Liberty has abused people and harbored abusers for a long time. Their teachings help fuel and cause such behavior, and the victim count is ever rising. It starts with their hierarchy.
First, the leadership at Liberty claim to hold their position by divine right, that literally their god put them in charge of leading those people. Therefore they teach total obedience to them and that their "advice" has not only the backing of their wisdom, but also, since they are direct representatives of their god, the only right advice to follow. If you do not follow them you are pushed away and out of their good graces. Thus, right after their god, the leaders hold the top authority position.
Second, they appeal to small men who want power and control. These husbands and fathers love the teaching that the man is meant to rule and discipline, by divine sanction, and that obedience to them is the same as honoring god. Whether what he does is good, moral, or otherwise, the wives and children are to obey unquestionably since this "honors god". This creates corrupt and vile men who will always make sure to defend the leadership who in turn protect their right to power. Questioning the leadership or the men is the same as Job asking god why. You just aren't supposed to do that if you want to be a good christian.
Third, the wives. The wives in turn get power from their husbands to rule the kids with immunity and to influence other women in the congregation by being the wife of a powerful man. The wives are taught to always obey and submit to the husband, regardless of his behavior. When my dad was looking at porn and having affairs with multiple women, the leadership defended him. David Vaughan told my mom, who stayed with my dad for the sake of us kids, that the "statue of limitations had run out on punishing Steve because you did not leave him". They knew my dad was hurting my mom and us kids, but the power of the men and leadership was more important than protecting the us. They also claimed that wives and kids can provoke the fathers to anger and therefore the father's reaction is justified no matter what he does.
Fourth, the kids. The leadership's kids are given special treatment and prestige by virtue of who their parents are. They are given power to lead and counsel their peers, regardless of merit.
Thus the entire system is made to support the control and power of others. Abuse is common, but told to be endured and cherished. It is called discipline. Wives and children are beaten, but told to submit and love the chastening of a "loving" father.
Anyone who does not adhere to these teachings and practices is shown the door, pushed away. To try to expose them is difficult. They do not see it as abuse. They see beating women and children, verbally, emotionally, and spiritually abusing them as well, as love and their god given right. But deep down I think they know what they do is not good and that is why they are so secretive and refuse to meet with us. They attract men and women who have no position or power and then give them it for the price of giving power to the leadership. They must protect each other to hold on to it and this is why they will not meet.
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Friday, June 17, 2016
Update
We have heard that Liberty has sent an internal memo to their congregation categorically denying our stories. They have tried to quench the questions inside their ranks by claiming that we are lying and that they do not support abuse or abusers. They have not yet contacted us to meet to discuss our grievances nor have they wanted to deal with us on equal terms. It is easy to deny, yet they hide their faces from their victims and the witnesses that have called them out. It is easy to tell your people you are innocent, but they do not have the courage to face us. That is cowardice.
They claim they are sad that we are hurt, but they say that we have no real cause to feel hurt. This is an empty sentiment that is meant to manipulate their congregation and imply remorse. We want the leadership to be held accountable to the same standards they have held others to. This is not just a matter of theological differences, this is a matter of abusive leadership that is trying to hide their abuse behind doctrinal differences. If they are innocent, let them hear our stories in front of their congregation and let the truth reveal who is telling the facts. Put your claims to the test and let your congregation judge your actions.
They have shown that they are willing to act to save face with their people, but our pain has not upset them. They have shown by their actions that they do not grieve their abuse or pain they have caused. Abuse is abuse, this is not a movement based in hate, bitterness, differing theology, etc. This is about consistent abuse that has been hidden and supported for decades. Such manipulative memos will not stop the truth. 23.5 thousand people have read these stories, the homeschool community is talking, etc. We are not going to stop until the abuse stops. The truth will keep being made public until you deal with the abuse with the victims themselves. When you push out all of your victims and try to discredit us then of course you can tell your congregation that you are innocent. Please respect us enough to say that to our faces. Hiding and secret internal emails will not acquit you.
They claim they are sad that we are hurt, but they say that we have no real cause to feel hurt. This is an empty sentiment that is meant to manipulate their congregation and imply remorse. We want the leadership to be held accountable to the same standards they have held others to. This is not just a matter of theological differences, this is a matter of abusive leadership that is trying to hide their abuse behind doctrinal differences. If they are innocent, let them hear our stories in front of their congregation and let the truth reveal who is telling the facts. Put your claims to the test and let your congregation judge your actions.
