in each others’ lives and in the lives of our surrounding communities.
Jon Zens and Frank Viola – A Public Response
May 15, 2013 (updated)
Re: Author and “Apostolic Worker” Frank Viola
Dear Mr. Zens:
I am providing this preliminary response, both personally and on behalf of our fellowships, to your letter of May 10th and to your many related statements on Facebook. I thus write for myself and as an elder within those fellowships.
Your letter was co-signed by Bart Breen and sent on behalf of Christian author and “apostolic worker” Frank Viola and his mutual promotion network of other so-called “apostolic workers” who – like you – enjoy his repeated public endorsements, including Milt Rodriquez and Felicity Dale.
The context of this response are the facts and public warnings issued against Frank Viola for abuse and sexual exploitation by his former church.
To this day, those warnings have not been factually refuted and thus warrant an open response by Mr. Viola. Any such response should be at least as public as his own public claims of being a leader in, and to, the Body of Christ.
Confronting Evil
Unrepentant evil will never fess up to its own culpability, and always play the victim.
Good Fruit, Bad Fruit, No Fruit
Fruit seems to be a touchy issue these days.
Being Faithful
Jesus tells us to be fruit inspectors, and even says that we are to be known by our fruit. See Matt. 7:15-27.
We shouldn’t, therefore, be bashful about looking for and asking about fruit when discerning someone’s ministry, doctrines and practices – even if they find that offensive.
However, it’s one thing to look for fruit, but it’s another thing to be wise fruit inspectors.
Maturity
Life Together
Over the last several years, I’ve been learning to surrender my vision of community to the Lord, to just be part of community, and to let it express itself in all its wonderful diversity – in His timing, as He wants.
Crossroad Nugget
God gives different gifts, callings and motivations to different people. It’s OK to be different!
I Confess: I Killed Ekklesia
Yup. It’s true. I killed ekklesia (the Greek word often translated in the New Testament to mean a local “church”). Now, many years later, it’s time to finally come clean and confess.
Although we all love the “glory stories,” we also need to tell of our failures – because it’s our failures which often teach the most.
So here’s my sorry story of having killed a fellowship.
Maybe, by owning up to my failures, it will help others trying to form a simple church – or whatever else you want to call an open, participatory gathering of believers ministering one to another in smaller, relational fellowships.
The New Legalism
The ‘New Legalism’, by Anthony Bradley
I totally agree with this article. The hyper-intense organic and/or missional folk have lost sight of simple truths like family, vocation and existing community. When following Christ comes at the expense of the basics, rather than taking root there, it won’t last. Eventually, they burn out.
Crossroad Nugget
The older I get, the more I realize that maturity is having the wisdom to understand there are consequences.
Go and Sow
When the Gospel is more about gather and “come” than “go” and sow, it often becomes an institutionalized system of consolidated power, privilege, benefits and prestige.
Home Grown Organic Churches
David Lim, an international leader in “organic” missions, wrote an important and probing article called Towards Closure.
Conforming to Someone’s Grand Vision
Basically, he discusses (from a more academic but still very pragmatic standpoint) the difference between an “imperial” and an “incarnational” approach to church planting, the Great Commission and bringing Christ into new communities and contexts.
Like me, Dr. Lim is an advocate of organic (or simple) churches because he sees them as not only faithful to New Testament examples and principles, but as best able to fully express Christ in all His gloriously diverse ways in different communities and cultures.
According to him, when such churches emerge within the context of local communities, Jesus then becomes more fully “incarnational” (i.e., embodied and alive) in and through those communities.
He also makes another very important point: By allowing the Lord to adapt to each culture and setting, without imposing some intense, cookie-cutter concept of Him – and how His Church must look and operate – we avoid the trap of “imperialism”.
Intentional Ministry
Last night was the second week in a semester-long class Marianne and I are teaching, through Nathan’s Voice and our fellowships, on pastoral counseling. We had a full house (literally!).
The Art of Pastoral Counseling
We previously taught this two years ago, and many are now ministering grace and healing in our county to those trapped in the bondage of addictions, past abuse, and controlling emotional wounds.
About half of the class comes from our fellowships, and the rest from other churches in the area.
But this morning, I’m tired…
When Ekklesia Matters
Everybody’s all for “ekklesia” (the Greek word in the New Testament often translated to mean a local “church”).
Folks blog about it, post on Facebook about it, create online groups about it, and write books about it.
