Instead of being servant leaders, pastors lord it over Christians and pull rank (Matthew 20:20-28; 1 Peter 5:1-6), for personal benefit rather than that of the people. Instead of ministering truth and grace, and speaking truly, with compassion (Ephesians 4:11-16, 29; Colossians 4:3-6; Titus 2:10-12), pastors who are spiritually abusive will bully, judge, criticize, blame and shame the sheep, with no regard for their spiritual well-being (Jeremiah 23:1-4; Matthew 23:1-39) (Challies 2011)
It is forbidden to question this leader, and he is typically not answerable to anybody. People flocking to him are generally only "yes men" doing as he orders in return for delegated power to domineer over other individuals (Leclaire 2011)
e., misuse) of spiritual power by Christian religious leaders for promoting, protecting, or enriching a Christian individual or institution irrespective of the damage caused spiritually to Christ's cause and innocent parties (Murray 2016)
The sermons they give would demean other leaders, thereby enhancing their authority. The group's system advocates training of members to honor and preserve their power (Vollmar 2014)
Ward explains the first theme in the following way: Leaders were supposedly placed in leadership positions by the Almighty, and hence, has the right to speak authoritatively on every area of life and religion. Subsequently, if leaders were representatives of the highest power (God), then obedience to them was basically obedience to God, and disagreeing with them would mean disagreement with the Lord (Ward 2011, p
One teacher who perfectly meets this description is David Koresh, former leader of the Branch Davidians religious sect in Waco, Texas. Koresh used his knowledge of the Bible to manipulate his followers, professing that he was the Messiah and that he had been sent by God to procreate with the women in the service to establish a 'House of David' (Berry, 2011)
They are special because they belong to, and have been selected by God (1 Peter 2: 9-10). A healthy church is, therefore, determined by the nature of relations among people (Clark Jr., 2010)
The beliefs and principles of the Christian faith went contrary to those of Judaism and the heathen Roman government. The hostile community hated Christians for refusing to honor other gods --Christians were accused of treason and being atheists because of their denial of other gods (Ellingworth, 1993)
The Writers' Advice about Persecution: The core message about persecution and Christianity in the three books is that just as Christ suffered, Christians should also be willing to suffer for, and defend their faith (Heb 11: 4; 1 Peter 2: 21). In 1 Peter 4: 13, Christians are advised to rejoice when they are persecuted because suffering allows them to share the trials and tribulations of Christ, and by enduring it, they accord themselves an opportunity to also share and rejoice in the revelation of His glory (Elliot, 2008)
Persecution in Hebrews, James and 1 Peter Persecution comes out as a core concern for Christ and his believers in both the Old and the New Testament. The books of James, Hebrews, and 1 Peter center on the theme of suffering and persecution, with the central message being that just like Christ suffered, Christians must face suffering in their daily living (Heb 11: 4; 1 Peter 2: 21) (Jobes, 2011)