Aimee Byrd, OPC and NAPARC - the patriarchal veil is lifted

I have the utmost respect for highly capable women who are finding their way within the bounds of complementarian/patriarchal churches.

• Beth Moore is a member in the SBC and has repeatedly affirmed the SBC complementarian stance and reminded detractors that her mission is specifically to Christian women. Yet, the comp/patriarchal leadership in her denomination and elsewhere continues to undermine her platform and message.

• Rachael Denhollander is also a member of a complementarian denomination. She has publicly stated that pastors and church leaders are cordial to her face, but backbiting behind closed doors.

• Aimee Byrd is a member of the OPC. She has the full support of her pastor and elders. Yet, again, behind closed doors in a private Facebook group, OPC and NAPARC pastors, elders and members are engaged in disrespectful and inappropriate behavior.

This fits in with the authoritarian/superiority theme. First off, these men are not arguing "roles" - they are simply pushing a framework of male superiority. They are pushing unwritten rules for how women fit into the family and church. These vile men are now trying to damage control since their comments have been made public. Keep in mind that the administrators of the group, including Shane Anderson (Ruling Elder, OPC) can delete any comments they find offensive! Although Anderson is probably one of the worst offenders.

Aimee Byrd's callout: https://aimeebyrd.com/2020/06/19/genevan-commons-and-the-qualifications-for-church-office/

Christianity Today writeup: https://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2020/june/complementarians-closed-rooms-aimee-byrd-beth-moore.html

Commentary on the announcement of her new book:

- seriously, this is just vile


- PCA Pastor


Inappropriate lampooning of another book by Ms. Byrd




















^ OPC church planter










[Doesn't he seem to be acknowledging that this is inappropriate?] - Ruling Elder, OPC


Commentary on the actual cover photo:

- Associate Pastor PCA

 
more vileness


Comments about her press photo:


Conspiring to drum up official church trouble:

Kevin Medcalf, Jim Stevenson - OPC Pastors

More vile slurs (This is about Rachel Green Miller):

Steven Carr - Pastor RCUS


Note that the real fear seems to creep in "honored pastors" - the concern here is that Aimee's critique of misogynistic and patriarchal preaching in conservative denominations will somehow free women of their patriarchal manipulation and control. More comments about her look. More smears against women (sandwich + eisegesis).


Now the hard questions... The CRC was kicked out of NAPARC because of their egalitarian views. I think we should be pretty confident that the OPC and PCA will not act against these pastors and elders. What does it say for the sister denominations in NAPARC to hold full fellowship with a denomination whose leaders display such vile behavior.

Remember, Byrd is complementarian. What these pastors are saying is far beyond complementarianism and is much more akin to patriarchy and subjugation. These themes come out:

• Byrd's husband should be shutting her up
• Her session should be shutting her up
• She should go back to being a housewife and "sandwich maker"
• [Not imaged, but in the blog] Women should not be educated
• It's not okay to call these men's teaching into question

I hope this comes up front and center in church searches. Someone who wants to know the character of the OPC or PCA should find these comments - and know what to expect.

It would be something else if these were ordinary members in the OPC/PCA, but these are men who are seminary-trained, examined by their churches and denominations and found to be exemplary, and chosen by their congregations. These men TRULY REPRESENT the OPC and PCA denominations, and that is scary!

An article about Christian nationalism sheds light on RPCNA practices...

I'm not generally a big fan of Al Jazeera, which seems to be a pro-Islam media site, but this article really resonated with my RPCNA experience.

https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/power-worshippers-american-religious-200422144158404.html

It is, in fact, modern in its methods and doctrines, which "notwithstanding their purported origins in ancient texts have been carefully shaped to serve the emotional needs of its adherents, the organisational needs of its clerical leaders, and the political needs and ambitions of its funders".

Translation, there is a triangle of power inherent in Christian fundamentalism. The adherents give money to support politicians and church leaders in exchange for the feeling of moral superiority and being part of a righteous movement. The church leaders get money, power and prestige in exchange for preaching political talking points and delivering members as a voting bloc to politicians. The politicians get votes, money and power in exchange for championing moral legislation and appearing onstage with religious leaders.

