Category: unhealthy churches

“(34) O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
(35) A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bring forth evil things.
(36) But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement.
(37) For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”  Matthew 12:34-37 (King James Version)

 “Everyone that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished” Proverbs 16:5″

Throughout His time on earth, Christ called out the Pharisees for their self-righteousness and hypocrisy stemming from pedigree and countless years of meticulously learning and studying Jewish law. These leaders were too consumed with analyzing, scrutinizing and humiliating any who fell short in comparison to their vast religious knowledge or legalistic standards to see the reality of their own sin nature.   Remember Paul’s letter to the church of Corinth when he stated, “Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth” (1 Corinthians 8:1)? Though man’s heart attempts to hide and protect its many short-comings, a pride similar to that of the Pharisees tends to expose itself through one’s speech, actions, and even non-verbal communications. It was not long after both of our families joined Antioch Baptist Church that we realized Douglas Stauffer’s arrogance bled over almost every sermon as he essentially established himself as one the most knowledgeable speakers on eschatology and the “1611 King James Bible.” As the years progressed, we also could not deny that Stauffer’s incessant numerical proclamations of his ministerial accomplishments further revealed the superiority complex that we truly believe was in his heart.

Stauffer’s 888 Page Book

In 2015, back when I still had respect for Douglas Stauffer, he made a startling statement behind the pulpit at our church, declaring that if one used the modern versions, he “[had] no authority.” He continued by proclaiming that if someone used the Greek or the Hebrew, he was “[his] own authority.” Growing up in an Independent Fundamental Church (IFB) and attending an IFB college, I believed- and still believe- that though God worked miraculously to give us an English Bible, the Greek and Hebrew are still God’s Word and can be used as tools in Bible study. With my husband’s permission, I privately sent Stauffer a Facebook message on the way home from church to verify that I heard correctly and to politely question his statement. Although he gave a very detailed response, one that I respect despite my disagreement with his point-of-view (click here to read the entire discussion), below are some excerpts from his reply that raised red flags about Douglas Stauffer as a person:

• Douglas Stauffer (June 25, 2018 at 9:22pm):  “. . . We don’t use the Greek because those who don’t know it must then come to us to be there authority. God moved over to English..I prove this over and over in my 888 page book, One Book One Authority…” 

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• Douglas Stauffer (June 25, 2018 at 11:01pm): “My One Book STands Alone covers the editions of the KJB and why. Bro Regan [previous pastor at Antioch] also wrote a booklet on the subject. It would surprise you. I will give you a copy on Wednesday. This is the 400 page one. If you get through it, I will give you a copy of the larger volume.”

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We could not help but wonder what kind of man supports his theories by spouting out the number of pages in a book he has written. What really surprised us about his comments, however, was when he even offered to give to give us the larger book if we finished his smaller, several hundred-page book!

The Treasure of Stauffer’s Heart

My husband and I simply filed these statements away in the back of our minds, but as Stauffer later spoke of the content of his previous messages or of the books he had written/was currently writing, his manner usually betrayed his words in truly giving God the glory by presenting a desire to be known, “liked,” “followed,” and highly esteemed as a distinguished Bible scholar. While each statement provided below gives little insight in isolation, the culmination of Stauffer’s posts from his personal Facebook page (“Douglas Stauffer”), and the Facebook page for one of his well-known books (“One Book Rightly Divided”), that proclaim his numerical achievements in ministry, is telling of the true focus of his heart:

• One Book Rightly Divided (March 14, 2018): “One Book Rightly Divided–a complete reworking of the original book almost twice the size–now available for pre-order. All advance orders will be signed and numbered…”  (Link)
  

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• One Book Rightly Divided (March 18, 2018): “Meet the co-author of One Book Rightly Divided. We have written four devotionals, two prophecy books and one children’s book together. God has used our partnership and bond to produce some wonderful works.”  (Link)

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• One Book Rightly Divided (July 16, 2018): “Just finished the rework on these charts … things are progressing well. We said the book will be double the size of the old editions … well, try 2.5 times larger!!!!”  (Link)
  

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• One Book Rightly Divided (August 1, 2018): “. . . Available for pre-publication ordering. The first edition was written over 20 years ago and published in the year 2000. Since then, the book has been updated twice and published several more times. It was originally 276 pages but now expanded to 750 pages. . . . On August 7^th, 2018, EVERYTHING in the bookstore will be listed at FULL RETAIL including the One Book Rightly Divided which will be listed at the retail price of $40.00. At that time, this will be the new adjusted price for the book since the book will be almost triple the size of the original book.”  (Link)
  

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• One Book Rightly Divided (July 21, 2018): “How a CPA tracks progress of the readers and editors of the One Book Rightly Divided–chapters across the top (goes through 27 and the rest are add-ons (appendices, etc.)).
  F- Finished;
  W(red)- Working;
  S-Sent;
  D-Designed (formatted).
  This is only the top part showing about 30 of those involved. Pray, pray, pray … we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel … hoping it is NOT a train heading our way! Doug & Andrew  (Link)

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 Pharisaical Comparisons” or click on the link below.

