Yesterday I commented on a thread about tithing that conjured up memories of things I hadn't thought about for years. Quite frankly, there's one memory in the entire saga of our 20+ years in the IFBX church we attended that stands out---the fact that the pastor tried to split my marriage up.
Allow me to briefly explain. The relationship between the pastor and I had deteriorated to the point that we avoided each other. But the relationship with my wife was quite the opposite. He loved her. Not in a romantic, physical sense---he loved having her in the church. He wanted me GONE; he wanted her to stay.
When I finally left she went with me and it surprised the pastor. A few weeks after we left, he visited our house in the day time to talk with my wife. He knew I would be at work. He told her he was sorry that she had left. That SHE had left, not WE had left. He asked her to come back. Thankfully, my wife told him we attend church together.
Needless to say, my wife and I had quite a conversation when I got home. I was livid. I called the pastor asking to speak with him face-to-face. He told me he didn't want to talk to me, and that I had no right to control my wife's spiritual life.
Just for the record---when I finally had reached my breaking point and decided to leave, I told my wife I couldn't go to that church anymore and that she was under no obligation to follow me to another church. Her decision was her decision.
Our former pastor is a HAC grad kool-aid drinking radical. Looking back through the prism of time I have read reports of the many marriages that Jack Hyles came between. Sounds like the apple didn't fall from from the proverbial tree.
I feel much better now that I've gotten that out of my head.
Allow me to briefly explain. The relationship between the pastor and I had deteriorated to the point that we avoided each other. But the relationship with my wife was quite the opposite. He loved her. Not in a romantic, physical sense---he loved having her in the church. He wanted me GONE; he wanted her to stay.
When I finally left she went with me and it surprised the pastor. A few weeks after we left, he visited our house in the day time to talk with my wife. He knew I would be at work. He told her he was sorry that she had left. That SHE had left, not WE had left. He asked her to come back. Thankfully, my wife told him we attend church together.
Needless to say, my wife and I had quite a conversation when I got home. I was livid. I called the pastor asking to speak with him face-to-face. He told me he didn't want to talk to me, and that I had no right to control my wife's spiritual life.
Just for the record---when I finally had reached my breaking point and decided to leave, I told my wife I couldn't go to that church anymore and that she was under no obligation to follow me to another church. Her decision was her decision.
Our former pastor is a HAC grad kool-aid drinking radical. Looking back through the prism of time I have read reports of the many marriages that Jack Hyles came between. Sounds like the apple didn't fall from from the proverbial tree.
I feel much better now that I've gotten that out of my head.