Soak in the complaints. Good Advice! But I think we also should be aware of the fact that even in the Christian Reformed Church, there are psychopaths, or to use the more modern word, sociopaths. Dr. Martha Stout in her book, "THE SOCIOPATH NEXT DOOR", maintains that on the average there is one sociopath in every twenty- five people. They are found in every profession, including the ministry. Sociopaths lack empathy, they only love themselves and they hardly ever change. Even one sociopath in a congregation can make the life of a pastor very miserable. Of course, by the same token, there are also be pastors who are sociopaths who can cause lots of trouble in their congregations. No doubt, a number of pastors who were dismissed from the ministry were sociopaths. Would it not be useful to write an article about this 'anti-social personality disorder' in The Banner? Or would it open up a can of worms?
Ref, Martha Stout, Ph.D., THE SOCIOPATH NEXT DOOR, 1 in 25 ordinary Americans secretly has no conscience and can do anything at all without feeling guilty. Who is the devi; you know? (Broadway Books, 2005).
Posted in: Stop and Soak in the Complaints
Soak in the complaints. Good Advice! But I think we also should be aware of the fact that even in the Christian Reformed Church, there are psychopaths, or to use the more modern word, sociopaths. Dr. Martha Stout in her book, "THE SOCIOPATH NEXT DOOR", maintains that on the average there is one sociopath in every twenty- five people. They are found in every profession, including the ministry. Sociopaths lack empathy, they only love themselves and they hardly ever change. Even one sociopath in a congregation can make the life of a pastor very miserable. Of course, by the same token, there are also be pastors who are sociopaths who can cause lots of trouble in their congregations. No doubt, a number of pastors who were dismissed from the ministry were sociopaths. Would it not be useful to write an article about this 'anti-social personality disorder' in The Banner? Or would it open up a can of worms?
Ref, Martha Stout, Ph.D., THE SOCIOPATH NEXT DOOR, 1 in 25 ordinary Americans secretly has no conscience and can do anything at all without feeling guilty. Who is the devi; you know? (Broadway Books, 2005).