Ouch, You’re Persecuting Me

One of the most fascinating and cringey moments in Calvary (and there are many) is the obsession with the potential persecution that will occur in the upcoming years.  In teaching after teaching, we were told that the major proof of the last days will be the persecution that we endure. 

Sitting in the teachings as a kid was a scary experience.  I pictured men coming to our family's house with guns, demanding that we denounce Christ.  When my family refuses, we are shot or tortured.  Bamboo shoots were stuck up our fingers, or we were waterboarded.  When a person was tortured in a movie (shot in the knee caps, finger chopped off), I always hearkened back to the fact that these things might happen to me at some point. 

There was a real fear that we kids would be taken from our parents.  I was told about certain families that trained their kids on what to do if Child Protective Services were to ever remove the kid from the parents' house.  The kids knew the steps that they had to take to run away if something like this were to happen. 

Fast forward to present day, and I have a much better understanding of the world at large.  The United States, a country partially built by individuals fleeing religious tyranny, created a fool-proof system of religious protection.  Even now, as the country becomes sex and LGBT positive, we see churches who openly speak against homosexuality continue to be given large tax breaks from the government that amount well over $70 billion a year in total.  Not a bad way to show state-wide support for a belief.

Social pressure can certainly be an issue, and Calvary Temple has experienced a small bit of it.  Years ago there were a string of news articles that called out Calvary Temple on its practice of marking.  As a member of the church at the time, marking was a normal part of our lives.  So the news article simply described an obvious part of our lives.  The congregation collectively shrugged and moved on.  There was a panel or two, but few people were eager to challenge the pastors on something that we've known the entire time.

Then the protests happened.  That might have been the closest thing to an actual uprising against us.  People stood outside with signs talking about abuse and families.  What a spectacle!  But let's be honest.  It sure as heck kept things interesting.  No one left the church.  We stood strong because it was a uniting force for us. 

So there you go.  The history of persecution against Calvary Temple church.  

The Real Persecution

But now the serious part.  Instead of ex-members persecuting the church, the church has spent most of its time persecuting its ex-members.  When a member leaves, most of the church members are fed a story that leads them to believe that the ex-member was a jerk-off who got what he/she deserved.  We're told that they left because of an independent spirit, adultery/pornography, or we never hear anything at all.  We all know that if we reach out to that individual, we will be in trouble with the church leadership.

What you don't hear about are the moves the church makes to defame an ex-member.  I know of 3 different occasions in which the church instructed the spouse of an exiting member to file a restraining order against that member.  Should it stick, the restraining order will show up on their permanent record, making it more difficult to get jobs in the future.  None of those members had ever been violent in any manner.  The intent was to defame the person.  

Following that, steps are usually taken to remove the kids from the parents' care.  If the restraining order works, the process is easy.  If the restraining order fails, the church has the help of all of the ex-member's family and friends to defame him/her in court.  

The ease at which Calvary recommends this process is chilling.  One moment your soul can be in their care…..the next moment you could be fighting against the people you love.

The next move is to defame you further. In the case of at least 50 percent of the cases, the church finds a circumstance that can justify marking.  As a reminder, marking is the ex-communication of a member.  This is a status usually reserved for ex-members who are attempting to cause issues in the church by questioning the doctrine openly.   It is nearly impossible to leave CT without being asked at least once, "Why are you leaving"? And that's when the church gets you.

 I remember one story I was told of a member who left years ago.  That member made it a point to never respond to that question.  He left, and, through an apparently immense amount of self control, managed to avoid any mention of the doctrinal difference he had with the church.  But one day, a month or two later, he ran into a member of the church at Quiznos Subs.  That member started asking him questions, and promised that he wouldn't cause trouble by taking the questions back to the pastors.  Two days later, our hero was marked.  He opened his mouth in a relaxed setting, and the church marked him immediately. 

This happens consistently.  When a person leaves, they're leaving because they don't like something.  But if you speak, your family and friends in the church are no longer allowed to associate with you.  In other words, the pastors are buying your silence by holding your family and friends hostage.  How very Christlike of them. 

So after the church attacks your reputation, your family structure, and your support system, you are left with very little to your name.   The pain and trauma attached to this moment is known by very few people.   There is nothing more agonizing than the loneliness of having no one, coupled with the shame of not being good enough for anyone in your life. All the torture that I described in my persecution day dreams could never have prepared me for this.

Fortunately, this is where the real stories of redemption usually start.  Rock bottom has led to SO much more in many ex-members' lives.  Despite the persecution, many of them have been able to build new friendships, new families, and new insight into who they really are.   It's almost like what Calvary used for evil, God used for good. 

All the tactics Calvary has used to silence and destroy are pretty bad on their own.  But it gets worse.  Most of the markings within the last 10 years have been related to Kevin O'Connor and Star Scott's sexual abuse.  Ex-members leave and learn the horrible truths of what occurred.  When they speak up to share the truth, they are subjected to all of the steps I listed above. 

Let's put it another way.  The Bible said that the church will be persecuted for righteousness' sake.  But most of the "persecution" (social pressure) Calvary has experienced has been because of its own immorality.  When that immorality is exposed or even just spoken about, the church lashes out and silences the individual.  When ex-members attempt to expose the evil works of unrighteousness, we are persecuted by having everything in our lives taken from us.   Meanwhile, Star is still buying new cars and living a lavish life. 

Bunch o’ Wimps

Now let's be real.  Calvary Temple is made up of a bunch of wimps.  Yeah, I said it!  Recently, some of the Calvary teachings have focused on persecution.  Jon Miller exhorted the members to not shy away from the truth.  Don't pull punches on what you really believe.  I agree with this statement. Going forward, I believe it would be amazing if the church stopped hiding and compromising.

COVID-19 hit us in 2020, and a mass panic caused many businesses to shut down on their own in the early months.  Calvary Temple and many other churches stayed open initially making claims that they weren't subject to any government pressure.  The teachings at that time were bold in their declaration that they were not going to shy away from meeting.  However, on March 23rd, the very day that Governor Northam released a statement that required all businesses to close, Calvary shut down immediately.  This was a fascinating turnabout.  "You can't tell us what to--Okay, we'll listen."

This shows up over and over.  Marked people are still being allowed to have their kids, and are still required to pay full child support.  Marked people are to be "treated as dead", but only when the government agrees (I guess). 

When the IRS investigated Star Scott, he came out boldly and stated that he is and has always done things God's way.  The IRS has no say over his money, only God does.  A little bit later, Star avoided jail by giving himself a salary in the church and sacrificing a lot of his property at the behest of the IRS.

Speaking of boldness, have you ever seen Star Scott address an ex-member face-to-face?  Has Star ever addressed a blog and posted it in a place where that blog writer can see it and respond back?  Has he ever addressed the sexual assault that he is being accused of?  Right now, the ugly rumors about the church and its pastor are limiting its ability to evangelize in the community.  Star, all you have to do is address the truth of the matter in public.  Humility and honesty will show Jesus to others (the Truth shall set you free).  Unfortunately, Star refuses to comment to reporters (or he might give a vague answer).  One key teaching immediately after the protests, Star kicked out every single visitor, and declared a "members-only" meeting.  He never addressed the rumors of sexual abuse publicly.  For all the bravado Star speaks with at the pulpit (in front of his own trusted members), he lacks quite a bit of fortitude toward any outside pressure.

So here we are.  I ran out of things to talk about.  To sum all of this up….Calvary, you're not a victim.  You're not being persecuted.  Stop picking fights with people who leave.  Be nice.  Try to stop abusing people.  I know its hard, but I believe in you.  Actually I don't really, but I remain optimistically hopeful.