Thread by @cgarrct

In Christian evangelical circles toxic hierarchy is VERY prevalent, and leads to “no talk” rules and other such isolating damaging tactics. You don’t know you’ve broken the rules until they are broke and you’re left hanging out to dry #exvangelical #SpiritualAbuse

*OR* you do already know the rules and you are terrified to speak up, speak out, and call for accountability because you *KNOW* the consequences. Which is usually oppressive isolation, shunning, and spiritual character assassination #exvangelical #SpiritualAbuse

AND if you DO speak out, claims that you are just being used by the devil to hold back the body of Christ and their “effectiveness” are spread. and then othering you/isolating you is easy #exvangelical #SpiritualAbuse

Pointing to the anger a victim has creates a narrative that THEY are the ones causing the pain. When in fact their anger is a reaction to the pain that has been inflicted on them. The the lack of equality -due to hierarchy- derails accountability and justice #Exvangelical

toxic Christian theology like Prosperity Gospel conveys that if you are obeying God the blessings will flow- but so do the attempts to hinder you. Which means you can blame all the “trip ups” you face on both “Satan” & shame. Which is a way of escaping true accountability

Because I began to call for the accountability of a group of brothers & sisters of the body of Christ I have been called a number of things. The list is exhaustive. It is all about discrediting me, magnifying my faults, disqualifying & derailing my intent. I expected nothing less

The response to my call for accountability is what I expected. & it is EXACTLY why I am an #exvangelical & an #EmptyThePews advocate. In my first round of tweets asking for accountability I mentioned white supremacy culture. Which is NOT the same as proclaiming someone a racist

We have all been infected by white supremacy CULTURE.evangelical Christians do not seem to realize the ways in which they exude the characteristics of this culture. Showing the symptoms is NOT the same as being the disease itself, it is the results of infection I’m highlighting

If a person has cancer they show the signs and symptoms of the cancer. And certain types of cancer has certain types of characteristics and identifiers. So when I highlight white supremacy culture I am not saying that you are a racist, I am calling for introspection & growth

White supremacy characteristics: •Perfectionism:
*little appreciation expressed among people for the work that others are doing; appreciation that is expressed usually directed to those who get most of the credit anyway.

White supremacy culture: •perfectionism 2: mistskes are confused with being a mistake, doing wrong with being wrong,
tendency to identify what is wrong; little ability to identify, name, and appreciate what is right and take the time to produce quality growth

Characteristics of white supremacy: •Defensiveness
the organizational structure is set up & much energy spent trying to prevent abuse & protect power as it exists rather than to facilitate the best out of each person or to clarify who has power & how they are expected to use it

Defensiveness 2: because of either/or thinking (see below), criticism of those with power is viewed as threatening and inappropriate (or rude)
people respond to new or challenging ideas with defensiveness, making it very difficult to raise these ideas

Defensiveness 3: a lot of energy in the organization is spent trying to make sure that people’s feelings aren’t getting hurt or working around defensive people,
the defensiveness of people in power creates an oppressive culture

White supremacy culture : •Either/Or Thinking
things are either/or good/bad, right/wrong, with us/against us
closely linked to perfectionism in making it difficult to learn from mistakes or accommodate conflict,
no sense that things can be both/and

•Quantity Over Quality:
all resources of organization are directed toward producing measurable goals
things that can be measured are more highly valued than things that cannot, little or no value attached to process; if it can't be measured, it has no value

•Written Word worship:
if its not a memo, it doesn't exist does not take into account or value other ways in which information gets shared
those with strong documentation & writing skills are more highly valued, even in organizations where ability to relate to others is key

•worship of the written word: the belief that there is one right way to do things & once people are introduced to it, they will see the light, if they do not adopt it adapt or change, then something is wrong with them (the other, those not changing)

•Paternalism
decision-making is clear to those with power & unclear to those without it
those with power think they are capable of making decisions for & in the interests of those without power

•Paternalism: those with power often don't think it is important or necessary to understand the viewpoint or experience of those for whom they are making decisions
those without power understand they do not have it

•Power Hoarding: little, if any, value around sharing power
And its seen as limited, only so much to go around
those with power are threatened when anyone suggests changes in how things should be done in the organization, feel suggestions for change are a reflection on them

Power hoarding: those with power don't see themselves as hoarding power or as feeling threatened
those with power assume they have the best interests of the organization at heart and assume those wanting change are ill-informed (stupid), emotional, inexperienced

Fear of Open Conflict:
people in power are scared of conflict, try to ignore it or run from it. when someone raises an issue that causes discomfort, the response is to blame the person for raising the issue rather than to look at the issue which is actually causing the problem

•Fear of open conflict: emphasis on being polite
equating the raising of difficult issues with being impolite, rude, or out of line

•Individualism: they believe they are responsible for solving problems alone.
accountability, if any, goes up and down, not sideways to peers or to those the group is set up to serve. desire for individual recognition & credit leads to isolation
creates a lack of accountability

•Progress is Bigger: adds staff, adds projects) or develops the ability to serve more people (regardless of HOW WELL they are serving them) focusing on how many we are serving instead of quality of service or values created by the ways in which we serve

•Objectivity:
the belief that there is such a thing as being objective
the belief that emotions are inherently destructive, irrational, & should not play a role in decision-making or group process
invalidating people who show emotion

•objectivity: requiring people to think in a linear fashion and ignoring or invalidating those who think in other ways
impatience with any thinking that does not appear ëlogicalí to those with power

•Right to Comfort:
the belief that those with power have a right to emotional & psychological comfort (another aspect of valuing logic over emotion)scapegoating those who cause discomfort

THIS was a lengthy example of White supremacy culture. This is the type of culture I was referring to when I called for @EzerRising and it’s people to be held accountable. I have first hand experience of how this culture is consistently present in the way this group’s functions

*I* was(am) guilty of these characteristics while with Ezer Rising, & I am struggling everyday to be introspective & find freedom over the characteristics of this toxic pervasive culture! So I can cause less harm. MY INTENT is to hold my siblings accountable in this area too

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