Customer Reviews

Recovering from Churches That Abuse

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My husband forced me to leave the church we were attending. I thought I was literally going crazy. I had nightmares, and I feared that we were cursed for leaving. A friend lend me this book and it changed my life. After a year of mental torment, I finally realized that I was just a victim of spiritual abuse. If you feel God has forsaken you because a pastor or minister told you so, please read this book. God will never leave you. You are not cursed for leaving church or for disagreeing with a pastor. This book is so on target. I thought for sure the author went to my church! I praise God that I have truly been set free in my mind.

This excellent SHORT book brings home poignantly the plight of the vulnerable spirit who is searching for answers in a religious system where members find value and spiritual worth based on their own works. Clear and concise, the author provides evaluative questions and practical advice for bringing the seeker back to God's grace.

This book is a healing balm for those who have been spiritually abused. The sequel to Churches That Abuse, this book deals more in-depth with the recovery process and its ups and downs. The author does not sugar-coat the toll that spiritual abuse takes on people. Instead, he gives accurate, compassionate, real-life stories which illustrate the recovery process. Anyone who has been harmed by a church or religious group would greatly benefit from this book. Mr. Enroth also shows that this type of abuse is not an easy, simple thing to recover from. Christians who have been given the pat answer "forgive and forget" will find welcome relief and understanding here. This book will be helpful to Christians and non-Christians alike. Those who have suffered from similar experiences will find support in processing, expressing, and recovering from their ordeal. The author has provided an important service in courageously addressing this formerly forbidden subject.

This a must read! I grew up in the church and found myself after many years attending an abusive church (it starts subtle then bam!!). I attend a healthy church now. But if you know someone who is going through this ..this book is right on.I have given it to many friends coming out of an abusive church and this aids in the healing process! My encouragment is your not alone and you are not going crazy.....this is very real. I hope Dr.Enroth continues his research and publishes more of his books!!

I spent 10 years of my childhood in an abusive church. When I came out I thought I was so unique for having this experience, this book with the other testimonials and stories put it into perspective. I went from thinking I was on a spiritual battleground of guilt-ridden delusion, end-time prophecy and spiritual warfare being played out, to realizing that my experience is not unique. My church was The True Church, The Only Way, and I left it when I no longer believed that but I still had the fears of the consequences if I was wrong. Reading this book showed me that every church is The True Church. What a relief that everyone is so conceited, that my church is just a textbook cult. Now I can just focus on following God truly. This was a major step towards my peace of mind. If my friends ever leave my old church I'll give them this book.

Although they would fight tooth and nail against the name "cult," abusive groups, particularly small "Bible church" types, have all the behavior traits of one. Simply stating a doctrinal belief in the diety of Jesus does NOT mean a group isn't a cult--it simply means they assert a belief that they do not live by. Simply studying the Bible a lot does NOT make a person biblical.
This book is enlightening for all who leave abusive churches, or who wonder if they might be in such a group, and are unsure how to leave, if they should leave, etc. Many who leave these churches carry a truck load of unresolved guilt, fear, and uncertainty. Often, the shreds of truth that they heard/were taught/lived by (true biblical teaching)remain locked to all kinds of destructive, unbibilical, harmful beliefs. If everyone who is in one of these kinds of groups read this book, I believe many would find the courage to leave, knowing that they are not alone, not stupid, etc., but have been victimized by men whose lives and "ministries" come straight from the pages of the Bible. (See 1 & 2 Timothy, 2 Peter, Jude, Rev 1-3)
Just as importantly, this book is a wonderful reference for the families, friends, loved ones, etc., of those who leave abusive churches.
Also, friend, if you believe you might be in such a group as defined by this book, but are unsure--try breaking a few of the groups unspoken, non-biblical "rules," and see how you're treated by the group and your leaders. Then, you'll know for sure...

The is the second book that Ronald Enroth has written on this topic, and in my opinion, this book is as good as the first one. Even if you haven't read his first book CHURCHES THAT ABUSE, you can still get the full value out of this one.

As in his other book, Enroth gives examples of people from spiritually abusive churches and their (often difficult) exit from them. For many people, the hurt and anger take a long time to go away. The recovery process isn't easy, but for those who are willing to trust God through the process and persevere, it's always worth it. As one of the people who left an abusive group said, "... there is room for the grace of God. He can miraculously change things, and He has. In my life he did."

The final chapter gives some cautiously optimistic reports of certain abusive groups who have begun to question their own practices.

Read it! You'll be glad you did!

When Ronald Enroth wrote the best-selling book Churches That Abuse, he touched a nerve with many people who had experienced the pain inflicted by fringe churches and religious groups having authoritarian or other hurtful styles. In this book Enroth points the way toward spiritual and emotional healing for those who have come out of these groups.

This book will help the victims of spiritual abuse and their families cope with reentry into the Christian mainstream, and it will prove invaluable to counselors and pastors who are helping these people to find their way. Specific topics, presented through the narrative style of the book, include dispelling emotional confusion, restoring relationships, regaining independence and making other life adjustments, coping with disorientation, returning to reality, and renewing a wholesome personal relationship with God