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"Biblical scholars note that it was the role of the prophets to bear witness to painful truths. Often they counseled that walls of false security and comfort must be torn down in order for true healing and restoration to take place in the community. It was Jeremiah's unique and difficult call to speak these unspeakable truths in counsel with the king".

-Ripped off from the UCC's OurFaithOurVote.org site because we think it sums up UCCtruths.com pretty well.

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John Dorhauer Conspiracy Challenge

I created this page as a simple resource for those following John Dorhauer's claims that there is a conspiracy or some sort of coordinated effort by mysterious groups to steal UCC churches. UCCtruths has been on the record for some time stating that 'church stealing' is wrong and should be confronted. However, we also believe in a standard of honesty and transparency in discerning who is 'church stealing'.

We've repeatedly asked Dorhauer to substantiate his claims and, so far, he has refused and has ultimately lost credibility. Dorhauer refuses to answer questions on his own message board and those who dare ask questions are called "trolls" by the web site owner.

There are also negative consequences about Sheldon Culver and John Dorhauer's work. From a recent post, we find that a pastor called Dorhauer to report that a new visitor to church might be part of the conspiracy to steal churches out of the UCC... although Dorhauer concedes the visitor "may be completely innocent of any nefarious intentions". Is this really what we in the UCC want? A witch hunt which is now stretching out to suspect new visitors to our churches? At one point, Dorhauer was slapping himself on the back because one of the churches that attended his workshop mistakenly accused a woman of being part of his imaginary conspiracy.

In spite of this, we've left the door open for Dorhauer to explain his conspiracy theories. Below is a review of his book which paints Culver and Dorhauer as a pair of paranoid Conference Ministers.

Buy this book!

No, this isn't a joke,

Sheldon Culver and John Dorhauer's book, "Steeplejacking: How the Christian Right is Hijacking Mainstream Religion," proves two things: anyone can publish a book and some leaders in the UCC are literally debilitated by the depth of their cynicism.

The premise of the book is that there is a conspiracy by the Christian Right to takeover "Mainline" churches. The book doesn't contain any surprises... we've been entertained for months now by Missouri Mid-South Associate Conference Minister John Dorhauer's semi-regular postings on Talk2Action.org about a vast right wing conspiracy to bring down "Mainline" churches.

The book is essentially broken into two parts: the first part makes the case that there are religious groups attempting to influence politics (and political groups trying to influence churches) and the second part attempts cite examples of the conspiracy and how churches can prevent being "steeplejacked".

The first part of Steeplejacking (chapters 1-3) does an excellent job of documenting how intertwined politics and religion have become by focusing on the "religious right" and, specifically, The Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD). While this section of the book is well referenced, it repeatedly makes the claim that the IRD is "well funded" by citing 20 years (1985-2005) of contributions from conservative activists totaling a whopping "$4.765 million". By Culver and Dorhauer's own numbers, this "well funded" machine averaged $235,000 in fund raising per year which is smaller than the annual budgets for many mid-sized UCC churches. This is hardly the foundation of a "well funded" conspiracy.

The book also defines the issues that divide churches (such as gay marriage and abortion) as "wedge issues" implying that it's not really the issues themselves that dissenters care most about, rather it's the power, control and wealth of a church that they are really after. During the last General Synod, UCC President John Thomas used the same language to describe dissent over the proposed Israel Divestment resolution. Instead of actually engaging in any discussion about the issue and meeting with Jewish leaders to discuss the implications of divestment, Thomas isolated himself and dismissed the concerns as "wedge issues". Culver and Dorhauer seem to do the same thing. Instead of acknowledging that local churches and members have real concerns about these "hot button" issues, they are dismissed as "wedge issues".

The second part of the book (chapters 4-7) tries to cite examples of church stealing, addresses the roles of the pastor and laity and concludes with "strategies against steeplejacking". The amazing thing about this part of the book is how closely it resembles Dorhauer's rants on Talk2Action... with even less evidence. While the first three chapters contain hundreds of citations, the second half only has two. There is no attempt to provide supporting documentation to back up the claims of a conspiracy and, while the book has selected phrases from a few letters and speeches, there's no specific citation. It's even more difficult to decipher if these examples are directly related to the IRD. While the book identifies churches in crisis, it hardly demonstrates a conspiracy.

