When Pastors Are Abused by Their Congregations
By Donavon Riley
10/01/25
13mins

When Pastors Are Abused by Their Congregations

This article is the first part of a two-part series. The second part will take a look at when pastors abuse their congregations.
An Excerpt from Untamed Prayers: Psalm 123 and Psalm 136
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/30/25

An Excerpt from Untamed Prayers: Psalm 123 and Psalm 136

The following entries are excerpts from Chad Bird’s new book, Untamed Prayers: 365 Daily Devotions on Christ in the Book of the Psalms (1517 Publishing, 2025), pgs. 311 and 335
St. Michael, Defender of God’s People
Amy Mantravadi
Amy Mantravadi
09/29/25

St. Michael, Defender of God’s People

Why did the church dedicate a day to St. Michael anyway? Who is he, and what does he do?

All Articles

Kathy Morales
Kathy Morales
09/25/17

Remembering to Forget

The wound on my hand would not let me forget what happened. The crackled and blistered strip of skin was a memento of the searing pain I felt that day. For the remainder of that year, I was constantly reminded of what I had done.
Jeff Mallinson
Jeff Mallinson
09/22/17

Object Fixation and Christian Sexuality

By focusing intently on what one wants to avoid, we often crash right into the moral hazard we are trying to evade.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
09/19/17

God's Final Sentence and Judgment

We demand that our Creator defend His judgment and justification of sinners in a courtroom where we are judge, prosecuting attorney, and jury.
Bob Hiller
Bob Hiller
09/15/17

The Ghosts of Sins Past

I hear voices in my head accusing me, telling me these sins will be there on the Day of Judgment unless I make atonement.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/14/17

Two Ways to Improve the Cross

There’s something very attractive about both the cross-ladder and the cross-crutches. In fact, there’s something about both of them that the woodworker within us finds eminently more appealing than the simple cross of Jesus.
Paul Dunk
Paul Dunk
09/13/17

Crisis of Faith and Sufficient Grace

I spend a lot of time talking to people in coffee shops. Some share my Christian faith, some are exploring and questioning faith and others have left the church, having had a crisis of faith.
RJ Grunewald
RJ Grunewald
09/12/17

To the Crazy Ones

Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently.
Brian W. Thomas
Brian W. Thomas
09/08/17

A Reformation Question: Can the Finite Bear the Infinite?

This emphasis in Luther also applied to his understanding of the sacraments, and particularly comes out in his writings on the Lord’s Supper in his Large Catechism.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
09/05/17

Not The What, But The Who...

Jesus is the "because" and "therefore" of our salvation because He died for our sin
Wade Johnston
Wade Johnston
08/31/17

Luther’s Bondage of the Will: An Uncompromising Gospel

Desiderius Erasmus and many humanists had for a while held out hope for Luther’s call for reform and many of the reformers were themselves, to some degree, humanists.
Kathy Morales
Kathy Morales
08/29/17

A Salvation Insurance Policy

The sight of indulgences being bought and sold is just not something I witness on a regular basis.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
08/29/17

Faith Praises God As Giver

We focus on what we have, what we don't have, and how and when God is going to give us what we need. This the opposite of faith.
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