Last year, I completed a course by Pastor Tom Pryde of Psalm 82 Initiative on abuse. He helps educate us to spot abusive relational systems so that we can help victims be fearless, free, and uncontrollable (a.k.a controlled by the Holy Spirit alone.) The class was immensely helpful to me in teaching me how to… Read More »
Chris Moles, a pastor and abuse counselor has a new book out to encourage church leaders and counselors to properly address and confront domestic abuse in their churches. His book, Caring for Families Caught in Domestic Abuse: A Guide toward Protection, Refuge, and Hope, features wisdom from a team of counselors and abuse experts who work with both victims and perpetrators of abuse. Contributors to the book include Beth Broom, Kirsten Christianson, Joy Forrest, Chris Moles, Darby Strickland, and Greg Wilson.
Jesus warns his disciples to beware of the leaven of Pharisees. He knows man-centered religion is a real and present danger to his followers. Jesus kindly calls us to be vigilant, to recognize and guard against Pharisaism, so that we can experience eternal life found in Him. (Luke 12:1-12, John 5:39-40.)
Aaron Hann, a trauma and abuse counselor, explains in his October 2022 article that a key dynamic of abuse involves inappropriate assignment of responsibility. This month, Aaron Hann followed up with additional thoughts on John 9, looking at the abuse dynamics in that passage in more detail and relating it to his own experience of… Read More »
And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” – Mark 8:34 Photo by Thanti Riess on Unsplash “I belong to Christ.” This truth has encouraged me through many of life’s trials, whether walking through the death of my first marriage or… Read More »
In Part 1 of my book review of Dr. Kruger’s Bully Pulpit, I spent some time highlighting important themes from the book to give us a better understanding of what spiritual abuse is and what it may look like. In the second half of this review, I want to more fully consider the implications for… Read More »
In his book Bully Pulpit: Confronting the Problem of Spiritual Abuse in the Church, Michael J. Kruger, does a great job shedding light on the problem of spiritual abuse, defining it, surveying Scripture for wisdom on the topic, and explaining the tactics of abusers. Dr. Kruger is President and Professor at Reformed Theological Seminary in… Read More »
In Wade Mullen’s Book, Something is Not Right: Decoding the Hidden Tactics of Abuse and Freeing Yourself From Its Power, he talks about how impression management is a tool of abusers who use their power for their own gain. Abuse almost always comes in a system that prevents it from being dealt with, especially where the abuser is in what Mullen describes as a “keystone” role, where a key personality holds the community together.
In a fascinating episode of Hidden Brain, “When Doing Right Feels Wrong,” Shankar Vendantam tells the story of Darwin, a Detroit police officer who found himself in a dilemma, conflicted between competing values that seemed to be at odds with each other. One evening after work, Darwin found himself sitting at a bar with a… Read More »
In recent weeks, there have been calls for abuse reform in the Southern Baptist Convention and Presbyterian Church in America. We’d like to highlight some of the recent reports in the news and call the church to repentance and concern for the hurting. For those who want to grow in learning to handle abuse: