Grace Escape

Show me the money!! Now, show me the abusive tactics Pentecostal pastors use to get the money!! Can this really be true? Yes! Congregants are being manipulated beyond belief nearly every Sunday on church pews across the world about their giving. Manipulation through tactics such as guilt-tripping, fear-mongering, shaming, pressuring, and the misuse of Scripture. Today’s episode gives a message of...

Today’s episode exposes how some Pentecostal pastors spiritually abuse their members to garner unwavering attendance to the house of God. Their tools of control?: guilt, fear, and shame. Justin and Tiffany unpack the ways these tactics significantly diverge from the biblical model of pastoral leadership, which emphasizes love, care, and humility. Instead of fostering authentic faith, these coerciv...

Pentecostals are often riddled with anxiety about their callings. Primarily because callings require a lot of intense searching, begging God, and fear about losing them. This is what “pastors” of controlling churches will infer, at least. In this episode, Justin and Tiffany expose error propagated by the UPCI, and systems like it, that teaches its members to approach their calling with works, skep...

Children and teens raised in high-control, legalistic church systems often grow up weighed down by fear, shame, and impossible expectations. In this episode, Justin and Tiffany explore how these environments harm a child’s mental health, spiritual growth, and ability to understand God’s love. From anxiety and doubt, to a lifelong struggle with feeling “not enough” for God, the effects of legalism...

When Pentecostal churches and sermons look like one big promotional advertisement, how can believers trust they contain any true authenticity? Much less, a grounding based in Scripture. It’s simple, they can’t. This is why itching ears must turn into listening ears. Christian preaching should rely on the plain truth of God’s Word, not on manipulative tactics or HYPE to draw a crowd. This episode c...

Why would you be involved in one church ministry, when you could be involved in THREE?! This is the echo chamber of many Pentecostal pastors, making a call to their congregants to serve in the kingdom of God. Except the service is to their modern church building and church services, rather than to the actual commission given to believers. Today’s episode is a reminder that a Christian’s service is...

In today’s episode, Justin and Tiffany address the false teaching of the “untouchable” pastor, based on the phrase, “touch not mine anointed” from 1 Chronicles 16:22. This scripture cannot be properly quoted to shield church leaders from examination or criticism. But church congregants are overtaken by this fear tactic, and unfortunately allow themselves to be silenced by men who only use this pas...

High-control Pentecostal churches set men up on pedestals by default. These men are called pastors, and most of them prefer to be known as the mouthpiece of God to their followers. Sadly, some Christians lose their way, and begin to worship these men as their spiritual authority and coverings, entirely neglecting the only one who deserves all worship. And He has no rival. Today’s episode lays out...

Have you heard?? Moses is alive and well, and has taken on the form of a modern Pentecostal pastor! And today’s episode is ALL about it. Except, once Justin and Tiffany look to Scripture, it becomes evident that Moses is not a type and shadow of the church CEO, but Moses is a prophetic figure that foreshadowed the coming of Jesus Christ. And what a beautiful revelation! In the meantime, what is to...

God’s big dump truck of blessings is parked, just waiting for believers to give. Give  their money, their time, their talents, etc.. Taken from a page right out of the Prosperity Gospel Handbook, this wild, and unbiblical formula has been adopted by charismatic Pentecostalism, though they would deny any association with it. The listener can decide for themselves after tuning in to this episode, in...

No one likes a bully. Why? Because they are mean! And hurtful…and scary! So why in the world would the pastor of a Christian church act like a classic bully?! Aren’t pastors supposed to be shepherds? Furthermore, shouldn’t shepherds emulate the Good Shepherd? Many times, the character, speech, and treatment delivered across the church pulpit today is that of a tyrant rather than a humble servant....

Does Jesus’ return fill you with mostly fear? Dread? Stress? Anxiety? If so, you are not alone. This fear has been perpetuated by the modern charismatic, Pentecostal church, and for decades, has crippled believers into a sense of worry about the second coming of Christ. Justin and Tiffany return to God’s Word for a startling reminder to encourage one another with the words about our blessed hope....

Who better than the UPCI to teach listeners how NOT to pray?! Their constant focus on developing a personal, intimate relationship with God has led them to utilize manipulation tactics. This alone makes them a great candidate for Grace Escape exposure work. Additionally, you can consistently catch them either declaring & decreeing on a weekly basis, or losing control just enough that the words...