The book is also full of ironies. One of the strategies suggested in the book to fight back against steeplejacking is to not let dissenters hide their identity and to "speak the names of those causing dissent, and confront them if necessary". Ironically, of the few examples of UCC church stealing mentioned in the book, only the first names of people are used to validate the conspiracy. It's in these few examples that Culver and Dorhauer's credibility and argument really break down. They've clearly gone through the time to write this book and they use hundreds of citations to support their claims that external, highly political and theologically motivated groups have developed relationships with groups inside mainline churches only to have the primary premise of the book (examples of church stealing by these outside groups for power and profit) completely fall apart with sketchy examples of a few churches in crisis and no citations, references or supporting documentation. UCCtruths.com challenged Dorhauer long ago to provide evidence of a conspiracy while other clergy sympathetic to Dorhauer's concerns emailed him directly asking for supporting information to no avail. Other people signed on to the message board where he publishes his conspiracy to ask for answers only to be kicked off the site or called names.

Ultimately, what are Culver and Dorhauer trying to accomplish? Culver and Dorhauer have intentionally instilled a culture of fear within the denomination with no foundation of truth. Dorhauer proudly claims ministers are now calling him suspicious of visitors to their churches. He boasts that one of the churches that attended his workshop mistakenly accused a woman of being part of this conspiracy. This is good for our denomination?

I don't doubt that Culver and Dorhauer really believe their own conspiracy theory, but the argument they are putting forward doesn't stand up. This book does, however, serve as an example of the cynicism that exists among some UCC leaders.

It's also why every member of the UCC should buy this book, read it and ask questions.

UCC executives such as John Thomas and Conference Ministers parrot the conspiracy theory only to get that stunned look in their eyes when you ask them for specific examples. When Connecticut Conference Minister Rev. Davida Foy Crabtree's home church, Northfield Congregational Church, left the UCC in 2004, she blamed it on the influence of pastors ordained outside the UCC. A year later, she blamed turmoil in local churches on "misinformation spread over the internet". Culver and Dorhauer's book needlessly adds to this denominational paranoia.

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November 29, 2006

$$$$ Cha-Ching! $$$$

Missouri Mid-South Associate Conference Minister John Dorhauer turns phony conspiracy theory into seminar and book

We've been entertained for months now by Missouri Mid-South Conference Minister John Dorhauer's semi-regular postings on Talk2Action.org about a vast right wing conspiracy to bring down liberal churches and frankly, I'm a little disappointed not to be included in the conspiracy. I mean, come on, even Chuck Currie gives this site props for being an evil agent of the conspiracy.

Talk2Action, for those of you with normal lives, is a web site run by Frederick Clarkson who writes books about how bad the Religious Right is and calls himself an expert on the Religious Right conspiracy to take over the country. He couldn't quite cut it blogging about it himself so he built this Talk2Action web site so he could draw in other like-minded conspiracy theorists. Don't get me wrong, the regulars to this site know that I'm no fan of the Religious Right, but I also don't live in an imaginary world that thinks the extremists are about to take over. The Talk2Action site is to religious conspiracies what Art Bell is to UFO sightings.

In any case, John Dorhauer posts anecdotal stories about churches being taken over by the vast right wing conspiracy. His very first post contained this missive:

Stay in touch. Each Tuesday I will write about those things which I, and others, have experienced watching local churches, judicatory authorities, and entire congregations endure one attack after another. This isn't right. It needs to stop.

Well, for nearly a year we've read, waiting for the dreaded details of the conspiracy only to be disappointed by a handful of stories about churches struggling with theology, angry congregants battling for power on church boards and some genuinely goofy anecdotes about local church politics. No conspiracy. Dorhauer does try to pull renewal groups into the fray and unsuccessfully tries to tie the Institute on Religion and Democracy, the UCC's Biblical Witness Fellowship and Faithful and Welcoming Churches into his stories about a few local churches but nothing concrete.

Could these groups be pulling churches away from the UCC? It's entirely possible although I haven't seen it in my discussions with these groups and Dorhauer doesn't make the case at all. In fact, it's impossible to find any links or documentation to his claims.

I detest the idea of church stealing and have said repeatedly that it is very, very wrong. But I also think it's important to distinguish between petty church politics (which happens to many churches across the theological and political spectrum) and a genuine conspiracy.

Now Dorhauer is taking his conspiracy show on the road with a seminar series and a book. Maybe it will be like those wealth building seminars at hotels. Heck, Dorhauer could build an entire infomercial on church conspiracies. The Berkley Blog has humorously covered Dorhauer's conspiracy seminar:

So Dorhauer equips his seminar attendees to be on the lookout for such hostile actions by sleeper cells waiting to destroy churches for right-wing political reasons. And sure enough, “In the short time since we made our presentation,” Dorhauer crows, “we have heard from one of our local churches, which talks about the immediate and direct impact the presentation made on their church.” Again, ever the comic, Dorhauer acts as if he is not the least bit hesitant to praise himself.

