The Subtle Power Of Spiritual Abuse

Please be patient with this and brows through the topics. THIS IS A BEAUTHFUL BOOK FOR ALL OF US. This book is fantastic!! Want to get your head together? You got to get this book! This book is about recognizing and escaping spiritual manipulation and false spiritual authority within the church. The following is a few of the topics within the book about where we have been, where we are now, and where you can go:

SPIRITUAL ABUSE IS NOT NEW --A Scriptural Portrait --Who are the Perpetrators Today? --Brood Of Vipers --Ravenous Wolves --Paul's Battle --Legalism --Seething Controntations --Leaders Who Protect the Block.

ABUSED CHRISTIANS --Victims Of Spiritual Abuse Struggle In These Areas: --You develop a distorted image of God, You may be preoccupied with spiritual performance, You have a distorted self-identity of yourself as a Christian, You have a problem relating to spiritual authority,  You may have a hard time with grace,  You may have difficulty with personal responsibility, You may suffer from a lack of living skills,  You may have a hard time admitting the abuse, You may have a hardtime with trust.

THE PRE-ABUSE SET-UP --Learned Powerlessness --Relationships that build victims: Out-Loud Shaming, Focus On Performance, Manipulation, Coding with verbal manipulation, Idolatry, Preoccupation with fault and blame, Obscured reality, Unbalanced interrelatedness.

IDENTIFYING THE ABUSIVE SYSTEM --Power-Posturing --Performance Preoccupoation, --Unspoken Rules(the can't talk rule) --Lack of balance: Extreme Subjectivism

WHEN YOU CANNOT LEAVE --Paranoia: Keeping People Wounded --Misplaced Loyalty: We alone are right --Scare Tactics --Humiliation --Secretive

ABUSE AND SCRIPTURE --Setting the stage --Misusing God's Law --Why Did God Give the Law --Learning to do Christianity, Self Denial, Giving, Unity and Peace in the Church, Church Discipline.

RE-VICTIMIZING VICTIMS --Never Resist --Wives Submit Even if it kills you --Just Forgive --Never Appeal To Secular Authorities --Never Deal with the Past

JESUS AND LEADERS --An Overview of a spirtually abusive system, whether it be a famil, ministry, or church.

BECAUSE I'M THE PASTOR, THAT'S WHY ! --False Authority --A Maddening Attitude --Authenticity --Off to see the wizard

YOU CAN TRUST ME -- The Double Life Of False Spiritual Leaders --What is our Only Hope? --Double-Talk --You Can't Seem To Ask the Question Right

IMAGE IS EVERYTHING --Spiritual Show --The Place Of Honor --Requiring Honor --True Leaders --Look for These Marks

STRAINING GNATS, SWALLOWING CAMELS --Upside-Down Spirituality --Of Gnats and Camels --El's Bells --A Contemporary List: Musical Evils, Reals Christian Dance

THE WEIGHT OF RELIGION --Check yourself --Backlash --What about people?

NO ADMITTANCE --Slamming the Door to God's Rulership --The "Bait-and-Switch --An Imaginary Journey --Jesus Responds.

SPREADING THE GOSPEL --Telling "Good News" or Recruiting? --Converted to Religion: --The proselyte of the Gate --The Proselyte of Righteousness --I'm Of Paul, I'm Of Apollos

THE PEOPLE GET DEVOURED -- A childhood devoured --Role Reversal --Devouring Happens in Many Ways --Little Sheep Get "Devoured" Too

POST ABUSE RECOVERY --Recovery

HOW TO ESCAPE A SPIRITUAL TRAP --Spiritual Traps -- How We Fall Pray --Delusion -- Religious Addiction

RENEWING THE MIND --It's lawman --No test --Religious Addiction --A Problem From the Beginning --And All Along the Way -- Shame on You! --The Incorrect Response --A Twist --Setting Our Minds On the Things Above

RECOVERING RIGHT FOCUS --Some Possible Explanations --When the Church Acts as a Body --Our Job --Learning to live All Over Again , --Living Consistently --The Way We First Got Life

ONE RESPONSE: FLIGHT -- How do you decide : Does grace really have a change?, Are you supporting what you hate. Do you need to be right? Can you stay, and stay healthy, both at the same time? Can you decide your own limites and stick with them? Do you believe God cares more about the church than you do? Is it possible the system might die? Are you trying to help the system, even though you are exhausted ? Are you able to listen to the voice on sanity? Do you really know where to sow? A song for the Spiritually Abused .

A SECOND RESPONSE: FIGHT --Decide whom you serve --Be Wise About the Battle --Be ready for resistance --Keep telling the truth. Know who your enemy is. Hang on to the Shepard. Messes are not bad. Confront the leven. Know how a healthy spiritual system functions. Responsibility and Authority.

MESSAGE TO PERPETRATORS OF SPIRITUAL ABUSE --A desire to Gather. A will of our own.