In the latest episode of Centering: The Asian American Christian Podcast, hosts Yulee Lee and Daniel Lee delve further into the challenging topic of toxic ministry. The conversation highlights the necessity of discernment in ministry, distinguishing between toxic and simply unhealthy environments. They introduce the concept of “spiritual bypassing,” where spiritual language and “Christianese” is used to avoid addressing real issues. Personal stories and examples from the Bible illustrate how authentic spiritual maturity involves embracing and processing one's emotions rather than bypassing them for a facade of spirituality. 00:00 Introduction to Toxic Ministry 00:48 Understanding the Distinction Between Toxic and Dysfunctional Ministries 05:41 The Role of Grace in Enabling Abuse 06:53 Personal Stories of Ministry Abuse 12:11 Spiritual Bypassing vs. Spiritual Maturity 20:07 The Confusion of Discernment 20:19 Daniel's Story on Anger 20:42 The Complexity of Anger in Christianity 22:48 Spiritual Bypassing and Its Dangers 24:01 The Importance of Authenticity in Faith 25:36 The Role of Psalms in Prayer 26:37 Challenges in Ministry and Spiritual Manipulation 28:35 Embracing a Broad Spirituality 30:09 Avoiding Spiritual Bypassing 36:25 The Need for Honest Struggle in Faith 39:05 Concluding Thoughts on Toxic Ministry Devotional Classics by Richard Foster https://www.harpercollins.com/products/devotional-classics-revised-edition-richard-j-foster?variant=32116217479202 Spiritual Bypassing by Robert Masters https://www.northatlanticbooks.com/shop/spiritual-bypassing/ Emotionally Healthy Church, Peter Scazzero Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, Peter Scazzero https://www.harpercollinschristian.com/author/369/peter-scazzero/ KPop Demon Hunters https://www.netflix.com/title/81498621