For a list of the complete series, click here.

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At my church growing up, near Fort Meade, Maryland, there was a regular evangelist I will never forget by the name of Dr. Bill Behrens. As a “retired” Marine who fought in the Vietnam war, he had powerful messages and personal testimonies about the reality of being “a soldier for Jesus Christ,” so much so that I can even hear his voice saying that phrase a decade later. Every year, he preached at our Bible camp during the summer, covering topics that ranged from children obeying and honoring their parents, to the brevity of life, purity before marriage, and the importance of serving God with our lives. He also preached revival meetings every year at our church, and I have never forgotten his message about getting back to the basics of the Christian walk and “taking some spiritual Lysol” to your Christian life. Dr. Behrens would usually have us rolling in laughter from the beginning, but by the end, the convicting power of the Holy Spirit usually left the auditorium so quiet one could hear a pin drop. There were a few other evangelists that also came over the years, one of which even offered financial advice on the side for those who desired it, but always began with the principle of “Seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God and his righteousness….” as the baseline for financial stability. These men were not perfect, just as those at my church had shortcomings as well, but they still allowed God to use them and countless lives were changed.

At Antioch Baptist Church in Tennessee, Douglas Stauffer was esteemed for his time as an evangelist, but as I became more familiar with his work, I started to question if an evangelist was limited to the mental picture I had grown up with. Probably not, but what is an evangelist supposed to do? What are his goals supposed to be according to Scripture? I believe the answer is that an evangelist, essentially a state-side missionary, should have his eyes set on the furtherance of the kingdom of God, for souls to be saved, and the people of God to be encouraged and lifted up in their walks. Looking at Stauffer’s work as an evangelist, one could assume that evangelism includes staying back at one’s home church for months at a time in order to write and promote one’s own books as an “internationally recognized authority” on the end times. Although one could argue that Stauffer’s campaigning of his abilities is necessary for the support of a traveling family in evangelism, just as Paul used his skills as a tent maker to support himself at various points along his missionary journeys, Stauffer took these accomplishments a step further when he referenced his own travels and conferences on the end times.

Sadly, instead of speaking of souls recently saved, lives changed, or of those still in need of a Savior, Doug Stauffer regularly focused his remarks on the number of pages he had written or slides he had created for his presentations from the vast quantity of information he discerned Scripturally or was able to provide because of his own personal, in-depth study of the King James Bible. Seemingly insignificant portions of these boastings would even commonly spring up across his Facebook pages (see examples below), but they appeared to go unnoticed as “a man who loved numbers.” In between these conferences, Stauffer also participated in multiple debates on Revelation and the end times, but upon returning to his home church (Antioch Baptist Church), he would commonly boast of winning, even if public opinions online speculated drastically different results. Both online and in person, we feel that Stauffer’s words portrayed a man who cared more about his own accomplishments and the results of those accomplishments than about the souls and edification of those he came into contact with at various churches around the country. To put it bluntly,  I have yet to find a verse that states going around the country attempting to win debates about Revelation is what Paul meant when he instructed Timothy to “Do the work of an evangelist” (1 Timothy 4:5). Christ clearly commanded us to “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”  

• Douglas Stauffer (February 2, 2019): “Gotta say, I am R_E_A_D_Y .…we produced a special 200 page booklet for the conference and an additional 40-page powerpoint presentation outline.”  (Link)

• Douglas Stauffer (February 8, 2019): “Tonight is the final Revelation study service that began last Sunday PM. We studied 3 chapters on both Sunday and Wednesday and 4 chapters on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday with 4 more tonight. Jesus is coming back “tonight”–chapter 19 and onward to the millennium and new heaven and new earth. Glory!!!! . . . Getting through Revelation in a mere 12 hours was a challenge…but with the help of God, we did it!!!”  (Link)

• Douglas Stauffer (February 12, 2019): “I wrote three chapters in ‘One Book One Authority’ on God’s witness of Himself in the Chinese language. Last week in Naples, I met with a Chinese couple who pointed me to this video that covers much more than my book. Wow!!! Everyone needs to watch this and realize how God has had a witness in the Chinese language for 4500 years. Pray for us as we leave for China in about 30 days!”  (LINK)
• Douglas Stauffer (October 4, 2019):“Just finished my 20^th book…I expanded my 200-page book that sold out in a day to 245 pages–a study on the book of Revelation. This also will be a limited printing and it will contain the treatise on ‘How a Tribulation Saint Gets Saved.’ God is soooo good. You can read about salvation in Daniel’s Seventieth week on my blog www.DougStaffer.com” (LINK)

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- Pride He Can Count On” or click on the link below.

