The Unlovely Truth

Lori Morrison
  • 4.8 (61)
  • TRUE CRIME
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
The Unlovely Truth

Conversations at the intersection of faith and true crime hosted by private investigator and church safety advocate Lori Morrison.

  1. JAN 1

    S6E32: Church Law, Break-Ins, and School Shootings

    Happy New Year and Welcome to the Unlovely Truth. I'm your host church safety advocate and coach Lori Morrison. I help ministry leaders assess and address the 12 critical safety issues that exist in every church. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so my mission on this podcast is to give you actionable steps to make your house of worship a true sanctuary in your community. Let’s investigate the unlovely truth about real crime stories happening in real churches. I've got three cases to explore today, so let's dive right in.    2025 is a great time to resolve to help your church increase its safety across all areas of potential concern. Since you are listening to the podcast, you’re off to a promising start!   Proverbs 21:21-22 (NIV)   Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity, and honor. One who is wise can go up against the city of the mighty and pull down the stronghold in which they trust.   There is so much wisdom packed into these two short verses - it’s why I love Proverbs so much. We all want life, prosperity, and honor for our churches, right? Proverbs gives us a simple recipe to create it for our congregations. We simply pursue righteousness. Of course, we can’t attain complete righteousness on our own, but only through the sacrifice of Jesus. But here we are told that life, prosperity, and honor can be ours if we just pursue righteousness. I think that looks a lot like doing things the way Jesus would. And if we are wise, we can go up against those who aren’t leading well and cast aside the strongholds they hold dear. So I want to ask you: what strongholds are there in your church that get in the way of truly protecting the most vulnerable among you? Point them out and help leaders deal with them so that your church becomes an even more life-giving place for all. Let me know what you think of this episode! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have hard, but impactful conversations that strengthen physical, emotional, and spiritual safety in our churches.   Important points from this episode include:   Making spiritual abuse against church law Avoiding confrontation is wise How to increase safety in Christian schools Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Buy Me a Coffee to help me continue to offer free church security advice on the podcast   Share the episode   Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Read more about today’s cases:   Potential new church law   Run and hide saves the day   Christian School Safety   Subscribe to Worship Security newsletter (and read articles by me from time to time!)

    12 min

  2. 12/15/2024

    Kung Fu Pastor, She Thinks She Speaks for God, and a Pastor Speaks Out and is Iced Out: S6E31

    Welcome to the Unlovely Truth. I'm your host church safety advocate and coach Lori Morrison. I help ministry leaders assess and address the 12 critical safety issues that exist in every church. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so my mission on this podcast is to give you actionable steps to make your house of worship a true sanctuary in your community. Let’s investigate the unlovely truth about real crime stories happening in real churches. I've got three cases to explore today, so let's dive right in.    Important points from this episode include: Kung fu pastor "She's the voice of God to you" - not! Pastor speaks out and gets iced out  The Bible verse that I want to read today is Ephesians five 11.  It says in the NLT. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness. Instead. Expose them.  That doesn't need a whole lot of exposition or explanation. Not only are we supposed to not do things that are wrong. If we see somebody. Doing evil things. We're supposed to expose them. And I know it's so easy to think. Well, I shouldn't get involved. I don't really know what's going on. But  if you see something, say something. Make sure other people are aware of what's happening, just say what, you know. I bring up your concerns. Ask for a committee to be formed, to look into things.  Now, if we're talking about anything where a minor is being harmed, you need to call the police. Any, anything that could be criminal behavior, you need to call the police and let them deal with it. But if it's somebody that's being, you know, emotionally abusive as, as a teacher of something,    You need to bring that up.  That person needs to be. Corrected. Maybe they don't realize what they're doing. And they can fix that. That'd be great. If not. And they don't need to be that type of leader. They can serve in other ways.  So as we're coming to the end of 2024. I just want to give you encouragement. Yes. We've talked about a lot of tough stuff. This season. But getting that out in the light, keeping it from being hidden, bringing it up to the proper people. That's what we're called to do. And I am here to help you. So have a Merry Christmas, a happy new year, and we'll keep on fighting the good fight in 2025. 📍    Let me know what you thought of this episode. You can send me an email@loriattheunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. Because I absolutely love it when people are willing to jump in and have hard, but impactful conversations. Because that's how we're going to strengthen physical, emotional, and spiritual safety in all of our churches.  Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Buy Me a Coffee to help me continue to offer free church security advice on the podcast   Share the episode (w/link)   Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Read more about today’s cases:   Kung Fu Pastor   "She's the Voice of God to You"   Pastor Speaks Out, Gets Iced Out   Learn more about ballistic glass and window film (this is not an affiliate link. It's for information only.

