No More Silence

Why would I write a book on the church? It seems to be a fair question and one that I think about a lot. I believe that its time for change. The church, much like corporate America , is due for a shakeup. People seem to get angry when I say that. They write me off as just another young punk with an axe to grind. I’m sure I’ve been labeled as another young person trying to push out the old brigade.   This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Many times God will use a very traumatic experience in our lives to move us in one direction or the other.   I believe He likes to use these things to push us toward our destiny. Sadly, many people crumble under the pressure. Many times we forget that the trial isn’t meant to kill us, but to improve our chances of getting to Heaven.   Have you ever noticed that preachers are full of stories? What would we talk about without our life experiences? Here’s the problem with my life experience, most of it involves church. It can be highly controversial, and not well received, when a person begins to open up about problems within the very private walls of any organization. It’s no secret, or maybe it is, that the church has become incognito like so many other worldly places.     We’ve all got a story to tell. It’s easy to look back and see things in hindsight. I can look back on so many different situations and wonder why I didn’t do something then? I’m sure that all of you can relate. I remember a time when we were told by a pastor that God had specifically asked him to pray for twelve people in the church. He didn’t know who they were, but asked for them to come forward for prayer. My grandma was getting a little older and couldn’t quite reach the prayer line in time. Just so happens, she was the thirteenth person to come forward. She was then berated in front of the whole congregation. Upon her arrival the pastor began to scream from the pulpit—“I SAID TWELVE!” She was heart broken and returned to her seat without the prayer.   It’s easy to look at these things and begin to scratch my head. Why would we put up with this kind of behavior? It’s the same reason that many of today’s churches are putting up with abusive leadership—Fear. We are so blatantly confronted with something that isn’t scriptural and yet we remain locked in our traditionalism. Any good, God fearing Christian knows that you don’t question your God given authority. I’m constantly amazed by the amount of testimonies that we receive from Christian people. I’m not the only one who can tell these kinds of stories. This is taking place all over the country.   God has given us the ability to set these people free. You and I can no longer remain silent for fear of offending the abusers. Sadly, many are walking away from Christianity because of the hurts that transpire within the walls of the church. I know that my story has the ability to change lives. There will be people who realize that they don’t need to quit church or walk away from their faith because of the treacherous few.   REMEMBER: GOD LOVES YOU   William Cory Stanley Author of "Two Stones Between Us--A Remedy for the Hurting Church" www.williamcstanley.com

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