A woman in one church, it appears, has blundered into suspicious territory. She asked that her church “cut all funding from the local church to the denomination offices,” in which offices, coincidentally, Dorhauer serves and depends upon for his livelihood. Aha! An IRD henchman at work? An evil plot to take over the church uncovered?

Well, actually, no, it turns out, in a rather awkward denouement. The lady simply didn’t think the church could afford to pay the assessments. She had nothing to do with IRD or any other renewal group. In fact, she fell over herself to undo her suggestion and pledge allegiance to the UCC.

Clarkson and Dorhauer don't permit dissenting opinions on their site which is why the commentary there seems pretty chummy and it's impossible to challenge Dorhauer on his facts (Cheap Plug: All are welcome to comment on the UCCtruths.com message board whether you like this site or not). So lets put some light on this a bit. Here's an open challenge to Dorhauer: Give me three concrete examples (complete with documentation, links, evidence, etc.) of church stealing by renewal groups and I'll post them at the top of this site together unedited and without commentary for all to read. I'm not going to accept hearsay or "I heard from a friend who heard from a friend who heard from their Great Aunt Betty..." stories. I want hard facts without the BS. If John is being honest and there is a conspiracy, there should be some documentation - something to support his theory besides his few first-hand stories.

Here's your chance to put up or shut up, John. Convince me there is a conspiracy and you'll have a new ally.

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December 5, 2006

Dorhauer responds... with nothing

Dorhauer amusingly responds to the challenge we posted to him with nothing substantive at all:

A second example, and this one even less noble than the first, can be found at ucctruths.com. At the top of their page is a "John Dorhauer Conspiracy Challenge Clock."

No, really, I'm not making this up. It even has my photo next to it. I didn't know about this until I flew to Orlando last week for a biennial gathering of Conference Staff leaders from across the denomination. I have become some sort of cult hero because of this - and took no small amount of teasing from colleagues because of it who wondered why I was deserving of such attention and they were not.

Anyway, there is a ticking clock next to my face. They are waiting for me to respond to their challenge and prove my point, and until I do the clock with my face next to it will continue to run. Here is my response: the clock proves my point. It is silliness and not substance. It is deflection and not debate. It is entertaining, to be sure, but not enlightening.

Somehow, Dorhauer considers a lack of response as "getting somewhere". Dorhauer has rationalized that throwing out conspiracy theories about renewal groups trying to steal churches (without backing up the claims with evidence) is progress. His games might have worked 15 years ago, but in the internet era, where any sort of information is instantly available, it doesn't work. If Dorhauer is going make the claims about a conspiracy, he carries the burden to substantiate it. I'll say it again - I detest the idea of church stealing and I have offered Dorhauer a large platform, unabated, to make his case. This site draws more than 10,000 unique browsers every month and our message board has over 400 members presumably interested in the United Church of Christ. The message board community is a diverse group of liberals, conservatives and everything in between and it's been the most liberal and loyal UCC members of the message board who, on their own, have asked Dorhauer and others to substantiate their claims of church stealing to no avail.

From Dorhauer's response, are we to presume he's only blowing smoke?

_______________

December 12, 2006

Finally, we are part of the Dorhauer Conspiracy

Apparently out of ammunition against the renewal groups conspiring to take down local UCC churches, Missouri Mid-South Associate Conference Minister John Dorhauer has graciously (and finally) included UCCtruths into the conspiracy. Thank you John, I think it's an honor long overdue. But I can't take all the credit...

Dorhauer's latest post credits this site with re-directing the UCCvitality.com domain name to UCCtruths.com. I wish I could take credit for such a sinister and deceptive tactic, but I can't. I have no idea who owns the UCCvitality.com domain. However... since Dorhauer brings it up, his mistype of this URL as UCCtruths.org does bring up someone else who has played this game. A while back, Chuck Currie registered UCCtruths.org and redirected it to the UCC web site (it now appears abandoned but was last registered to Currie). It was clever but I didn't care - it actually said more about Chuck than it did about this site.

So, John, just a couple of points to remember as you include us in the conspiracy:

1) Check your facts, please. If you are going to challenge this site on the truth, start by first by getting the URL correct.

2) If you are going to challenge UCCtruths on truthfulness on the internet, you'll have to start using concrete examples and learning how to corroborate your statements. The internet might be new to you, but hyperlinking (not hyperventilating) is a wonderful method of referencing information to support your claims. I'd encourage you to poke around this site where you'll find statements are easily corroborated with links to third-party sites so folks can check the information themselves and not rely just on my opinion. Trust me, it builds credibility really fast when you can actually back up your claims.

