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Why Didn’t You Leave
“When things were bad, what made you stay?” I looked at the faces around the room—eyes glued to me, waiting patiently for my answer. I wondered if this was the trauma-informed way of…
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Silence: When Gossip is Redefined to Keep You Quiet
Radio silence. That’s what it’s been like for decades when it comes to Free Gospel Bible Institute. The fact that so many have endured horrifying experiences there is no surprise to any of…
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What God Has Joined Together: When Spiritual Control Crossed the Threshold
“What selfish reason made you want to get married?” That was a question we recently discussed in Sunday School. It came from a book called, “Love Like You Mean It” by Bob Lepine. …
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False Scripts: Image, Narratives, & Perception in Spiritually Abusive Settings
I wrote a book when I was 20 years old, at the request of my boss and pastor. He came to me with the suggestion that a book for brats written by a…
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Loyal to a Lie: When Obedience to Man Replaces the Gospel of Christ
I’ll be honest and say that the sight of this cover still makes me shudder. And I know I’m not the only one that feels this way. I often wonder to what extent…
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Free Gospel Bible Institute: What I Learned, What I Lost, and What You Should Know
I was 15 the first time I set foot on campus at Free Gospel Bible Institute. After a four hour drive from Western New York, my mother and I meandered up the final…
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Dragged to the Altar: When Exploitation Masquerades as Ministry
I saw this picture while scrolling. It was meant to be funny, and in its posted context, I suppose it was slightly humorous. I couldn’t help but be reminded of a youth camp…
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The Church Endures
The Church endures—not because she is mighty, but because her Lord is mighty. Charged with carrying the most sacred message of all time, she is opposed from without and betrayed from within. She…
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Theft of Autonomy: When Spiritual Abuse Redefines Faithfulness
The control wasn’t loud. It was quiet. Calculated. Disguised as obedience. The system didn’t just demand action—it rewired how we thought, how we interpreted God, how we defined faithfulness. The deepest damage happened…
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We Are Dust
One of the greatest comforts I have in this life is that God’s sovereignty supersedes my will. Have you ever done something in a dream that you were convinced you could never, or…
