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Tag Archives: spiritual-abuse

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 14: “No Admittance”

20 September 2012, 10:30

MatthewS

7

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 14: “No Admittance” We continue our Thursday series blogging through “The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse.” The first post in the series is here. Jesus broke the “can’t-talk” rule. He stood up against the religious leaders on behalf of those who were being spiritually oppressed when he cleansed […]

The Raising of a Christian Narcissist

17 September 2012, 06:00

Moderator

50

My family joined the Advanced Training Institute (ATI) in the early ’90s, shortly after attending a Basic Seminar, at the invitation of a family which has in recent history become a household name. I was in my early elementary years at the time. I didn’t really understand why we were making so many abrupt changes […]

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 13: The Weight of Religion

13 September 2012, 06:00

MatthewS

1

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 13: The Weight of Religion We continue our Thursday series blogging through “The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse.” The first post in the series is here. What about the backlash of too much grace? What if we give people too much grace and not enough pressure to perform […]

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 12: Straining Gnats, Swallowing Camels

6 September 2012, 13:30

MatthewS

13

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 12: Straining Gnats, Swallowing Camels We continue our Thursday series blogging through “The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse.” The first post in the series is here. Jesus used an evocative word picture when he told the Pharisees that they strained out gnats even as they swallowed camels. Gnats […]

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 11: Image Is Everything

30 August 2012, 06:00

MatthewS

4

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 11: Image Is Everything We continue our Thursday series blogging through “The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse.” The first post in the series is here. Jesus talked about the false leaders who did their deeds to be noticed by people and who desired to be seated in the […]

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 10: “You Can Trust Me”

23 August 2012, 10:00

MatthewS

14

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 10: “You Can Trust Me” We continue our Thursday series blogging through “The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse.” The first post in the series is here. Chapter ten continues the consideration about leaders in spiritually abusive systems with a discussion about trust. In Matthew 23, Jesus raises two […]

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 9: “Because I’m the Pastor, That’s Why!”

9 August 2012, 06:00

MatthewS

4

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 9: “Because I’m the Pastor, That’s Why!” We continue our Thursday series blogging through “The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse.” The first post in the series is here. The previous chapter concluded part 1 of the book, which focused on the victims. Part 2 (chapters 9-16) looks at […]

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 8: Revictimizing Victims, cont’d

2 August 2012, 07:22

MatthewS

4

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 8: Revictimizing Victims We continue our Thursday series blogging through “The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse.” The first post in the series is here. It is a devastating re-abuse of victims when a code of silence over the wounds they have experienced is enforced by a misuse of […]

How to Spiritually Manipulate Young People in Six Easy Steps

27 July 2012, 06:00

Moderator

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Step 1. Present a test that supposedly measures one’s love for God. Every Christian young person desires to love God, of course, and will be excited to confirm their commitment to their Savior! Step 2. Present scripture out of context that insinuates that one is God’s enemy if they fail the test. This heightens the […]

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 8: Revictimizing Victims

26 July 2012, 09:27

MatthewS

4

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 8: Revictimizing Victims We continue our Thursday series blogging through “The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse.” The first post in the series is here. Chapter 8 concludes part 1 of the book which has focused on abusive systems and the victims. We have found that abusive systems can […]