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Sword of the Spirit

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For the charitable organization, see Progressio (organization).
The Sword of the Spirit
AbbreviationSOS
Formation1982
TypeEcumenical Christian organization
Membershipunknown ,
unknown total members
Websitewww.swordofthespirit.net

The Sword of the Spirit is an international, ecumenical association of Christian communities within the Charismatic Movement.[1] The member communities are composed predominately of laypersons.[2]

History

The Sword of the Spirit was founded by Ralph Martin and Steve Clark in 1982.[3] Clark was born in 1940, and studied at Yale University, the University of Freiburg, and the University of Notre Dame.[1] He worked with Ralph Martin as an early leader of the Charismatic Movement in Michigan, publishing several books on charismatic spirituality and Christian community building.[1]

People of Hope

The People of Hope became affiliated with the Sword of the Spirit in 1983. In 1986, the Archbishop of Newark, Peter L. Gerty, ordered the People of Hope community to end affiliation with the Sword of the Spirit. Rev. Philipp Rotunno, liaison for charismatic renewal, branded the Sword of the Spirit an "Evil Empire" in response to claims that leadership thought they were "anointed by god", exerted excessive control over community members, and the subservient role of women, dubbed "handmaidens", in the community.[4] The subjugation of women within the Sword of the Spirit and People of Hope became inspiration for the novel The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, who described gender roles and other practices within the Sword of the Spirit and People of Hope as "a form of brainwashing".[5]

Word of God

The initial federation of Sword of the Spirit communities included the Word of God community in Ann Arbor, Michigan.[3]

In 1990, the Word of God disaffiliated with the Sword of the Spirit following an investigation into abuses within the community by Bishop Albert Ottenweller.[6][7]

Founders Steve Clark and Ralph Martin split, Martin remaining with Word of God, and Clark remaining with Sword of the Spirit. Following the disaffiliation, Martin said that the Sword of the Spirit training course was "an ill-advised venture that led to considerable confusion, turmoil, spiritual distress both in individuals and in the community as a body," "fostered elitism," "attempted to build a comprehensive Christian culture by fiat," was especially harmful to women and "had a negative impact on many marriages and placed undue stress on many families."[8]

The Word of God community has traditionally implemented a hierarchical structure, where male 'leaders' within the group were in charge of male community members decisions "down to minor family matters", and female community members were similarly subject to relevant male household heads [9].

People of Praise

Current affiliated covenant communities include the People of Praise in Bangalore, India.[10]

Servants of Christ the King

The Servants of Christ the King community [3], Ohio, led by Sword of the Spirit senior coordinator Father Michael Scanlan [11] was among the initial federation of Sword of the Spirit communities.

The Servants of Christ the King disaffiliated from the Sword of the Spirit in 1991 under the orders of Bishop Ottenweller, following findings that the Sword of the Spirit influence was controlling, elitist, secretive, fundamentalist, and intruded on family life [12].

Servant of Christ the King leader, and Sword of the Spirit senior coordinator, Father Micheal Scanlan, was involved in a sex abuse scandal at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, where he presided as president of the institution. A revelation came about in late 2018 that a former chaplain at Franciscan of Steubenville, Father Sam Tiesi [13], had engaged in years-long abuse of women at the university. It has been reported by multiple victims that they made Father Scanlan aware but he did nothing or, in at least one case, verbally assaulted the accuser. Instead of dealing with the abuse he participated in covering up and silencing those who would report his close friend, Father Tiesi.[14]

Alongside Tiesi and Scanlan, a third Servants of Christ the King member is noted as involved in this sex abuse scandal: televangelist John Bertolucci, who is noted as having multiple previous sex abuse allegations, and was dismissed by the Diocese of Albany in 2002 following previous admission of paedophilia and other abuse of minors by Bertolucci [15]. John Bertolucci was also involved in Sword of the Spirit leadership, where he headed FIRE, a Catholic Sword of the Spirit branch [16].

Servants of the Word

The Servants of the Word is an ecumenical Sword of the Spirit community of men.[2][17] The men are committed to serving within other Sword of the Spirit communities.[2]

Serious concerns were raised regarding Servants of the Word's child protection policy following the charging of Jamie Treadwell for sexual abuse of children while a member of Servants of the Word, where it became apparent that Servants of the Word leadership had been aware of similar allegations which had been reported to authorities regarding Treadwell and other Servants of the Word members for at least ten years.[18][19]

Gender Roles

Gender roles within Sword of the Spirit communities have followed a conservative model of gender roles with patriarchal values, where males maintain headship over females within the communities [3].