They have shown that they are willing to act to save face with their people, but our pain has not upset them. They have shown by their actions that they do not grieve their abuse or pain they have caused. Abuse is abuse, this is not a movement based in hate, bitterness, differing theology, etc. This is about consistent abuse that has been hidden and supported for decades. Such manipulative memos will not stop the truth. 23.5 thousand people have read these stories, the homeschool community is talking, etc. We are not going to stop until the abuse stops. The truth will keep being made public until you deal with the abuse with the victims themselves. When you push out all of your victims and try to discredit us then of course you can tell your congregation that you are innocent. Please respect us enough to say that to our faces. Hiding and secret internal emails will not acquit you.
Saturday, June 4, 2016
By Anonymous
This blog is for the silenced, the marginalized, and the victims of the many types of abuse that the leadership and members of Liberty Church in O'Fallon Missouri have inflicted on their members and any who opposed their love for control. These are the stories of the witnesses:
By Anonymous
By Anonymous
"I'm not a member of Liberty, but we did attend services for awhile about a year ago. Reading all these stories, I had to come forward and share in the collection that I can see is rapidly growing as more brave people share.
One of the biggest things that deterred us from joining was the gossip cleverly cloaked as "concerned prayer requests." I distinctly remember one such conversation with "D" regarding a specific family. He asked that we pray for the family regarding sexually inappropriate behavior happening between siblings. He said that they were dealing harsher with the son because he was supposed to be a leader(??) and wasn't as involved as the daughter. He also told us that a man was under church discipline and being counseled by some of the men at the church for being immature and a poor leader of his family. Needless to say, he over shared to the max. Now let me explain the various things wrong with this entire scenario:
1. He barely knew us, and was telling us things that were absolutely none of our business. I was concerned that in the future, our inevitable private indiscretions would be rapidly gossiped about under the guise of "concern" and "storming heaven for them." Absolutely no, thank you.
2. The sexual repression of that church seemed incredibly high. Perhaps if there was healthy education and not so much control, there wouldn't be sexual issues between siblings looking for relief. People have needs, and it's unfortunate that this church seems to think that the healthy thing to do is ignore basic biology. That's not to say I'm encouraging sex outside of marriage, but for the love of God, at least don't demonize talking to the opposite sex.
3. The amount of pride that emulated from his face as he assured us that *he* was among those handling the situation, and since he and other men in leadership there were involved, outside counseling was not necessary. Given the Josh Duggar situation last year and Doug Phillips before that, we know that handling such deeply rooted issues takes more than just internal church dealings. It takes a delicate, gentle, trained professional to make sense of things and actually get to the root of the problem. Not everything can be fixed if you slap a Jesus bumper sticker on your minivan and resolve to "do better."
For that specific family, I do not know you, but I share these details to prove to you that this conversation occurred. I did not share half as many details as I was told. Beware of any dealings with this "D" guy, because nothing stays private. I do hope you are reading this from the safe location of a new church and things are better with you."
For that specific family, I do not know you, but I share these details to prove to you that this conversation occurred. I did not share half as many details as I was told. Beware of any dealings with this "D" guy, because nothing stays private. I do hope you are reading this from the safe location of a new church and things are better with you."
Do you have a story to tell? Has Liberty Church hurt you? Email your story to petertkintz@gmail.com and I will have it posted!
Friday, June 3, 2016
Her Conclusion
This blog is for the silenced, the marginalized, and the victims of the many types of abuse that the leadership and members of Liberty Church in O'Fallon Missouri have inflicted on their members and any who opposed their love for control. These are the stories of the witnesses:
Her Conclusion
Another Liberty member was told that I was a strong personality and I controlled my husband. (This was the epitome of ‘non-biblical’, according to DJV theology. It was the worst sin by a woman. Of course, this member was a woman.)
Her Conclusion
"Conclusion:
When I wrote my story, I wrote only a few of the memories left after 10 years of having left. I barely scratched the surface of events that occurred during our ten year stay.
The question looming might be: “Is David J. Vaughan a ‘Dangerous Cult Leader’?” I am not in the position to claim fact to that accusation. I am, however, experienced under his leadership to draw attention to the correlation of much of his behavior to the list provided by Joe Navarro, FBI Special Agent. The excessive amount of similarities is worthy of assessment and concern.
The next question that might be asked, “Why did it take us ten years to leave?” To me, this is the question of relevance, as it points to why there are still families, good families, at the church surrounding, enabling, and protecting DJV and his teachings. I believe it is because they believe him and in him. I also believe these families have a hole somewhere in their personal history. A hole that DJV and his teachings fill. A need for significance, a dark past that the church brought them through, a need for community and acceptance. A vulnerability. A shade short of healthy, emotional existence. Furthermore, I believe we all bring emotional holes to the table to some degree. I can only speak for myself, but I began to listen to my gut instincts, the red flags, after a few years at Liberty. After time, the pile grew larger, and when we began to mention some of them to the leadership, the hammer came down. Families were leaving by the droves, being characterized as the chaff being separated from the wheat. That was when I knew it was time to leave. My husband took a bit longer – until the subtle “you’re out” tactics hit home.
