The back cover of the paperback book, The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse offers the hope of “breaking free from spiritual enslavement.” The promotional paragraph states that no one should leave church or any other place of shelter and encouragement feeling manipulated or controlled. The authors note that such places can become abusive if spiritual leaders begin to use their authority to meet their needs for importance, power, or spiritual gratification. If successful, they can rob individuals of their joy in Christ.
As with most, if not all books, statements are made with which I disagree, but I do think the topic is a worthy one. Most of the material written herein comes directly from the book. I am simply sharing the primary thesis of the book in the words of the authors. They ask the question, “What is spiritual abuse?” Then they define it.
Spiritual abuse is the mistreatment of a person who is in need of
help, support, or greater spiritual empowerment, with the result
of weakening, undermining, or decreasing that person’s spiritual
empowerment.
The definition is refined with some functional definitions.
* Spiritual abuse can occur when a leader uses his or her spiritual position to control or dominate another person. It often involves overriding the feelings and opinions of another, without regard to what will result in the other person’s state of living, emotions, or spiritual well-being. In this application, power is used to bolster the position or needs of a leader, over and above one who comes to them in need.
* Spiritual abuse can also occur when spirituality is used to make others live up to a “spiritual standard.” This promotes external “spiritual performance,” also without regard to an individual’s actual well-being, or is used as a means of proving a person’s spirituality.
One of the reasons the authors wrote the book is to help both leaders and followers recognize spiritual systems that have become abusive. For those who discover they’ve built a system that’s spiritually abusive – enslaving people to a system, a leader, a standard of performance – Johnson and Van Vonderen offer advice and guidance that can help you change and return to grace.
The apostle Paul wrote:
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5.1 NIV).
At the root of the problem of spiritual abuse is having forgotten the incredible price that was paid, in blood, for our freedom in Christ. If you have opportunity to read the book you will discover the biblical examples and scriptural references contained therein.
After showing examples of perpetrators in the Old and New Testaments, the question is asked, “Who are the perpetrators today?” Their answer is, “First, there is the neglect of real needs in favor of the ‘needs’ of authority; then legalism replaces rest in God with demands for spiritual performance. Abuse is perpetrated by people in positions of power.
In Galatians, the teaching of the Judaizers went something like this: “Faith in Jesus is right, and you must have it. But it’s not enough. In order to really find positive standing in God’s eyes, you have to be circumcised.” In other words, false spiritual systems teach that right standing with God depends on what Jesus did, plus those “spiritual” acts that you do.
Legalism is a form of religious perfectionism that focuses on the careful performance and avoidance of certain behaviors. It teaches people to gain a sense of spiritual acceptance based on their performance, instead of accepting it as a gift on the basis of Christ. Living with Jesus as your only true source of life and acceptance is a confrontation to those who seek God’s approval on the basis of their own religious behavior.
If you perform as perpetrators say you must: (1) it will make them look good; (2) their self-righteousness will escape the scrutiny of the cross of Christ as the only means to God’s favor; (3) it will allow them to examine you instead of themselves; (4) they will be able to “boast in” or gain a sense of validation from your religious performance.
In Timothy 6:5 he warns that these erring teachers “suppose that godliness is a means of gain.” They act godly to gain something. “But, Paul says, “godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment (v.6). Have you ever met a contented legalist, a truly restful religious “performer?” There’s no such person.
What are spiritual leaders to do? Protect the flock from legalists who push religious performance as the means to right standing or favor with God. It is not wrong to notice legalism and protect yourself from being abused.
In ending this week’s blog, I quote a conclusion of the authors. “We believe that all of us, as Christians, need to be on guard – not only against specific leaders and systems that throw their spiritual weight (legalism) around, but against the subtle use of “formulas” and doctrines that are so often used to press good people of the faith into conformity with a religious system instead of conformity to Christ.”
No comments:
Post a Comment