    14 min

  3. 12/01/2024

    Dealing With a Controlling, Neglectful, or Deceitful Pastor: S6E30

    Welcome to the Unlovely Truth. I'm your host church safety advocate and coach Lori Morrison. I help ministry leaders assess and address the 12 critical safety issues that exist in every church. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so my mission on this podcast is to give you actionable steps to make your house of worship a true sanctuary in your community. Let’s investigate the unlovely truth about real crime stories happening in real churches. I've got three cases to explore today, so let's dive right in.    Important points from this episode include:   Dealing with a controlling pastor Dealing with a neglectful pastor Dealing with a deceitful pastor 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 NIV   I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.   What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”   Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians to address problems he saw in the church, and one of the big ones was sexual immorality. If it happened back then, why do we think it can’t happen now? Paul didn’t ignore the problem, he acknowledged it so the church could fix things.    And part of his recipe for fixing things was to not associate with those in the church who were being sexually immoral. So why do we today do the exact opposite? I suppose that some of it is in the name of tolerance. We like to think we are amazing people when we overlook evil and call it loving people. Paul says that when it comes to people who call themselves Christians, that is exactly the opposite of what we should be doing.    It is so frustrating to watch churches get this wrong over and over and over. If this is a problem at your church, it’s time to speak out. If you need my help, all you’ve got to do is ask. Let me know what you think of this episode! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have hard, but impactful conversations that strengthen physical, emotional, and spiritual safety in our churches. See you all next time!   Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Buy Me a Coffee to help me continue to offer free church security advice on the podcast   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Read more about today’s cases:   Unhealthy leadership story   You should have called the police   Child abuses child

    13 min

  4. 11/15/2024

    A Life Sentence, a Ministry Ban, and a Taser: S6E29

    Welcome to the Unlovely Truth. I'm your host church safety advocate and coach Lori Morrison. I help ministry leaders assess and address the 12 critical safety issues that exist in every church. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so my mission on this podcast is to give you actionable steps to make your house of worship a true sanctuary in your community. Let’s investigate the unlovely truth about real crime stories happening in real churches. I've got three cases to explore today, so let's dive right in.    Important points from this episode include:   Proven character is more important than a title A ministry ban is a good way to curb spiritual abuse If you want your church to grow, don’t use a taser on a worshipper   For anybody who says they're a follower of Jesus, their character should be producing such amazing fruit that we know exactly who guides their steps. And in Galatians chapter five, verses 22 and 23, it says, “But the fruit of the spirit is love. Joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.”     So if we think back over our three cases from today, we definitely didn't see any faithfulness in that first one. And the second one -- we didn't see kindness. And that third one, golly. We did not see any kind of Christian love.    And I know none of us are going to be producing all of this, all the time. But when we look at our leaders, our volunteers, the people we look up to in our spiritual lives -- we should see the fruit of the spirit in their actions.    So I want you to ask yourself. Is there anything in your church where you think that leadership is not really showing the fruit of the spirit? Maybe they need to step aside for a time, maybe they're going through a tough time. Maybe they never should have been a leader in the first place.  But things aren't going to be better unless somebody steps up. And is willing to say the hard thing and have those conversations. And if you need help with that, please, please get in touch with me.    I would love to help you with that.     Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Buy Me a Coffee to help me continue to offer free church security advice on the podcast   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Read more about today’s cases:   Pastor murders one of his girlfriends   Spiritual abuse busted   Tasers and tambourines

