Reading: What Is A Pathological Antagonist? (Video Slides)

What Is A Pathological Antagonist?

Henry Reyenga

Defined

Antagonism is the stimulus of a major disruption in a church caused by the mean-spirited attitude and behavior of an antagonist. Antagonism is usually defined as actively expressed opposition, hostility, or antipathy.

Greenfield, Guy (2001-07-01). Wounded Minister, The: Healing from and Preventing Personal Attacks (p. 36). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

Characteristics Of A Pathological Antagonist 

1. The arguments of a pathological antagonist are usually founded on little or terribly misrepresented evidence. Some common logical fallacies employed are pettifogging (quibbling over petty details, offering strong proof of irrelevant points); extension (exaggerating the position of one's opponent); argumentum ad ignoratium (making an accusation that cannot be disproved and then claiming that this makes it true).[2] From my experience with a clergy killer, I would add another fallacy--outright lying or falsification. An antagonist, in his attempt to make the kill, will take certain facts and so twist them that they are blatantly false when presented. In time he convinces himself that his twisted facts are true.

Greenfield, Guy (2001-07-01). Wounded Minister, The: Healing from and Preventing Personal Attacks (p. 36). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

Characteristics Of A Pathological Antagonist 

2. I have often observed that a pathological antagonist will initiate trouble. This person is hypersensitive to any word or action, even trivial oversights, so that he takes these things as a personal attack and responds aggressively. Failing to speak to him in the hall, not asking him to pray at meetings, not getting his approval in advance for an idea you wish to propose to the church, or not recognizing him sufficiently before the congregation are examples of behavior that will cause his antagonism to flare up. He will take these as evidence that you are against him.

Greenfield, Guy (2001-07-01). Wounded Minister, The: Healing from and Preventing Personal Attacks (pp. 36-37). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

Characteristics Of A Pathological Antagonist 

3. It became clear to me that the pathological antagonist is never satisfied. His demands are insatiable. No amount of accommodation on the minister's part will ever suffice. Attempts at appeasement will not calm him down but will encourage him to make more demands. This person will fight on until there is nothing left but debris. He is persistent and unstoppable.

Greenfield, Guy (2001-07-01). Wounded Minister, The: Healing from and Preventing Personal Attacks (p. 37). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

Characteristics Of A Pathological Antagonist 

4. The pathological antagonist will lead a campaign of attack on the minister. This person is not trying to give constructive criticism. Even if some valid points are offered, his goal is nothing short of control, no matter what it may cost the minister or the church. The antagonist is so full of rage that he feels compelled to attack the "enemy” (the minister) until he is destroyed (terminated and eliminated from the scene). This person probably has a "God-problem.”

Characteristics Of A Pathological Antagonist 

He feels some deep-seated anger toward God, for some reason out of his past experiences. Because it is difficult to show anger directly toward God, the pathological antagonist chooses the minister, the "man of God,” as his target. Sometimes this anger is guilt-driven (possibly due to some hidden sin, such as an extramarital affair, for example). His antagonism is an attempt to move the spotlight off his own sins and onto another. Therefore the attack is a smoke screen to cover his own moral indiscretions.

Greenfield, Guy (2001-07-01). Wounded Minister, The: Healing from and Preventing Personal Attacks (p. 37). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

Characteristics Of A Pathological Antagonist 

5. It was obvious to me that the attacking behavior of the pathological antagonist is selfish in nature. Often he will seize on some spiritual goal or objective, such as the good of the church and its work in the community, and pretend this is what he is fighting for. This person is rarely interested in authentic spiritual goals. If one rationale no longer works to his advantage, he will devise another, such as keeping the young people from leaving the church. His stated reasons for opposition are a ruse for his own hidden agenda. What he really wants is power, control, status, and authority.

