I worked very closely with Ardith Keef for many years. The only time I have ever seen her admit she was “wrong” was when a woman at church “corrected” her for somehow hurting the Hymnbook in her hand. It is easy to correct and counsel others from the seat of “the great commander”, when one thinks themselves too wise and perfect to make a mistake.
Some of us older women in the church used to joke in fun and call her a drill sargeant, but it loses it’s humor when you realize that people , families, and children are torn apart with divorce, broken homes and broken churches. When someone thinks they are right all the time ,”there are some serious situations ahead” for their victims, especially when they are a leader.
This type of leader is always right in her own opinion. However , when she is using someone in a higher position than herself to accomplish her ends, she will reluctantly yield, but only to usurp their authority, and to gain whatever it is she needs from them, then they are history.
For instance, one of the last times we talked, Ardith Keef told me she couldn’t wait to get her professor, lawyer ,mentor off her back because she always corrected her in front of other people even in court. But she sucks up to her ,and turns herself inside out trying to please her in order to get free services and a quick name for herself at the other woman’s expense. This is called manipulation and using others for your own personal gain. The Bible condemns it.
There is no need to worry about being right or wrong when one thinks themselves perfect and always in charge of everyone and everything else. It is important to this type of Guru / cult leader to keep the others in line so they never “react”, never “defend” themselves, and always stay passive so the cult leader can control them.
Cult leaders use a lot of truth to promote their secret manipulative agendas. Their agendas are to hold power and control over others at any cost. Of course they will not let their followers know how important it is for them to be right, but they are deceitful and devious in their teaching , for the accomplishment of their own ends. In some cases as in the Anchor Missionary Fellowship leadership, the lie is so very similar to the Truth that the deception is hard to spot at first glance. It took me many years and a lot of heartache to finally see the genuine Truth. When one is caught in the cultish web, the only way to “see” through the haze and maze of foggy truth/false mixture is by either experiencing the demonic abuse for yourself, (which is extremely painful) or by closely examining the fruit of the church/cult. The true fruit of an abusive church/cult is often covered over with pretty lies, like a few spray’s of room deodorant, where a dead body might lay. Friend, when you uncover the cloak of falsehood and deception there are fruit flies, maggotts, and a horrible odor! The stench of death is unmistakably from the enemy’s camp.
The fruit always tells the whole story. But if one is so deceived that they refuse to even consider that the cult is wrong, and they are given a lot of Biblical truth, they may never care enough to examine the fruit. Every now and then they get a whiff of the death smell, but strategically directed sprays of deception keep them deluded. The cult leaders count on you being satisfied with their mixture. That is why they keep their people passive and always in line , by feeding them bits and pieces of truth mixed with lies. It’s the same way people get dogs to follow them. Throw down a piece of meat, get them to move ahead, then throw down another piece of meat and they will keep moving along to whatever destination you have for them. Or if you want an animal to swallow a bitter pill , you mix it into his food. I swallowed Ardith Keef’s bitter pills for a long time. But God!
I thank the One Who died on the Cross for me for my freedom from cult living, and false doctrines. I thank Him that He alone is Faithful and True. He alone is always Right . I thank Him that there is a “Right and a Wrong.” I thank Him for a God-Given conscience which when not seared or clouded, is a way to tell the difference. There is Truth ,and there are lies disguised as truth, as well .
If you are in a “church” where you are in constant emotional pain, you never know where you are with God, you can never measure up to the standards of the leader, people are always leaving, people you love are shunned, there are divorces, divisions, there is confusion , you struggle as you are fed some “truth” , and you don’t dare make a change thinking God will punish you: It is probably an abusive church leadership. There is nothing in scripture that says you cannot question leaders, or move on to another church. There is abundant life in Jesus Christ outside the cultish, abusive, invironment you are in. Dare to examine the fruit! Don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions! These two things will expose false shepherds!
Trust your own instincts. God gave you your conscience for a reason!
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