Yup. They all love “ekklesia”….
Except when a particular “ekklesia” follows Biblical procedure and issues a pubic warning under the mandate of 1 Tim. 5:19-21 against some leader the “ekklesia” boosters have placed on an untouchable pedestal – but who had been part of that church, only to then immediately leave and refuse to be accountable when it tried to address his issues of abuse and exploitation.
Crossroad Nugget
Too often folks anxiously try to fix the fix that God has fixed to fix some problem. Never works. Never has, never will.
If you’re in a fix, own it and let God do His perfect work.
If someone else is in a fix, let them own it so God can do His perfect work!
The Predators Among Us
A good article that provides much needed perspective on sexually exploitive church leaders. In Marianne and my experience with Nathan’s Voice, a ministry of our fellowships which has helped literally hundreds of abuse survivors over the years, this is spot on. It describes the typical personality, motives and means of predation by those who use their emotional and spiritual position of trust to sexually exploit others.
Sexual Exploitation by Church Leaders – How Do We Respond?
Abusive Church Leaders – Mandatory Public Warnings
It is always painful when we learn that a beloved church leader has used his position of trust to sexually exploit those under his care. The recent disclosures about Frank Viola are no exception. But when it’s confirmed by multiple witnesses, how should we react? Fortunately, the New Testament provides clear instructions.
Sexual Predation by Christian Author Frank Viola
Sexual Predation by Christian Author and “Apostle” Frank Viola, by Nathan’s Voice
After months of investigation, Nathan’s Voice has confirmed through multiple witnesses a history of abuse, sexual predation and cover up involving Christian author and self-proclaimed “apostolic worker” Frank Viola.
Crossroad Nugget
Relational unity must be built on relational truth – and never on lies.
How to Become a Cult (Part 6)
Create a fractured persona. Falsely project empathy, expertise and success as a trusted church leader – while covering up a pattern of infidelity, sexual predation and exploitation, persistent detachment from any accountable local fellowship, and failed churches. Appeal to unity and loyalty, personalize everything as hateful attacks against you by spiteful people, and turn on your well-rehearsed charm (and if that doesn’t work, fall back on lies, threats and intimidation) to silence those who dare ask troubling questions. Work behind the scenes and through others to purge all dissenting voices and any contrary information – both in your churches and on public forums like the Internet. As you then bamboozle folks with your enticing but fraudulent persona and fictitious history, they’ll became compliant pawns to your narcissistic deceptions.
Related articles
The pattern outlined above is something I have seen time and again with inflated church leaders who learn to manipulate people and then cross the line into sexual exploitation and predation with what eventually becomes a personality cult – which they sustain through outward charm and behind-the-scenes intimidation. The documents and multiple witness statements originally published by Frank Viola’s former church in Brandon, Florida, document yet another example of such behavior by Mr. Viola.
(Unfortunately, the Viola gang has succeeded in forcing those documents to be removed from various internet archives and also the church’s original web site through threats and intimidation as part of their ongoing cover up. Fortunately, I was able to obtain a full and complete copy of all the Brandon Church’s numerous published witness statements and documents about Frank Viola’s history of sexual predation, abuse and false biographical claims before they were purged. Copies are available to anyone interested.)
Crossroad Nugget
God’s not into pendulums. He’s into plumb lines. Big difference!
How to Become a Cult (Part 5)
It’s easy…
Related articles
- How to Become a Cult (Part 3) (crossroadjunction.com)
- How to Become a Cult (Part 4) (crossroadjunction.com)
- How to Become a Cult (Part 6) (crossroadjunction.com)
How to Become a Cult (Part 4)
Create a fractured Holy Spirit. Tell folks that what we personally feel the Holy Spirit say today is higher revelation – and more trustworthy and authoritative – then His external Word of scripture. Mesmerize hurting people with your deeper life teachings, until they confuse their own need for meaning, significance and belonging with the voice of the Holy Spirit – while weaning them away from scripture as the external standard for judging the validity of what they feel He’s said. As they mistake your ability to charm, entice and inspire with the Holy Spirit’s authentic internal voice and authoritative external Word, they will come to believe that following your message means following Him.
Related articles
- How to Become a Cult (Part 3) (crossroadjunction.com)
- How to Become a Cult (Part 5) (crossroadjunction.com)
- How to Become a Cult (Part 6) (crossroadjunction.com)
Crossroad Junction 