Greenfield, Guy (2001-07-01). Wounded Minister, The: Healing from and Preventing Personal Attacks (p. 37). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

Characteristics Of A Pathological Antagonist 

6. The attacks of the pathological antagonist are for destruction rather than construction. The antagonist's actions divide the church; they do not pull the people together. My experience concurs with Haugk when he writes, "Show me a divided and strife-torn congregation, and I will show you a congregation that has one or more antagonists in its midst.”

Greenfield, Guy (2001-07-01). Wounded Minister, The: Healing from and Preventing Personal Attacks (pp. 37-38). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

Hard-Core Antagonists (1)

Hard-core antagonists are seriously disturbed people, even psychotic, that is, out of touch with reality. Their psychosis is of the paranoid type, which is not easy to detect. These people can appear normal either some or most of the time. They have incredible persistence and an extreme desire to make trouble, even enjoying their sadistic inclinations. One can easily spot one of these individuals by the smirk often seen on his face, especially noticeable after he makes a critical or snide remark about the pastor in a meeting of church leaders.

Greenfield, Guy (2001-07-01). Wounded Minister, The: Healing from and Preventing Personal Attacks (p. 38). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

Hard-Core Antagonists (2)

Hard-core antagonists are identical to Rediger's "clergy killer” types. They will go to any length and expense to wreak havoc on their targets. As far as they are concerned, they are fighting a jihad, a holy war, and the minister is the enemy. They believe they are doing God a favor. Their inner rage is baptized in the aura of holy zeal. Without a doubt, the hard-core antagonist is slippery and dangerous. He cannot be reasoned with. The apostle Paul may have had this kind of people in mind when he warned the Ephesian elders about "savage wolves” infiltrating the congregation and "not sparing the flock” (Acts 20:28-29).

Greenfield, Guy (2001-07-01). Wounded Minister, The: Healing from and Preventing Personal Attacks (p. 38). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

Major Antagonists (1)

Most major antagonists are not as severely disturbed as the hardcore ones, but they will at times demonstrate similar behaviors. If the hard-core antagonist cannot be reasoned with because of emotional instability, the major antagonist refuses to be reasoned with. Reason is within his capacity, but he knows that if he uses it, he may be defeated or proved wrong. So to protect his position, he simply refuses to be reasonable and his demands are insatiable.

Greenfield, Guy (2001-07-01). Wounded Minister, The: Healing from and Preventing Personal Attacks (pp. 38-39). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

Major Antagonists (2)

This individual probably has a character or personality disorder seen in the heavy load of anger he carries about together with an overwhelming lust for power. He is not psychotic or out of touch with reality, but his personality problems are obviously deep-seated. A major antagonist does not want to change, since change is threatening to him. He has built a defensive wall around himself, labeled "I am right; what I am doing is right.”

Greenfield, Guy (2001-07-01). Wounded Minister, The: Healing from and Preventing Personal Attacks (p. 39). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

Well Intentioned Dragons (1)

The second and third types above may approximate what Marshall Shelley calls "well-intentioned dragons.” Their goals may allegedly be the best interests of the church, but their methods and attitudes are still those of a dragon, doing more harm than good, undermining the ministry of the church without intending to do so.

Greenfield, Guy (2001-07-01). Wounded Minister, The: Healing from and Preventing Personal Attacks (p. 39). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

Well Intentioned Dragons (2)

All three of the above types are malevolent in both intent and effect. I am distinguishing here somewhat between degrees of meanness. These types are different from those we call activists, who are devoted to a worthy cause or who push for constructive change in a group's way of thinking or acting. Activists are committed to an issue such as a world hunger offering or a building program or an antiabortion crusade; they really care about something important to them. But they are issue-oriented, not person-centered as the pathological antagonists are.

Greenfield, Guy (2001-07-01). Wounded Minister, The: Healing from and Preventing Personal Attacks (p. 39). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

Biblical Precedents 

The role, danger, and possibility of antagonists in a church are nothing new in Christian history. Even in the Bible, examples may be found. There is the classic precedent of Judas Iscariot who sought vigorously to deter Jesus from his primary mission.

