-by Kathi We haven't looked at Lori Alexander's "older woman" teachings for a while because not much has changed. Yesterday's doodle stood out to me, though, and offered another prime example of how Lori continues to pile on spiritual abuse. Text reads: Many women want to continually discredit God's clear commands to them. "My husband… Continue reading Spiritual Abuse: Lori Alexander Says Working Women with Disabled Husbands Should Know Where They Belong
Category: Emotional Responses
Dr. Dan Allender: Trauma, Our Personal Stories, and Recovery through Music
Dr. Dan Allender, Trauma, Music, Spiritual Abuse Recovery, Personal Stories *** Those who have been reading here for a while know how important I believe it is for survivors to tell their abuse stories. It took a while for us to believe the lies our church leader(s) told us about who we are and who… Continue reading Dr. Dan Allender: Trauma, Our Personal Stories, and Recovery through Music
Victim of Bill Gothard’s Teachings Shares Emotional Aftermath
Bill Gothard, IBLP, Child Abuse, Discipline *** For some, the ramifications of following the teachings of an influential spiritual leader (or cult leader) can be lifelong. As difficult as this next personal story is to read, it is the reality for some, and that is why I will continue to post stories like this. Part of… Continue reading Victim of Bill Gothard’s Teachings Shares Emotional Aftermath
A Father Shares the Fallout His Family is Facing after Being in a High-Controlling Church
Spiritual abuse, children, mental health, high-controlling church, NAR, New Apostolic Reformation *** Special note: I am in Chicago until 11/5 and would love to get together with survivors or those interested in helping survivors. If you would like to meet up, please contact me and let's see if we can arrange a gathering. spiritualsb@gmail.com … Continue reading A Father Shares the Fallout His Family is Facing after Being in a High-Controlling Church
The Gift of Standing in the Trenches with a Survivor
https://youtu.be/UIt3dx4an9c *** “Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person, they are almost indistinguishable.” ― David Augsburger The other day, a spiritual abuse survivor and friend I met last year in Moscow, Idaho, posted the following quote by Dr. Diane Langberg on her Facebook wall. Please read it… Continue reading The Gift of Standing in the Trenches with a Survivor
Personal Story: Feeling Stuck after Spiritual Abuse
*** Mark is new to the blog and left a comment on another post yesterday and I have decided to make it into its own post so we can focus on these issues. Maybe some of you have experienced some of what he is going through and can share how you dealt with these issues.… Continue reading Personal Story: Feeling Stuck after Spiritual Abuse
Blogger Claims Because of our Culture of Death, Our Children Need a Belt and the Bible
Culture, Spanking, Bible, Lori Alexander, Abortion, Feminism, Divorce Do we Have a Culture of Death? In a recent article, Children Need a Bible and a Belt, blogger Lori Alexander complains about today's children, our politically correct culture, and our culture of death which she concludes is caused by abortion, and feminism, which she claims leads to the… Continue reading Blogger Claims Because of our Culture of Death, Our Children Need a Belt and the Bible
Was Your Spiritual Abuser a Good Speaker?
Spiritual abusers can sometimes be excellent speakers. They can use that "gift" to abuse. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:13 I'm nearing the end of my first year of college and in the next couple of weeks will be really… Continue reading Was Your Spiritual Abuser a Good Speaker?
Does Christian Fundamentalism Cause Mental Health Issues?
Mental Health Issues and Christian Fundamentalism *** There's been some great discussion on fundamentalism in the previous post about "Bethany," who over time was able to see the relationship she was in as destructive and abandoned the relationship. I thought it might be good to give the topic a post of its own, so I… Continue reading Does Christian Fundamentalism Cause Mental Health Issues?
Christians and Halloween: What’s a Christian to do?
*** There are various ways Christians respond to Halloween. What is a balanced response? *** I have a hunch that Halloween can bring up some legalistic triggers for people, so I wanted to make sure to give an opportunity to discuss it. Kathi shared this on the SSB Facebook page: Guilt… Continue reading Christians and Halloween: What’s a Christian to do?
Emotional Chaos after Spiritual Abuse
Spiritual abuse can leave damaging scars, some resulting in real difficulties, including anxiety, PTSD, panic attacks, etc. *** Longtime SSB reader, Refugee, left a comment with questions regarding the difficulty she is facing after having experienced spiritual abuse. Because she responded to an older article and I really want her to get answers (and likely… Continue reading Emotional Chaos after Spiritual Abuse
Invitations and Altar Calls: Is it Manipulation or Evangelism?
*** What is going on when a pastor gives an altar call or invitation? Is this appropriate? Is it manipulation? When I was a kid, at church there was a weekly altar call with the hymn, "Just As I Am" playing and we knew that if God was working on someone's heart, they'd get out of… Continue reading Invitations and Altar Calls: Is it Manipulation or Evangelism?
Can High-Controlling Pastors Lead Their Members into Depression and Even Suicide?
Commenters share about high-controlling pastors who leave a path of mental health destruction, even suicide, because they cannot get appropriate help. A while back, I found a comment at SGMSurvivor.com blog that cut like a knife. Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM) is in the news a good bit because of the sex abuse lawsuits, but the subject… Continue reading Can High-Controlling Pastors Lead Their Members into Depression and Even Suicide?
Doug Phillips: Repentance and Restoration – Is it Possible?
* * * Articles continue to be written about fallen pastor and Christian ministry leader and pastor, Doug Phillips, who resigned from the non-profit arm of Vision Forum Ministries and from his public speaking engagements. But what is next? What does repentance and restoration look like? Can or should he assume… Continue reading Doug Phillips: Repentance and Restoration – Is it Possible?
Christianity and Emotions: When One Person’s Emotions Trump Another’s
* * * Is there a biblical precedent for how we handle our feelings? Must we put aside negative feelings when others want to only focus on positive feelings? * * * "I learned to my astonishment that God, whose 'impassibility' I thought meant that he… Continue reading Christianity and Emotions: When One Person’s Emotions Trump Another’s
Spiritual Sounding Board 