These dynamics can be happening around you, even to your good friends. It is accepted because of the explanation provided; “they are in sin”, “she is non-submissive”, “they are not in the Word”, etc. That’s why we stayed. Because we believed in the tactics, until they were turned on us…. And suddenly, the light was turned on.
As an interesting note, I was only told a few days ago what was being said about our family when we left:
~My husband was in sin, and DJV had to be forceful with him, and my husband didn’t respond well, so he left.
~Our marriage was a mess. Our family was a mess. I was unsubmissive, and that’s why our marriage was failing.
~It was a shame. The Vaughans tried to help us, but we wouldn’t listen.
~We used them (the Vaughan family) for status.
Another Liberty member was told that I was a strong personality and I controlled my husband. (This was the epitome of ‘non-biblical’, according to DJV theology. It was the worst sin by a woman. Of course, this member was a woman.)
It’s very interesting to me that some of these same reasons mirror our reasons for leaving, and some of the points I believed about our friendship with the Vaughans. It is also important to note, that these explanations were fairly universal to every family who left, if you were brave enough or had enough status, to inquire.
The final question that might be asked could be, “Why did it take us ten years to talk about it?” The answer to this points to the significance of surviving an experience such as this. Yes, I said, “surviving”. Brainwashing as a result of this type teaching, the inability to challenge and discuss issues and the strategy employed toward church members to obey and stay, deeply programs one’s mind. Upon leaving, there is serious grieving for those left behind, relationships lost and extreme confusion on what is normal and what is wrong. It takes time outside of the environment to fully understand that the concepts you were indoctrinated toward, are specific to the Church you came out of, not the Church as a whole. That in fact, much of what you believed and practiced was twisted theology to fit the paradigm of the leader you followed, not Jesus. It also takes time to heal, and to reprogram your thinking, regain your voice, and stand firm. The unseen damage is very difficult to put into words. To unravel that damage takes time."
Do you have a story to tell? Has Liberty Church hurt you? Email your story to petertkintz@gmail.com and I will have it posted!
Thursday, June 2, 2016
My Thoughts
This blog is for the silenced, the marginalized, and the victims of the many types of abuse that the leadership and members of Liberty Church in O'Fallon Missouri have inflicted on their members and any who opposed their love for control. These are the stories of the witnesses:
*I will continue posting stories tomorrow, this was just on my mind.
My Thoughts
"Can I be real and vulnerable with you all? I am an atheist. This is Peter, you can read my story that went up a week or so ago. Being called back to help light up the darkness of Liberty has been hard. It means i have to be around many christians all saying their copyrighted sappy phrases of how Jesus is loving and that not all churches are as bad as Liberty. Thats not easy for me.
I want to quickly state the non-emotional reasons I don't believe. There is no evidence of who the authors of the gospels are. We have no original manuscripts, only copies and shreds of copies of parts of the new testament. We have to trust the word of Paul, murderer/pharisaical raised Jew who had a vision that no one else could verify and then taught exact doctrines on issues Jesus was never recorded talking about. The bible itself being compiled many decades after the events and the politics that went into adding and editing the many religious documents before it was eventually compiled. The fact that christians today pick the version of the edited english bible that was translated from greek, about the words of their god who spoke aramaic, and then go to the brand/denomination of church that best suits their many preferences. Then they have the audacity to claim to know exactly what a god said who they have to have faith to believe in, says and feels about everything. This seems insane to me.
Now i want to address all of you who felt the need to correct, defend yourself/god, or debate me. Why? Why do I need to believe like you? Why can't you see this as a wake up call to truly live out your beliefs? It is just too convenient to claim that the church is a hospital for sinners and not a museum for the saints. You are basically saying that no matter how bad you violate the teachings of your own faith, you will still be fine. That you can claim to have the ultimate standard and challenge others with a faith that allows you to be a hypocrite and get away with it.
You see, David Vaughan, Mike Bond, Greg Tyler, Dan Benson, Justus Witty, etc. all firmly believe that their beliefs give them the right to teach and control others. That their intentions justify their loving power grab. They do not care how much damage they do to others as long as they can control how people live for as long as possible. Out of love, naturally.
There are lasting consequences to what they and others have done. Because of them I lost contact with my mom for over ten years. My dad was allowed to abuse me. I lost my faith and many friends. Other christians are quick to say that not all christians and churches are like that and that god isn't like his people. But they are not quick to be what they claim.