Greenfield, Guy (2001-07-01). Wounded Minister, The: Healing from and Preventing Personal Attacks (p. 44). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

Biblical Precedents 

A pathological antagonist will always betray the divine mission of the church even "in the name of God.” Jack often invoked the name of God to justify his behavior to eliminate the minister from office. Betrayal comes in many shapes and sizes. The biblical explanation is that "Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot” (Luke 22:3). It is not incidental that the basic meaning of Satan is "accuser,” which is the primary role of an antagonist.

Greenfield, Guy (2001-07-01). Wounded Minister, The: Healing from and Preventing Personal Attacks (p. 44). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

The Apostle Paul Had Antagonists (1)

There is also the precedent of the apostle Paul's antagonists at Corinth who are unnamed but were very distracting to his ministry. The actions of these persons, who are often identified by scholars as legalistic Judaizers, serve as the background for chapters 10-13 of 2 Corinthians. These antagonists infiltrated the church and sought to discredit Paul's message and ministry.

Greenfield, Guy (2001-07-01). Wounded Minister, The: Healing from and Preventing Personal Attacks (p. 44). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

The Apostle Paul Had Antagonists (2)

He referred to them as "super-apostles” (11:5; see also 12:11), having just suggested that their work seemed patterned after the work of the deceptive serpent in the Garden of Eden, the results of which would be to lead their thoughts away "from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (11:3). This deception is called a "different spirit” and a "different gospel” from that received through Paul's ministry (11:4). The antagonists' message is of "another Jesus than the one we proclaimed” (11:4)

Greenfield, Guy (2001-07-01). Wounded Minister, The: Healing from and Preventing Personal Attacks (p. 44). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

The Apostle Paul Had Antagonists (3)

Moreover, Paul calls these boasting antagonists "false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.” Then he directly identifies them as ministers of Satan who disguise themselves as angels of light and ministers of righteousness but falsely so (11:13-15). In a spirit of stern judgment, the apostle states, "Their end will match their deeds” (11:15). He goes on to observe that these antagonists have made slaves of the Corinthian believers, preyed upon them, taken advantage of them, put on airs, and given them a slap in the face (11:20). Paul even chides the Corinthian saints for not having commended (defended) him in the face of these antagonists (12:13)

The Apostle Paul Had Antagonists (4)

In addition, Paul is fearful that when he returns to Corinth, he will find the church embroiled in "quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder” (12:20) as a consequence of their having followed and supported these antagonists. Paul implies that his ministry had been for "building up and not for tearing down” (13:10), an implication that the work of the antagonists had been for tearing down. He concludes by appealing to his readers to live together in agreement and peace with the promise that "the God of love and peace will be with you” (13:11).

Greenfield, Guy (2001-07-01). Wounded Minister, The: Healing from and Preventing Personal Attacks (p. 46). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

The Apostle John Had Antagonists 

Another biblical precedent of antagonism is the case of Diotrephes mentioned in the apostle John's third letter. John characterizes this antagonist as one "who likes to put himself first” and "does not acknowledge our authority” (v. 9). John accuses Diotrephes of "spreading false charges against us. And not content with those charges, he refuses to welcome the friends [fellow believers], and even prevents those who want to do so and expels them from the church” (v. 10). John then concludes with the appeal: "Beloved, do not imitate what is evil but imitate what is good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God” (v. 11).

Greenfield, Guy (2001-07-01). Wounded Minister, The: Healing from and Preventing Personal Attacks (p. 46). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

Conclusion

Those of us in ministry who have dealt with pathological antagonists could not find a more descriptive portrayal of their evil work than John's. Arrogant, harsh, cruel, caustically critical, unloving, unkind, deceptive, disruptive, and divisive, these persons are clearly not of God. As one of my lay leader supporters said to me, "These men are like a cancerous tumor in one's body; the only way to deal with it is surgery.”

Greenfield, Guy (2001-07-01). Wounded Minister, The: Healing from and Preventing Personal Attacks (p. 46). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.