How Did Pastor Edwin Young Treat Women?

An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.  

Proverbs 31:10

Ok ladies and gentlemen, I found another video at SpiritualAbuse.org.   It was very difficult to listen to the first videos I posted earlier.  Here is another recording from Pastor Edwin Young abruptly resigned from Faith Tabernacle in Junction City, Kansas a short time ago.

There is also more disturbing news to follow up regarding Edwin Young's son, Jordan, who was recently arrested.  Jordan Young worked at Faith Tabernacle Apostolic Church along with his father.  More sexual charges were filed for Jordan Young.  I've quoted the highlights below.

Jordan Young Arrested ......Again! 

Junction City Police Chief Tim Brown is confirming the arrest of Jordan Young, 25, Junction City for a second time this week.

Young, who had been serving as Music Director for the Faith Tabernacle Apostolic Church, was arrested by police Friday on suspicion of aggravated criminal sodomy, aggravated indecent liberties with a child, and sexual solicitation of a child. He was arrested at the Geary County Detention Center where he has been incarcerated since Monday after being arrested by police on suspicion of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, attempted criminal sodomy, and solicitation of a child.

Jordan Young is an example of one kind of fruit coming out of Faith Tabernacle.  

Let's take another look at his father, Pastor Edwin Young and the fruit he displayed.  In the following video, evidently a woman in the congregation asked another congregant a question regarding the sermon and the pastor caught them talking.  Pastor Young is speaking on Hannah and stops the sermon to berate the women.  What you will be hearing is the pastor verbally trash-talking the women from the pulpit in response to catching them talking.  This is a disgusting and condescending verbal diatribe.

Praise God this man is gone from the pulpit for now, but you can be sure there are others like him.   This kind of behavior from pastors needs to be exposed.  It is not Christ-like.  It devalues women and treats them worse than animals.  Is Edwin Young's mother still alive?  I wonder how she would feel listening to his words?  Would she say, "That's my boy?"  or would she be cringing inside.  If I were his mother, he'd be hearing some of my words . . . . . a few carefully selected words. 


Here are a couple paragraphs transcribed from the video.  You really need to hear it for yourself to believe it.   If you are prone to high blood pressure, please take necessary action NOW.

Transcription from Sermon:

Sit down. (people had stood, cheering him on) If they have any questions, let 'em ask their husband at home. That's in your Bible. That means shut your mouth while I'm teachin'! That's why some of you ain't married. You don't want no man talking to you. You don't want no man telling you what to do. And that's why some of you are not happily married. Oh, it's your day, woman. (he was looking right at the woman who had whispered in service) Can you take it? (laughs) I was gonna say take it like a man.(laughs again)

You may be seated. Now, now watch this. (he demonstrates) A man wears the pants in the family. You may be seated. (people had stood again, cheering him on) Two things God can't stand: a henpecked husband and a bossy... (he has trouble remembering) A bossy woman and a henpecked man. And I'm not wearing pink shorts. I don't shave my legs! And I don't talk like this. (he uses a high squeaky voice) Eh. You may be seated.(people had stood again, cheering him on) You know why these men are standing? Because they don't wanna be identified with a homosexual spirit. (No, homosexuality was never mentioned until this point.) An effeminate spirit and attitude. Because they're men and they're every bit a man and they want you and everybody else alive not to make any mistake about it. You may be seated. (people had stood again, cheering him on) And women oughta shout the same way when I get on that bossy woman spirit.(there is an increase in the women's voices) And that woman running the house and running her mouth spirit.

Galatians 3:8

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, 

for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 

The complete transcription of the recording can be found here.

What does God's word say about women here?  Do you see condescention, belittling, trash-talking?  There may be those reading who don't have a problem with this kind of talk regarding women.  Maybe this is your "normal".  Is this the "normal" we see in God's word?  Sometimes the normal that we find at our church really is only the pastor's world of "normal" and really not anything like God would want.  The pastor is creating his own form of Christianity with rules and regulations.  

Some who are visiting here may think I am being offensive talking about this "man of God" in such a way.  It is not my desire to make enemies, but to challenge you to see for yourself what God says about women and rules.  God has bought us with a price, our pastors have not.  God has given us His Holy Spirit to guide us and He has given us His word to learn His truth, but some people give that power over to their pastors who abuse their authority.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm not about bashing pastors.  I have the utmost respect for pastors who shepherd and guide.  We have a couple regulars here I would e-mail or call in a heartbeat if I needed guidance or counsel.  I'm talking about abusive pastors - pastors who twist scripture, pastor who make up their own rules.

Snooping around the spiritualabuse.org site, I found much more on women and the rules they had on how they were allowed to wear their hair and how they were not to wear their hair.  Ladies, you will be okay at this church if you wear your hear like this:

Okay, see that top left photo - I can do that one without trying when I wake up in the morning.  I've got these cursed fantastic cowlicks on either side of my forehead.  They're real fun to deal with (NOT).  In order for me to make the other hairstyles even possible, I'd have to take heroic measures with a hair straightener and bobby pins and hairspray.  I'm just not into that kind of primping.  I fear I not be able to go to this church because my hair would fail me and the regulations.  What would happen with someone like me whose hair simply doesn't cooperate?  Would I be allowed to go to church?  Is church a prerequisite to heaven?  Maybe I'd be on my way to hell?  I just don't know.  


The following hairstyles are NOT allowed at church whatsoever.  I wonder what would happen if you went to church with one of these styles?  Perhaps a verbal thrashing from the pulpit like we heard earlier?  

