"Terrorism Revisited: In Society & Church"
  G. Lloyd Rediger 

International terrorism and terrorism in the church are closely related. They are both part of ancient spiritual warfare, yet in contemporary forms. Each is different in context, magnitude, and perpetrators. Yet September 11, 2001, and “The Clergy Killer Phenomenon,” when compared, can inform and guide organized religion in its continuing confusion and denial of traumatic, international abuse and destruction in congregations.

This essay is a reminder and a comparison of contemporary forms of terrorism. I have been writing and teaching about the spiritual connections of terrorism in all its forms for some years. The first printed description came with the publication of my column entitled, “Clergy Killers,” in the August 1993 issue of Clergy Journal. The immediate, voluminous and confirming responses from clergy across the USA indicated a need for a more thorough discussion of the traumatic abuse of pastors. In 1997 Logos Productions, Inc. published my book titled, Clergy Killers: Guidance for Pastors & Congregations Under Attack. Westminster John Knox Press acquired publishing rights shortly thereafter and produced three printings of their own. The book has been on the religious bestseller lists for an extended period of time. And requests for my lectures and seminar presentations of this theme, along with requests for consultations with denominations and congregations, continue the dissemination of these materials.

Conflict management is a concern in any human organization. Yet it remains a sensitive subject in organized religion, for it seems so contrary to the self-image of denominations and congregations. However, several fine books were written in the eighties and nineties which offered varying theories and remedies for religious conflict. These raised awareness and offered valuable opportunities for organized religion to discuss conflict and seek methods for managing it more effectively. Though most proposed a continuum of conflict, none dealt adequately with the ultimate conflict in congregations and denominations called “The Clergy Killer Phenomenon.” Therefore, a competition arose over which method was best, for though all were helpful, the most deadly form of conflict was untouchable. Pastors of local congregations were being attacked, abused, and forced out by a very few parishioners who were eager to escalate conflict by using terroristic tactics to control a congregation’s agenda. Conflict resolution methods were proving inadequate to handle what we can call spiritual warfare, as perpetrated by clergy killers. These are persons who unrepentantly give themselves to evil agendas and tactics by harassing and abusing spiritual leaders to debilitate them and sabotage healthy ministries.

Clergy killers have been inordinately successful in devastating pastors, their families, and supporters, while doing collateral damage to the congregation and denomination. Yet pastors, lay leaders, and denominational officials have been reluctant to name these evils for several reasons. Organized religion wants to believe that all persons who are members of congregations are essentially good people. Many are, of course. But all of us have a capacity to do violence to each other, especially when we can blame another person for our discomfort in the congregation, yet cover our attacks with claims of theological cleansing. Clergy killers go beyond such normal kinds of conflicts by attacking anyone who hinders their efforts to control certain congregational issues. Popular methods of negotiation and mediation are not effective in controlling clergy killers, who use any abusive, intimidating, and destructive actions available until they gain their ends. This is terrorism … in the church. Organized religion and its leaders are accustomed to handling attacks from outside, yet nearly helpless in the face of internal attacks.

International terrorism has essentially operated in ways similar to terrorism within organized religion, and with similar success. Secular as well as spiritual leaders are reluctant to confront terrorism directly and work consistently to circumscribe its activities because they are so poorly prepared to understand and control such evil. My concern is for terrorism in organized religion rather than international terrorism. Yet they are so similar that the recent terroristic attacks in New York, Washington DC, and elsewhere help us see more clearly how poorly we have understood all terrorism and its evil roots.

COMPARING INTERNATIONAL AND CONGREGATIONAL TERRORISM

Fundamentalist Religious Roots
The irresponsible devastation wrecked intentionally and locally by terrorists of any type is so unthinkable that justification of it can only come from motivations formulated in vengeance and/or irrational religious fervor, the strongest moral excuses we can devise. Typically, such excuses can deaden sensitivity to the pain of victims, and even entice suicidal devastations by the extended belief that vengeance evens the score, or that eternal bliss awaits those destroying perceived enemies of God.

The terrorist attacks on New York and Washington DC have been a wakeup call for all of us who hold strong beliefs, and feel our version of religion is the right one. We are reminded that if we think of those who believe differently than we do as enemies, with us having the right to ostracize or punish them, we are capable of atrocities. Perhaps this reminds us that God is bigger than even our strongest beliefs.

Terrorists are marked by their choices of weapons and methods. They want to eliminate enemies and intimidate colluders. They ordinarily do not have overpowering resources at their disposal. Therefore they become diabolically proficient in devising ways to cripple by inducing paranoid fears, and sabotaging critical assets. Their ability to surprise, shock, and resort to heinous destruction offsets their lack of traditional forms of power. Also, their willingness to die for their cause, their elusiveness and flexibility, and their skills in devising covert support systems nearly immunize them from normal instruments of justice and control.

