Comments on: Ebenezer — The Meeting

By: skerrib

skerrib — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:54:25 +0000

I agree about VanVonderen & Johnson’s book. It changed my life in a way–very, very helpful.

By: cklewis

cklewis — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:45:42 +0000

Leigh — I’m so sorry that you’re in the middle of that spiritual abuse. Jeff VanVonderen and David Johnson’s book _The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse_ was a big help for us. I’d highly recommend it. Unfortunately, spiritual abuse is reinforced and taught at BJU. I wish that weren’t true, but many in leadership don’t know any different.

Not all churches are the same though. There are good churches and good pastors that are servant-leaders instead of mob bosses.

I’m so sorry you’re having to endure all this, Leigh. Sigh. . . . it hurts.

By: Leigh

Leigh — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 05:18:47 +0000

I am extremely confused about the entire “fundamental Bible-believing Baptist” thing. I grew up in Southern Baptist churches and my parents were saved because of the witness of some Southern Baptist ladies, but I began attending a “fundamental Bible-Believing, etc etc” church (which repeatedly attacks Southern Baptist churches) about four years ago when I moved to a new area. I did not start seeing cracks in the church’s exterior until some friends and I confronted the “pastor” (a BJU/PCC graduate) about some rather hurtful rumors his daughter had spread (but denied). Although everything seemed resolved, problems again surfaced when I did not choose to attend BJU or another “approved” college due to financial, family, and career reasons but instead a secular college. I was approached by many “well-meaning” people. Again that issue was resolved when I asked if the “pastor” happened to know a good church in my area. The recommended church is now my current church, but it is nothing like my church back home. However, I still cannot get away from the BJU influence. My Sunday School teacher’s wife (a BJU graduate) appears to absolutely detest me and another female student. The “pastor” back home continues to spread his influence through manipulations of the truth, complete lies, and various forms of covert bullying. I could not see these problems clearly until I had been away for some time. I am thankful that we are not alone in these issues. I do know that the “pastor” has quite a bit of spiritual blood on his hands. More than a few people have left the church, including some that left specifically because of him.

By: Kenneth Holt

Kenneth Holt — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 01:50:20 +0000

Thank you for your additional information on Lonnie Polson.

By: cklewis

cklewis — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 01:42:32 +0000

Hey, Ken! I’m sorry that you had to endure such similar treatment. All in the name of Christ! Such a shame.

I will say that I know Lonnie very well. And in all the years I’ve known him, deep down he is not at all pompous. He *is* very, very shy, and as a fellow introvert/shy person, that sometimes comes off as aloof. He’s a good man. A trapped man, but a good man.

By: Kenneth Holt

Kenneth Holt — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 01:24:54 +0000

Camille,

I graduated from BoJoU in 1986. I ran across your husband’s blog today and your posting above. Your experience, unfortunately, rang true for me. I had hoped that things had loosened up a bit there, but apparently not. I became a confirmed Calvinist while a student. I also abandoned pre-millinialism while there (ironically, after a week-long series of chapel messages by a man that Jr. described as “the greatest teacher of prophecy in our day”). I have always been a bigmouth and never much cared for what people thought, so I was constantly urging my classmates to embrace Calvinism. It is a wonder I was not expelled. Although I found it very humorous that all of Tony Miller’s assistance knew my name. Even Miss Barker knew who I was – HA! Your Lawson/Polson treatment sounded very familiar to my experiences with Tony Miller and my dorm supervisor. Always the call to the office with no idea what the summons pertained to. Always revealed information from unnamed sources. Pathetic and dispicable. What angers me the most after all these years is the number of people that I know whose relationships with God were seriously damaged while there, some perhaps irreparably. I was in school with Darren Lawson, but did not know him very well. I also was in Othello with Polson (‘84, ‘85??). He struck me as a pompous man. I had hoped after all these years he might have grown in the Faith. Coram Deo.

Kenneth Holt
Sugar Land, Texas

By: A Singer, A Song » “Why did you leave Heritage Bible Church?”

A Singer, A Song » “Why did you leave Heritage Bible Church?” — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:31:47 +0000

[...] was October 17, exactly one year to the day and hour that Camille had emerged from her particularly awful meeting with Darren Lawson and Lonnie Polson. I felt so betrayed by what had happened (this was FAR worse than what we’d gone through at [...]

By: Seth

Seth — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 04:19:15 +0000

: ( October 16th is my birthday!

By: Christy

Christy — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 04:38:27 +0000

I well remember my husband being blatantly lied to about a meeting with a BJ staff boss. He was told that a certain office at BJ needed his expertise with a project, gave him an outline of the project, and asked to meet with him concerning it. My poor hubby spent hours working on the project. When he went to the meeting the staff member touched on the project for about a minute or two, then shut the door and rudely went off on him about something he thought my husband had done wrong. The “project” was never discussed again.

By: Dan Keller

Dan Keller — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 21:29:18 +0000

Mmm. So “they” lied to get you into a meeting. So much “never doing wrong in order to have a chance of doing right… .” The more you describe the gladder I am that I escaped the place after 1 summer and 1 semester.

I really don’t understand the place. Most universities would be proud of faculty that get their dissertation published. They really want mindless robots that teach their classes, tow the party line and don’t think. Amazing.