Signs of a Spiritually Abusive Church

Any church leader that uses their Position and Teachings to CONTROL and MANIPULATE their members... is practicing Spiritual Abuse.  Somehow the good news has become the bad news. It is a subtle trap in which the ones who perpetrate spiritual abuse are just as trapped. It is the exploitation of members desire for spirituality, where power is used to bolster the position or needs of a leader, without regard for others’ well-being or over-all spiritual health.

 If you have experienced any of the following signs, you may have been a victim of spiritual abuse by a religious leader:

1. HEAVY SHEPHERDING (Authoritarian-Style Leadership) -The Apostle Paul urged believers to be imitators of him, even as he sought to be like Christ himself.  While the Scriptures teach church leaders also to be an example, it is expected that the leaders will not lord over their congregations and become controlling, denigrating, and despotic. Sadly, those who seek the favor of an abusive leader, often become imitators of him, even imitating his abusiveness toward others, and adopting his eccentricities, mannerisms, and characteristics. Thus, the abusiveness and hatefulness of the leader becomes contagious -- to the extent that the mistreatment of members may even seem normal. (Jesus – “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles LORD it over them and their great ones exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall NOT be so among you…” –Mark 10:42-44) Jesus also said he “HATED the doctrine of the Nicolaitans” …which means to conquer the laity.  (It is a symbolic name of a party that represents the hierarchy of a ruling class over the rest of the people, developing a pecking order of fleshly leadership.) 

2. FREQUENT PREACHING FROM THE PULPIT REGARDING NOT GETTING OUT FROM UNDER THE "SPIRITUAL COVERING" of the leadership –The proper role of human under-shepherds is to lead people to the Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ, and teach them how to be His disciples, in submission to Him and His authority. Hyper-authoritarian leaders, instead, lead people to themselves, and indoctrinate them to be their followers, in total submission to them and their authority. They indoctrinate members to believe the spiritual leaders of the church themselves are the members' "spiritual covering" (a totally false and patently unbiblical concept).  And any member who ever leaves the church will be "out from under their covering," be without any covering or what they call, "uncovered," and will experience terrible curses and other horrible consequences as a result. From the pulpit often comes "stories" about what happened to such-and-so person or family, who were so spiritually “offended” or rebellious as to leave the group without the blessings and approval of the "house".  Members cannot “properly” leave the church, without the headship first “releasing” you. (The early church was taught to rely upon the inner

What is APOSTASY?

Apostasy is such a strong word; however at its core it simply means a defection from the faith.

So the first thing we must do is define the term “the faith”. The faith is used repeatedly in the New Testament to reference what we believe. The faith is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Christ’s atoning work on the cross, His burial and subsequent resurrection from the dead is in totality -the Gospel.

The Lord Jesus Christ (being the Second Person of the Thrice Holy God was virgin born) lived a sinless life and accomplished His foreordained purpose....which was to be the sinless substituted sacrifice of which the entirety of the Old Testament spoke of and unmistakably pointed to. On the cross, Jesus said "It is finished" at which time the veil in the temple was torn top to bottom. On the cross the price was paid and God’s justice was thoroughly and unequivocally satisfied. It is of utmost doctrinal importance to understand where and when the price was paid. The work was totally finished at the cross. If one does not believe it was finished at the cross and teaches otherwise, they’re flirting with apostasy. 

The Lord Jesus Christ didn’t enter hell and fight demons before His resurrection to secure redemption. Neither was He held by Satan and tortured in hell for three days to pay for our sin. He wasn’t suffering in the torments of the underworld waiting until the Father spoke a word of faith to release Him. These statements are actual teachings concerning where and when Christ paid the price for our sin. They are unscriptural and thus are to be considered false doctrine. The proponents of such teachings are some of the most popular teachers i.e. Joyce Meyer, Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Hagin, Benny Hinn, Fredrick K.C. Price, it is called the "Jesus Died Spiritually doctrine" and it is a doctrine of demons. To teach that Jesus Christ needed to do more than the cross is flat out false, it’s heresy. The problem is for twenty years all anyone’s cared about was me, me, me. The itching ears of the people have been satisfied by the strong delusion of false teachers -who appear as angels of light and are transformed right before our eyes into ministers of righteousness. The modern church sells books, vitamins, herbs and spices, food, anointing oil, jewelry, candles, etc. etc. but has virtually abandoned the preaching of the cross.

 

Our pastors are now "life coaches", our evangelists have become "motivational speakers", and our prophets are nothing more than "entrepreneurs" who’ve gone the way of Balaam.  It’s rare to hear full expository preaching on justification, sanctification, atonement, imputed righteousness, and other foundational doctrines in the modern church. Instead you hear it’s time for your harvest, a new level, a higher dimension, greater anointing, prosperity, wealth and to this self help cesspool I say puke, puke, and more puke! These ear candy sermons are a symptom of the apostasy, the outright defection from truth. But, it keeps the ca$h (seed) flowing.