They say their god forgives and yet they do will not talk to any of us that they hurt. They claim to have the very son of god living in their hearts and yet they don't support the homeless, the refugee, the oppressed, the abused. They claim that their god changed their hearts and yet they will abandon and ostracize others who marry and be friends with those they do not approve of. I could go on. I see no empirical evidence to say there is a god. And no, a subjective, biased, and emotional experience is not proof. When there is no evidence, and the people themselves merely pick the flavor of christianity they like and call it truth and then use it to say they can determine what is factual, is ridiculous to me.
Liberty hasn't contacted us. I am an atheist not because I want to live my life my own way without consequences. Its because it doesn't make sense. People like me, we are watching. Don't try to evangelize me or prove how well you have studied the bible. LIVE it and then let those of us who don't believe see that there might be something to what you believe. I am trying to expose the truth about Liberty because of their continued abuses, because it is right. Many claim that we should only expose them in the "right way". They also claim to have Jesus in their hearts. From what I have studied about Jesus, the guy who supposedly spent all his time calling out the religious leaders and not focusing on the politics of the day (take note of that conservatives), he would be whipping out the members at Liberty right now. It sounds stupid, but its time to bring back What Would Jesus Do. Would he ignore us, mock, be hypocritical, and protect a religious hierarchy that he never called for (we are all equal members of one body supposedly)? Or would he open the doors, live what he preached, and stop wasting so much time trying to argue and evangelize people into conformity? You decide, just don't try to save me. Lead by example."
*I will continue posting stories tomorrow, this was just on my mind.
My Thoughts
"Can I be real and vulnerable with you all? I am an atheist. This is Peter, you can read my story that went up a week or so ago. Being called back to help light up the darkness of Liberty has been hard. It means i have to be around many christians all saying their copyrighted sappy phrases of how Jesus is loving and that not all churches are as bad as Liberty. Thats not easy for me.
I want to quickly state the non-emotional reasons I don't believe. There is no evidence of who the authors of the gospels are. We have no original manuscripts, only copies and shreds of copies of parts of the new testament. We have to trust the word of Paul, murderer/pharisaical raised Jew who had a vision that no one else could verify and then taught exact doctrines on issues Jesus was never recorded talking about. The bible itself being compiled many decades after the events and the politics that went into adding and editing the many religious documents before it was eventually compiled. The fact that christians today pick the version of the edited english bible that was translated from greek, about the words of their god who spoke aramaic, and then go to the brand/denomination of church that best suits their many preferences. Then they have the audacity to claim to know exactly what a god said who they have to have faith to believe in, says and feels about everything. This seems insane to me.
Now i want to address all of you who felt the need to correct, defend yourself/god, or debate me. Why? Why do I need to believe like you? Why can't you see this as a wake up call to truly live out your beliefs? It is just too convenient to claim that the church is a hospital for sinners and not a museum for the saints. You are basically saying that no matter how bad you violate the teachings of your own faith, you will still be fine. That you can claim to have the ultimate standard and challenge others with a faith that allows you to be a hypocrite and get away with it.
You see, David Vaughan, Mike Bond, Greg Tyler, Dan Benson, Justus Witty, etc. all firmly believe that their beliefs give them the right to teach and control others. That their intentions justify their loving power grab. They do not care how much damage they do to others as long as they can control how people live for as long as possible. Out of love, naturally.
There are lasting consequences to what they and others have done. Because of them I lost contact with my mom for over ten years. My dad was allowed to abuse me. I lost my faith and many friends. Other christians are quick to say that not all christians and churches are like that and that god isn't like his people. But they are not quick to be what they claim.
They say their god forgives and yet they do will not talk to any of us that they hurt. They claim to have the very son of god living in their hearts and yet they don't support the homeless, the refugee, the oppressed, the abused. They claim that their god changed their hearts and yet they will abandon and ostracize others who marry and be friends with those they do not approve of. I could go on. I see no empirical evidence to say there is a god. And no, a subjective, biased, and emotional experience is not proof. When there is no evidence, and the people themselves merely pick the flavor of christianity they like and call it truth and then use it to say they can determine what is factual, is ridiculous to me.