Islam, Feminism, Homosexuality and Communism

Sword of the Spirit leader, Steven Clark, has presented a training course for disciples of the Sword of the Spirit, in which Clark identifies "global threats" which endanger the Sword of the Spirit mission to "build the Kingdom of God". These four key opponents of Clarks model for Christianity are listed in Sword of the Spirit training manuals as "Islam, communism, feminism and gay rights" [3]..

Reception

The Sword of the Spirit member communities have been subject to several interventions from local bishops of the catholic church throughout the organisation's history [20] following concerns from members of the communities that community leaders were "attempting to strictly control relationships and finances, and representing that control as the will of God." [21]

Finance

The Sword of the Spirit finances it's operations primarily through tithing, where community members are required to pay a percentage of their income to the community treasury [3]. Sword of the Spirit USA tax returns show a yearly revenue of around $1.5 million, with just under $1 million paid out in wages and salary, with a workforce of just under 30 employees [22].

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Thiselton, Anthony C. (2013). The Holy Spirit: In Biblical Teaching, Through the Centuries, and Today. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. p. 369. ISBN 978-0-8028-6875-6.
  2. ^ a b c Coleman, Simon; Hackett, Rosalind I. J. (2015). The Anthropology of Global Pentecostalism and Evangelicalism. NYU Press. pp. 136–137. ISBN 978-0814772591.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Csordas, Thomas J. (2001). Language, Charisma, and Creativity: Ritual Life in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. University of California Press. p. 87.
  4. ^ "Sect Causes Split in Jersey Parish". New York Times. May 4, 1986. p. 64.
  5. ^ "Margaret Atwood on the real-life events that inspired The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments". Penguin. 9 September 2019.
  6. ^ Jones, Arthur (18 April 1997). "Communities falter under heavy hands". National Catholic Reporter.
  7. ^ "Steubenville merits close scrutiny". National Catholic Reporter. 11 February 2000.
  8. ^ Jones, Arthur (18 April 1997). "Communities falter under heavy hands". National Catholic Reporter.
  9. ^ Escobar, Gabriel (28 September 1997). "He's the Coach for the Faithful - Or the Far Right". Washington Post. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  10. ^ "About Us - People of Praise". http://www.peopleofpraise.co.in/. Retrieved 1 October 2020. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  11. ^ Rodgers-Melnick, Ann (July 21, 1991). "Catholic charismatic communities in turmoil". The Pittsburgh Press.
  12. ^ Jones, Arthur (18 April 1997). "Communities falter under heavy hands". National Catholic Reporter.
  13. ^ Giannamore, Paul. "Franciscan University names five priests accused of sexual misconduct". FOX. WTOV9. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  14. ^ Morson, Jenn (October 31, 2018). "Plaque's removal from Franciscan University exposes abuse by former chaplain". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  15. ^ Wakin, Daniel (June 29, 2002). "Six Priests Are Dismissed for Abuse of Minors". New York Times.
  16. ^ Bellant, Russ (November 18, 1988). "When Right Goes Wrong". No. Vol. 25, No. 5. National Catholic Reporter. {{cite news}}: |issue= has extra text (help)
  17. ^ Roberts, Judy (2002-05-19). "Charismatic Renewal Moves Into Church Mainstream". National Catholic Register. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  18. ^ Smith, Lindsey (January 30, 2020). "Multiple families accused man "living single for the Lord" of child sexual assault. He's still free". Michigan Radio.
  19. ^ Smith, Lindsey (May 11, 2020). "New allegations surface against man investigated by Michigan Radio, judge sets $1 million bond". Michigan Radio.
  20. ^ Jones, Arthur (18 April 1997). "Communities falter under heavy hands". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  21. ^ Graham, Ruth (8 October 2020). "Inside the People of Praise, the Tight-Knit Faith Community of Amy Coney Barret". New York Times. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  22. ^ "Sword of the Spirit, Form 990 Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax,2015". https://projects.propublica.org/. IRS. Retrieved 2 November 2020. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
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