No problem.

Thank you ….you’ve been very kind about it all…..

I hope things work out for you; situations like this are very distressing.

You might be right – but I have a lot of thinking to do….this whole mess has been quite a devastating episode in my life…and Im’ sure many others.

IMO, the basic problem with so many of these ‘commercial christians’ is their love of money. No church community is perfect, but maybe if you find one that is not operating as a business (primarily for the benefit of those who keep the profits), you might be less disappointed?

I hear what you’re saying – but I am also in a women’s Bible study group – so it’s not like I’m not with other Christian people….however, during this whole “covid” thing….. some of the women have been breaking the rules and acting very selfish…. which really surprised me. I think that over the last year I’ve seen a very ugly side to people….and all of that is really effecting me. The Ravi thing has just pushed me over the edge. I’ll have to re-evaluate my feelings and decide what I’m going to do. As I said – my faith in God is not shaken….just my feelings toward people.

Honestly, I think withdrawing from live interaction in a church and doing it just online is going to make things worse for you. We are meant to live in community, and that only comes about through true interaction in person. Church needs to be much more than just passively receiving a sermon to really help you to be a healthy Christian and healthy human. Isolation is likely to breed more misery. At your church you can find the people who are faithful in small things–the man who greets you with a smile every Sunday, the woman who quietly scrubs the sinks and ovens, the dad who teaches Sunday School, the grandmother who serves in the nursery–and be reminded that the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, not a rock band.

I agree…. but truthfully….my trust is broken…. unfortunately , I look at everyone differently now. I won’t lie – it’s really shaken me….and I feel foolish -and it won’t happen again. I’m actually rethinking my church life…. maybe I just need to do TV church…..

“cannot trust anyone ever again”–I think that depends on what you mean by trust. If you mean, assume that they are always telling the truth no matter what contrary evidence there is, or don’t check evidence on a serious matter because of their say-so, then I think that’s wise. But caution shouldn’t swing the pendulum to the other extreme where you assume everyone is a liar.

I think the lesson is that we all need to be accountable, and if someone attacks attempts to be held accountable, and particularly to verify substantive accusations, there’s a problem. Ravi refused to turn over his phones (which would have proved the charges) when the Thompson allegations surfaced, and his board didn’t press it. That’s gross dereliction of duty on their part; they wanted to preserve the ministry, but it just delayed the destruction, enabled Ravi to continue to mistreat others, and didn’t force him to confront his sin. The board should resign, every single one of them, and be replaced by people who will reveal their names to be held accountable themselves.

agreed….. and to use a very technical term “creepy”….. 🙂