3) Be transparent and open up your site to real feedback. UCCtruths has a number of ways for people to publicly disagree or to challenge the statements on the site. First, we have a message board that is open for all to join - not just those that agree with the site (unlike your site that require people to agree with it first). Over 400 people are registered on the UCCtruths message board and it works pretty well. Secondly, I have a standing offer to any official in the UCC (that includes you) to post your opinion on the top of this site unfettered and without editorial comment.

Hopefully these tips will save you some embarrassment, John. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at james.hutchins@gmail.com.

_______________

December 13, 2006

The Dorhauer Conspiracy spins out of control

This is just getting absurd. When I first read John Dorhauer's latest conspiracy that UCCtruths was somehow responsible for the domain name UCCvitality.COM re-directing traffic to UCCtruths.com, I was honestly amused. For the record, I don't own the domain name and I don't know who owns it. I have made my own inquiries to find out and I have requested the host to not direct traffic to this site. Additionally, I encourage the person that does own it to give it to the UCC or to direct the traffic where it belongs.

Anyone with even the slightest bit of knowledge about the internet understands that anyone can buy a domain name and set it direct traffic anywhere they want. One of Dorhauer's fans, Rev. Chuck Currie, did exactly that with the UCCtruths.ORG domain name last year and re-directed traffic to UCC.org. It was clever but I didn't care - it actually said more about Chuck than it did about this site and I certainly didn't make a case out of it.

Now I am left to "disprove a negative". How do I prove that this site didn't have anything to do with it?

And this really gets to the heart of what John Dorhauer does on his site. I encourage you to read the message threads on his site about this specific issue and then read through his other articles about a church stealing conspiracy. Dorhauer repeatedly makes accusations but doesn't offer any evidence to support his claims.

Dorhauer didn't think twice about UCCtruths.com until I challenged him to present some evidence of renewal groups stealing churches. Instead of trying to substantiate his claims of church stealing, Dorhauer created new claims about UCCtruths "practicing such a deception" with UCCvitality.COM without any evidence. He concedes later on in his own message board that "I don't know who - set it up". Well, wasn't that the whole point of his article - to falsely suggest that UCCtruths was responsible for it? Since he doesn't know who set up UCCvitality.COM, shouldn't he correct his article?

Of course he should, but he won't... just like he won't present any evidence to support his wild conspiracy theories.

_______________

December 19, 2006

Apology Accepted

I'm not going to belabor this, but John Dorhauer has apologized for suggesting that this site was responsible for the domain name UCCvitality.com and redirecting it here. I sincerely appreciate John's clarification and I do appreciate his skepticism when he saw the domain directing traffic here.

Dorhauer views the challenge we posted to him on the church stealing conspiracy as "taunting" and I too can appreciate why he would see it this way - I have been taunting him. I would like to see the issue he is raising elevated and fully vetted. If there is a group conspiring to steal churches, I want to know about it and I'm confident the regular visitors to this web site want to know about it. But, admittedly, I'm skeptical of Dorhauer's claims because there is very little real evidence. The stories he's posted so far appear anecdotal and the actual documentation is weak, at best.

As I've read through Dorhauer's articles, there are probably 2 or 3 stories about local churches that contemplated leaving the UCC (mind you, the UCC has lost over 200 since July 2005). The internal politics of a local church probably gets a little nasty when such a major decision like this is being debated and no one, particularly an Associate Conference Minister like Dorhauer, should be shocked by it. Some members may want to leave, some may want stay and others may not be sure. While these anecdotal stories are important to understand, it does not immediately translate into a conspiracy of outsiders stealing churches.

When the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas decided to leave their denomination (the Metropolitan Community Churches) for the UCC, did we consider that a conspiracy? Some peripheral facts might lead you to think as much - after all, they began conversation with the UCC at least 18 months before joining, they were headed by a UCC minister and they were embroiled in their own internal, divisive politics. In the end, we respect Cathedral of Hope's decision because we respect a local church's ability to discern for itself what is best for it's members. It wasn't a conspiracy. Whether we like it or not, our polity gives local churches this freedom to make these decisions.

Personally, I don't support churches that decide to leave the denomination over theological differences including gay marriage. It's short-sighted and fails to recognize both our covenant and our Congregational polity. In the same spirit, the UCC's national and conference offices have an obligation to also respect our Congregational polity and covenant that holds the local church as the foundation of the denomination. It needs to be stated over and over again - the local church is the foundation of our denomination - not the national office and not the conference and this is explicit in our denomination's constitution. Whether it's gay marriage, the Middle-East crisis, denominational restructuring, theology or politics - the most significant and meaningful discernment of these issues occurs within the local church ~ the grassroots of our denomination. While local churches have a covenantal responsibility to listen to the General Synod, the national office and the conferences, they are not bound by them. That's our polity and, as oddly as it sounds, that is what unites us.

