If Jim McCotter is evil, how do we overcome that Evil?

Welcome to De-Commissioned, a place for former members of the Great Commission movement (aka GCM, GCC, GCAC, GCI, the Blitz) to discuss problems they've experienced in the association's practices and theology.

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[Lost Creature]

The more research I do into this movement,
the more I am becoming increasingly convinced that we as Follower's of Christ cannot overcome evil with evil, but rather to overcome evil with Good...

One of the most evil men in America, Roger Stone, once said, "I revel in your hate."
In fact, if you watch the Netflix documentary, "Get Me, Roger Stone," we can observe in him a sickeningly gleeful desire to be seen as a villain.
Like many other audiences, I came to a horrifying conclusion: Evil men will not be defeated by "worldly" methods.
That is, unless you want to become a monster just like them...and lose your soul...

So...what do we do about such men?
Instead of seeing them as the monsters, gods, or heroes that they want us to see, we must choose to see them as they were created by God:
Human Beings born into a sinful world.

We can pray for them, for their families, and for those who they have hurt through deception...
In this way, we take away whatever power they have...one by one...until there is no one left to deceive but themself...

Many of you hear have said that Jim McCotter and those like him within the GCX movement are evil.
If he is just as evil as Roger Stone, our hatred for him and what he has done only gives him more power...

Will you pray with me?...for him, for his family, and for those who have been hurt by his influence?
...that he would come to repentance and see whatever demonic power took over him in those days?

Or will you become the very monsters that you accuse him and others in the movement of being?

I guarantee you...this evil will never truly be eradicated from the movement unless you start to see McCotter and others just as human as you and me...
...We can't pray for monsters, gods, or heroes...but we can pray for humans...

[Cult Proof]

Hatred and living appropriately with healthily and safe boundaries in a world where some people are abusive are not the same things. I still pray for people who have been abusive towards me but it wouldn’t be healthy or wise for me to continue to try to live inside their church. Leaving and seeking a healthy and safe life doesn’t make me an evil or a hateful person. It actually is making me a safe and wise and healthy person for my kids, spouse, and friends. The truth is you will not find a healthy person who believes continuing in close relationship with an unrepentant abuser or narcissist is wise, safe, or beneficial for anyone, including the abuser/narcissist.

[Lost Creature]

Hatred and living appropriately with healthily and safe boundaries in a world where some people are abusive are not the same things. I still pray for people who have been abusive towards me but it wouldn’t be healthy or wise for me to continue to try to live inside their church. Leaving and seeking a healthy and safe life doesn’t make me an evil or a hateful person.

I agree and I don't believe I suggested that we should continue living with evil men and women.

I appreciate that you made the distinction between hatred and healthy living, and am most glad that you believe we should pray for those who are evil.
While seeking a healthy life does not make you an evil person,
responding to hatred with hatred could lead anyone down that path, no matter how noble their intentions...

If you can pray for those that you hate or those that hate you without that same hatred in your heart, then evil will be defeated...and the cycle of hatred will be broken...Maybe not now...but God will have the last word...

[Janet Easson Martin]

Here is a point of view I found on “Amazon Web Services” (Amazon.aws) about manipulative church leaders some may be interested in. Though it tries to explain their behavior, it certainly does not excuse nor lessen the destruction they have inflicted. After all, criminals have similar back stories. It does present the perspective that spiritual leaders like this rarely change. So, the best way to respond to them is to no longer be available for them to manipulate —in other words, by leaving.


If you’re in a church with a manipulative leader creating this culture, I believe you should leave. The only way a manipulator stops manipulating is when the manipulation stops working, and by staying, you’re saying to the manipulator that it’s working. If you fight them, you’ll lose.
- Donald Miller


Mr. Miller’s story seems so close to GCx, I wondered for a minute if he was part of it, but I think it is just another tragic case of those who are not under God’s authority abusively pretending to wield it. So many on here have found the hard way that trying to reason with them is a losing battle.


What they don’t realize is the extremely insecure manipulator is gaining security from controlling people, not from protecting them. Being wounded himself, he only wants to surround himself by those who are weak and who will not question him. He subconsciously considers this his layer of armor. The manipulated masses are his protection against outside intruders.


Below is the link to the full post on AWS:


How To Spot a Manipulative Church Leader - by Donald Miller

https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.cloversites.com/a4/a4b1dd45-a18a-4917-8b1b-4cf30287490b/documents/How_to_Spot_a_Manipulative_Church_Leader.pdf

[Janet Easson Martin]

Not Following Them Into A Pit

“Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

Matthew 15:14

This clear-cut instruction of Jesus is worth contemplation. They are no ambiguous terms. Of first importance is the imperative action Jesus’ disciples are to take, which involves not merely ignoring some of their rhetoric, but physically removing themselves. Jesus secondly makes a divine judgement that they are blind guides. They are under a spiritual darkness that I believe God the Father has revealed to Jesus.

The difference between a blind person and a blind guide is that a “guide” is recognized and esteemed for his supposedly divine guidance. It seems he would certainly not risk his position to be corrected, and especially in the presence of his peers or his students. In this case, likely even in private.

Obviously, this physical pit is parabolic of a more dangerous spiritual pit they could fall into by learning and imitating their ways. The pit of lost connection to Jesus and their real childlike faith. The Pharisees did not use weapons of truth, but of arrogance, legalism, power-play, false accusation, and condemnation so staying to reason or argue would be a damaging situation.

Baffled, confused or disagreeing with some of what they teach; but sticking around to reason, argue, or correct their sayings was a fruitless and dangerous effort. As intellectual humans we think we can merely talk them out of their “highly held” teaching agenda. But, their is a darker power than has blinded them. Jesus did not want them to enter into their darkness.

I believe that there was a spiritual darkness that also fell over us in GCx when we were pulled into their group and attempted to become like them. We also started loosing connection to Jesus. We didn’t loose our salvation, but the divine line of communication through the Holy Spirit.

I believe the time we spent memorizing or alone in God’s Word there, the genuine fellowship of the Spirit with other believers, the heartfelt worship with fellow Christians, and the sincere sharing of the gospel with others were all of benefit to us while we in GCx. But, I don’t believe the unanoited teachings of the “leaders” outside the leading of the Holy Spirit were of any benefit, of which there were many. In fact, they seriously messed up our view and relationship with God. They led us into...a pit.