    10 min

  5. 11/01/2024

    Abuse, A Coverup, and Christian “Domestic Discipline”: S6E28

    Welcome to the Unlovely Truth. I'm your host church safety advocate and coach Lori Morrison. I help ministry leaders assess and address the 12 critical safety issues that exist in every church. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so my mission on this podcast is to give you actionable steps to make your house of worship a true sanctuary in your community. Let’s investigate the unlovely truth about real crime stories happening in real churches. I've got three cases to explore today, so let's dive right in.    I'm not a fan of horror movies. There’s enough real-life stuff that scares me so why would I look for fake scary stuff. The episode proves that we’ve got to be on the lookout for horrific happenings even in our churches. So why do I think it’s important to talk about the things I talk about on the podcast?   Numbers 21:6-9 (CSB) Then the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and they bit them so that many Israelites died. The people then came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Intercede with the Lord so that he will take the snakes away from us.” And Moses interceded for the people.   Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake image and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will recover.” So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. Whenever someone was bitten, and he looked at the bronze snake, he recovered.   The children of Israel were whining, again, about the state they found themselves in. Never did it seem to occur to them that THEY were the reason things weren’t going so good. It would get a lot worse once the snakes made their appearance. And I’m fascinated to think about the idea that God “sent” these snakes. Was it that he commanded them to go and bite the people, or that He had been restraining them to protect the people and now since they were murmuring against God, he simply got out of the way like they seemed to say they wanted?   Ouch. That hits pretty close to home doesn’t it?   But God is merciful and gave the people a way out of the mess they’d created. If they would look up in their distress at the bronze snake, they would live. Let’s think hard about this. They had to look at the very thing that was killing them to live.    I think that as a whole, the church has whined and grumbled about taking the protection of the vulnerable among us as seriously as we need to. We need to hear these stories, these things that have the potential to strike and wound the church, if we want the church to live and thrive.   So I want to ask you - are you willing to be a person who speaks out? Who tries to get your leaders to look at problems they don’t want to look at? If you are, please reach out to me. I’d love to help you on that important journey. Let me know what you think of this episode! Send me an email at lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have hard, but impactful conversations that strengthen physical, emotional, and spiritual safety   Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Buy Me a Coffee to help me continue to offer free church security advice on the podcast   Share the episode   Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Read more about today’s cases:   Volunteer youth pastor also a pimp   Another denomination covers up abuse   Spiritual abuse against women

    11 min

  6. 10/15/2024

    Fake Church Shooting, Ethics Prof Arrested, and Pastor Arrested with Guns and Drugs: S6E26

    Welcome to the Unlovely Truth. I'm your host church safety advocate and coach Lori Morrison. I help ministry leaders assess and address the 12 critical safety issues that exist in every church. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so my mission on this podcast is to give you actionable steps to make your house of worship a true sanctuary in your community. Let’s investigate the unlovely truth about real crime stories happening in real churches. I've got three cases to explore today, so let's dive right in.  Highlights from this episode include: Who fakes a church shooting? Someone who shouldn’t be on your security team. Ethics for thee, none for me says a Christian ethics professor.  Doesn’t everyone take guns and drugs to Vegas? Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Jeremiah 23:11 ICB Both the prophets and the priests are evil. I have seen them doing evil things even in my own Temple,” says the Lord. Let’s start off with some context. To put it simply, Jeremiah reports that the civil and religious leaders of Israel were a mess! Rather than acting as shepherds of the people, they were committing adultery, lying, and deceiving their people. Unfortunately, today’s stories show that “religious” people today often aren’t all that different. We have to be honest with ourselves and admit that even today people that have power in our churches often hide the side of themselves that is behaving in deeply sinful and abusive ways. That has to stop.  It’s time to remove unfit leaders while still praying for them as Dr. Stephen Cady showed us by his example. If you know that your church needs to do that but you don’t know how to even approach such a situation, please message or email me. I’d love to walk alongside your church and serve you the best way I know how.  Let me know what you think of this episode! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have hard, but impactful conversations that strengthen physical, emotional, and spiritual safety in our churches.  Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Buy Me a Coffee to help me continue to offer free church security advice on the podcast Share the episode  Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Read more about today’s cases:   Fake church shooting Christian Ethics Professor Arrested Pastor arrested with guns and drugs