I respect the fact that Dorhauer, as an Associate Conference Minister, has an obligation to support local churches that find themselves at a crossroads in their discernment on whether to stay with the denomination. He wouldn't be doing his job if he wasn't addressing these concerns. However, Dorhauer's tactic of developing and distributing a conspiracy theory without substantial and concrete evidence is more than troubling - which is why I "taunted" Dorhauer into providing more information. A reasonable person couldn't look at what Dorhauer has presented and conclude that there is a conspiracy taking place. While I agree with Dorhauer that the theology "matrix" he uses as evidence of a conspiracy doesn't reflect the views of most UCC churches, we still have to acknowledge that there are vast theological differences within our denomination. This, however, doesn't mean that identification and distribution of these views, even if inaccurate, reflects a conspiracy.

In the end, you have to ask yourself: If the role of the Conference is to promote unity and encourage churches to remain in covenant, does the promotion of a conspiracy theory do anything constructive?

In essentials unity, in non-essentials diversity, in all things charity.

_______________

February 9, 2007

"Steeplejacking": The John Dorhauer

Conspiracy Tour

We've been entertained for months now by Missouri Mid-South Associate Conference Minister John Dorhauer's semi-regular postings on Talk2Action.org about a vast right wing conspiracy to bring down liberal churches. Now, the John Dorhauer Conspiracy Show is going on tour - and it could be visiting a city near you. From an email received today from the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference:

Things You Need to Know: How Church Stealers are at Work
A special informative session for all ordained, licensed, and commissioned ministers will be held on Thursday, March 8, from 1:00 to 4:00 P.M. in the Church House, Collegeville. The presenter will be the Rev. Dr. John C. Dorhauer, Associate Conference Minister on the staff of the Missouri Mid-South Conference.

In his time on Conference Staff, John has had many opportunities to work closely with churches that have come under attack by agents and activists intent on pulling churches out of the denomination. John has studied the tactics and tools used by these activists; and along with his colleague on staff, the Rev. Sheldon Culver, he has written extensively about their findings. John contributes weekly to the website , wherein he chronicles the inner workings of attacks leveled against our congregations. He also has written for the magazine 'Zion's Herald,'and has appeared on Air America's "State of Belief" with the Executive Director of the Interfaith Alliance, Welton Gaddy.

He is awaiting the release of a book co-authored with Sheldon Culver entitled Steeplejacking, due to be released later this spring. John has partnered in his research with investigative journalist Fred Clarkson, author of the groundbreaking work "Eternal Hostility: the Struggle between Theocracy and Democracy," and the clinical psychologist Andrew Weaver, with whom he has co-authored a number of articles on the subject and who himself contributed to another seminal work, "Hardball on Holy Ground." John has traveled the breadth of the country informing denominational and congregational leaders about the efforts of renewal groups some of which are aligned with ultra-right-wing political organizations to dismantle and destabilize Mainline Protestant denominations.

During the Church House seminar John will provide pastors with practical tools to help identify and deal with influences seeking to destabilize and even to withdraw congregations from the United Church of Christ.

If you decide to go to the event, don't expect any real evidence of a conspiracy. A thorough reading of his own articles about the conspiracy didn't yield any proof and Dorhauer refused to offer any evidence when challenged by UCCtruths.com and by visitors to his web site.

_______________

February 24, 2007

Dorhauer Conspiracy Tour Restricted

From a Penn Southeast Conference email received today:

John Dorhauer Seminar - Thursday, March 8, 1:00-4 PM

In a previous eBULLETIN you received information about a special seminar for clergy on Thursday, March 8 from 1:00 to 4 PM in the Church House. This seminar will feature the Rev. John Dorhauer, Associate Conference Minister of the Missouri-Mid South Conference. The purpose of this seminar is to inform pastors, licensed ministers, and commissioned ministers about the work of some organizations related to political movements who are seeking to undermine the mission and ministry of mainline churches. This seminar is purposely designed for pastors and these authorized ministers only. Therefore it is important that those who intend to participate register with Sue either at 610-489-2056 or email at sue@psec.org. Advanced registration is necessary so that the appropriate arrangements can be made at the Church House.

Translation: Lay members and Dorhauer critics not welcome. While John Dorhauer dispenses criticism pretty easily on his web site, he apparently wants to hide from any scrutiny around his phony conspiracy.

Your OCWM money at work.

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March 7, 2007

Dorhauer conspiracy turns into paranoia

The John Dorhauer conspiracy just keeps getting weirder and it's bordering on creepy.

