It's no surprise anymore that many, many church leaders are either abusers or are abusive by covering up for abusers. Many lay members of churches feel frustrated after approaching leaders with concerns only to be shut down, shut out, or excommunicated. In this episode, we address the unbiblical nature of that kind of abusive leadership and how members can take this abusive power away from their leaders.

Intro--
Film Glitch by Snowflake (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/snowflake/56350 Ft: reusenoise

Outro--
I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/ramblinglibrarian/41284

The Southern Baptist Convention was held this week and J.D. Greear promised to tackle the epidemic of abuse in the church. We give our thoughts about the convention, talk about laws in Pennsylvania that are giving abusers more freedom, and offer our hope for survivors.

Intro--
Film Glitch by Snowflake (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/snowflake/56350 Ft: reusenoise

Outro--
I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/ramblinglibrarian/41284

It's one thing to warn people about abusers with a criminal record. But what about warning people about people who have no record or have been cleared by investigators? Should we drop it? Name people by name? This is a common scenario many people find themselves facing. How do we best protect the innocent when there are credible accusations or some evidence that suggests someone is not a safe person?

Do abusers ever repent? So many Christians reject the notion that there are actually people who do not change. But how do we know if someone is capable of repenting or not? Find out as we explore this topic.

Intro--
Film Glitch by Snowflake (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/snowflake/56350 Ft: reusenoise

Outro--
I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/ramblinglibrarian/41284

So many people are afraid to give someone a false label. To play it "safe," most people in the church refuse to name abusers as wolves. This only empowers abusers to continue to create more victims. They do it covertly, intentionally, and often. Wolves are predators by nature. This is what separates them from other sinners. In this episode, we unpack ways to identify and properly name wolves.

Intro--
Film Glitch by Snowflake (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/snowflake/56350 Ft: reusenoise

Outro--
I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/ramblinglibrarian/41284

Way too many churches claim that it's the "Jesus thing" to let everyone inside the church, regardless of their "past." But we argue that this is an anti-Jesus thing to do--that inviting wolves into the flock creates immeasurable carnage. So how do we know the difference between a sheep and a wolf? What's to keep people from crying wolf every time there's someone in the church they don't like? These are the deep questions that you'll find answers to in this episode!

Intro--
Film Glitch by Snowflake (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/snowflake/56350 Ft: reusenoise

Outro--
I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/ramblinglibrarian/41284

Jesus describes himself as the Good Shepherd. The Bible is actually pretty hardcore when it comes to protecting the innocent. Jesus ramps up his rhetoric and shows that he has no tolerance for abusive "wolves." They do not belong in the pasture.

Intro--
Film Glitch by Snowflake (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/snowflake/56350 Ft: reusenoise

Outro--
I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/ramblinglibrarian/41284

Introductions are important. John the Baptist introduced Jesus. In fact, he made straight paths for Jesus and prepared the way. John could have introduced Jesus in a million different ways. So how did he introduce him? There are only a couple short accounts of John's introduction and they are very powerful.

John set the stage for Jesus' ministry. Since Jesus' mission was to set the captives free and proclaim liberty to the oppressed and poor, it would seem proper for John to give a powerful introduction. John did not mince words. At all.

Intro--
Film Glitch by Snowflake (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/snowflake/56350 Ft: reusenoise

Outro--
I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/ramblinglibrarian/41284

Jesus was not always gentle and inviting. In fact, he made it clear that some people were wolves and he protected his sheep from them. Wolves are dangerous people who pretend to be good. Jesus didn't invite them into the sheep pen. He kept them at bay. His mission to free the oppressed, set the captives free, take care of the poor, and give recovering sight to the blind was rooted in God's foundation of righteousness and justice.

In this episode we talk about why Jesus was so appealing to the oppressed and so offensive to the oppressors.

Intro--
Film Glitch by Snowflake (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/snowflake/56350 Ft: reusenoise

Outro--
I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/ramblinglibrarian/41284

If we get the foundation wrong, everything else we build on it will crumble. God's foundation is Righteousness and Justice. If we don't understand his foundation, we will build false doctrines masked in "love" that protect oppressors and reject the oppressed. God has LOTS to say about righteousness, justice, and protecting the oppressed.

Intro--
Film Glitch by Snowflake (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/snowflake/56350 Ft: reusenoise

Outro--
I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/ramblinglibrarian/41284