A Word from Bob
This is Part 1 of a three-part series on spiritual abuse.
Part 1, Definitions and Signs of Spiritual Abuse: I’ll define spiritual abuse and I’ll share signs of spiritually abusive leadership. Part 2: I’ll collate and share biblical passages about spiritual abuse. Part 3: I’ll collate, link to, and provide a brief summary of several resources on spiritual abuse. A Short History of My Acquaintance with Spiritual Abuse
While our Christian world seems only recently to be highlighting spiritual abuse, I’ve been thinking about, researching, and writing about spiritual abuse for some time.
I first began studying issues related to spiritual abuse thirty-two years ago in 1992—when I was experiencing spiritual abuse. I didn’t even know the label “spiritual abuse” at the time. Then I read David Johnson and Jeff VanVonderen’s book, The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse: Recognizing and Escaping Spiritual Manipulation and False Spiritual Authority Within the Church. First published in 1991, as I read the book, it felt like the authors were looking inside my soul and were privy to my situation. They were so “spot-on.”
For the next two decades I studied, taught, and wrote about what the Scriptures say
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