Outsider Status
Terrorists separate themselves from healthy people and activities. This is partly a cause and partly a result of their derangement. Often there is a pattern of victim-think, in which they refuse to heal from a real or imagined trauma, or they take on a cause as if they are saviors. Terrorism also can be a kind of tantrum generated by someone who has a sense of entitlement to a certain expectation, coupled with narcissistic oblivion to social responsibility. In clergy killers this perpetrator is often a familiar or influential member of the congregation, yet insensitive to the needs of others and to healthy ministry. They often use the trappings of religious discipleship to cloak their nefarious attitudes and activities in respectability. And when reprimanded they will accuse their opponents of the same abuses they are perpetrating. By their inordinate use of deceit they separate themselves from normal parishioners. Their personal insight is limited to assessing their success in their mission.

Destruction As a Way of Life
Terrorists live by and for destruction. They seem to have little concept of healthy creativity and cooperative self-management. They use normal social behaviors such as creativity, sensitivity, and sympathy only in service to destruction. The greater the destruction, the greater their satisfaction. There is no room for guilt or repentance.

These generic generalities do not exhaust the characteristics or variations among terrorists. But they aid our awareness of how different terrorists are from normal persons.

AN ANALYSIS OF THE CLERGY KILLER PATTERNS

We all know it is dangerous to judge, label, and shun persons who are different from ourselves, or whom we do not like, or who disagree with us. Yet without a spiritually disciplined discernment we may fail to resist clergy killers in healthy ways, and thus abet their devastations. “Evil thrives where good people are silent” (Edmund Burke). In spiritual warfare it is a responsibility of faithful believers to be spiritually disciplined in order to participate in the God-given grace of discernment through which we see and understand each other and our milieu from a higher perspective. We can undergird such discernment with reliable information regarding the identity, tactics, and agendas of clergy killers. A review of the general guideline of recognizing them follows.

IDENTITY

Clergy killers are marked by seven generic characteristics:

Destructive—Destruction is a way of life for them, even when it is camouflaged.
Determined—They do not give up. They can outlast faithful parishioners and supporters of the pastor.
Deceitful—They live by half-truths, questioning, lies, disinformation, and accusations.
Discipling—They cultivate followers and dissenters.
Demonic—They devote themselves to evil agendas.
Denial—This is the collusion characteristic whereby faithful parishioners try to ignore terrorism.
Discernment—This is the spiritual prescription in which faithful pastors and parishioners resist and remedy terrorism.

These seven characteristics give a distinctive picture of a clergy killer. To these general characteristics we add the pattern of their tactics:

Preparation—In this early warning stage the clergy killer lays a groundwork of negativity, probes for vulnerabilities in prospective opponents, and introduces manipulative versions of reality.
Attack—Now come attacks by innuendo, threats, and demands.
Escalation—Clergy killers bypass barriers, open multiple fronts, intimidate.
Battle—Full attacks with traumatic abuse, sabotage, and destruction.
Consolidation—Clergy killers demonstrate victory, prepare for next victims.

With these two patterns of identity characteristics and tactics we can be more confident in distinguishing between parishioners making honest mistakes, disagreeing with us, just being obnoxious, and clergy killers. Now we can add further clarification regarding types of conflict and effective management.

TYPES OF CONFLICT AND EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT METHODS

Fine books have been written offering conflict categories and resolution methods. Here I add the simplest categories that will keep distinctions clear and workable.

Normal conflict designates the largest category of human conflict. This includes personality clashes, differing opinions, and misunderstandings caused by our diversities. Such conflict is valuable in offering us the stimulation of differing ideas and opportunities to negotiate disagreements. Negotiation is the method of choice for this category, for it is the simplest and most popular method. But for negotiation to be successful in managing disagreements we must learn to do it right. We begin by agreeing to talk rather than fight. Then ground rules are laid to keep discussions controlled. Each side then presents its view, with opponents listening and then repeating back what they heard till the presenters confirm this reiteration of their perspective. The process is then reversed. With time limits established, each group stays focused and creative. And now having had their views acknowledged, all are more open to look for areas of agreement. Then some creative brainstorming offers possibilities in which presenters suggest their solution, which is now listened to and repeated. After all have presented and had their ideas acknowledged, respectful discussion can lead to consensus, either on a specific solution or on an agreement to meet again. When consensus is reached, it is written down and celebrated.

