What to do when they use the ‘S’ word.

What to do when they use the ‘S’ word -Are you supporting Samson Rising?

Let’s be honest. The moment every ex-member dreads is when a CFO member blusters in and says:

“Are you supporting Samson Rising?”

It’s the spiritual equivalent of being asked by a traffic cop if you’ve had “just one drink tonight.” The heart races, the palms sweat, and suddenly the only words in your head are “uhhh…”

But here’s the truth: we are all being asked this question. And that’s not a bad sign. It means the pressure is working. It means they’re nervous and angry. It means the decades of arrogance – that they alone have the hotline to God because of the “Messenger thing” – is starting to crack.

So let’s turn the tables. Instead of fearing the question, let’s have some fun with the answers.

The Stonewall Specials

When you want to stay cool and non-committal, borrow a page from their own playbook:

• “I have no opinion on that.”
• “Out of respect for people’s confidentiality, I don’t discuss Samson Rising.”
• “If you’d like to calmly discuss the evidence – 57 complaints, 314 surveys, 1,644 petitions – then sure. Otherwise, no conversation today.”
• “When you start speaking honestly about what’s going on at church, I’ll tell you honestly what I think of Samson Rising.”

Stonewalling works.

They perfected it. Time we used it back.

The Gentle Deflections

If you’d rather slide away without confrontation:

• “That’s a really personal question. How’s your garden going instead?”
• “Funny you ask. Did you hear about those interest-free loans that just vanished? Wild, right?”
• “Did you hear about those new coercive control laws – jail time hey…”
• “That’s not a question you can ask in isolation. If you want to talk, let’s talk about everything, not just one sided loaded questions.” 
• “Let’s just say I’m more interested in the truth than protecting presbytery jobs.”

The Counterpunches

Sometimes, if you’re in the right mood to spar. Have a little fun taking the wind out of their sails:

• “Damned straight I’m helping Samson Rising. What person with a conscience wouldn’t?”
• “I’m not bitter, I’m just taking action”.
• “So… did Vic’s kids get those roles because God said so, or because Dad owns the company?”
• “No doctrine on cutting family off = No Samson Rising”.
• “If they didn’t act like a cult they won’t be treated like a cult”.
• “Change your leaders, change direction or deal with what’s coming.”
• Tell me how much money the church made last year, and I tell you about Samson Rising.
• “Would you want to be cut off from your family if you decided to leave or changed which political party you support or which footy club you like? Because that’s the kind of madness that’s going in that church.”

Delivered with a calm smile, these lines can turn a grilling into an awkward silence—for them, not you.

Here’s the point

For decades, CFO leaders have lorded it over us with a self-righteous swagger, claiming their messenger status makes them untouchable. But every time one of us gets asked, “Are you with Samson Rising?” it proves the opposite. It shows they feel threatened. It shows that the slow, disciplined build-up of truth-telling is making an impact.

We don’t need to fear these conversations anymore. We can prepare for them, laugh at them, and remind CFO family, we are no longer individuals who can be easily brushed aside. We stand together, determined and impossible to ignore.

Your Turn

What’s your favourite response when a CFO member corners you with the ‘S’ word – “are you supporting Samson Rising?” Do you evade, deflect, or throw a zinger that leaves them blinking?

Let’s build a library of comebacks – serious, funny, biting, or kind – that empower us all. Because when the Messenger’s power to intimidate crumbles into awkward silence, we win.

From the Team

Samson