Untwisting Scriptures Used to Enable Abuse

Guest Bios Show Transcript Does the Bible really teach that Christians are supposed to give up their rights? If you speak out against someone who’s sinned against you, does it mean that you’re bitter? And is it really wrong to “take up offenses” for someone else? The short answer is, No! But as Julie explains on this episode of The Roys Report podcast, these are all examples of twisting the Scriptures to condition Christians to accept abuse. Julie’s guest is Rebecca Davis, an award-winning author of a series of books on Untwisting the Scriptures that were used to tie you up, gag you, and tangle your mind. In this podcast Julie and Rebecca explore the prevalence of “no rights” teaching and discuss why it’s so damaging to the Body of Christ. This episode also explores what the Bible means by “bitterness.” And you may be surprised to find that not all bitterness is sinful. Finally, what about “taking up offenses”? Some teach that the Bible expressly forbids taking up offenses for a brother or sister. Last week on Moody Radio, Dr. Michael Vanlaningham, a pastor at Harvest Bible Chapel, even claimed that publicly reporting the misdeeds of other Christians is just wrong and sinful. Is that true? Julie plays Dr. Vanlaningham’s clip in this podcast and then she and Rebecca discuss what Scripture has to say about it. Rediscover the Gospel message of freedom in Christ in this enlightening episode. If you’ve heard any of these common teachings and want to discern the truth, I highly encourage you to listen to this podcast! This Weeks Guests Rebecca Davis Rebecca Davis is the author of 19 books (and counting) for children and adults, among them the Untwisting Scriptures series. Rebecca’s personal ministry includes serving as a spiritual coach through Immanuel prayer ministry while acting as a compassionate witness to people’s hard stories, helping women who are in or coming out of abuse, untwisting Scriptures that have been used to keep people in abusive situations, and offering hope through Jesus Christ. She writes about these things on her blog, www.heresthejoy.com, drawing from her 40 years of study of the Scriptures. Show Transcript SPEAKERS JULIE ROYS, REBECCA DAVIS, DR. MICHAEL VANLANINGHAM THIS TRANSCRIPT HAS BEEN EDITED SLIGHTLY FOR CONTINUITY. JULIE ROYS Does the Bible really teach that Christians are supposed to give up their rights? If you speak out against someone who’s sinned against you, does that mean that you’re bitter? And is it really wrong to “take up offenses” for someone else? Welcome to The Roys Report—a podcast dedicated to reporting the truth and restoring the church. I’m Julie Roys. And according to my guest today, all those questions I just posed are examples of twisting the Scriptures to actually condition Christians to accept abuse. My guest is Rebecca Davis, author of the book: Untwisting the Scriptures that were used to tie you up, gag you, and tangle your mind. She’s has written a second book on the topic that deals with patriarchy and authority. And she’s working on a third book, tentatively titled, “Shut Up and stuff your emotions.” But today, we’re going to focus on her first book—and explore this idea that it’s noble, or Christian, to surrender your rights. Maybe you’ve been taught that and thought, “Okay, as a Christian, I need to lay down my life like Christ laid down His.” But what does that mean when you’re being subjected to abuse? Is that really what the Bible teaches? We’ll also look at bitterness from a biblical perspective. Maybe you’ve been accused of being bitter. Or, when you try to blow the whistle on wrongdoing, you’re told that you just need to work on your own heart—not someone else’s. And lastly, we’ll explore this issue of “taking up offenses.” Some teach that the Bible expressly forbids taking up offenses for a brother or a sister. Or, as I just heard last week on Moody Radio, Dr. Michael Vanlaningham a pastor at Harvest Bible Chapel claimed that report