Liberty hasn't contacted us. I am an atheist not because I want to live my life my own way without consequences. Its because it doesn't make sense. People like me, we are watching. Don't try to evangelize me or prove how well you have studied the bible. LIVE it and then let those of us who don't believe see that there might be something to what you believe. I am trying to expose the truth about Liberty because of their continued abuses, because it is right. Many claim that we should only expose them in the "right way". They also claim to have Jesus in their hearts. From what I have studied about Jesus, the guy who supposedly spent all his time calling out the religious leaders and not focusing on the politics of the day (take note of that conservatives), he would be whipping out the members at Liberty right now. It sounds stupid, but its time to bring back What Would Jesus Do. Would he ignore us, mock, be hypocritical, and protect a religious hierarchy that he never called for (we are all equal members of one body supposedly)? Or would he open the doors, live what he preached, and stop wasting so much time trying to argue and evangelize people into conformity? You decide, just don't try to save me. Lead by example."
Jo Ann's Story Part 3
This blog is for the silenced, the marginalized, and the victims of the many types of abuse that the leadership and members of Liberty Church in O'Fallon Missouri have inflicted on their members and any who opposed their love for control. These are the stories of the witnesses:
Jo Ann's Story Part 3
"My story is only half written here. I have left out our experience with our adoption and the role that the church played. I have left out the years that my husband spent writing a book for the “Leaders in Action” series by the prompting of DJV, only to never have it published once he went ‘radioactive’ with the editor, David Vaughan. And I have left out the story of Stoneridge Subdivision, and the lack of church discipline and follow through toward the developer, who is related to the Vaughan family. I have left out the impact the Liberty experience had on my two older children, and on my husband. I have left out the many friendships that the theology of Liberty destroyed, because of dissent and gossip. I have left out the most important point to make here. The position that David J. Vaughan holds has the power of healing or destruction. He too often uses it for his protection and self-promotion, creating destruction in the lives of others.
Epilogue.
First, vulnerability, whether emotional, spiritual, or physical, creates victims. People who stay at a church that preaches and practices what Liberty does, are vulnerable on some platform. The evidence in that is from the feedback that we are getting from outside of the church, that our stories are remarkable.
Second, isolation must occur for abuse and threat of further abuse to take place. The protocol at Liberty is to handle things ‘privately’. There is a reason for this. We are not allowed to speak about these issues. This is isolation. The leadership is doing damage control, to protect their actions.
Third, things are not what they always appear. A blue polyester suit and a baby boy does not make a man of character. Neither does an academic sermon and a charismatic personality. Dictates that are preached in the sermons are not necessarily followed in private.
Fourth, without vindication, the victim is seen as lying, and the perpetrator grows strength. It justifies the action of the perpetrator, allowing room for another similar act to occur.
Fifth, acts of wrong that go unstopped, repeat them selves, sometimes to a greater degree. Thus, the general population is agreeing to, and promoting the occurrences. To be silent, is still taking a side.
Sixth, perpetrators are not concerned with their victims. They see themselves as the victim. Not calling it out, enables this behavior."
Jo Ann's Story Part 3
"My story is only half written here. I have left out our experience with our adoption and the role that the church played. I have left out the years that my husband spent writing a book for the “Leaders in Action” series by the prompting of DJV, only to never have it published once he went ‘radioactive’ with the editor, David Vaughan. And I have left out the story of Stoneridge Subdivision, and the lack of church discipline and follow through toward the developer, who is related to the Vaughan family. I have left out the impact the Liberty experience had on my two older children, and on my husband. I have left out the many friendships that the theology of Liberty destroyed, because of dissent and gossip. I have left out the most important point to make here. The position that David J. Vaughan holds has the power of healing or destruction. He too often uses it for his protection and self-promotion, creating destruction in the lives of others.
Epilogue.
I write my story, because as in my foreword, to be silent is to allow others to be hurt by the perpetrator. I am hoping to share enough that others will draw their own conclusions of similarity in their interactions with DJV and the Liberty institutions. May the blinders begin to come off, as they eventually did with us. May others come forward with their story, to offer the private side of this church.
In my foreword, I shared my story of physical rape. I did so, because I see many similarities with the spiritual rape occurring at Liberty Christian Church.
First, vulnerability, whether emotional, spiritual, or physical, creates victims. People who stay at a church that preaches and practices what Liberty does, are vulnerable on some platform. The evidence in that is from the feedback that we are getting from outside of the church, that our stories are remarkable.
Second, isolation must occur for abuse and threat of further abuse to take place. The protocol at Liberty is to handle things ‘privately’. There is a reason for this. We are not allowed to speak about these issues. This is isolation. The leadership is doing damage control, to protect their actions.
Third, things are not what they always appear. A blue polyester suit and a baby boy does not make a man of character. Neither does an academic sermon and a charismatic personality. Dictates that are preached in the sermons are not necessarily followed in private.
Fourth, without vindication, the victim is seen as lying, and the perpetrator grows strength. It justifies the action of the perpetrator, allowing room for another similar act to occur.
