Angels of Darkness Masked as Light – The Satanic Nature of Abuse
UPDATE Sept 2021: I have come to believe that Jeff Crippen does not practise what he preaches. He vilely persecuted an abuse victim and spiritually abused many other people in the Tillamook congregation. Go here to read the evidence. Jeff has not gone to the people that he spiritually and emotionally abused. He has not apologised to them, let alone asked for their forgiveness.
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[October 8, 2022: There have been some changes made to this post. For more information, read the Editors’ notes at the bottom of the post. Editors.]
(2 Corinthians 11:14-15 ESV) (14) And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. (15) So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.
Jack’s wife Mary was in the pastor’s office. Apparently there had been some kind of spat between them and she had come to the pastor to tell him about it. Jack was one of the finest Christian men in the whole church – everyone knew that. If you wanted something done, Jack was the go-to guy. What a servant’s heart! But now here was Mary – visibly troubled, haltingly sharing a few details of what had happened last night. Jack, she said, had been in a rage. He pushed her down hard onto the bed and told her to sit there and shut up and listen to him until he was through!
Depending upon the initial response Mary gets from her pastor, she will tell him more, or she will tell him nothing else. Abuse victims “test the waters,” whether they realize this is what they are doing or not. If they know that their hearer is open to listening and appears to believe them, they will tell more. If, however, they hear “Well, Mary, your husband is a fine Christian man, and I am sure that he loves you. He must be under a lot of stress for him to lose his temper like that. Did you say anything that would set him off?” – then forget it. She is done talking.
Let’s assume in this case that something unusual happens – the pastor listens to her and at least is willing to consider what she is saying is true. So she goes on. This is not the first time this has happened, she says. In fact, it happens a lot. Mary and her children live in fear. And Jack has threatened her more than once that if she ever talks about “what goes on in this family” to anyone, she will be sorry.
Why should such a thing surprise and confuse us as much as it seems to? Oh, I recognize that it is no fun thing to learn something like this about a person whom you thought to be a model Christian (that is a foolish thing for any of us to think of one another, by the way. I certainly am no “model” to be held up on a pedestal – and I bet you aren’t either!). But really, why should we find something like this so difficult to believe. Our Lord warns us over and over in Scripture that Satan is incredibly deceptive. That he is able to come right in among us (as Judas did) in his sheep disguise, or in his angel of light / servant of righteousness get-up. What do we think all of this means? It means that the “Jacks” in our churches are children of the devil, in spite of the disguise they have sold us on. HIS servants. Do you see that little phrase? “So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.” Who is “his”? His is him – Satan! The Apostle Paul is telling us that the servants of Satan infiltrate the body of Christ in angelic disguises of light. So DON’T be surprised!
Apparently, we don’t really believe that this could happen to us. Today. In OUR churches. But it does. It is. And one of the favorite disguises is an abuser, who hates Christ and hates the people of Christ, including his victim, convincing his church and pastor that he is a fine, holy, eminent saint. If we will open our eyes to this tactic, then we will start understanding, for the first time, just who “Jack” really is! There, seated before you in that committee or board meeting, is the enemy. That one standing in the pulpit praying so piously or greeting people at the door every Sunday morning year after year – is not who he appears to be. How do you know? His wife comes and tells you. Finally, because she can’t see him abusing her children anymore.
What will you do? Pastor? Christian? What will you do? “So it is no surprise if his servants….” Will you be surprised? Shocked? So that you just can’t believe it? Or will you be wise in God’s Word and recognize the thing for what it is? Only then will you be prepared to deal with Jack in truth and righteousness — and effect justice for his victim — to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
[October 8, 2022: Editors’ notes:
—For some comments made prior to October 8, 2022 that quoted from the post, the text in the comment that was quoted from the post might no longer be an exact match.
—For some comments made prior to October 8, 2022 that quoted from the post, the text in the comment that was quoted from the post might no longer be found in the post.
If you would like to compare the text in the comments made prior to October 8, 2022 that quoted from the post to the post as it is now (October 8, 2022), click here [Internet Archive link] for the most recent Internet Archive copy of the post.]
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- Posted in: Supporting victims
- Tagged: abuser's tactics, church response to abuse, Corinthians, disclosing abuse, evil, Jeff Crippen
A Cry For Justice 
Abusers hide themselves in sheep’s clothing, not only in the churches but everywhere and anywhere….only to unleash their abuse in their own homes and in front of their devoted wives and in some instances, their children. These men, who are often pinnacles and pillars of the church (or seem to think they are), who expend huge amounts of energy to deceive and disarm others, are trying to assuage their guilt about their abusiveness, and seek approval and admiration of others. The church is their refuge, as long as they are allowed to continue their horrible deceptiveness. I know….I went through physical, emotional and verbal abuse for over 40 years of my marriage. I hid this abuse well for a very long time, from the church, from my friends and relatives, even from my husband, for a very long time, pretending that everything was “ok.” I am now free and living a peaceful life with the gracious guidance of my God.
