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The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse (Paperback)

~ (Author), Jeff VanVonderen (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (64 customer reviews)

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Product Description

Breaking the Silence on an Abuse Within the Church That Leaves Christians Feeling "Used," Manipulated and Shamed.

Churches are meant to be safe places where spiritual leaders help and equip the members for the work of service. There are some churches, however, where leaders use their spiritual authority to control and dominate others, attempting to meet their own needs for importance, power, intimacy or spiritual gratification. Through the subtle use of the right "spiritual" words, church members are manipulated or shamed into certain behaviors or performance that ensnares in legalism, guilt and begrudging service.

This is spiritual abuse, and the results can be shattering. Deeply ingrained spiritual codes of written and unwritten rules control and condemn, wounding believers' spirits and keeping them from the grace and joy of God's kingdom. Believers find themselves enslaved to a system, a leader, a standard of performance that saps true spiritual life.

This is a message for Christians who feel they are spiritually abused and for those who might be causing it. Authors VanVonderen and Johnson address these important themes and point the way toward freedom:

What are the abusive spiritual dynamics that can develop in a church?

How do people get hooked into these abusive systems?

What are the marks of false spiritual leadership and their impact on a congregation?

What are the scriptures and doctrinal concepts that c



About the Author

David Johnson grew up in a Christian home, the son of a Baptist Minister. There were great benefits to growing up in the church, but they were not all positive. Along with the life, and truth, and purity&151;there was death, and lies and hypocrisy. At a relatively young age he began to wonder why, if its called good news, it didn't feel that good. Johnson vividly recalls the pattern of being 'yelled at' to tell people the good news of Jesus. It struck him that if it really was good news, "why did they have to yell?" Everything, including evangelism felt like a weight.

Early in his High School years, brokenness in the form of serious family issues, invaded his home. Johnson's initial fear of the trouble was that his parents response would be to add even more weight&try even harder to look good and right. Instead, his father discovered grace and the weight in their family was lifted. For the first time, "how things looked" was not what mattered most and how things really were could be discussed and dealt with without fear.

Johnson entered the ministry with a deep desire to bring that liberating grace to people who has been weighted down by a system of religious performance. In the process, he discovered that the issue was bigger and more wide spread that he had ever imagined. Recently he discovered a name for it&spiritual abuse.

Johnson's education includes a B.A. in Psychology from Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota. Further education followed at Bethel Seminary and Trinity Evangelical School, Deerfield, Illinois. While attending Trinity, he served as the Senior Pastor at the Melrose Bible Church, in Melrose Park, Illinois. Johnson is presently Senior Pastor at Church of the Open Door of Crystal, Minnesota.

David and his wife have 4 children. They make their home in Minnesota.

size : 5.2 x 8

Product Details

  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Bethany House Publishers; Second Edition edition (October 1991)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1556611609
  • ISBN-13: 978-1556611605
  • Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #140,102 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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David Johnson
David Johnson
Jeffrey VanVonderen
Jeffrey VanVonderen

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Customer Reviews

64 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (64 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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69 of 73 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars I wish I had read it sooner, August 19, 2002
By tn_sehlat (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews
It's right on target. I've seen all of the signs of spiritual abuse in several churches I've attended, and I'm in a church now where the signs do not exist among the leadership (and it's easy to dodge the self-righteous members who do practice any of the bad signs... no church is perfect). The difference between churches that use manipulation and those that practice grace is like night and day.

The key to preventing spiritual abuse is balance. God has placed boundaries around ministers and laypeople alike which should not be crossed. When the "leaders" run roughshod over the church members' boundaries while misusing Scripture to protect themselves from legitimate criticism, something is wrong. Pastors cannot claim authority reserved solely for God or expect to control people in ways that only the Holy Spirit can do. God has rules for leaders to obey, and ways for laymen to confront leaders about sin.

I have to disagree very strongly with those who say that this book is anti-leadership or that this book causes problems in churches.

One of the examples used in the book is about a pastor whose congregation expected too much of him. Yes, some churches do place burdens on pastors that are too hard to bear; so this book is for wounded ministers as much as for wounded laypeople. Yes, we're guilty of expecting our pastors do do everything when God really gives ministries to every believer.

Van Vonderen and Johnson warn people who read the book not to use what they have learned as a weapon, but to take action only in the proper spirit. Of course, any time someone takes action in a church, real problems will become visible. My question in every case is: are those problems caused by those speaking out, or have they been there all along and are only now being exposed? People just causing trouble need correction or should be encouraged to move on. People exposing existing problems should be heard out, and solutions to benefit the entire church must be sought. Sweeping exposed problems under the rug is not an option.

This book isn't written for rabble-rousers or disgruntled church members or anyone else of that sort. It is for Christians who have been wounded by the church and who need God's healing. It is fair, it is doctrinally solid, and it gives effective counsel. There is something beneficial for everyone... leader, wounded Christian, or loved ones of people in either group.

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60 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Real Relationship with God, March 31, 2001
By mary willits (Mill Hall, PA United States) - See all my reviews
This book was the best book I've read on spiritual abuse issues. It covers all areas: from being spiritually abused, why things go wrong in the churches today, how to recognize an abusive system, to recovering and returning to a right relationship with God, one of faith, hope, love, and grace. These are the things that build a relationship, and create change in our lives. It's not about rules, regulations, being obedient to leaders, and having people tell you their perception and belief of God's will for your life. That's why God gave us His Word, and we are to grow in a relationship with Him. He will do the work in us , we could not do ourselves. This book was the key to helping our family get our lives back together after having experienced abuse in a church. It not only validated us, but it is packed full of scriptures to search the truth out for yourself, to really look at what the Bible is saying, to whom, why, and to see Jesus's true character, and heart of God's Word. What a blessing! I noticed a person was sort of negative in their response to this book, and spoke of how we are to submit to leaders, etc. The Bible tells us to submit to leaders who speak the truth, who operate in the "fruits of the spirit," and who love (both saints and sinners alike). How can we get to the lost, and get them saved if we are to self-righteous to reach out to them, and love them enough to meet them where they are. Self-righteousness sends people away from God, not toward him. Legalism is based on getting right with God, not how to have a relationship with Him. Even though we were spiritually abused, I don't like to hear messages that "tickle my ears" either, but the deliverance of the message, and the heart of the person sending the message must line up with God's Word, and have a character as Jesus did. God gave us feelings and emotions too, it's not always our sinful flesh. We need God to help us discern between the two. I thank God for this book, pray that God will continue to bless their work because a lot of people without resources like this may otherwise walk away from the Lord, after having experienced such a tramatic experience as spiritual abuse. The book is full of insight, not only of abuse issues, but what's gone wrong in churches today. The only thing that the church can really offer anyone that the world can't is "God's love and grace." As Christians, that's our responsibility! That's what will change people, the world, and cause us to love God and want to serve Him.
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26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best of it's kind, February 24, 2000
By Ron Ravensborg (Minneapolis, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
Full disclosure is probably necessary at this point: I not only attend the church where the author (David) preaches, I work for him, too. I can attest to his personal integrity and his commitment to proper, evangelical Biblical exegesis.

This book is one of the top two or three on the topic, and I highly recommend it to others. It's insightful, timely, and has plenty of examples to help "shine the light" on bad situations. I know it's effective, too: we receive hundreds of messages every year from those who have read the book and now feel liberated to love God again.

In no way does the book encourge parishoners to villify their pastors, or go looking for occasions to "feel abused." It does, however, help expose an all-too-frequent phenomena of pastors who, in the name of God, abuse their authority to achieve their own destructive desires.

God Bless!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Set Me Free
This is excellent and right on target if you have ever been in spiritual abuse. It has released me, to be free from the bondage of this kind of abuse!
Published 15 days ago by Melinda Hammack

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must have" for every Christian believer
I am pleased to now own a copy of The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse. I can only imagine the wealth of healing and emotional knowledge this book has to offer.
Published 2 months ago by D. Rice

4.0 out of 5 stars Spiritual Abuse Triggers Exposed
Have you wondered if the religious group you're involved in seems to be not quite right? Then, The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse is for you. You are not alone. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jean Whiting

5.0 out of 5 stars A refreshing reminder that Christ paid the price already
This book was well written and easy to follow. It clearly explains the phenomenon that happens inside of many churches today. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Carol

5.0 out of 5 stars Help for Christians in toxic churches.
We found this book very helpful for Christians who find themselves trying to survive in a dysfunctional church. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Curley Sweet

5.0 out of 5 stars A book that reads like a biography of too many
I chose this book upon the recommendation of a friend. As I began reading it, I began to see churches that I was familiar with described within its pages. Read more
Published 7 months ago by J. Moore

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow does this book help!!!
I think I have seen and suffered from a common form of Spiritual Abuse as defined in this book. Group Think not God Think. Read more
Published 7 months ago by E Sales

5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone in The Way International should read this book!
I was in The Way International (New Knoxville, OH) for 23.5 years, leaving on January 11, 1995. Many of those years were good, but particularly in the years after 1984, it became... Read more
Published 10 months ago by SJP

5.0 out of 5 stars WILL I EVER TRUST A CHURCH AUTHORITY AGAIN?
Just read the 1991 book and it was so freeing! Came out of two abusive churches within the last year and thought I was healed until I read this book. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Prairiedog

2.0 out of 5 stars Is Spiritual Abuse Real?
That's what I was wondering. Is "spiritual abuse" a real category of abuse? I don't think that it is. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Webfoot

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