As we mentioned last month, Associate Conference Minister of the Missouri-Mid South Conference, John Dorhauer, will be visiting the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference tomorrow to give a seminar about his belief of a church stealing conspiracy and how clergy can prevent it from happening to them.

Dorhauer writes for a political web site called talk2action.org where he recycles anecdotes of disgruntled churches leaving the UCC that he believes is part of a broader conspiracy to steal churches. For some time now, myself and many, many others have asked Dorhauer to present some credible evidence of a conspiracy and he simply refuses to do so. He has his theory and he's going to run with it even though he has few facts to support his claims.

Dorhauer doesn't like to be asked for facts or questioned at all about his conspiracy. His web site limits comments to only those that are supportive while people who ask questions are called "trolls" and asked to leave or are kicked off. For his upcoming seminar, he has limited those who can attend because it "is purposely designed for pastors and these authorized ministers only".

Now it's getting creepy.

In his latest post on his web site, he accuses those who want to attend the seminar to raise the questions he won't answer anywhere else as "running scared". Apparently the folks at BWF (targets of Dorhauer's claims of church stealing) want to attend and have alerted others in the conference about the seminar. Dorhauer thinks it's underhanded:

This is a tactic we have encountered many times from those active in the BWF. Letters are written to churches without the Conference knowing about it; and to church members without the pastor being aware of it. It is a serious breech of what most would recognize as covenantal, ethical, and professional boundaries - and bespeaks a level of underhandedness for which we have come to know the BWF.

All of this suggests that we are being watched and monitored very closely. It also suggests that we are hitting pretty close to the mark, and have become a serious threat to a couple of organizations that have been functioning under the radar for far too long.

Shame on BWF for wanting to be present at a seminar where they are being accused of stealing churches. Dorhauer doesn't have the courage to answer questions about his claims yet he criticizes other groups that do want to address the accusations directed at them.

In Dorhauer's mind, BWF alerting others in the conference about the seminar behind the backs of conference leaders "is a serious breech of what most would recognize as covenantal, ethical, and professional boundaries" It's an interesting comment when you consider that neither Dorhauer nor the conference publicized the event and restricted invitations to "authorized ministers only". Apparently holding a secret seminar to make accusations of other church members is what Dorhauer considers covenantal, ethical, and professional.

When you take a step back from it, you can see just how absurd this whole thing really is. Dorhauer is an Associate Conference Minister who is accusing groups within the denomination of church stealing. When those groups want to be present to face the accusations, Dorhauer accuses them of "functioning under the radar". As an Associate Conference Minister, Dorhauer carries the burden of transparency and honesty if he is going to make accusations about others within the church. So far, he has not satisfied that burden.

_______________

March 9, 2007

The Dorhauer Seminar

By Rev. Dr. Bryan Moore

I have been asked to write a review of John Dorhauer’s presentation for UCCtruths and for BWF. What follows is more of a report than a review. I will save my comments (the few that I will make), for the end.

At the beginning of the meeting, I approached John and let him know that I had been asked by UCCtruths and BWF to write a review. He appreciated the upfront approach. (ed. note: I was unaware Rev. Dr. Moore was also writing this review for BWF. There was no coordination between BWF and UCCtruths on this review.)

John is a 1988 graduate of Eden Seminary and is presently an Associate conference Minister for the Missouri Mid South Conference. He is also the author of the book Steeple Jacking, which is an examination of how in his opinion outside entities and influences are hijacking mainline churches. He was asked by the Penn SE Conference staff to come and address the ministers of the Penn SE on this very topic.

John began his presentation with some personal reflections on his experiences with dealing with churches that were in turmoil over Synod resolutions. He shared how the turmoil saddens and tears him apart. He explained that initially he went into these situations assuming the main problem was disagreement with the synod’s resolution but that this was a wrong assumption that lead to unfruitful tactics. He went on to say that they began to notice things that indicated more than just some internal conflicts within a given church. They found things that indicated intentional outside interference which I will share in the following.

John’s main thesis is that the IRD (Institute for Religion and Democracy), is a strong conservative political organization with substantial financial backing. The IRD works primarily through renewal groups in mainline denominations (Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal and even the UCC), to disrupt the local church and cause it to be preoccupied with wedges issues. They do this, not to get churches to leave the denomination or to benefit financially but to preoccupy their time and energy so that they are not speaking prophetically and tending to justice issues in society which might upset the plans of certain political interests.

There's more... read the whole article here.