Al Jazeera: What are some of the ways in which the emotional needs of adherents are exploited by movement leaders? 

Stewart: Among the emotional needs of some adherents is a desire for a certain empowerment as members of a special or uniquely virtuous group of people. So religious nationalism goes overboard in insisting on the unique virtues of the religion and culture with which its followers identify.
   An additional emotional need of some adherents, exploited by leaders of the movement, is to validate feelings of grievance and resentment, and to focus them on some imagined impure "other," a scapegoat.
   Christian nationalism, like other forms of religious nationalism around the world and throughout history, delivers a set of persecution narratives that represent the "good" religious people as under threat and as victims of an evil "other".

So, religious nationalist organizations, like the RPCNA, encourage their adherents by creating a cultural narrative that is equated with righteousness. In the RPCNA, it is "National Reform" - that is, a focus on theocracy (a national covenant), and a political focus on specific moral issues, especially abortion.

Al Jazeera: How have the doctrines been shaped to meet the needs of the movement's clerical leaders?  

Stewart: Fundamentally the doctrines of religious nationalism reinforce authority - of scripture, of course, but also the authority of religious and political leaders.
  This is what religious nationalism does around the world. Their doctrines make an absolute virtue out of obedience to a literalist or strict interpretation of their religion.

Wow, she pretty much nails the RPCNA here. Under the guise of faithful obedience to God, the church promotes a narrow interpretation (WCF and RPCNA Constitution), especially as it relates to the authority of, and unquestioned obedience to, the church and her leadership.

Al Jazeera: Who funds the movement, and how have the doctrines been shaped to meet their needs?

Stewart: The movement has multiple sources of funding, including small-dollar donors, various types of public subsidy and funding, and affluent donors.
  Many of those affluent donors belong to super-wealthy hyperextended families. So it is not surprising that many of the doctrines the movement favours are about money. They say the Bible and God oppose progressive income taxes, capital gains taxes and minimum wage laws. That the Bible favours low taxes for the rich and minimal rights for the workforce. They argue that environmental regulation, regulation of businesses, and public funding of the social safety net are "unbiblical" or "against the biblical model".
  In this way, I think, Christian nationalists have betrayed what might have been their strongest suit. Christianity, as most people understand it, has something to do with loving our neighbours. But leaders of this movement have thrown in their lot with a bunch of selfish economic reactionaries who tell us we don't owe anybody anything.

I've always wondered this... why does the RPCNA argue against welfare, when the OT provided welfare - and it wasn't about reforming welfare, but eliminating it altogether.

The article goes on to trace the origins of the Christian nationalistic movement, and it is deeply troubling. The RPCNA, which held deep convictions against slavery and racial injustice, with churches serving as stops on the Underground Railroad, got duped into supporting pro-segregation southern theologians like Jerry Falwell and Bob Jones, who were looking for another source of tax-sheltered funding, because "segregation" lost as a worthy cause of support.

Despite the fact that most evangelicals were initially in favor of abortion laws, Falwell and Jones were able to galvanize support under a "pro-life" stance, which delivered the power proposition to conservative denominations and political leaders.
---

This article really put things neatly together. For example, I've had minor skirmishes with a few RP pastors over the teaching of the Bible, the WCF and the Constitution. Practically, what I found was that their authority trumped all of the above. When I backed them into a corner, that was the argument ender - not the Bible, not the church standards, but their claim to superiority.

I also had a rude awakening to the whole scheme when the local Right-To-Life chapter refused to endorse an obviously pro-life candidate. They had a FAQ on their website that explained that "electability" was one of their criteria in endorsement. So, their goal was not to endorse all issue-qualifying candidates, but to deliver a bloc of voters to the candidate of their choice. In fact, that was a lie, too. The next election was a pro-life incumbent Democrat vs. a pro-life Republican. They endorsed the Republican, despite the electability. Hmmm.