Pastors, please listen to Jeff Crippen’s words. He has the wisdom, courage and compassion to “Tell It Like It Is.”
Thank you! So great to hear you are now free! It is almost as if we are under some kind of blinding “spell” to keep us from seeing what is really going on. Abusers cast that spell psychologically on their victims and others, but I also have to believe that the Satanic nature of abuse brings a devilish (and real) blindness along with it. If we are really in Christ however and truly know Him, His Spirit will cast His light and expose what is hidden. Is it possible that the state of the evangelical church today is far worse than most of us imagine? That is to say, that we have far more churches that are not true churches because they are filled with so many Christians who are not really Christians?
It is not only possible, in fact, I think it is the case.
I did a talk to some secular domestic abuse workers recently. They knew I was a Christian and were very cynical about me at first. But as soon as I started talking about how the church is a “Mr Nice Guy Club” for perpetrators to hide out in, a place where they can enlist allies galore, the workers were willing to listen to everything I had to say. These professionals deal year in, year out with all sorts of victims of domestic abuse. They hear many stories about churches taking the side of the abuser and failing to support the victim. They only listened to me when I showed I wasn’t one of those typical blind Christians.
I agree with Barbara’s statement….there are not many real Christians in the church.
Blessings to Now Free….you took it way longer than I could have.
Ps. Jeff, your post here states it very well, and I appreciate that you tell other pastors that they will know the false professor when his wife finally gets the courage to come forward. It takes so long, it is so frightening, coming forward. We are really not trying to bury the guy, we just want the pain to stop. But you know that you are in trouble, you will be treated like a tattler, no one will believe you in the “Good Ole Boys Club,” and you are dying inside.
My ex-husband (saved) didn’t want to go to heaven (?) because I wouldn’t be his wife there. He refined his speech to be more R.C. (religiously correct). Hates God? Really? Yeah! If you hate what is born of God, God’s children, then you hate God, and abuse is being a hater. After years my ex finally confessed that he “loved Jesus,” although he didn’t say it, he just answered a question with “Yes.” At the same time he told me that he had something against me that he wasn’t going to tell me what it was, because I would do something about it — and made it sound like that was a bad thing. He told me to ask God if I wanted to know. I did. He told me. It was because I loved Jesus more than I loved my ex. Go figure. Holding something against me that I should be doing anyway. I guess the something I would do about it would be expose it, but it’s not like God didn’t already know.
This last year, he tells me that so many “brothers” — important guys in the fellowship — have seen him crying and they all tell him that they think he has changed. This is his benchmark offering to me that something has changed, plus more Bible verses than you can shake a stick at. But he is still throwing around guilt trips and accusations, though very subtly. Like today, while my daughter was picking up a car he got for free and handing her the keys with the admonishment that he will not be her personal mechanic, she best not ask for any help with repairs either physically or financially (which thing he promised that he would do when he gave [got it for?] her the 2 weeks ago) — which she would have never asked him to be, because she was the one that he sexually harassed in her own bed at nights and intercepted her letters to me for help so she has little use for him. (It was for her birthday — he wanted to appear like a big man to his fellowship, but they will never know the ugly of this comment to her.)
Just venting. But, at the same time, letting you know that your thoughts here are confirmed by actual behaviors of abusers.
Thanks, Laurie. Vent away! We get it. And well done for untangling and labeling each worm in the can of worms that is your ex.
Please vent….venting needs to happen! Praying for you and your precious daughter!
Jeff wrote,
This made me laugh because it’s so true for those of us able to gain wisdom and it reminded me of a Corrie ten Boom [Internet Archive link] quote:
[April 19, 2022: We added the link to the Corrie ten Boom quote. The link is to an Internet Archive copy of Corrie ten Boom’s book Tramp for the Lord. In this Internet Archive copy of the book, the quote is on page 10.]
It’s one of the reasons why I love Corrie ten Boom — she gets it!
Anonymous commented:
I wonder how many people I have given headaches by unwittingly putting a halo around their head?
In the end, whether the individual is the abuser or the abused, I pay the price with my own headache(s).
In either case, the halo was based on extremes in the human spectrum.
Ridding myself of the headache(s) required divesting the individual(s) of the halos.