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	<title>Comments on: A Reformed &#8220;Spotlight&#8221;: Fighting Spiritual Abuse in the Reformed Church</title>
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	<link>https://headhearthand.org/blog/2016/04/14/a-reformed-spotlight-fighting-spiritual-abuse-in-the-reformed-church/</link>
	<description> Informing Minds. Moving Hearts. Directing Hands.</description>
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		<title>By: Appendix i. Further Resources on Abuse of Clergy. &#8211; veritas praebita. (or, My Christian Education)</title>
		<link>https://headhearthand.org/blog/2016/04/14/a-reformed-spotlight-fighting-spiritual-abuse-in-the-reformed-church/#comment-49411</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Appendix i. Further Resources on Abuse of Clergy. &#8211; veritas praebita. (or, My Christian Education)]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 29 Jun 2016 16:17:18 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description><![CDATA[[&#8230;] part 1. Introduction. [&#8230;]]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[&#8230;] part 1. Introduction. [&#8230;]</p>
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		<title>By: Today in Blogworld 05.04.16 - Borrowed Light</title>
		<link>https://headhearthand.org/blog/2016/04/14/a-reformed-spotlight-fighting-spiritual-abuse-in-the-reformed-church/#comment-49258</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Today in Blogworld 05.04.16 - Borrowed Light]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 May 2016 10:19:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://headhearthand.org/?p=23751#comment-49258</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[[&#8230;] A Reformed “Spotlight”: Fighting Spiritual Abuse in the Reformed Church [&#8230;]]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[&#8230;] A Reformed “Spotlight”: Fighting Spiritual Abuse in the Reformed Church [&#8230;]</p>
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		<title>By: Reformed “Spotlight”: What is Spiritual Abuse? -IKTHUS.NET</title>
		<link>https://headhearthand.org/blog/2016/04/14/a-reformed-spotlight-fighting-spiritual-abuse-in-the-reformed-church/#comment-49235</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Reformed “Spotlight”: What is Spiritual Abuse? -IKTHUS.NET]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 Apr 2016 15:24:29 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description><![CDATA[[&#8230;] my first post on spiritual abuse, I said I would provide a definition that would help in subsequent discussions. I’d welcome your [&#8230;]]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[&#8230;] my first post on spiritual abuse, I said I would provide a definition that would help in subsequent discussions. I’d welcome your [&#8230;]</p>
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		<title>By: Reformed “Spotlight”: What is Spiritual Abuse?</title>
		<link>https://headhearthand.org/blog/2016/04/14/a-reformed-spotlight-fighting-spiritual-abuse-in-the-reformed-church/#comment-49233</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Reformed “Spotlight”: What is Spiritual Abuse?]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 Apr 2016 04:16:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://headhearthand.org/?p=23751#comment-49233</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[[&#8230;] my first post on spiritual abuse, I said I would provide a definition that would help in subsequent discussions. I’d welcome your [&#8230;]]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[&#8230;] my first post on spiritual abuse, I said I would provide a definition that would help in subsequent discussions. I’d welcome your [&#8230;]</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: April 18, 2016 Truth2Freedom Briefing Report (US•World•Christian) &#124; Truth2Freedom&#039;s Blog</title>
		<link>https://headhearthand.org/blog/2016/04/14/a-reformed-spotlight-fighting-spiritual-abuse-in-the-reformed-church/#comment-49173</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[April 18, 2016 Truth2Freedom Briefing Report (US•World•Christian) &#124; Truth2Freedom&#039;s Blog]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Apr 2016 19:41:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://headhearthand.org/?p=23751#comment-49173</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[[&#8230;] A Reformed “Spotlight”: Fighting Spiritual Abuse in the Reformed Church – “I am so angry — and, I fear, not all of it is holy anger. Earlier this week, I sat with a young man who, six years later, is still recovering from spiritual abuse at the hands of a “respected” Reformed pastor. He’s one of a number of this pastor’s victims, all of them gifted and godly men, but all of whom have had their confidence shredded and their faith devastated by this man’s abuse of his spiritual position and authority.” [&#8230;]]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[&#8230;] A Reformed “Spotlight”: Fighting Spiritual Abuse in the Reformed Church – “I am so angry — and, I fear, not all of it is holy anger. Earlier this week, I sat with a young man who, six years later, is still recovering from spiritual abuse at the hands of a “respected” Reformed pastor. He’s one of a number of this pastor’s victims, all of them gifted and godly men, but all of whom have had their confidence shredded and their faith devastated by this man’s abuse of his spiritual position and authority.” [&#8230;]</p>
