Category: Ministry Integrity

Copyright 2018 Theresa Harvard Johnson

Accountability is a trending phrase across the congregation today.

In simple, non-religious terms, it implies that people and organizations should be held responsible for their actions (or lack thereof) and the outcomes of those actions in their lives, the lives of those they impact and in some situations as it relates to society.

This definition, when used in the context of our conversation on “Sexual Assault within the Congregation,” conveys that the congregation as a whole needs to be held accountable. I agree. However the accounts from news outlets in my previous article, “Sexual Assault within the Congregation: For Traditional and Non-traditional Congregations,” continues to reveal that the church has a long way to go in understanding how to properly address the epidemic within its four walls.

Copyright 2018 Theresa Harvard Johnson
#WeToo #MeToo #clergyabuse #apostolicmentorship

It happens.

A person becomes a part of a congregation, ministry group or enters a mentoring relationship, and find themselves the victim of the most humiliating and misunderstood crime imaginable – sexual assault.

Sexual assault, sometimes referred to as sexual violence, takes on numerous forms. It includes rape, sexual intercourse against a person’s will; forcible sodomy, anal or oral sex against a person’s will; forcible object penetration against a person’s will; fondling or unwanted touching (regardless of how slight); forcing someone to perform sex acts via threats, intimidation or coercion; sexual contact with minors whether consensual or none consensual; and incest, sexual relations between close relatives.[1] Non-contact sexual assault also includes exhibitionism and verbal sexual harassment.[2]

Copyright 2018 Theresa Harvard Johnson
[This article is provided for information purposes only. It should not be considered legal advice as I am not an attorney. In addition, this article is targeted to those who self-publish books.]
 

I could probably write a book on all the things I’ve done wrong as a writer. But I also thank God for being willing and ready to learn, quick to apologize and fast to admit I was wrong. This goes a long way in learning to do things the right way.

Unfortunately, some people are not like that — especially in the “apostolic-prophetic” community where many struggle to value common sense, gain professional understanding about publishing and learn to do things outside of unhealthy spiritual approaches.

I stopped helping people publish books because of the level of spiritual deafness I encountered.

Copyright 2018 Theresa Harvard Johnson

Jeremiah 8:8 NIV, “‘How can you say, “We are wise, for we have the law of the LORD, when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely?” (The false “anointing” of the SCRIBE)

Here are some tips on identifying plagiarism and plagiarists:

1. Plagiarists become experts at twisting the Word of God by putting the sin of plagiarism in direct contradiction to the community release of revelation. They CONFUSE shared revelation (which we all have access to) with the theft of intellectual property. They do not understand that “intellectual property and copyright APPLIES in spiritual communities as well as in the natural. They choose ignorance in this area and recognize that most people DO NOT know the difference. As a result, they create an atmosphere of confusion around this subject — blinding people to truths concerning this subject that are universal.
2. Plagiarists are EXPERT manipulators. Like scam artists, they build a community around their lies. Often, however, they lack the “credentials, influence, vocabulary, insight and backstory” that often supports or comes behind original ideas and concepts. This is a place of weakness in the plagiarists efforts that can often be proven in “apostolic-prophetic” environments.
   
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   Ministry Integrity