Fifth, acts of wrong that go unstopped, repeat them selves, sometimes to a greater degree. Thus, the general population is agreeing to, and promoting the occurrences. To be silent, is still taking a side.
Sixth, perpetrators are not concerned with their victims. They see themselves as the victim. Not calling it out, enables this behavior."
Do you have a story to tell? Has Liberty Church hurt you? Email your story to petertkintz@gmail.com and I will have it posted!
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Jo Ann's Story Part 2
This blog is for the silenced, the marginalized, and the victims of the many types of abuse that the leadership and members of Liberty Church in O'Fallon Missouri have inflicted on their members and any who opposed their love for control. These are the stories of the witnesses:
*When I attempted two years ago to let the congregation at Liberty know about the sins of the leadership there, only one person responded. Tom Piper, a deacon, emailed me to say that I better be sure of my case before I brought up a charge against "god's elect". When I said I had witnesses and was sure, he never responded. None of them did. They all had a meeting, to which we were not invited, to declare me insane and in sin though. It has been three weeks, the stories from the witnesses are becoming public because they will not listen, and they have not yet contacted any of us. Liberty, that speaks volumes.
Jo Ann's Story Part 2
"The church prided itself in picketing the local video shop, because the shop had a back room filled with porn films that could be rented. David would preach about this on occasion, and I remember one day in particular. He brought to the pulpit, a pornographic video, preaching against the use of underage girls in the films. Maybe it was just me, but I was confused on several points. The first point is why did he need to bring the film into the church? The second, how would he know about such a practice? The third, did preaching against this practice justify supporting it by renting the film and was that not hypocritical, given the picketing his church supported? Finally, the video within his possession placed him in the precarious position of having watched it. In the name of God, or not, going near pornography in this manner is wrong. He was not exempted from the rules he placed on the rest of the congregation. Yet, his bold preaching that day certainly indicated that he was.
Another interesting characteristic was that David had an invested manner of aligning himself with people of greater statue, such as George Grant, Doug Wilson, Gene Veith, and Marshall Foster, and protecting those relationships for himself. George Grant was a guest speaker for Liberty Classical School. The board worked tirelessly, promoting the event, preparing for a reception afterward, and looking forward with time to speak with Dr. Grant. When the time arrived, David did not arrange ample time for the board to spend alone with George Grant, instead hosting Dr. Grant on his own. It was a confusing moment for some of the members on the board, and one of the first turning points on how my husband viewed his mentor and friend, Dr. David J. Vaughan. Instead of creating time that would promote the school, Dr. Vaughan created time with George Grant that would promote himself.
On two occasions during our membership with Liberty, the Deacons called a meeting to discuss the finances of the church. Liberty Church was dramatically behind in the budget. They called the men of the congregation to rise and help meet the deficit by donating contributions. My husband rose, as did two other men in the congregation, and agreed to donate $3000 each to help meet the gap. Let me share, the request came with such guilt upon the men, I was impressed only three stood up. We donated, but only by using money from an equity line, that then put us in debt. This practice occurred again. This time, I don’t remember anyone from our family standing up. This hit me as off, from a church that preached no debt, and being fiscally responsible.
Slowly, the church was gaining momentum in the community. David was asked to speak at different events, we actively supported local politicians, and were becoming noted for our conservative, unapologetic stand on issues such as abortion, alternative life choices, and pornography. Our position on the outside of the church, began to manifest itself on the operations of the inside of the church. Unwritten rules were beginning to be encouraged. Women were not to show their shoulders, wear short skirts, expose their toes, cut their hair. All of this was explained to me by Diane Vaughan, and role modeled appropriately. None of it was written, but the expectation was if you loved Jesus, you would follow these acts to be closer to God, and protect yourself from men’s wandering eyes to commit a sin by lusting for you. I failed miserably, on purpose, on all of these accounts. The red flags were beginning to rise though my soul, and although I did not give voice to my feelings, my actions spoke my heart. The rumblings had begun, and the allegiance to the Vaughan Dynasty was beginning to crumble. And in their eyes, there was certainly the possibility that my heart toward Jesus was failing.
David Vaughan would pride himself in the story of his own marriage, and how he taught Diane the lesson of submission. He simply asked her to teach on it, so she would immerse herself into the word, under his guidance, to see where she fell short of submission in her own marriage. Certainly, as a godly role model, she would self correct. This, coupled with the following story, seemed to embarrass Diane into the perfect submissive wife. David spoke of a gathering around his dining room table where he asked Diane to get up and get him something. An extended family member challenged David about the request, given that Diane had slaved over the meal. Diane acquiesced upon David’s reaction of embarrassment and hurt from being challenged openly. This act of public embarrassment has been recounted as a reason that a wife should submit to her husband, might I add, regardless of her circumstances. Another man might be sensitive to the activity of his wife, and not make such a request.
