Never a Helpmeet Part 2: The Cult of Lifestyle Christianity

A doctrine that requires complete 24/7 immersion with no outside input is no longer faith — it’s brainwashing.

Journey to Freedom: Warbler’s Story

I remember thanking my sister before she left, and being happy, scared, nervous, and tired as I started my new life with a few hundred dollars in my pocket and the knowledge that I was free, and that I would remain free.

Michael Pearl’s Advice is Child Abuse (According to His Own Definition)

The very things that Pearl says are indicators of abuse are the very things Pearl says are the signs that one has mastered his techniques.

Not On Your Side, Debi: Jeri Lofland’s Thoughts

“This week, embattled IBLP founder Bill Gothard received aid from an unexpected quarter–homeschool mom and popular author Debi Pearl… Debi came out swinging against IBLP victims who have gone public with their stories on ‘Recovering Grace’ and other websites.”

Sorry, Michael Pearl, But These Fireworks Are Calling You Out: Lisa Joy’s Thoughts

“Michael Pearl’s recent post reminds me of Bill Gothard, Doug Phillips, and the like. Excellent sales technique — create a problem, then conveniently offer a solution the customer can buy to solve that problem. When that doesn’t work, encourage them to buy more solutions.”

This Present Darkness: A Review of M Dolon Hickmon’s “13:24”

“13:24 is not easy reading. It is neither uplifting nor redemptive. It will crack your heart open, set your blood on fire, and turn your screams into music. “

An Open Letter to Debi Pearl

“I know this may be hard for you to hear, Debi, but many parents who read To Train Up A Child come away viewing their children’s normal behavior as sinful and interpreting their children’s natural needs as selfish as a result. They don’t come away with the idea that they should listen to their children or try to understand what makes their children tick, because that’s not in there.”

How Doug Phillips Wreaked Havoc on My Family

“My family was utterly rent to shreds during that period, and all because I deigned to think that I, as an adult, ought to be able to make up my own mind and make my own choices. I know he is not to blame for all of it, but I lay much of what happened during that time at the feet of Doug Phillips. That man and his ministry have caused me and my family an incredible amount of pain.”

(Not) An Open Letter To The Pearls: Samantha Field’s Thoughts

“As I got older, I started realizing, with a mounting horror, just how clearly evil Michael and Debi Pearl’s teachings are. What they advocate fosters and nurtures abusive homes. They explicitly encourage women to stay with physically abusive husbands and utterly dismiss the existence of marital rape.”

The Breaking of a Child, A Story of Near Disaster

“The Pearls teach that even giving in once—just once—will set back everything that had been gained and even threaten to ruin the child forever. And yet, here was their eighteen-month-old daughter, still toddling and barely starting to lisp words, wasting away before their eyes.”