It would be misleading for any church to utilize Acts 2 as a hard template for how Christians are to receive the gift of tongues. But the Pentecostals do it without hesitancy. Steve Forkin joins Justin and Tiffany to debunk David K Bernard, and his claim that the UPCI knows how to spot an abuse of unintelligible speech in their gatherings - based solely on their stubbornness to interpret Paul’s 1...

In today’s episode, Justin and Tiffany examine parts of a UPC sermon entitled “Why Your Mountain Won’t Move”. The speaker, Josh Carson, fails on two big (ac)counts: he claims a direct word from the Lord that provided him extra-biblical illumination, and he admits to using “go-to” Scriptures to evoke a response from his listeners. Tune in to hear abused Bible verses put back into their rightful con...

Why are Pentecostals constantly talking about miracles, signs and wonders?! Perhaps because contrary to what they may insinuate, they actually do chase the hype of these phenomena. They frequently argue that “signs follow them”, but that seems strange since evidence rarely materializes. Today’s episode points out this irony, and directs the listener to Christ crucified and the sufficiency of Scrip...

When controlling church systems rip the autonomy out from the core of God’s uniquely-created children, the result is a process called DEMORALIZATION. Rigid doctrines, authoritarian leadership and fear-based teachings slowly erode personal faith and confidence, piece by piece. Justin and Tiffany use insightful commentary, real-life stories, and biblical references to provide tools for listeners to...

Believers weren’t created or called to live in infinite comfort, happiness and ease. Matthew Tuttle, pastor of Eastgate UPC in Vidor TX negligently teaches his members that if they are “fighting the good fight”, victory should be the result every time. This is false hope and a denial of reality. Justin and Tiffany call pastors like Matthew to repentance and attempt to restore a proper hope to list...

A year in the books for Grace Escape Pod! What an adventure! Thank you to everyone who has joined the family and come along the journey. In this season finale, Justin and Tiffany look back over the year of episodes to reminisce on passionate dialogues, commentate their own discussions, and most of all, remind every listener that it is for freedom Christ has set us free! For by grace you have been...

Are you called to be a pastor just because your dad is one? Tune in to hear Justin and Tiffany discuss the rampant nepotism in the Pentecostal church today. Have men been given the spiritual gift of shepherding (Eph. 4:11), or have they been handed the office simply because of who they know? While “pastors” have no job description or qualities found in Scripture, they surely aren’t chosen at the h...

“Pastors”; the CEOs of Big Church business. And narcissism at its finest. Why is it always about them? Why do they get to be pampered and waited on, while also being harsh and mean? Justin and Tiffany discuss how NPD (Narcissistic Personality Disorder) is rampant in the modern church’s leadership, and then contrast it to the eldership and shepherding of the New Testament church. You might very wel...

Charismatic Pentecostals allow experience to determine what is true about God, self, and the scriptures. Conversely, Christians allow God’s Word to determine affections and emotions. The direction is important. If slanted to the former, theology inevitably dips into practices like Mysticism. In today’s episode, Justin and Tiffany vehemently expose this heretical practice and call the “spirit-obses...

You should only tune in today if you don’t mind a little common sense, humor, and riddle-solving, brought to you courtesy of your GE hosts. Be forewarned, you will be swimming in a swirling pond of Pentecostal preacher rubbish. Said rubbish is tabled and examined thoroughly, all while being compared to Scripture and Greek translation. This episode is an attempt to transform church members’ “itchin...

Certain worldly entertainments have been presented to Christians as sinful. This is a misrepresentation of Scripture. Some church leaders read in the Bible “love not the world”, and then subsequently compose doctrines for their congregants, based on their own personal beliefs and interpretations. Today’s episode allows Scripture to be given the front seat, when drawing recreational boundaries, and...

Wow, what little confidence some Holiness Pentecostals have in the Holy Spirit and its finishing work! When outward appearance is regularly legislated by church leaders, it begins to look more and more like a lack of dependance on God to bring the work He started in believers, to its completion! Modesty is one way churches in this movement tend to “take things into their own hands” and compose doc...