I ' m all Churched Out
Spiritual
abuse
I recently became alarmed at the frequency at which I run into people experiencing a frustration with Church in some cases resulting in a withdrawal from communal worship . We all know that there is no such thing as the perfect Church because it is made up of imperfect people , but what I am about to discuss is a genuine phenomena called , Spiritual Abuse .
The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse , by David Johnson and Jeff VanVonderen : provides many case studies . The data has been methodically collated over twenty years of research by these two respected and established Christian psychologists . Resultantly , many people have borrowed the definition of the term Spiritual Abuse . Having read this book , I did wider reading only to realise that the problem is deepening and widening . Subsequently , there are now help groups that specialise in restoring and healing people who have exited Church due to Spiritual Abuse .
The Research is showing that this phenomena called Spiritual Abuse , is leaving many Christians with emotional scars and some with mental breakdown . Their documented mental agony are a testament against this false regime called the contemporary Church of Jesus Christ , that is not built on the Biblical model laid down by the Lord Jesus Christ and the apostles . With a view to understanding this problem firstly , let ’ s look at how some authors define , Spiritual Abuse .
Definitions for Spiritual Abuse According to ‘ The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse ’, by David Johnson and Jeff VanVonderen :
“ Spiritual abuse is the mistreatment of a person who is in need of help , support or greater spiritual empowerment , with the result of weakening , undermining or decreasing that person ’ s spiritual empowerment .”
These two authors go on to refine this definition : “ Spiritual abuse can occur when a leader uses his or her spiritual position to control or dominate another person . It often involves overriding the feelings and opinions of another , without regard to what will result in the other person ’ s state of living , emotions or well-being . In this application , power is used to bolster the position or needs of a leader over and above one who comes to them in need .”
Examples of Spiritual Abuse Ronald Enroth defines spiritual and pastoral abuse this way : “ Spiritual abuse takes place when leaders to whom people look for guidance and spiritual nurture use their positions of authority to manipulate , control , and dominate .”
In the book ‘ Healing Spiritual Abuse ’, Ken Blue compares other types of abuse with spiritual abuse : “ Abuse of any type occurs when someone has power over another and uses that power to hurt . Physical abuse means that someone exercise physical power over another , causing physical wounds . Sexual abuse means that someone exercises sexual power over another , resulting in sexual wounds . And spiritual abuse happens when a leader with spiritual authority uses that authority to coerce , control or exploit
I ' m all Churched Out
14 | SHARE | MAGAZINE January - March 2017