It’s a commonplace that even those who purport to take the entire Bible “literally” end up emphasizing certain passages and reinterpreting others.

Take, for instance, this story of a charismatic church in Loudon County, VA that appears to be taking on cult-like features centering around the iron-fisted leadership of its head pastor.

Among other things, members are told to cut ties with family members who don’t adhere to the church’s theology–even their own children.

And yet!

In his sermons, [Pastor Star] Scott teaches that his church is scripturally superior to others and views keeping people in the fold as a matter of their salvation. “Anything that’s other than a member in harmony has to be identified and expelled,” Scott preached in May 2007.

Don’t be afraid of “social services” if you throw rebellious children out of the house, he told the congregation in an earlier sermon, because “you obeyed God.” In an interview, he cited scriptures: “Deuteronomy says if your kid doesn’t follow your God, kill ’em. That’s what we do, but not physically. To us, you’re dead if you’re not serving our God,” he said.

Not physically kill them? What kind of liberal reductionist nonsense is that? Has he been reading Bultmann or something?

But seriously folks, stories like these make me appreciate liturgical churches, which are institutionally resistant to making the pastor’s personality the center of church life (not that there aren’t priests and pastors who try).