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March 13, 2007

More Dorhauer Conspiracies

John Dorhauer, an Associate Conference Minister of the Missouri-Mid South Conference, is taking UCCtruths to task over my negative portrayal of him last week. Specifically, he didn't care for this:

Dorhauer's response can be best summarized this way:

He allows open question at his seminars
He's not responsible for the rules of the web site where he posts his articles
He's not responsible for the conference limiting attendees to his seminar

His response in disingenuous. He has been asked publicly on his web site and privately by email to provide evidence (documentation, links, etc.) of a broad conspiracy by outside groups to steal churches from the UCC and he has not. We even offered him a challenge here and offered to publicize his evidence on this site since he won't offer it on his own site... but he doesn't want to.

The bottom line: Dorhauer doesn't want his conspiracy questioned or challenged.

On criticism of his web site policies, he explains:

"First, tain't my website. I don't make the rules, but I damn sure follow them. The website was intentionally not designed to be a no hold's barred interactive forum, but simply a place where those who were doing research could share the information."

He's right, Frederick Clarkson runs the site... and the rules he enforces don't allow for dissenting opinion or questions that hint at dissent. From Frederick Clarkson on one of Dorhauer's articles:

another troll deleted and banned

Every once in awhile, someone joins this site under false pretenses in order to respond to a post or a comment.

In order to join and participate in this site, you have to check off a box indicating that you agree with the purposes of the site. If you do not share our purposes and join the site anyway, you are a liar and a fraud. Here in the blogosphere, we call such people trolls. Most trolls are cowards who hide behind pseudonyms to get away with saying what they would not otherwise dare to say to someone to thier face. Other trolls use their own names, but somehow think that the rules apply to everyone but them.
As the site co-owner, I just deleted the comment of a cowardly troll and banned the person from posting on the site.

People who do not agree with the purposes of this site are free to post elsewhere. It's a big blogosphere.

by Frederick Clarkson on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:13:30 PM EST

So Dorhauer is just some hapless idiot following the rules? Give me a break. Dorhauer chose to follow those rules or he would have posted his articles elsewhere. By consciously posting his articles in a place where they cannot be scrutinized, Dorhauer shares in the responsibility for the enforcement of the rules.

He claims "Even James Hutchins, who authors ucctruths.com is welcome and can ask questions and challenge statements made - as long as he abides by the rules."

I'd love to go on his web site and raise the same questions there that I have here. The problem is that to join his web site, you have to check off a box that acknowledges that you "share our general concern about the religous right". If that means sharing Dorhauer's concern that there is a conspiracy to steal UCC churches, I'm not signing on because he hasn't proven it. For what it's worth, UCCtruths.com doesn't hold a litmus test like this on our message board. (ed. note: Will someone please tell Dorhauer and Clarkson how to spell RELIGIOUS?)

Update: Freddy just uninvited me from responding on his site. I'm crushed.

The bottom line: Dorhauer doesn't want his conspiracy questioned or challenged.

Dorhauer also distanced himself from the limitation that only clergy could attend his seminar by claiming that it was the conference's decision on who could attend the seminar. Again, Dorhauer chose to give the presentation with those restrictions and he shares responsibility for it.

The bottom line: Dorhauer doesn't want his conspiracy questioned or challenged.

Let's also be clear on one thing: I do not doubt that it is possible that there are ministers out there with an agenda to lead a church out of the UCC. Clergy in the UCC are as diverse as our membership. I have stated repeatedly that I think church stealing is abhorrent, the perpetrators should be called out and it should be stopped at all costs. My difference with Dorhauer is that I don't see a broad conspiracy and he hasn't provided any evidence that there is a broad conspiracy. He has dropped a couple of names and shared anecdotal stories of a few churches that have left... but that doesn't make a conspiracy by any stretch of the imagination. As I reported last week, the UCC had the biggest percentage drop of members of any denomination in the United States. If there is a conspiracy, Dorhauer should be able to come up with better information.

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March 14, 2007

More Dorhauer Nonsense

Dorhauer reveals shocking evidence: The Religious Right doesn't agree with the Religious Left

In a stunning post on Talk2Action.org, UCC Associate Conference Minister of the Missouri-Mid South Conference, John Dorhauer, has revealed evidence that the "Religious Right" doesn't like the "Religious Left". From Dorhauer's post:

I have come across a most interesting and compelling piece of, dare I say it, evidence.

It is an internal document of the IRD entitled "2001-2004 Executive Summary." It does not make clear to whom it is addressed. I came across it on the website http://www.theocracywatch.org/internal_document_ird.html.

