Troubling Church

What would you say about church leadership who tells parents to throw their 16 year old son out of the house because he wanted to leave the church? Or, tells a mother to reject her son and her husband because they are not members? Or, refuses to allow two children to attend the church elementary school because their family had fallen behind on the church mandated tithing, even though the father had just lost his job?

The Washington Post has the chilling story of the Calvary Temple church in Loudoun, Virginia where all of these things and more took place. The URL to the story is: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/15/AR2008111502626.html.

The pastor, Star Scott, is able to do these things because he has absolute control over everything in the church, including the finances. No one in the church is able to challenge him without being expelled from the church, and that could be considered risky since, according to the story, "In his sermons, Scott teaches that his church is scripturally superior to others and views keeping people in the fold as a matter of their salvation. 'Anything that's other than a member in harmony has to be identified and expelled,' Scott preached in May 2007."

Why do people acquiesce to such treatment? In part, I suspect, because they have convinced themselves that their minister, this charismatic person, has a special pipeline to God.

Would you be part of a church like that? I know I wouldn't, but I have seen and attended some evangelical churches that have come dangerously close to this extreme example of pastoral abuse. In those churches, the 'true believers' see nothing wrong. And, I have seen some church groups that follow similar patterns of discipline and control.

What would you say to one of your friends who was part of a church like this? What would you say if they asked you to visit their services? Is this anyway to be church?