Since then, I realized that pro-life is such a galvanizing issue among Republican politicians that they dare not do anything to change the status quo. This is done under the guise of virtue signaling - that is, they cannot allow the state to give out free condoms that are proven to reduce the abortion rate, because they must take the moral high ground. Of course, they compromise on welfare laws, they compromise on healthcare, they compromise on educational funding and homeschooling laws, they compromise on protection of rights, but for some reason, abortion is all-or-nothing, or at least abortion can only be dealt with by making it harder to get, not by making it unnecessary in the first place, through better sex education, better consent laws and better reproductive services.

More calls to fast...

Racial injustice has come to the forefront with the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police. Organizations everywhere are looking outward and inward to see how they have overlooked or ignored institutional racism.

Not surprisingly, in the tradition of Reformed introspection, Geneva College has called for a fast. President Calvin Troup has made the following statement:

Here are some categories for prayer:

• Our Own Hearts: Pray that the LORD might root out sin in our own hearts, particularly cleansing us of prejudice and every form of pride. That we might turn toward our brothers and sisters to serve one another with grace and outdo one another in showing honor—thinking of others as more significant than ourselves, looking to the interests of others rather than our own interests, and seeking the good of our neighbor.

• Geneva College: Pray that that the LORD will make Geneva College a home of healing and hospitality and refuge against racial injustice, where we can experience the wholeness of Christ’s body, learning what is good—to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God…together.

• Beaver Falls: Pray that the LORD will lead us through the City-College Alliance to dismantle racial injustice and to cultivate peace in our local community through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

• Government: Pray that the LORD might establish justice in practice through governing officials that identify and replace unjust laws, enforcement practices, and policies; replacing them with laws that reflect biblical principles of justice and righteousness.

So, note that in every category, there is the implied presence of culpability and sin. Our hearts house prejudice. Beaver Falls has racial injustice to dismantle. Our Government needs to replace unjust laws... But Geneva... yeah, Geneva has no need to repent or consider introspection of her sins contributing to racial injustice.

I think this reflects perfectly the Reformed response to cultural sin. The problem is not the RPCNA church or its leadership. The problem lies in individual, non-ordained members, or outside.

I believe racial injustice is simply a reflection of the tribalism and xenophobia present in our culture, in sinful combination with the authoritarian bent. It is not just racial injustice. Authoritarian police brutality knows no limits.

The two common tenants of this institutionalized injustice...
1) Might makes right - whether this is "spiritual authority", "parental authority", "governmental authority" or simply financial or physical superiority, our culture assumes that the lesser should defer to the greater.
2)  Generalization, categorization and confirmation bias - it is hard to be fully informed about all these issues, so we tend to accept the opinions of others and then are tuned to experiences that confirm our generalizations. As an example, we hear talk about "liberal Christians", and despite the fact that many of them love Jesus just as we do, we associate all these stories of their theological struggles as evidence that they are simply desiring to justify their sin.

My experience with Geneva. They hired off-duty, WHITE, police officers from the Beaver Falls police department as security guards. They allowed the police unfettered access to harass and threaten students in the presence of the Student Development department, including the Dean and Assistant Dean of Students, without so much as a raised eyebrow or a request to tone it down, or even reminding students of their Constitutional rights.

In exchange for this access to students, the Beaver Falls Police Department allowed the college to internally investigate and punish crimes without any sort of public disclosure that might damage the college's reputation. This isn't limited to Geneva, many colleges and universities either have their own police department, which does damage control, or has close relations with a local police department. For example, BYU had a relationship with the local police department. The police department illegally forwarded reports by rape victims who were students at BYU, and then BYU would expel the women for "morality code violations" they found in the reports. These sorts of scandals have been exposed at The Master's University, Bob Jones University and even public universities like MSU where Larry Nassar had unquestioned access to molest his patients.