The evidence:

SYNOPSIS: Liberal Theology failed America's mainline churches in the Twentieth Century. Striving to become "relevant," they instead lost millions of church members. These diminished but still influential denominations are now starting to acknowledge their mistakes. Even their leaders are open to new directions. The IRD believes that the next four years offer a rare opportunity to redirect these churches away from their reflexive alliance with the political left and back towards classical Christianity. Conservatives have won surprising victories on key theological and sexuality issues at recent church conventions. Now is the time to translate those victories into real influence for conservatives within the permanent governing structures of these churches, so they can help renew the wider culture of our nation. We will emphasize the importance of ecumenical alliances with social conservative Roman Catholics and Evangelicals.

While Dorhauer successfully provides evidence that the IRD does indeed want to organize conservatives in mainline churches, he still does not provide any evidence of a church stealing conspiracy in UCC churches. Apparently, Dorhauer doesn't think he needs to provide evidence:

Everywhere I go and talk about the issues confronting our churches in the wake of a decades long attack on Mainline denominations, someone invariably asks for proof. It is one of the latest strategies developed by the countless allies in this ongoing attack, and clearly a stated talking point (though, of course, there is no proof of that - just the evidence of its consistent and repetitious occurrence every where I go).

Asking for honesty and for evidence is a strategy?

Strange, I thought honesty was a common ethic for all of us.

In spite Dorhauer's lack of candor, he was awarded 2007 Shalom Award yesterday at Eden Theological Seminary:

Dorhauer was nominated by Eden students Rick Oberle, Leah Atkinson and Jeff Mignerone. In making the nomination, the students said, “We feel that Reverend Dorhauer has exhibited this courage and leadership in exceptional ways in his ministry with the local UCC churches in the Missouri Mid-South Conference. Over the past year, as local churches reacted to the resolutions approved at General Synod XXV during the summer of 2005, Rev. Dorhauer’s efforts have redoubled in an attempt to open lines of communication, heal perceived wounds caused by distrust and misinformation, and be a pastoral presence to congregations, clergy and laity who are seeking to discern God’s will in their lives and their congregations.

No, that not an April Fools joke, it's real. In spite of being one of the most divisive figures in the UCC, Dorhauer was recognized with the obscure award.

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May 7, 2007

Dorhauer pats self on back

Missouri-Mid South Conference Associate Conference Minister, John Dorhauer, is pretty proud of himself. From his latest post:

I have been in this office for well over four years now. My colleague on staff, The Rev. Sheldon Culver, and I made a conscious decision and took a calculated risk over three years ago: we would begin to refocus our attention on these attacks, learn as much as we could about them, and report everything we found out on as wide a scale as we possibly could.

Report their findings? Hardly. The Dorhauer/Culver team haven't reported much of all but that hasn't stopped Dorhauer from praising his own success. From his most recent post, we find:

1) A dozen ministers called Dorhauer about a book the Institute of Religion and Democracy sent out

2) A dozen ministers called Dorhauer about an invitation they received from Faithful and Welcoming Churches to attend a "Healthy Churches" workshop

3) A pastor called Dorhauer to report that a new visitor to church might be part of the conspiracy to steal churches out of the UCC... although Dorhauer concedes the visitor "may be completely innocent of any nefarious intentions".

This is success? Creating a witch hunt which is now stretching out to suspect new visitors to our churches?

What is clear is that there are pastors, conference leaders and national leaders who have intentionally instilled a culture of fear within the denomination with no foundation of truth at all.

The last time Dorhauer boasted of success, he was slapping himself on the back because one of the churches that attended his workshop mistakenly accused a woman of being part of his imaginary conspiracy.

As I have said before, I detest the idea of church stealing and have said repeatedly that it is very, very wrong. But I also think it's important to distinguish between petty church politics (which happens to many churches across the theological and political spectrum) and a genuine conspiracy.

Dorhauer has identified a few churches in crisis and turned it into conspiracy of church stealing. I challenged Dorhauer awhile ago to provide proof of a conspiracy. Instead of providing evidence, Dorhauer falsely accused UCCtruths of redirecting the UCC Vitality web site and then apologized for the false accusation a week later.

Still, I taunted and pushed him for evidence of a conspiracy. A number of pastors sympathetic to Dorhauer's concerns sent him emails only to find out first hand that Dorhauer will not provide proof of his conspiracy claims. People signed on to the message board where he publishes his conspiracy to ask for answers only to be kicked off the site or called names.

In spite of all of this I was willing to stop giving Dorhauer's antics any attention. After all, it's not against the law to be wrong and I didn't really want to legitimize his activity by repeatedly posting on it. This changed with his most recent post boasting of how local church ministers are calling him because they are suspicious of visitors. So much for our "extravagant welcome".

This is not how rational, mature, Christian people should act. It's certainly not what we are called to do... especially an Associate Conference Minister.

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