102: How Celebrity Pastors Shut Down Questions — A Cautionary Tale from James River Church

When a member at James River Church raised questions and concerns about some troubling behaviors by the church’s pastor (John Lindell), the response wasn’t dialogue — it was a threat of arrest.

In this episode, Jeff Cochran unpacks how celebrity pastors can misuse power to silence dissent, what this reveals about toxic church culture, and why accountability matters more than protecting reputations. If you’ve ever wondered how spiritual abuse gets covered up in megachurches, this cautionary tale will open your eyes.Find out more about the Spiritual Abuse Institute and the Church Disrupted Podcast at https://www.spiritualabuse.institute/Want to support SAI financially?https://donorbox.org/sai-initial-funding-campaignJoin the church disrupted COMMUNITY here: https://discord.gg/nbWwg8Sz6ZLearn more about the Safe Church Pledge Here: https://www.spiritualabuse.institute/safechurchpledgeCheck out our Awareness Apparel HERE: https://church-disrupted.sellfy.storePlease Subscribe and Share!Fair Use Disclaimer:This video may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. All clips used are protected by the Fair Use Doctrine within Title 17 of the United States Code. This doctrine safeguards the use of copyrighted material for transformative purposes, such as commentary, criticism, review and news reporting. Under Title 17 U.S.C. § 512(f), any person who makes a false, bad faith, or misleading copyright claim or uses a copyright takedown to infringe on free speech, criticism, or commentary can be held liable for damages to the content creator.Hosseinzadeh v. Klein, 276 F.Supp.3d 34 (S.D.N.Y. 2017); Equals Three, LLC v. Jukin Media, Inc., 139 F. Supp. 3d 1094 (C.D. Cal. 2015).