For a list of the complete series, click here.

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“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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**Names marked with an asterisk (*) have been changed for the privacy of individuals and their families**

When a church member makes an accusation of harassment against a preacher, one would naturally expect a meeting to take place, in order to discuss the accusations made and any possible consequences to be imposed on the accused- should he be found guilty- as well as precautions to prevent a re-occurrence of harassment in the future. Such a discussion, in a healthy environment, would naturally include the potential victim unless the potential victim explicitly states otherwise. Instead, after emailing my pastor Wednesday morning about Douglas Stauffer’s harassment and my concerns about his character in leadership, Pastor Andrew Ray preached a message on “Biblical Forgiveness,” but never responded to the email or spoke with us after the service. Come Sunday evening at Antioch Baptist Church, Pastor Ray approached my husband, Matthew Olds, about Matt meeting with him for a few minutes about my email from the week before. Surprisingly, Pastor Ray had expected Matt to approach him, but Matt never did! Throughout the entirety of the meeting, rather than being involved as a woman, as was common-place in our church,  I waited nervously outside in the fenced-in play area with several other moms from the inner circle nearby, fearing the worst as our children played. After the meeting finally concluded, we drove an hour home and Matt wanted to get the children completely in bed before giving me any information about the meeting. As we sat down on the living room couch, Matt, broken but at peace, concluded that the meeting had gone very well, and that we had a loving and gracious pastor who truly desired reconciliation. I personally still wonder if Stauffer did not have his hand of influence on Pastor Ray’s actions before the meeting ever began.

Truth or Transference? 

Within the office, Pastor Ray showed Matt a printed copy of the email with highlighter marking the first several questions, but in reference to the email’s title, “More Questions,” Pastor Ray declared that there were only a few questions, while the rest of the email was only accusations. Despite the support I gave of Stauffer’s past arrogance and deceitful interactions with my family, as well as recent occurrences, our pastor believed that most, if not all, of the email was merely transference from the spiritual abuse I endured at the hands of a mentor, and particularly her husband, when I was in high school and in college. Pastor Ray also confessed that as our pastor, he still did not know how to talk to me after four years because of my history with abuse. He then proceeded to tell Matt that I would likely come to change my mind on a lot of what was said, but that this situation- with Stauffer’s message, the Facebook post, and the fall-out from it- had likely fallen into Matt’s lap as an opportunity to help me work through my past trauma. Talk about irony considering that my therapist and I are still working through the spiritual abuse from Pastor Ray and Douglas Stauffer during this time in 2018, and it is currently the year 2020!

Additionally, Pastor Ray continued to claim, that, unless I was a prophet- [and could foresee the future]- our church was not currently in the situation that I warned about and described in my email about Stauffer, thus invalidating every accusation of harassment and question about Douglas Stauffer without even conversing with me personally about the situation. In the same conversation, however, Pastor Ray also asked if we needed space and time, or if we wanted to meet with Douglas Stauffer. My husband respectfully stated that he and I needed space and time, but that if Matt felt the need to discuss the situation with Stauffer, he would willingly speak with Stauffer himself.

Protecting the Accused

As if labeling every accusation to be mere transference was not invalidating enough, Pastor Ray asked what he and Matt should do with the document, citing that it “could destroy a man’s ministry.” After Ray suggested that they should destroy it, he said, “Let’s start ripping it up now,” and our own pastor began attempting to physically rip the printed document. Because manually ripping the document was taking an awkwardly long amount of time because of the paper quality, Pastor Ray suggested that my husband take the only printed copy of the email into the church office (just down the hall) and shred it. My husband, being a man who wanted to do what was right no matter what and trusted our pastor to have our best interests at heart, followed our pastor’s instructions by walking around the corner to the church office, and shredding the email I had sent Pastor Ray about Stauffer’s harassment of our family. Pastor then further stated that he was deleting my email, and requested that Matt do the same because a letter of that nature could destroy someone’s ministry and that he [our Pastor] would do the same for Matt.

Essentially, Pastor Andrew Ray, our pastor of four, almost five years, met solely with my husband, attempted to invalidate every concern and accusation listed, re-victimized us by protecting a man that had harassed my family, stating it was merely transference- a complete betrayal of trust after countless hours of counsel- and even attempted to physically rip up what was supposedly the only copy of the email before sending my husband to send it through the shredder. For what purpose? To protect Doug Stauffer’s testimony and ministry.

A few months later, we found out through Douglas Stauffer himself that Pastor Ray had given him a copy of the email the day after it was sent, stating “Matt doesn’t know that you have this.” Upon confrontation, Pastor Ray admitted to having given a copy to Stauffer before ever meeting with Matt, exposing not only his deceitfulness toward my family, but his loyalty to Stauffer throughout the entire situation.

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: Discerning Douglas Stauffer: A Diotrophes at Heart” or click on the link below.

For a list of the complete series, click here.

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