    10 min

  7. 10/01/2024

    The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven: S6E25

    I’m so glad you’ve joined me at the intersection of faith and true crime here at The Unlovely Truth. Does your church or ministry struggle with physical, emotional, or spiritual safety issues? I’m your host, church safety advocate Lori Morrison and I’m so glad you’ve joined me today. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so our mission on this podcast is to find actionable steps to improve every aspect of safety in our houses of worship and beyond. We will investigate The Unlovley Truth about real crime news stories happening in real churches. I’ve got new cases to explore today, so let’s dive right in.    Highlights from this episode include:   Is the coverup always worse than the crime? A celebrity pastor behaving badly Another Christian school, more bad behavior   Matthew 18:1-10   About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.   “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.   “What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting. So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.   “Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father. This is not a super hard passage to understand. So let's just look at some of the really important points that stick out to me. Jesus starts out answering a question in a way that is unexpected. And he does that so many times. He doesn't just straight up answer their question. He redirects what he wants them to be focusing on. They were focused on themselves, on their deeds, and what those deeds might entitle them to. But Jesus talked about some of the most vulnerable members of any society. It's children.    And he doesn't just mention children. He calls a child to him. It has that little one stand as an equal with all these adults around him. And then he challenges those adults to be more like that. Marginalized. Powerless child.    And it's so opposite of what our leaders in today's cases did and how they failed the children around them. Having a millstone hung around your neck and being tossed in the sea is such a vivid word picture. When I directed a children's ministry many, many years ago, I wanted that to be our ministry verse and to paint it up on the wall, but they wouldn't let me. I can't imagine why not! But to me, it shows how seriously Jesus takes the protection of children. But in our society and yes, even in a lot of churches, We focus on adults. And we say that that's where the air quote real ministry happens. We let budgets distract us. We let the lack of volunteers keep us from doing what needs to be done. We let the lust for power blind us. And not because we're cutting out any offending part of us. It's not our hands, feet, and eyes that are the problem. It's our hearts. Hearts that lead us to steal, to abuse, and to neglect.    And we saw all that happening just in this episode. So, what do we do about it? Jesus had the answer as he always

    14 min

  8. 09/15/2024

    Does Being Like-minded Mean Not Having a Mind of Your Own? S6E24

    I’m so glad you’ve joined me at the intersection of faith and true crime here at The Unlovely Truth. Does your church or ministry struggle with physical, emotional, or spiritual safety issues? I’m your host, church safety advocate Lori Morrison and I’m so glad you’ve joined me today. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so our mission on this podcast is to find actionable steps to improve every aspect of safety in our houses of worship and beyond. We will investigate The Unlovley Truth about real crime news stories happening in real churches. I’ve got new cases to explore today, so let’s dive right in.    Highlights from this episode include:   Calling out bullying in disguise Are you managing your volunteers well enough? Leadership team does the right thing Phillipians 2:1-4 NIV   Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.   Rather than meaning we all have to think alike the way a high-control leader might want his followers to do, we are to simply act like Jesus. Well, simple in theory, oh-so-hard in practice. It takes a very intentional mindset that says we are willing to be uncomfortable if that makes it better for someone else.    It’s hard to speak out when there may be physical, emotional, or spiritual safety issues in our church. But things won’t get better until we are willing to get uncomfortable and talk about them, do something about them. Are you ready to do that?   Let me know what you think of this episode! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have hard, but impactful conversations that strengthen physical, emotional, and spiritual safety at the intersection of faith and true crime.   Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Share the episode   Buy Me a Coffee   Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn    Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Read more about today’s cases:   Church discipline, or bullying?   Really, really bad volunteer   Church network...or cult?

    13 min
See All (100)

4.8
out of 5
61 Ratings

About

Conversations at the intersection of faith and true crime hosted by private investigator and church safety advocate Lori Morrison.

Information

  • Creator
    Lori Morrison
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2025
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2023 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Unlovely Truth

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada