Church Bullies & What To Do About Them

Do bullies have free rein in our churches? Who are the bullies? What is scapegoating? Is it possible to practice the mercy and forgiveness demanded by Gospel ethics while also protecting people from emotional and professional damage?

These are some of the questions that Dr. Stephen Finlan will seek to answer this week on the Cosmic Citizen. We'll be looking for an ethic of behavior that is both spiritually valid and psychologically wise. In his book, Stephen seeks responses to bullying that are both “wise” and “harmless” (Matt 10:16), that do not leave people helpless against the cruelty of church bullies. Bullying has become a major concern in schools and workplaces, but the church sometimes lags behind the secular workplace in its ethics.

Stephen Finlan was the pastor at Mathewson Street United Methodist Church in Providence, Rhode Island, for three years. He is now with the United Church of Christ. Dr. Finlan is the author of Problems with Atonement (2005) and e Family Metaphor in Jesus’ Teaching (2013), and the coeditor of eosis: Deication in Christian eology, Vol. 1 (2006). He taught at seminaries and universities from 1998 through 2011.

Stephen taught theology and general Humanities at universities and seminaries for 13 years. He is interested in preaching the gospel and in discovering the transforming power of the Spirit. He holds a Ph.D. in Pauline Theology from University of Durham, and has been writing about Jesus, Paul, atonement, and theosis for many years. He has strongly held views on these subjects, but welcomes lively and varied debate from those who have other views.

This show is being recorded on 7/1/2015 to be played at our regular time on 7/11/2015. We hope you can listen in.