“I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.” 3 John 1:9-10
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1
How are a vast majority of churches and church members unaware of the dangers lurking within their own church buildings? We can see the devil working when a marriage falls apart or when Christians are persecuted in the news, but unless we have been taught the warning signs or hold the scars of experience, we are easily deceived by the subtle workings of someone in a position of “authority.” They are our pastors, Sunday school teachers, deacons and youth leaders. Their grandiose personalities are attractive and their tenacity striking. They may be extremely skilled and knowledgeable, or they may be completely engrossed in advising and leading others. They are the ones we never expect. When I first heard Douglas Stauffer preach as an “evangelist” based out of a church in Alabama, I enjoyed his tenacity, his humor, personality, and sarcasm, and especially his depth of Bible knowledge. After he joined Antioch Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, however, my husband and I quickly realized that something was off about his manner and his preaching.
Over the next several years, Douglas Stauffer’s arrogance and pride in preaching became inherently obvious, especially whenever he preached on eschatology and the end times. Though we purposefully avoided several of his messages along the way for this reason, we still greatly appreciated his playful connection with and care for our young children that came to absolutely adore him. In 2016, however, when sudden political unrest threatened the safety of our family in an upcoming missions trip, Stauffer’s crass lack of character and deceit truly came to light, revealing Stauffer for who we feared he was, by placing his pride and arrogance before the safety of our small, growing family.
But was our perception the truth, or merely transference from my history with spiritual abuse as Pastor Andrew Ray had decided for us without ever addressing it with me personally or presenting it before the church?
Because of Stauffer’s actions during our years together at Antioch Baptist Church, we feel that Stauffer portrays several narcissistic traits. We feel that he not only shows a severe lack of remorse for his deceitfulness, and cares little- if at all- for how his actions affect those around him. We further believe that he purposefully pulls others down to elevate himself in knowledge, reputation and potential power. Allow me to show you the Douglas D. Stauffer that we came to know over the course of about four and a half years at Antioch Baptist Church.
Would the Real Douglas Stauffer Please Stand Up?
In this series I share my thoughts and opinions concerning these ministers and the events which led to my departure. Click here to continue reading: “Blindsided: Douglas Stauffer’s Traveling Conceit” or click on the link below.
For a list of the complete series, click here.
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