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		<title>By: A Reformed “Spotlight”: Fighting Spiritual Abuse in the Reformed Church -IKTHUS.NET</title>
		<link>https://headhearthand.org/blog/2016/04/14/a-reformed-spotlight-fighting-spiritual-abuse-in-the-reformed-church/#comment-49166</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[A Reformed “Spotlight”: Fighting Spiritual Abuse in the Reformed Church -IKTHUS.NET]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Apr 2016 09:24:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://headhearthand.org/?p=23751#comment-49166</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[[&#8230;] is Professor of Old Testament &amp; Practical Theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. This article first appeared on his blog, Head Heart Hand, and is used with [&#8230;]]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[&#8230;] is Professor of Old Testament &amp; Practical Theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. This article first appeared on his blog, Head Heart Hand, and is used with [&#8230;]</p>
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		<title>By: Leanne</title>
		<link>https://headhearthand.org/blog/2016/04/14/a-reformed-spotlight-fighting-spiritual-abuse-in-the-reformed-church/#comment-49165</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Leanne]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Apr 2016 04:54:00 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description><![CDATA[Pastor Mathis...you nailed it with your note on congregants complaining, but then doing nothing about it.  From my experience, if all who were abused by our former pastor would&#039;ve spoken up, the leadership would have had to confront the issues.  The confrontation aspect is crucial when addressing spiritual abuse.]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Pastor Mathis&#8230;you nailed it with your note on congregants complaining, but then doing nothing about it.  From my experience, if all who were abused by our former pastor would&#8217;ve spoken up, the leadership would have had to confront the issues.  The confrontation aspect is crucial when addressing spiritual abuse.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: A Reformed “Spotlight”: Fighting Spiritual Abuse in the Reformed Church</title>
		<link>https://headhearthand.org/blog/2016/04/14/a-reformed-spotlight-fighting-spiritual-abuse-in-the-reformed-church/#comment-49164</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[A Reformed “Spotlight”: Fighting Spiritual Abuse in the Reformed Church]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Apr 2016 04:12:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://headhearthand.org/?p=23751#comment-49164</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[[&#8230;] is Professor of Old Testament &amp; Practical Theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. This article first appeared on his blog, Head Heart Hand, and is used with [&#8230;]]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[&#8230;] is Professor of Old Testament &amp; Practical Theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. This article first appeared on his blog, Head Heart Hand, and is used with [&#8230;]</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Mark Schaefer</title>
		<link>https://headhearthand.org/blog/2016/04/14/a-reformed-spotlight-fighting-spiritual-abuse-in-the-reformed-church/#comment-49163</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mark Schaefer]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Apr 2016 03:03:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://headhearthand.org/?p=23751#comment-49163</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Okay, I&#039;ll bite. Here&#039;s an example that hits close to home. Since this is all public, I feel it is appropriate to use names. Joel Beeke in his book &quot;Family Worship&quot; promotes child abuse. He says, &quot;Some of our family members won’t participate. There may be homes in which it is difficult to hold family worship. Such cases are rare, however. If you have difficult children, follow a simple rule: no Scripture, no singing, and no praying means no food. Say, “In this house, we will serve the Lord. We all breathe, therefore every person in our home must praise the Lord.” Psalm 150:6 makes no such exception, even for unconverted children. It says, “Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.”&quot;