At the same time that I was experiencing this new dynamic with my husband, I was watching other families fall before the church. Linda’s story is real. I was there. Unfortunately, it was not the first. J’s story was first. This one has not been written, but many people who are reading this, will know this story all too well. And there were other stories to follow…..too many to name. There is truth in the allegations that we were told to not speak to people. We were not allowed to talk about what was happening amongst ourselves, and definitely not with the people involved. This was categorized as gossip. Furthermore, we were told to never have anything to do with the person who was pushed out of the church, in the case of Linda’s story….Linda. If we were seen speaking to her, we would lose favor, and risk being the next person disciplined for being a gossip or for being disobedient.
Our children began to grow up, and with that, conflict occurred. Teenage drama flung itself amongst the church families, and created adult drama. Specifically, my children and the Vaughan children grew up. Our oldest daughters were best friends. They shared many experiences together, so there was naturally competition amongst them. The Vaughan daughter excelled in one area, my daughter excelled in another. With time, the teenage drama hit our daughters, and conflict occurred. To go into the details now, a decade later, would be pointless, but the event warranted the fathers get involved. When my husband went to David over the issue, events were turned around to point all wrong toward our daughter. My husband confronted David privately on this stand by suggesting he was using his position as Pastor to promote his family. David didn’t respond verbally, but thereafter his relationship and behavior toward my husband changed dramatically. As my husband said, he had suddenly turned radioactive, with the church avoiding him, and David Vaughan treating him as though he were a stranger. Furthermore, David used opportunities to call into his office other families in the church that our daughter was friends with to warn them of her bad influence on their child. You would need to know the individuals and circumstances surrounding this act, which I cannot share openly, to understand the level of manipulation and power playing this act demonstrated. It was justified under the umbrella of “protecting the hearts of the children” (at this time the children were in their late teens, early twenties.)"
*When I attempted two years ago to let the congregation at Liberty know about the sins of the leadership there, only one person responded. Tom Piper, a deacon, emailed me to say that I better be sure of my case before I brought up a charge against "god's elect". When I said I had witnesses and was sure, he never responded. None of them did. They all had a meeting, to which we were not invited, to declare me insane and in sin though. It has been three weeks, the stories from the witnesses are becoming public because they will not listen, and they have not yet contacted any of us. Liberty, that speaks volumes.
Jo Ann's Story Part 2
"The church prided itself in picketing the local video shop, because the shop had a back room filled with porn films that could be rented. David would preach about this on occasion, and I remember one day in particular. He brought to the pulpit, a pornographic video, preaching against the use of underage girls in the films. Maybe it was just me, but I was confused on several points. The first point is why did he need to bring the film into the church? The second, how would he know about such a practice? The third, did preaching against this practice justify supporting it by renting the film and was that not hypocritical, given the picketing his church supported? Finally, the video within his possession placed him in the precarious position of having watched it. In the name of God, or not, going near pornography in this manner is wrong. He was not exempted from the rules he placed on the rest of the congregation. Yet, his bold preaching that day certainly indicated that he was.
Another interesting characteristic was that David had an invested manner of aligning himself with people of greater statue, such as George Grant, Doug Wilson, Gene Veith, and Marshall Foster, and protecting those relationships for himself. George Grant was a guest speaker for Liberty Classical School. The board worked tirelessly, promoting the event, preparing for a reception afterward, and looking forward with time to speak with Dr. Grant. When the time arrived, David did not arrange ample time for the board to spend alone with George Grant, instead hosting Dr. Grant on his own. It was a confusing moment for some of the members on the board, and one of the first turning points on how my husband viewed his mentor and friend, Dr. David J. Vaughan. Instead of creating time that would promote the school, Dr. Vaughan created time with George Grant that would promote himself.
On two occasions during our membership with Liberty, the Deacons called a meeting to discuss the finances of the church. Liberty Church was dramatically behind in the budget. They called the men of the congregation to rise and help meet the deficit by donating contributions. My husband rose, as did two other men in the congregation, and agreed to donate $3000 each to help meet the gap. Let me share, the request came with such guilt upon the men, I was impressed only three stood up. We donated, but only by using money from an equity line, that then put us in debt. This practice occurred again. This time, I don’t remember anyone from our family standing up. This hit me as off, from a church that preached no debt, and being fiscally responsible.
