Found a very intriguing and insightful post on Mary DeMuth‘s blog. Titled “Spiritual Abuse: 10 Ways to Spot It”, DeMuth writes about her experiences with “churches and ministries that bully”.

Here are some of the indicators of spiritual abuse, in whatever form it might take…

– Have a distorted view of respect. They forget the simple adage that respect is earned, not granted. Abusive leaders demand respect without having earned it by good, honest living.

– Demand allegiance as proof of the follower’s allegiance to Christ. It’s either his/her way or no way. And if a follower deviates, he is guilty of deviating from Jesus.

– Use exclusive language. “We’re the only ministry really following Jesus.” “We have all the right theology.” Believe their way of doing things, thinking theologically, or handling ministry and church is the only correct way. Everyone else is wrong, misguided, or stupidly naive.

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