Unpacking the Evangelical Bro Code, Part 3: Bully Pastors and Emotionally Volatile Men

Men bullying women in Christian contexts is essentially spiritual abuse with a patriarchal flavor.

We’re continuing the Beaty Beat series about the evangelical bro code, a phenomenon I wrote about last fall. More than 150 women have submitted their stories of being mistreated in various Christian institutions (it’s not too late to submit yours). I’ve combed through those accounts to find common themes. Here are the top three that emerged:

#1: Breadwinner Bias (unfair pay, deference to men supporting their families)

#2: Billy Graham Rule (sexual propriety and double standards)

#3: Bullying (abuses of power, emotionally unstable male leaders)

Last week was about the Billy Graham Rule, and the week prior was about churches underpaying women for their work. This week we’re talking about bullying.

It’s a difficult topic for a few reasons. One, we’re not always sure how to define bullying or know when it’s happening to us beyond a nagging, something’s not right. Two, behavior that is clearly bullying (and we’ll define it soon) is excused by others as passion, personality quirks, or an inter…