Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “spiritual abuse”
The following is an essay I wrote over a year ago for Christianity Today. It was declined, but as I was going through some old files today, I came across it again. I’ve healed a lot since writing this, but I feel it captures a window into the grief resultant from abuse in the church. I hope you find it comforting.
Some contend that abuse in the church – particularly spiritual abuse – is not so prevalent as to constitute a crisis. “It’s just a few bad apples,” they say of corrupt leaders and child abusers. “Just a few bad apples we can easily avoid.” But here’s the thing about bad apples: they spread their rot to other apples. Their bent …
Below is a letter from Pastor Bill Shishko and the Session of The Haven OPC Church in Long Island, New York, to update you on our situation following my Open Letter to the OPC: Regarding Abuse in the Church. First though, I’d like to update you on some other responses and results from it. Following investigations in both the OPC …
Hi Jennifer. I’m in a marriage where there’s emotional and spiritual abuse. My husband is a pastor and very legalistic. He constantly criticizes me, accuses me of not doing God’s will, and claims he knows what God’s will is even on non-eternal issues. He can’t agree to disagree, and it’s damaging my faith to the point that I sometimes doubt …