I encourage you to examine the teachings of your favorite teacher/preacher. Since you can’t question most of them (because they’re too busy receiving the anointing) get out your Bible and compare what they teach to the Word of God:
     *Are they staying in context?
     *Are they promoting a new revelation?
     *Are they using scripture to interpret scripture?


If you’re involved in a charismatic/word of faith style church, you already understand that your "submission to the vision and the man of God" trumps all sound judgment and thus ALLOWS you to dismiss all the clear truth -you’ll discover as you pray and study the Bible. In such churches those who question are "Pharisees" or sons of "Korah".  In reality those who question are exercising I John 4:1.   

I’m NOT advocating questioning whether the pastor should wear a suit or other trivial matters -I’m speaking of looking into the teachings as to whether they’re scripturally accurate or not. Having attended a 12,000+ member charismatic church and graduating from Bible College 16 years ago, I’ve had to examine all I was ever taught. The experience has been freeing to say the least. As you begin to study, just simply keep your faith in Christ and Him crucified. 

Your salvation and your everyday living for God isn’t based on your performance and it’s not based on your submission to a vision or a leader -it’s based on Christ and His great love for you. Much of the modern church is adrift in the sea of apostasy and is no longer holding fast to right doctrine. If you’re involved, I encourage you to jump ship and swim to shore.

"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils" 1 Timothy 4:1  

Cult of Personality and Charismatic Authority

*A cult of personality arises when an individual uses mass media, propaganda, or other methods, to create an idealized and heroic public image, often through unquestioning flattery and praise.

*A cult of personality is similar to hero worship.  The term may be applied by analogy to refer to adulation of religious or non-political leaders.
Read more: Cult of Personality 

*Charismatic authority is a form of religious or political leadership and authority largely tied to the popularity and charisma of a single leader. This sometimes involves a personality cult.  A charismatic ruler is thus not simply obeyed but also is followed and respected. 

According to Weber, the idea of charismatic authority emerged from the sociology of religion, and is particularly associated with new religious movements (including cults) led by a charismatic individual (e.g. prophet), who can create laws by his decree that are sometimes based on revelations that he receives.  He gives advice to his followers and ardent followers see this advice/revelation as absolute commands.

A religion which evolves its own priesthood and establishes a set of laws and rules is likely to move towards another ideal type of domination when it loses its charismatic leader.
Read More: The Charismatic Authority

The Bishop

Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer (bishop), he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church ? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap.    I Timothy 3

“It’s Just Me” –Life after a Toledo Pitt Stop

It was the summer of 2007 and I shouted “Lord, you told me I’d always be there!” The Lord quickly answered back, “No, that’s what YOU always said.” I thought about that for a moment and He was right. The light had come on in my world and I began to see that I had been living in a matrix, a bubble, if you will. A world filled with hopes and dreams that would never be realized the way I thought they would. Quickly, my mind began to race with questions. How could this be? I thought Pastor was my “covering”? What about all the memories, all the years, the friendships, the teaching, the dedication, the dreams we held collectively and stood on through the years? You can’t leave a church without “knowing” where you’re going next, right? Right?! At that point, I had already been given many confirmations that I needed to leave, but I asked the Lord to confirm His will by His written Word. So He said, “Acts 7:3”. I turned there and read, “Leave your people and your country, and come to the land that I WILL show you.” Wow, there it was. I knew what this meant and where this was going. What was once the “unthinkable” became true in my life. All the thoughts that maybe “it's just me, something must be wrong with me” came to a peaceful end. I had finally come to the realization that my decision to leave Cornerstone Church after 10 yrs. was the right one. Now it was time for me to OBEY what God had been showing me for months. I had to make a choice that day… "Do I follow the voice of the Holy Spirit or the voice of man?” Not to mention the fear that my friends in the church would think I was crazy or “off”-as they would put it. Yes, leaving would cost me a lot. But, God had spoken and it was time to pick up my tent and continue on.

Did I know I was attending a spiritually-abusive church? Did I know what an authoritarian leader was? No, not when I first left. You see, I had basically “grown up” in this church. Of course, I had a solid foundation in church as a child, but this was MY first church as an adult. I was proud of myself for finding it on my own and becoming a dedicated member. And I loved my Pastor and the members very much. So, as much as it was exciting at first to be following God’s direction, it was extremely difficult because of my relationship ties. Little did I know the transition I would go through.

One step at a time the Holy Spirit taught me, healed me, and corrected any false perceptions of God and His Word that came over the platform. Many unhealthy things were shown to me, but I also found that there were many GOOD and true things taught to me during my season at Cornerstone as well. Not everything was bad, I just had to learn to separate the two. I began to see that I attended a church that BECAME spiritually abusive. I began to see that the leadership was set up like a hierarchy that taught members that the Pastor himself was their