5 VOLUME 9 |ISSUE 1 |2018
Most individuals experience periods of uncertainty, anxiety,
or insecurity. During such times, a strong leader can make
them feel that they are in a safe, nurturing environment. Not
all strong leaders are abusive. Leaders who have integrity and
understanding can be helpful in such circumstances. Some
leaders, however, do not respond ethically to the influence—
the power—that they have over others. Such leaders may
unscrupulously take advantage of the needs of those in their
congregation. This exploitation is the essence of abuse. When
the abuse occurs within a religious framework, it may be called
spiritual abuse. (For more information on the psychology of
abusive leaders, see Burke, 2006 Goldberg, 2012 and Shaw,
2014.)
Factors That Affect Abuse
Where and how does spiritual abuse happen? The risk of
spiritual abuse increases when (a) pastors lack accountability,
(b) intense emotion or dissociative practices lead to suggestible
states of mind, (c) leaders and members of the congregation
display an attitude of superiority toward those outside the
church and develop isolation from them, (d) pastors lack the
training that would reduce the risk of abuse, and (e) pastors have
inappropriate sexual relationships with congregants.
Lack of Accountability. In recent years, many
nondenominational churches have sprung up. Ed Stezer, in
his June 12, 2015, entry to his blog The Exchange (hosted on
the website of Christianity Today, a prominent publication
aimed at evangelicals), referred to data gathered in the General
Sociological Survey each year from 1972 to 2014.1 Using the
baseline average from 1972 to 1976, as of 2014 there had
been a more-than-400 percent growth in nondenominational
evangelicals. In contrast, the Southern Baptist Convention, which
is the largest evangelical denomination in the United States, had
actually declined in membership.
When churches are led by men or women who have the drive
to establish an independent community and who also feel
they have a more direct or correct understanding of God or
the Bible than mainstream communities, and when these
church boards are unquestioningly loyal to the pastor, absent
the accountability of a mainstream religious community, the
churches have the potential to become the pastor’s “kingdom.”
Another warning sign can be when a church was previously part
of a denomination but then broke with the denomination. If the
purpose of the split was for the leader not to be accountable to a
higher authority, it is easier for that church to become abusive.
Intense Emotion and Dissociative Practices. Independent
charismatic churches may be especially vulnerable to abuse.
Charismatic doctrine emphasizes supernatural gifts, such as
having the ability to prophesy the future possessing words
of knowledge, wherein it seems that a charismatic leader has
information about other people’s lives that the people have not
divulged or speaking in tongues, in which utterances are spoken
that are not in one’s own language and may or may not be a
recognizable language. These experiences can be extremely
emotional. They often are subjective, hard to verify, and can
potentially skew individuals’ perceptions of reality and may
make them less discerning about their church or group. Much
importance is placed on independent spiritual experience that
cannot be reasonably evaluated even by biblical standards.
When, for example, a pastor or group leader says “God told me
X,” how is someone to know whether the speaker is hearing
from God? Is she delusional or perhaps following her own
agenda cloaked in holy words? Yet the Bible is full of accounts of
individuals hearing from God in unorthodox ways. These pastors
may be quick to point to examples from the Bible to create the
appearance of credibility.
Another circumstance in which people can potentially be
exploited is when a style of worship is marked by long periods
of soothingly rhythmical music, often accompanied by
repetitive words, with the pastor or other leader exhorting the
congregation to have a stronger spiritual commitment. This
combination, too, can elicit an emotional response and even
induce an altered state of consciousness. When congregants
are at this place, they have the potential to be more suggestible
and perhaps not employ the critical thinking that they would
ordinarily use. A pastor, if so inclined, can take advantage of
people in this state. (For an in-depth analysis of intense emotion
and dissociative practices, see Sherlock, 2015.)
Attitude of Superiority and Isolation. Although it is natural to
want to associate with like-minded individuals, a healthy church
welcomes communication from those outside of the church,
even if church pastors and members don’t fully agree with
the outsiders’ views. Those within the church realize that they
can learn much and benefit from these interactions. However,
in fringe churches and cults, those outside of the church,
even those in other churches, are often seen to be spiritually
immature or, worse yet, totally reprobate. The more extreme the
thinking of church leaders and members along these lines, the
more isolated a church can become. This, too, can be a breeding
ground for abuse.
Lack of Training. When pastors and leaders lack formal training,
the possibility of their not fully understanding the context of
events, teachings, and history put forth in the Bible is more
likely. As a result, they may then teach their congregations an
erroneous interpretation of the Bible, which may adversely affect
the structure and functioning of the church.
Sexual Abuse. Sexual abuse unfortunately is not limited to fringe
churches and cults, and has occurred with alarming frequency
in mainstream denominations. The pastor may be conforming
to the standards of the denomination in the way a church is run
but, as an individual, is inflicting unspeakable abuse on some
of the congregants. A notable example of this is the widely
In abusive religious
environments, what might
be called a rape of the soul
and also the mind occurs.
