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Thought of the Moment
"In Romans 12:2 Paul says, 'Do not be conformed but be transformed. . .'. In a performance-based church or family, that verse might be applied like this: 'Our church or leader is right; we have a truer, purer 'word' from God than others. Therefore, we must adhere to our formula or brand of Christianity as hard and fast as possibleso we won't become like those out there who don't think as we do. If I do not live up to all I've been taught here, I will be letting God down.' This orientation squeezes people from the outside in. They are not transformed, they are conformed."
from the Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse
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Spiritual Abuse (spir'-i-choo-el a-byoos'). Wouldn't it be great if it was as simple as looking it up in a dictionary? But nothing about spiritual abuse is simple. Those who have experienced it, know it is powerful enough to cause them to question their relationship with God, indeed, the very existence of God. And it is subtle too! The perpetrators of spiritual abuse are rarely 'Snidely Whiplash' sorts of characters who announce that they are going to drain your spiritual energy. They may be people who seem like they are seeking to guide you to the deepest levels of spiritual maturity.
Spiritual abuse occurs when someone in a position of spiritual authority, the purpose of which is to 'come underneath' and serve, build, equip and make God's people MORE free, misuses that authority placing themselves over God's people to control, coerce or manipulate them for seemingly Godly purposes which are really their own.
The result? Well, if you have experienced spiritual abuse, you know result. We hope the resources at this web site will be helpful to you. The damage that has been done is not irreversible. It is possible to feel safe again. It is possible to learn to rest again. It is possible to regain that sense of blessing you once had when you first realized that God's stance towards you, God's 'yes', was not based on your performance, but rather on God's very own performance, that of Jesus, signed, sealed, finished, available in gift-form only.
Welcome to our page.
Jeff VanVonderen
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