Just to make sure you understand the deal here - you may not have a perm (what if you have naturally curly hair?), or dye your hair.  No Afro-puffs or curly fish tails (I need an interpreter for this lingo - someone help me, please).  Rev. Westberg, the author of this list of rules,  apparently doesn't appreciate the Egyptian "Cleopatra" look and please do not wear curlers to church or public places (I kind of think curlers should remain at home, too).  

Evidently, the reason Rev. Westberg established these rules was "to uphold Biblical principals (I think the reverend forgot that princiPAL is the guy who works in a school, not the word meaning "fundamental truth" - oopsie!) regarding the simple, modest and moderate hairstyles that identify the wearer as a Holy Ghost filled Christian Church member."  You see . . . because "Godly women of Faith Tabernacle are not to seek sensual attractiveness through elaborate hairstyles."    Are bangs swept off to the side sensual?  Well, okay then.  Will someone please take a look at my hair on the upper right-hand corner of the screen?  I think the picture will enlarge.  Is that "moderate"?  I have no clue.  Is there going to be a hair-check inspection at heaven's gate?  Wait . . . will we have hair in heaven?  Help me!  I'm kind of making light of these rules, but can you imagine the pressure to meet these rules week after week?  

Here are the verses the Reverend used to back up these rules:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.          Romans 12:1

Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.  Proverbs 31:30

For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.  1 Cor 11:6

But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.   1 Cor 11:15

Abstain from all appearance of evil. 1 Thes 5:22

I was fully expecting the long hair verse in there, but the "abstain from all appearances of evil" verse?  What is evil about hair and hairstyles?  Am I missing something?  How does one determine what is evil and what is not?  I have a hunch that there are those who might think the pictures on top are more sensual than the pictures on the bottom.  Do they switch the pictures around at whim depending on who is in charge?  I remember the big hair days (yes, I did that too) -  was that sensual?  I'm sure people thought that big hair was sensual "back then".  It sure doesn't seem like it would be considered sensual now.  I've heard teens laugh at those big-hair pictures from the 90s.  I remember when the mullet hairstyle on a guy was kind of cute (my kids would disown me if they read these words and Hannah will probably make note of it on her Facebook status, because she's like that - lol), yet now the style is practically scandalous according to my teens and young adults.  What do you think of the mullet?  Cute?  Yes or no?

You see - these rules are man-made.   Opinions and styles change.  These rules are left up to the interpretation of man.  Did Moses have an opinion on the Mullet?  Would Deborah have dyed her hair if she could? These are not matters of the heart.  They are not Biblical.  It is legalism.  

If you are a current member or former member of this church, please understand my heart.  I am not meaning to offend you with my words.  God is bigger than man-made rules and regulations.  He's looking at the heart.  I get legalism.  I experienced it.  We were worried about how much skin was showing above the knees on my 6'8" son.  He had a very difficult time finding church-approved shorts for his very long legs.   Do you really think God was counting inches?  I think not.      

All fashion sense and legalism aside, a blogger who goes by the name "ThroughGraceAlone" left a comment here the other day.  I visited her blog and my heart ached for her.  Faith Tabernacle was her beloved church.  You could sense the loss and struggles she was feeling, the questions, and the heartache in her blog posts as she was considering the loss of her senior pastor and all that is going on with the pastor's son.  Here is part of what she had to say about the kind of rules she dealt with:

I have several issues with these thoughts, but there is one that really gets me. Perfection. The five fold ministry is for “the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry.” So we are to be brought to perfection or maturity. 

But what is perfect? What is mature? Simple (they say). Don’t cut your hair, don’t put on makeup, don’t wear pants, always wear long sleeves, don’t wear jewelry (including wedding bands or bracelet watches). Don’t go on a date without a chaperone, or hold hands or kiss until you’re married. Don’t lie. Respect the ministry, never talk bad about the man of God or his family, and never question what a leader says. Don’t wear hairbows, don’t wear anything in your hair that doesn’t match your hair color. Don’t wear red, don’t wear certain shoes, don’t wear denim to church, don’t wear denim jackets or caps ever. Sit like a lady. Stay submissive. Learn when to clap and shout and run, and always do these at the right times. Don’t be out after midnight, don’t fellowship nonApostolics, don’t drink or chew or cuss or swear….

and

If lists of rules were perfection, the Pharisees and Jesus would have been great friends, I suppose. But they weren’t. It was Jesus who said “ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and forget the weightier matters of the law… these ought ye have done, and not to leave the other undone”. It was Jesus who said “he that is without sin, let him cast the first stone.” Jesus stepped beyond the rules and touched the heart.

God calls us, as Christians, beyond a list of rules. We are called by Him into a place of trust and faith and love. We desire to do our best for him, but our best isn’t anymore…

ThroughGraceAlone gets the heart of the matter.  The pastor's words of disdain and ridicule towards women did not bring God's message to His people.  We were hearing the pastor's own bitter and angry heart.  The rigid rules regarding how to style the hair are man-made rules of legalism.  They were extra-Biblical and not necessary.  They distract from the real message of the Gospel.  

A special note to  ThroughGraceAlone:  

Sister, Thank you so much for allowing me to quote from your blog.  You have a beautiful heart.  I can sense the pain that you have experienced and I hope that your writing will touch the hearts of those who have experienced what you have experienced at your former church.  You have a great ministry of caring for the hurting and giving hope.  Please keep in touch with me and let me know how you are doing and how God is working through your blog.  

photo credit: Epiclectic via photo pin cc