Abnormal conflict is a much smaller category of conflict, but it can generate powerful prejudices, misunderstandings, and disruption. This type focuses on persons with personality disorders, mental illnesses, addictions, and a history of abuse. They may well be normal, sincere, and functional in many ways. But they will have some kind of dysfunction or impairment that does not allow them to negotiate effectively. Such conflict requires the introduction of “tough love.” This is the method in which the dysfunctional person is given a clear description of the unacceptable behavior, reminded what the acceptable behaviors are, is surrounded by support and accountability to enforce acceptable behavior, as all participants demonstrate by example how to do this. Successes are reinforced until appropriate behavior is normalized and celebrated.

Spiritual warfare is the context for all human conflicts and positive or ineffective efforts to manage it. Clergy killers is the smallest category of conflict, but the most potent, for it involves the spiritual struggles of all creation in some way. There is enormous energy available for doing evil. Since most human interaction involves potentials and intentions for both good and bad, we must apply with discernment the identifying distinctions listed above in the description of clergy killers and their behavior. There are only a few clergy killers in a given congregation. But their dedication to an evil agenda taps into the ancient power of spiritual forces resisting God and goodness. Therefore, in confronting evil incarnated in persons who have given themselves to self-serving and intentionally destructive behavior, we must resist and invoke the higher power of God that is able to stop and displace evil. Negotiations and tough love do not work in spiritualized terrorism. “Intervention” is the method of choice, for it breaks into the powerful conspiracy of destruction with enough positive spiritual power to stop the devastation, identify the perpetrators, and insist on a positive resolution.

Each of these categories and methods for management are described more fully in my book titled Clergy Killers.

We should note again that human conflict is not all bad. It is one of our most valuable experiences for learning and growth in human groupings. But if conflict is not managed appropriately it can easily escalate into abuse or provide an opportunity for spiritual warfare.

THE BEST POSSIBLE PRESCRIPTION FOR TERRORISM

In the church, we are now so accustomed to devising problem-solving techniques that we readily overlook the most potent antidote to evil, spiritual sickness, and terrorism. The most effective and reliable prescription is body-mind-spirit wholeness. Wholeness is intentional blending with God’s purposes. To participate, we must learn the disciplines of discovering God’s higher purposes and then learn how to follow them more and more closely.

Wholeness includes the more recognizable terms wellness, health, well being, and fitness. In wholeness, we develop the physical, mental, and spiritual disciplines that free us from indulgent thinking and lifestyles, and open us to the healthy functioning for which God created us. For when we are healthy (“fit”) in body, mind, and spirit we are much less vulnerable to the manipulations and devastations of sin and evil. (For a fuller discussion of wholeness, healing, and body-mind-spirit fitness, consult my recent book titled Fit to Be a Pastor: A Call to Physical, Mental and Spiritual Fitness).

We all know that health (wholeness) is an excellent idea. Yet when we compare our idealized concept of health with our present condition, we may feel guilty, postpone efforts towards health, or imagine we are healthier than we are. And we may assume that because we decide to try to become healthier, all we have to do is follow some diet, try an exercise routine, pop a pill, or just be “more disciplined,” and do more spiritual activities. In reality, however, we cannot move from sickness to health except through healing. For physical, mental, and spiritual sickness and disabilities leave us impaired until a healing process has cleared away the sickness and restored the possibility for health.

In contemporary America and in organized religion there are so many healing models and therapies, along with their proponents and opponents, that we may become confused, expect someone to do it for us, or choose methods that are not effective for each of us. God has built potentials for prevention and healing into us. But we must learn how these function best rather than follow what feels good or what seems like a good idea at the time. Healing has been ignored or allocated to medical and mental practitioners for so long that we must relearn the value and appropriate methods of combining spiritual, mental, and physical healing processes. Thanks be to God that this is occurring in most denominations and a growing number of congregations.

The goal of healing is health, of course. As the study of wholeness teaches us, health is not just feeling comfortable, or paying someone to save us from the consequences of our indulgent lifestyles. Rather, fitness (health) is derived from lifestyles built around the physical, mental, and spiritual disciplines that sustain health.

Since health is no longer “normal” in the USA or the church, we now must discard indulgent habits and entitlements, and develop the regimens of health. Though this requires changes and temporary discomforts, the benefits of fitness are enormous. And they attune us to God’s purposes for our lives and for God’s whole creation.

My book on fitness spells out the full regimens for body-mind-spirit health, and reminds us that all three must participate in healthful regimens if full fitness is to be enjoyed and used for God’s purposes. The last full chapter of that book offers methods for translating what we learn about personal health and fitness to the whole congregation, and then to the community and to all of creation. We are trying to learn … together … the truth that health is as contagious as sickness. Also, that we and the church can become so healthy that there is no room for sickness, or if it occurs, healing will bring restoration.

Terrorism is always an occasion for God’s grace, and spiritual healing and health.

Published in the Clergy Journal, March 2002