By Elizabeth Prata
Protestia article
When I was in junior high school in 1972, there was a popular thing among the students, especially girls, called a “slam book“. It was usually a ringed notebook in which the owner would write his or her name on the inside cover, and also write the names of all or some of the classmates at the top of each page. Then the notebook would circulate and other students could write anonymous comments about the student written at the top.
Sometimes the comments were nice, but much of the time the comments were cutting, sarcastic, or downright cruel. The anonymity of it tended to encourage the cruelty. Sin natures coming out, and all that. Eventually, the book would land back at the original owner after having thoroughly circulated. If your name was written in the book you wanted to read about yourself but often regretted seeing the comments that were not so nice about yourself. Positive comments were always overshadowed by the negative.
There is a thing called the online disinhibition effect. The opposite attitude of the online disinhibition effect, where people act differently, less inhibited online than they do facing a person. Then there is a ‘toxic online disinhibition effect.’ It’s the cruelty, sarcasm, rude language, or trolling we have seen all to often.
What is it about anonymity that encourages such cruelty? Being able to write anything about anyone under the cloak of anonymity brings out the worst in us. Anonymity encourages cruel comments by removing accountability, lowering social consequences, and instilling a detachment from the pain your comment inflicts on others. People slam someone and then scroll away. Boundaries and filters fade behind the cloak of anonymity, and our deeper nature leaks out in the poison pen.
It’s an online slam book culture.
At Pray’s Mill Church in Douglasville, GA last year, it was discovered that Josh Buice had been operating anonymously as a troll under eight accounts across different social media, for over three years, anonymously. He had been rebutting comments, slamming others, and generally behaving, in my view, as a junior high schooler writing in a slam book. He was found out, stepped down, and Pray’s Mill assigned other elders to take his place. All of Buice’s online content work was scrubbed. His presidency of the para-church ministry he founded of G3 was changed to now-President Scott Aniol.
Protestia reported last year when this happened,
“Both the church’s and G3’s now-removed statements in May 2025 stated: These accounts (of Josh Buice) were used to publicly and anonymously slander numerous Christian leaders, including faithful pastors (some of whom have spoken at G3 conferences), several PMBC elders, and others. These actions were not only sinful in nature but deeply divisive, causing unnecessary suspicion and strife within the body of Christ, and particularly within the eldership of PMBC.
All that was sad and shocking to us who watched G3 crumble before our eyes. It has been the fastest growing seemingly solid conference in the United States. I attended two of them and was thrilled and edified at the learning being offered. We never guessed that its president was operating a slam book behind the scenes, a deceitful move and one that cost him his ministry presidency, his pastorate, and G3’s reputation.
The Bible forbids gossip, slander, and deceit. They are listed as sins. Pastors are held to a higher standard and are judged more strictly. It was right that Buice stepped down. We were sad about this scandal but encouraged that the Pray’s Mill elders seemed to have understood the gravity of a moral and ethical behavior breach in their pastor. They recovered a bit of their lost reputation by their handling of Buice’s deceptive activity.
But then again, maybe they didn’t. Cut to this week.
This week, Protestia published a lengthy investigative article on new allegations coming out of Pray’s Mill Church about their elders. Apparently, as Protestia reported this week,
“Less than a year after Josh Buice’s downfall, current G3 Ministries leaders anonymously distributed damaging allegations against former G3 board member Tom Buck. And rather than admit and defend their actions, these leaders fabricated claims about David Morrill at Protestia and gaslit the Pray’s Mill Baptist Church congregation as being under Satanic attack.”
Gossip, slander, lying, deceit, hypocrisy…again- are SINS.
Incredibly, it was reported that “current G3 board member Jon Norton was personally involved in distributing the anonymous material, which was mailed from Texas while on business (versus mailing from Georgia), using FBC Lindale’s name and return address (presumably to imply that the dossier came from someone at Tom Buck’s church, and was previously brought to his elders by a known accuser), and using latex gloves during the process to ensure fingerprints were not left on the mailed materials.“
“Witnesses indicated this was done to prevent the packets from being traced back to G3 Ministries (from which Buck had recently resigned amid concerns over post-Buice leadership), and that all Pray’s Mill elders were aware of the mailings.” [bold theirs].
The accusations by Pray’s Mill elders were not even against one of the members in their own church! They circulated this packet against a former member of the board who had resigned long ago and lived quite a distance from Georgia, in Texas.
I read the entire Protestia article, I found it balanced, thorough, and credible.
Reactions have been running the range from disappointment, incredulity, and renouncing any participating in the conference culture.
I am heartbroken over the fall of any formerly credible ministry or pastor. But the deception and hypocrisy in this act is inexcusable. It is particularly grievous after this same church practiced church discipline correctly a year ago over the same issues of anonymous slander and causing division. The accusations emerging this week leveled by the Pray’s Mill elders were against a good pastor, one of whom was crafty enough to use latex gloves so fingerprints would not be traced back to their church! were found to be largely untrue, some true but minor, already handled, and less incendiary than the packet mailed around made out.
There are many scriptures dealing with how we are to behave toward one another. I’ll post just a few.
but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in trickery nor distorting the word of God, but by the open proclamation of the truth commending ourselves to every person’s conscience in the sight of God. (2 Corinthians 4:2).
For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or [a]by way of deceit. (1 Thessalonians 2:3).
The north wind brings rain, And a gossiping tongue brings an angry face. (Proverbs 25:23).
As we watch the ugliness unfold, there are lessons for us. Don’t just ‘tut tut’ from the sidelines. When we see something like this happen, remember that sinners be sinning and we’re sinners too. We need to remember our gut reaction to seeing people’s sin exposed, and remember it’s just as ugly when we ourselves gossip, slander, cause division, and deceive. I’ve been saying to myself with renewed energy, ‘Goodness, I do not want to be that person, behave honorably at all costs!’
14As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16because it is written: “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.” (1 Peter 1:14-16).
Further Resources
Haman’s Gallows: Phil Johnson’s remarks about the current G3/Pray’s Mill scandal. “One wonders how this itch to discredit or destroy their adversaries by anonymous dirty tricks crept into G3’s DNA. This will be another scandal G3 did not need, and it is one they probably cannot survive.”
the-end-time.org 