Helpful post on how churches protect evil

This came out today on a blog I follow:

https://graceformyheart.wordpress.com/2020/03/30/why-do-they-protect-evil/

Some insightful tidbits:

While these churches would be very careful to deny any hope of salvation by works, they still teach that our relationship with God depends on good performance. Good performance, by this teaching, can be measured and compared. Thus, some people are more spiritual than others, some are closer to God than others, and some are more assured of Heaven than others—even within the church.

What’s the primary fear of those involved in the performance system? No, it’s not sin. It’s exposure. The greatest fear for many who consider themselves Christians is that others will find out the truth of their compromises. The draw toward sin is just part of the daily battle, but exposure of sin is shameful and humiliating. The risk of others learning the truth is the risk of weakness and failure. To be seen as weak is to become unworthy, even to be rejected. To be rejected is to lose honor, privilege, and power.

First, exposure of the individual’s sin is exposure of the system’s weakness. The truth is that performance spirituality, the attempt to find acceptance with God through the law or works, does not change the heart. The compromises of the flesh continue to reign in the hearts of those who follow the system. Sin is hidden, but not overcome.

So, when the abuser is found out, the failure of the system is exposed. If the sin of the abuser can be covered however, the failure of the system can also be covered.

But there is another part of the answer, one that reveals even more of the evil of the performance system. The flesh admires strength. Which person appears stronger, the victim or the abuser? A man who has abused women and has been able to cover his sin for a long time will be regarded as both strong and smart by those who look through the flesh. Victims, on the other hand, are considered weak and gullible by the flesh.

Now, I happen to think that restoration of pastors and church leaders who abuse is the wrong goal. Losing a ministry, being out of a job, suffering humiliation from others: these things are small losses under grace. We know that selling insurance or managing a fast food restaurant is not less spiritual than being a church leader. The right goal is repentance, subjection of the flesh, and walking with Jesus. If that means a person can no longer be in ministry, that’s okay.

Please go and read it for yourself. There is much more wisdom there, but this is what I found especially applicable to the RPCNA system.

First off, we see how legalism is wrapped up in the gospel - although the RP church would claim that we are all saved by grace and that our works have no merit, they fall into the trap of measuring people by their performance and alternatively praising those who measure up and condemn those who don't. Or, stated a different way, praise those who cover up and lie about their inadequacies and condemn those who are sincerely trying to conquer sin and grow.

Second, we see how much performance is wrapped up in the image of the church. That is why much of church discipline, especially discipline of pastors and elders, is hidden behind closed doors. The most legalistic of sessions are those who are continually pushing against the requirements for open meetings.

Third, we see how domineering and abusive ministers and members are lifted up in front of the people, rather than condemned. They are powerful vs. the weak victims, and exposing them would expose the church as no better than other "lesser" denominations.

RPC Scotland issues declaration to fast...

https://www.rpcscotland.org/2020/03/24/a-call-to-a-solemn-fast/

The Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland calls its members to observe Saturday 28th March as a day of solemn fasting so that we might humble ourselves before the Lord and plead for Him to lift this recent judgement from our land. It is evident that Covid-19 is a pestilence sent from God and we must heed His voice.

Not surprisingly, the RP view of God is one of an omnipotent and omniscient abusive father. Why is it when good things happen in the world, it's a result of God's patience and grace (not his blessing, mind you), but when bad things happen God must be personally displeased? We should not ascribe to God what belongs to the enemy!

The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.” (Job 2:3)

 We only know the reason for some plagues in the Bible when the Biblical authors pulled the veil and let us see into the mind of God. When Joseph saved Egypt from seven years of famine, there is no mention of the source of the famine. We know that Satan caused the evil to happen in Job's life, despite Job's righteousness. We don't know why Naomi's husband and sons died - nothing is mentioned.

So, it is presumptive to believe that COVID-19 is meant to be a judgment, it is even more presumptuous to put words in God's mouth and claim to speak for him!

We call on our nation to repent of breaking its historical covenants (National Covenant 1638 and Solemn League and Covenant 1643) which began our apostasy from God and from the achievements of the Reformation; to repent of its disregard for the Law of God to pass heinous laws; to repent of the desecration of the Sabbath Day; of its lack of compassion for the weak and vulnerable, particularly in slaughtering the unborn in the womb; for its abuse of the Biblical institution of marriage; and numerous other grievous sins. Our nation has become a hater of God and an inventor of evil things (Romans 1:30).

So, now we know! COVID-19 is God's punishment on the world because Scotland forsook the National Covenant, and thus the rightful state Church of Scotland, the RP church!

How would a good RP then pray? As with the RPCNA, the call to public confession tends to be one of sanctimony. The RPCNA called a day of fasting in June 2015:

The Heritage Reformed Congregations (HRC), member of NAPARC and with whom we are developing a relationship, have invited the other member churches of NAPARC to consider joining them in a day of solemn fasting and prayer before the Lord. The reasons motivating this desire are the U.S. Supreme Court’s upcoming decision regarding marriage, and the Supreme Court of Canada’s recent decision allowing euthanasia and doctor-assisted suicide. (Minutes of Synod, 2015)

At least RPC Scotland calls its members to confess personal sins. The RPCNA is all about fasting and prayer as a show of public condemnation, which is a divergence from their own doctrine, which I think is pretty good.

Religious fasting is an ordinance of God in which the believer voluntarily abstains from food for a season for the purpose of seeking the will of God, strength for service or deeper spirituality. It should be accompanied by meditation, self-examination, humiliation before God, confession of sin, repentance and renewed dedication to a life of obedience. (RP Testimony 21:7)

So, fasting is something I, personally, do to strengthen my personal relationship with God, or to seek his will, or to ask for strength to overcome sin. I don't read anywhere in scripture that fasting is some sort of public hunger strike to try and cajole or manipulate God into action. It is not a bunch of Pharisees organizing a rally and abstaining from food so that the obviously unrighteous tax-collectors can get their acts together. Read carefully! It's not a bunch of leaders telling their subordinates to fast. That's why it is so noteworthy when, for example in Nehemiah, so many get together fasting and mourning their own personal sin after the law is read.

It shouldn't be surprising that by 2010, the time of the approval of the new RPCNA Directory of Public Worship, the idea of fasting being an authoritarian top-down decision is permanently cemented and the idea of personal fasting for personal reasons is a mere footnote.

Special days of fasting, humiliation and prayer are particularly appropriate when God’s judgments are evident in the land, or when corporate sin in church or nation provokes the Lord and invites His judgments. It is appropriate that such days be observed in connection with services preparatory to the Lord’s Supper or on days designated by Sessions, Presbyteries, and Synods for this purpose (DPW 4:2)

How sanctimonious of the RPCNA/RPC to declare a public fast so that OTHERS can repent. Seriously.

RPCNA response to COVID-19

This is mainly to allow a distinct discussion of how the posters of Gentle Reformation have engaged in vigorous navel-gazing with respect to the current Coronavirus outbreak. The issue hits at the heart of where the RPCNA has positioned itself in the pantheon of Christian religions.

Authoritarianism (aka churchianity) - RPCNA leaders believe themselves to be the vicars of Christ within their local institutional body. When they put on their "office hats", they speak authoritatively to the Christian. The pastor says "thus saith the Lord" from the pulpit. The elder says "The Holy Spirit has made me aware of this sin in your life". That authority is at its climax in the public assembly, where the pastor, enlightened by the Holy Spirit preaches to a congregation assembled in public worship.

That is why, for example, the membership vows include:

 To the end that you may grow in the Christian life, do you promise that you will diligently read the Bible, engage in private prayer, keep the Lord’s Day, regularly attend the worship services, observe the appointed sacraments, and give to the Lord’s work as He shall prosper you? (Covenant of Church Membership #5)

and the first disciplinary form for members is the Certificate of Dismissal for an Indifferent Member: 

The session certifies that you, _______ [name of the member]_________, have not participated in the worship and fellowship of the ____ [name and location of the congregation]__________ Reformed Presbyterian Church for an extended period of time. We are deeply saddened that we must remove you from the church because of your neglect of the ordinances as of this date: ________________________. We remind you that, outside the visible church, there is no ordinary possibility of salvation. (2B)

So, it is intriguing that some RP congregations have maintained smaller gatherings so as not to exceed the CDC recommendations, some have resorted to audio or video livestreaming, and some have cancelled services and pointed members to SermonAudio recordings.

I'm sure that there will be a lot of "grace" applied for RP pastors who have had to cancel by those who assert that gathering is necessary, but this is simply keeping up appearances.

Means of Grace - A theme that has swept through authoritarian denominations is the concept of "means of grace" - meaning that God confers grace (I think what they mean by this is essentially spiritual growth) through means, which the Westminster Confession attributes primarily to what is done by the pastor in public worship. For example, the new Directory for Public Worship says:

 The main purpose of worship is to bring glory to the triune God, particularly for His work of redemption through Jesus Christ. However, God, in His benevolence, also invites and commands His people to draw near to Him to experience all the benefits of their redemption, to declare their dependence on Him, to enjoy His appointed means of grace, to encourage one another, to celebrate their union with Jesus Christ and to be transformed, more and more, into His image. (ch 1 #2 - emphasis added)

or the WLC #154:

Q. 154. What are the outward means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of his mediation? 

A. The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicates to his church the benefits of his mediation, are all his ordinances; especially the Word, Sacraments, and prayer: all which are made effectual to the elect for their salvation. 

With such elevation of the minister and the public worship assembly, it is understandably hard for the RP pastor to have any sort of allowance for forsaking the assembly, so we see such claims as:

Yet, at this time of crisis, with mortality at a peak, the last thing we should consider is giving up our Church. Let me give you a number of reasons for summoning self and dragging others to God's House. (https://gentlereformation.com/2020/03/13/the-church-and-corona/)

but then we see the same pastor (Andrew Kerr) suddenly backpedal so as not to condemn himself and his authoritarian friends. I'm sure we just took his earlier post out of context (SMH):

What I think I am saying is this: Hebrews 10:24-25 should not be applied to this circumstance as implying we should meet when pestilence is about! I hope if you are troubled about worshipping on-line that this will ease your mind that you are not letting your Lord down. At this time of crisis Christians should be seen to be sane. It would be a great pity to reduce a great Gospel opportunity to distaste or disdain, in some well-meaning insistence that we must meet boldly and bravely in the midst of plague in order to honour our Lord - this is what I am sure is what all my brothers intend, even if we disagree!(https://gentlereformation.com/2020/03/19/do-not-forsake-the-assembly/) 

It's not surprising that there have been a flood of articles on Gentle Reformation trying to thread the needle on churchianity + authoritarianism + means of grace, happily condemning the rest of the Christian pantheon for their lack of conviction, yet finding justification for RP pastors with the same practices.

Personally, I am thankful for a gracious God who tells me the Sabbath was made for me, not me for the Sabbath. While I mourn the loss of physical Christian fellowship, I'm thankful for the various technologies now available by which I can fellowship virtually with real people. One thing my pastor said that I don't think I would hear from an RP pulpit. "This is the work of the enemy. When we deny the work of the enemy, then we accuse God of terrible things and this is exactly what we're seeing coming out of the church." It would not surprise me to see Gentle Reformation articles suggesting that the COVID-19 outbreak is God's judgment against [insert public sin here].

RP conversion stories and hidden mental illnesses

In researching some of the "Masterson group" of mental illnesses, I found a very interesting summary in Wikipedia:

In line with stressing the importance of maternal availability, Masterson argued that the personality disorders crucially involve the conflict between a person's two "selves": the false self, which the very young child constructs to please the mother, and the real self. The psychotherapy of personality disorders is an attempt to put people back in touch with their real selves. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_F._Masterson 

This reminded me of many conference campgrounds where we heard testimonies and conversion experiences from RPs who had gone before. The stories would go something like this:

When I was in high school, I had two lives - at home and church I was obedient and godly, but at school and elsewhere, I swore, I hung out with the wrong crowd, I was mean to other students, I cheated on my homework [etc]. I finally came to the point where I needed to decide which me was me, and thanks to Jesus, I was able to decide to be obedient and godly.

Now, we were taught that this was a wonderful conversion experience. Someone had turned from their "[RP] messed up life" and had embraced Jesus and the gospel and had repented and turned back to the righteousness they were taught.

Unfortunately, I think this is more a story of pervasive mental illness. For those who grew up in the RP church, righteousness was about maintaining a perfect image. It was about keeping the outside of the cup clean. While we were taught that the image represented what was in our hearts, people were not concerned about what was in the heart; instead, external righteousness was all that mattered.

I've heard it described as "the wall" - RPs like to portray an impenetrable wall of exterior righteousness, while inside the wall is a person longing to be respected and loved. RP teaching rarely gets at the heart, except to say that whatever is inside "the wall" must be denied and hated so that the wall can be preserved. That is, a child is told that obedience must be "instant, unquestioned, and heartfelt." An RP adult is told the same thing about God and his ordained representatives - pastors and elders. Heartfelt meaning that a person's "real self" emotions are secondary to the authority's "false self" expectations of emotions. Thus, members in the RP church learn quickly that the church is not a safe place for their real self, leading to these behavioral disorders.

Let's look at this another way. As our children grow up, we can either focus on the internal or the external. If we focus on the internal, we are less concerned with the meltdowns and the blow-ups and the external behavior, because we are training tools to deal with the powerful emotions inside. We accept the positive and negative emotions and we help them understand and express those emotions through more and more positive means. If we focus on the external, we are more concerned with the meltdowns and blow-ups and the socially unacceptable behavior, but we are basically telling the children to "bottle up" their powerful emotions. We are telling them it is not okay to be angry, or sad or upset because those lead to unacceptable behaviors.

This can lead to certain behavioral disorders. Masterson studied disorders like Schizoid and Narcissist, which all have to do with the dichotomy between the "real" and "false" self, and I think, both of these types end up being attracted to or developed by the RP church

The Narcissist has a fragile real self, but a strong desire for validation, and seeks it by portraying perfection in the false self. The overt Narcissist does everything for recognition, cannot lose and cannot accept anything but 100% affirmation. The real self, however, is perpetually on the defensive from criticism. The covert Narcissist still wants perfection, but does so by being associated with the right people. They're on a first name basis (real or imagined) with all the top pastors in the denomination and are constantly bending over backwards to ingratiate themselves with those people. Narcissists, especially male Narcissists are going to find a solid home in the RP church. They can rise to church leadership by demonstrating their perfection, and then they receive the affirmation and support they crave by being part of the elite RPs. Especially since the RP church is small, there is more recognition and affirmation than being part of a large denomination or church. The size also helps covert narcissists because it is easier to be known and recognized by an RP celebrity pastor.

The Schizoid has a strong real self and a desire for connection, but finds connection dangerous and exhausting. The Schizoid has buried his emotions because emotions were never acceptable. Like the Narcissist, the Schizoid portrays a perfect false self, but not to get attention. Instead, the Schizoid wants an image of self-reliance. The RP church can encourage Schizoid behaviors by its reliance on rationalism and discouragement of emotions - as they seem more "Charismatic". Schizoids can be attracted to the RP church for the same reasons - the doctrine eschews emotions, the services are plain and dry, the preaching is cerebral.

In this sense, the "dual self" conversion stories represent people who believe they have jettisoned their unrighteous self in the name of Jesus, but have instead repressed that self. We pray that God works on that repressed self to remove the trauma and allow full self-expression, but I think we fear that the "real self" cannot be repressed so easily, and that becomes a significant danger to these people if the self is turned inwards (Schizoid), and to the church if the self is turned outwards (Narcissist).