Life Bible Church — Attraction in Harrisburg

I'm sad to be writing this but feel it's my obligation if it can validate some and warn others. Things will likely start out fine to great here. The average congregant is nice and passionate, and the music is enjoyable. I believe the pastor thinks he is preaching the Word with purity, and sometimes he is. I appreciated a lot about this place for years. The problems will come when you engage in closed-door meetings with certain leadership. There is a major control, manipulation, and domination problem here. Once it happens to you, you will know. I hope and pray you listen to others' testimonies and have discernment so you don't have to get hurt to believe those of us who have. Their promotion of Covering Theology is also a clue. I'm not talking hurt feelings-- I'm talking actual methodical spiritual abuse. They believe in authoritarian leadership and are seemingly eager to diminish your free will and control who you can speak and pray with. No man of God is above the Word. We should also all be able to engage with the Body of Christ without religious shackles-- unbiblical and unwritten rules. They may punish you for questions. Please be prayerful and have Biblical literacy to keep on track with the Word and Holy Spirit. Many a humble person has had to leave quietly after spiritual manipulation. It takes a while to get out of the fog of the deception. There are healthier charismatic and truly Christ-like communities out there. May we all do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. (from Micah 6:8) We answer to God, and Christ as the Head of the Church, not a man or other church hierarchy. I think when the church focuses more on the power gifts than the fruit of the Spirit, such dysfunctional environments develop. Hoping for a turn-around here, but as of yet, there are no signs in my experience, and those of...

This church is a cult. They interweave themselves into your life and begin to dictate who you can talk to and who you can't and all communication has to be filtered through them. They vilify people they have never even met as having demons and make it so the only people you can or should trust is them. The manipulation and iron-fist control exerted by leadership there was mind-blowing with none of it founded in biblical teachings. Pastor Brad relishes in the humiliation, abuse and judgment of others and there is no love in this sadistic man's heart. He even told a family member of mine, an adult, that if he could, he would love to beat them because they were not doing what he told them to do. He is incapable of allowing others to exercise their God-given free will. He spends his days monitoring the activities of his congregations and then confronting them if he deems they have acted outside his will. He successfully got my family to turn on one another, tattling to him about what anyone was doing so that he could disburse his judgments and punishments. This is a church that used to have three weekend services and are now down to one. The people, including leadership have left in droves. I write this, not with malice, but to warn others away. Testimonies abound as to the harm this church has caused...

Beware. False teaching prophets - I was told not to gossip … right? Of coarse they don’t want you to bring up false teaching. Not gossip when it’s taught from the pulpit though had to pay for the special sessions to hear it … I’m so glad I did as I will not tolerate nor how I was treated. I paid for their special weekend sessions with 2 so called prophets, Feb. of 2021, and one taught that Isaiah 34 says everyone should be married, therefore said everyone not married to stand up and those married place hands on them as he prayed for everyone to be married. NOT! Not what Isaiah 34 says, nor what Paul says in NT! The head pastor Brad had my husband and I meet in private so he could tear me down and tore down a pastor (Chuck Smith) whom he knew I highly respect (now with the LORD!). Seriously. Brad said Acts 17:11 (a favorite passage of Pastor Chuck Smith as he taught often so his hearers would check out what the Scripture says, and not just take his word as truth). Acts 17:11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Brad said it doesn’t mean to check Scripture out to see if it is taught falsely. OH? More went on than what I’ll say here but the above is what finally caused me to never...