http://www.ntslibrary.com/PDF%20Books/FamilyWorship.pdf

So, Beeke is advocating refusing to feed your children if they refuse to participate in family worship. He has apparently not repudiated this. He said this during a conference in 2012 on the subject:

&quot;So the next day you have family worship or that same night and there you see one of your children not singing, you pull him aside afterward and say &#039;son, you will participate in this family worship&#039;, and if he rebels and says, &#039;Dad, I won&#039;t do it&#039;, you say, &#039;son, no singing, no food.&#039; He will sing.&quot;
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=82121557151 

I think the problem is a problem of fear. We are afraid of calling out the abusers because we fear men more than God. God says the light exposes the deeds of darkness, but we have a better plan. We display grace through restoring the wolf and we show strong church discipline by beating the sheep. The sheep are powerless and the wolves have teeth. I will admit that I continue to live in fear of being bitten. I wonder if you&#039;ll ever get to that. Abused sheep are messy, messy people. They&#039;re bitter, they&#039;re angry and they act out in very visible ways that church leaders think need to be disciplined, and the cycle continues.]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Okay, I&#8217;ll bite. Here&#8217;s an example that hits close to home. Since this is all public, I feel it is appropriate to use names. Joel Beeke in his book &#8220;Family Worship&#8221; promotes child abuse. He says, &#8220;Some of our family members won’t participate. There may be homes in which it is difficult to hold family worship. Such cases are rare, however. If you have difficult children, follow a simple rule: no Scripture, no singing, and no praying means no food. Say, “In this house, we will serve the Lord. We all breathe, therefore every person in our home must praise the Lord.” Psalm 150:6 makes no such exception, even for unconverted children. It says, “Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.”&#8221;<br />
<a href="http://www.ntslibrary.com/PDF%20Books/FamilyWorship.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www.ntslibrary.com/PDF%20Books/FamilyWorship.pdf</a></p>
<p>So, Beeke is advocating refusing to feed your children if they refuse to participate in family worship. He has apparently not repudiated this. He said this during a conference in 2012 on the subject:</p>
<p>&#8220;So the next day you have family worship or that same night and there you see one of your children not singing, you pull him aside afterward and say &#8216;son, you will participate in this family worship&#8217;, and if he rebels and says, &#8216;Dad, I won&#8217;t do it&#8217;, you say, &#8216;son, no singing, no food.&#8217; He will sing.&#8221;<br />
<a href="http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=82121557151" rel="nofollow">http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=82121557151</a> </p>
<p>I think the problem is a problem of fear. We are afraid of calling out the abusers because we fear men more than God. God says the light exposes the deeds of darkness, but we have a better plan. We display grace through restoring the wolf and we show strong church discipline by beating the sheep. The sheep are powerless and the wolves have teeth. I will admit that I continue to live in fear of being bitten. I wonder if you&#8217;ll ever get to that. Abused sheep are messy, messy people. They&#8217;re bitter, they&#8217;re angry and they act out in very visible ways that church leaders think need to be disciplined, and the cycle continues.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: Spiritual Abuse: It’s Not Just Celebrity Pastors &#124; Truth2Freedom&#039;s Blog</title>
		<link>https://headhearthand.org/blog/2016/04/14/a-reformed-spotlight-fighting-spiritual-abuse-in-the-reformed-church/#comment-49162</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Spiritual Abuse: It’s Not Just Celebrity Pastors &#124; Truth2Freedom&#039;s Blog]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 17 Apr 2016 17:16:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://headhearthand.org/?p=23751#comment-49162</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[[&#8230;] lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:31). As my former professor and friend David Murray challenged in his response: “Let’s shine the ‘Spotlight’ on [&#8230;]]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[&#8230;] lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:31). As my former professor and friend David Murray challenged in his response: “Let’s shine the ‘Spotlight’ on [&#8230;]</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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