Tag: Recovering From Churches That Abuse That Abuse
Many themes and issues have emerged from these stories of people recovering from churches that abuse. These are often more implicit than explicit.
Thinking through these issues in the following terms may be helpful to victims of abuse and those who seek to counsel them.
The testimony of Recovering From Churches That Abuse is that battered believers can recover. But is rehabilitation possible for churches that abuse? Can a spiritually abusive system be changed? The answer is yes, even though in reality many churches do not experience significant change.
But some do answer these calls, and as evidence Dr. Ronald Enroth cites two groups described in Churches That Abuse.
The message of this book is that "mending" is possible! There is hope. You can trust again.
However, it is important to understand that although there are some common aspects to the process of recovery and healing, the route is different and can be more tortuous for some than for others according to their personalities and the special problems they encountered in the church.
"When a member leaves an abusive church or is forced to leave, he walks out with virtually nothing. He leaves a part of himself behind; the years he has invested are gone. You need to deal with loss and bereavement, confusion and anger, and finally, acceptance of. that loss.
Many fail to accept it and move on. They need to understand that their significance is not in what they had, but it is in their relationship with Christ. They have lost a few years, but they have not lost their soul."