Most individuals experience periods of uncertainty, anxiety,
or insecurity. During such times, a strong leader can make
them feel that they are in a safe, nurturing environment. Not
all strong leaders are abusive. Leaders who have integrity and
understanding can be helpful in such circumstances. Some
leaders, however, do not respond ethically to the influence—
the power—that they have over others. Such leaders may
unscrupulously take advantage of the needs of those in their
congregation. This exploitation is the essence of abuse. When
the abuse occurs within a religious framework, it may be called
spiritual abuse. (For more information on the psychology of
abusive leaders, see Burke, 2006 Goldberg, 2012 and Shaw,
2014.)
Factors That Affect Abuse
Where and how does spiritual abuse happen? The risk of
spiritual abuse increases when (a) pastors lack accountability,
(b) intense emotion or dissociative practices lead to suggestible
states of mind, (c) leaders and members of the congregation
display an attitude of superiority toward those outside the
church and develop isolation from them, (d) pastors lack the
training that would reduce the risk of abuse, and (e) pastors have
inappropriate sexual relationships with congregants.
Lack of Accountability. In recent years, many
nondenominational churches have sprung up. Ed Stezer, in
his June 12, 2015, entry to his blog The Exchange (hosted on
the website of Christianity Today, a prominent publication
aimed at evangelicals), referred to data gathered in the General
Sociological Survey each year from 1972 to 2014.1 Using the
baseline average from 1972 to 1976, as of 2014 there had
been a more-than-400 percent growth in nondenominational
evangelicals. In contrast, the Southern Baptist Convention, which
is the largest evangelical denomination in the United States, had
actually declined in membership.
When churches are led by men or women who have the drive
to establish an independent community and who also feel
they have a more direct or correct understanding of God or
the Bible than mainstream communities, and when these
church boards are unquestioningly loyal to the pastor, absent
the accountability of a mainstream religious community, the
churches have the potential to become the pastor’s “kingdom.”
Another warning sign can be when a church was previously part
of a denomination but then broke with the denomination. If the
purpose of the split was for the leader not to be accountable to a
higher authority, it is easier for that church to become abusive.
Intense Emotion and Dissociative Practices. Independent
charismatic churches may be especially vulnerable to abuse.
Charismatic doctrine emphasizes supernatural gifts, such as
having the ability to prophesy the future possessing words
of knowledge, wherein it seems that a charismatic leader has
information about other people’s lives that the people have not
divulged or speaking in tongues, in which utterances are spoken
that are not in one’s own language and may or may not be a
recognizable language. These experiences can be extremely
emotional. They often are subjective, hard to verify, and can
potentially skew individuals’ perceptions of reality and may
make them less discerning about their church or group. Much
importance is placed on independent spiritual experience that
cannot be reasonably evaluated even by biblical standards.
When, for example, a pastor or group leader says “God told me
X,” how is someone to know whether the speaker is hearing
from God? Is she delusional or perhaps following her own
agenda cloaked in holy words? Yet the Bible is full of accounts of
individuals hearing from God in unorthodox ways. These pastors
may be quick to point to examples from the Bible to create the
appearance of credibility.
Another circumstance in which people can potentially be
exploited is when a style of worship is marked by long periods
of soothingly rhythmical music, often accompanied by
repetitive words, with the pastor or other leader exhorting the
congregation to have a stronger spiritual commitment. This
combination, too, can elicit an emotional response and even
induce an altered state of consciousness. When congregants
are at this place, they have the potential to be more suggestible
and perhaps not employ the critical thinking that they would
ordinarily use. A pastor, if so inclined, can take advantage of
people in this state. (For an in-depth analysis of intense emotion
and dissociative practices, see Sherlock, 2015.)
Attitude of Superiority and Isolation. Although it is natural to
want to associate with like-minded individuals, a healthy church
welcomes communication from those outside of the church,
even if church pastors and members don’t fully agree with
the outsiders’ views. Those within the church realize that they
can learn much and benefit from these interactions. However,
in fringe churches and cults, those outside of the church,
even those in other churches, are often seen to be spiritually
immature or, worse yet, totally reprobate. The more extreme the
thinking of church leaders and members along these lines, the
more isolated a church can become. This, too, can be a breeding
ground for abuse.
Lack of Training. When pastors and leaders lack formal training,
the possibility of their not fully understanding the context of
events, teachings, and history put forth in the Bible is more
likely. As a result, they may then teach their congregations an
erroneous interpretation of the Bible, which may adversely affect
the structure and functioning of the church.
Sexual Abuse. Sexual abuse unfortunately is not limited to fringe
churches and cults, and has occurred with alarming frequency
in mainstream denominations. The pastor may be conforming
to the standards of the denomination in the way a church is run
but, as an individual, is inflicting unspeakable abuse on some
of the congregants. A notable example of this is the widely
In abusive religious
environments, what might
be called a rape of the soul
and also the mind occurs.
