Emerging Grace has a post today talking about spiritual abuse, which is a subject one eventually realizes is an all-too-common occurrence. Once you see it, it’s kinda like the innocence of your spiritual childhood just evaporates, like the tragedy of a child learning a horrible truth that forces them to grow up in an instant, gaining in a moment a kind of “mature” realization that nobody should have to learn. Having been there myself, I’ve mentioned this before, and I’ve read online or heard a number of stories with the same theme… and there are still more of these in the comments on Grace’s post as well.
If you’re not familiar with the whole subject or if you’re of the opinion that people are just whining about somethiing that’s all in their heads, then this conversation is worth your time to observe. It’s of course different from one person to the next, but realize as you read that for some of the people who’ve been through it, there is an intense amount of real pain involved.
I remember hearing a conversation on a television show or some such place some years ago, in which one person was saying that a particular child wouldn’t be teased about — and here I forget what it was, but it was something no child would survive on the playground — and the response from the other person was a sarcastic, “Yeah, because kids can be so kind…” I hear this replayed in Paul Riser’s voice, fwiw… but there’s a part of me that considers spiritual abuse and says, “Yeah, because christians can be so kind…”
Bro Maynard,
I am sorry, however I must say this.
As for all the people that I have met that are bloggers, almost all of them, have been or are still suffering from spiritual abuse. Many of them, are still harbouring the wounds and allowing them to become “bitter roots”, that are springing up to ‘defile’ others. Even discipling others into the bitterness and criticalness towards the ‘church’ (this is scary)
As I stated, I am sorry for saying this. I do acknowledge the pain, abuse and woundedness that people experience by abusive leaders, however, I am very cautious that the bitterness that is communicated through posts such as this communicate.
I hope that you and others such as “Grace”, find healing and wholeness.
As have I…
I stated in a comment at ‘Grace’, that I think that we all must have our illusions shattered of what leaders are and what the church is…
May God grant you peace and wholeness…
Brother Maynard
Great thread…I plan to address this very issue on Monday on my blog. Must be the Spirit! In light of what has taken place recently in a church that a friend attends I want to address the issue of “TOUCH NOT THE LORD’S ANNOINTED.” (from a pastoral view of course)
But as I write…I think that I will need to post sooner than planned.
Walking carefully today
soulpastor