David Vaughan would pride himself in the story of his own marriage, and how he taught Diane the lesson of submission. He simply asked her to teach on it, so she would immerse herself into the word, under his guidance, to see where she fell short of submission in her own marriage. Certainly, as a godly role model, she would self correct. This, coupled with the following story, seemed to embarrass Diane into the perfect submissive wife. David spoke of a gathering around his dining room table where he asked Diane to get up and get him something. An extended family member challenged David about the request, given that Diane had slaved over the meal. Diane acquiesced upon David’s reaction of embarrassment and hurt from being challenged openly. This act of public embarrassment has been recounted as a reason that a wife should submit to her husband, might I add, regardless of her circumstances. Another man might be sensitive to the activity of his wife, and not make such a request.
The signs were always there, but the hurtful evidence took time to manifest. I was already seeing signs of control with David Vaughan imposing his thoughts on us, the books we should read, the way we should dress, the manner in which our marriages should be handled, and people we should (or better said, should not) fellowship. The church sponsored retreats yearly, one for the women, and one for the men. I don’t remember any joint marriage retreats, although they may have occurred. If you were a good Christian, you attended these retreats. It was the expectation, with little option.
As a woman after Christ, I wanted my husband to be a strong faith leader for our family, and I always encouraged his attendance at the men’s retreat. Over the years, I noticed a change within our personal dynamics. I’ll avoid the details here, but let’s just say, my husband drank the Kool-Aid from the male headship teachings. He explained to me recently, “David taught us to keep the women small, in a box. By doing that, we had better control over everything. We were so thankful, we aligned ourselves even more with him.” From my perspective, as a woman at Liberty Christian Church, we were taught to obey and submit to our husbands. Most of our husbands were not wife beaters (although there were a few of these), but this combination of ‘keep your woman small’ and ‘submit to your husband’ changed healthy marriage arrangements into controlling institutions flavored with bitterness, disrespect and paranoia toward one another. At least, this is what happened in my situation. Ten years later, ten years away from the church, and we are only now understanding this imprint into our relationship.
As a woman after Christ, I wanted my husband to be a strong faith leader for our family, and I always encouraged his attendance at the men’s retreat. Over the years, I noticed a change within our personal dynamics. I’ll avoid the details here, but let’s just say, my husband drank the Kool-Aid from the male headship teachings. He explained to me recently, “David taught us to keep the women small, in a box. By doing that, we had better control over everything. We were so thankful, we aligned ourselves even more with him.” From my perspective, as a woman at Liberty Christian Church, we were taught to obey and submit to our husbands. Most of our husbands were not wife beaters (although there were a few of these), but this combination of ‘keep your woman small’ and ‘submit to your husband’ changed healthy marriage arrangements into controlling institutions flavored with bitterness, disrespect and paranoia toward one another. At least, this is what happened in my situation. Ten years later, ten years away from the church, and we are only now understanding this imprint into our relationship.
At the same time that I was experiencing this new dynamic with my husband, I was watching other families fall before the church. Linda’s story is real. I was there. Unfortunately, it was not the first. J’s story was first. This one has not been written, but many people who are reading this, will know this story all too well. And there were other stories to follow…..too many to name. There is truth in the allegations that we were told to not speak to people. We were not allowed to talk about what was happening amongst ourselves, and definitely not with the people involved. This was categorized as gossip. Furthermore, we were told to never have anything to do with the person who was pushed out of the church, in the case of Linda’s story….Linda. If we were seen speaking to her, we would lose favor, and risk being the next person disciplined for being a gossip or for being disobedient.
Our children began to grow up, and with that, conflict occurred. Teenage drama flung itself amongst the church families, and created adult drama. Specifically, my children and the Vaughan children grew up. Our oldest daughters were best friends. They shared many experiences together, so there was naturally competition amongst them. The Vaughan daughter excelled in one area, my daughter excelled in another. With time, the teenage drama hit our daughters, and conflict occurred. To go into the details now, a decade later, would be pointless, but the event warranted the fathers get involved. When my husband went to David over the issue, events were turned around to point all wrong toward our daughter. My husband confronted David privately on this stand by suggesting he was using his position as Pastor to promote his family. David didn’t respond verbally, but thereafter his relationship and behavior toward my husband changed dramatically. As my husband said, he had suddenly turned radioactive, with the church avoiding him, and David Vaughan treating him as though he were a stranger. Furthermore, David used opportunities to call into his office other families in the church that our daughter was friends with to warn them of her bad influence on their child. You would need to know the individuals and circumstances surrounding this act, which I cannot share openly, to understand the level of manipulation and power playing this act demonstrated. It was justified under the umbrella of “protecting the hearts of the children” (at this time the children were in their late teens, early twenties.)"
Do you have a story to tell? Has Liberty Church hurt you? Email your story to petertkintz@gmail.com and I will have it posted!
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