It seems that we have a need to create evangelical gurus, Christian celebrities, superpastors in megachurches, and miscellaneous ‘teachers’ and ‘experts’ that we place on pastoral pedestals. What is it about people, including evangelicals, that explains this apparent need for authority figures, the need to have someone co-sign for our lives?
Sociologist Ronald Enroth
According to sociologist Dr. Ronald M. Enroth, "In our homes, in our churches, and in our programs of Christian education, we must strive to cultivate critical, discerning minds if we are to avoid the tragedy of churches that abuse" (Churches That Abuse Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 1992, p. 206). Paralleling abusive churches of the past with those of today, Enroth presents characteristics that serve as warning signals:
The use of guilt, fear, and intimidation by the leadership to manipulate
members
and keep them in line.
Followers led to think that there is no other church quite like theirs,
and that
God has singled them out for a special purpose.
Other, more traditional churches are put down as being less "holy."
Subjective experience, especially public or group testimonials (sometimes
coached), are encouraged and emphasized.
Many areas of members' lives are subject to scrutiny, and the church standards
established are usually based upon the life-style adopted by the leader.
Rules and legalism abound.
Members not following rules established by the leadership (or threatening
exposure of the manipulation and abuse) are often labeled "reprobates"
or
"dupes of Satan," and are dealt with harshly. Ostracism of former members
and
excommunication of dissenters are common.
For members choosing to leave a spiritually abusive church, returning to
the
realm of normalcy is difficult.
1. Does a member’s personality generally become stronger, happier, more
confident as a result of contact with the group?
In an abusive church, the use of guilt, fear, and intimidation to control
members is likely to produce members who have a low self-image, who feel
beaten down by legalism, who have been taught that asserting oneself is
not spiritual.
One of the first disturbing characteristics to be reported by relatives
and
friends of members of these churches is a noticeable change in personality,
usually in a negative direction.
2. Do members of the group seek to strengthen their family commitments?
Nearly all unhealthy churches attempt to minimize the commitments of their
members to their family, especially parents.
Young people may be told that they now have a new “spiritual” family,
complete with leaders who will “re-parent” them.
Church loyalty is seen as paramount, and family commitments are
discouraged or viewed as impediments to spiritual advancement.
3. Does the group encourage independent thinking and the development
of
discernment skills?
Control-oriented leaders attempt to dictate what members think, although
the process is so spiritualized that members usually do not realize what
is
going on.
A pastor or leader is viewed as God’s mouth piece, and in varying degrees
a member’s decision making and ability to think for oneself are swallowed
up by the group.
Pressure to conform and low tolerance for questioning make it difficult
to
be truly discerning.
4. Does the group allow for individual differences of belief and behavior,
particularly on issues of secondary importance?
A legalistic emphasis on keeping rules and a focus on the need to stay
within prescribed boundaries is always present in unhealthy spiritual
environments.
Lifestyle rigidity in such groups increase a member’s guilt feelings and
contributes to spiritual bondage. This rigidity is often coupled with an
emphasis on beliefs that would not receive great attention in mainstream
evangelicalism.
5. Does the group encourage high moral standards both among members
and between members and non members?
In intense, legalistic churches and religious organizations, the official,
public proclamations usually place special value on high moral standards.
In some instances, there is a double standard between those in leadership
and those in the rank and file membership.
Abusive churches tend to have incidents of sexual misconduct more often
than most conventional churches; leaders sometimes exhibit an obsessive
interest in matters relating to sex.
6. Does the group’s leadership invite dialogue, advice and evaluation from
outside its immediate circle?
Authoritarian pastors are usually threatened by any outside expression
of
diverse opinions, whether from inside or outside the group. When outside
speakers are given access to the pulpit, they are carefully selected to
minimize any threat to the leadership’s agenda.
Coercive pastors are fiercely independent and do not function well in a
structure of accountability.
For the sake of public relations, they may boast that they are accountable
to a board of some sort, when in actuality the board is composed of
“yes-men” who do not question the leader’s authority.
7. Does the group allow for development in theological beliefs?
Another hallmark of an authoritarian church is its intolerance of any belief
system different from its own.
They tend to measure and evaluate all forms of Christian spirituality
according to their own carefully prescribed system, adopting an
“us-versus-them” mentality.
8. Are group members encouraged to ask hard questions of any kind?
A cardinal rule of abusive systems is “Don’t ask questions, don’t make
waves.”
A healthy pastor welcomes even tough questions. In an unhealthy church
disagreement with the pastor is considered to be disloyalty and is
tantamount to disobeying God.
People who repeatedly question the system are labeled “rebellious”,
“unteachable”, or “disharmonious to the body of Christ”.
Persistent questioners may face sanctions of some kind such as being
publicly ridiculed, shunned, shamed, humiliated, or disfellowshiped.
9. Do members appreciate truth wherever it is found even if it is outside
their group?
Whether they admit it or not, abusive churches tend to view themselves
as
spiritually superior to other Christian groups.
This religious elitism allows little room for outside influences. There
can be
no compromise with external sources, who, the leadership will say, really
don’t understand what is going on in the ministry anyway.
10. Is the group honest in dealing with nonmembers, especially as it
tries
to win them to the group?
Sometimes abusive groups illustrate a “split-level religion”. There is
one
level for public presentation and another for the inner circle of membership.
The former is a carefully crafted public relations effort, the latter a
reality
level experienced only by the “true believers”.
Recruitment tactics are usually intense, even if they are not actually
deceptive or fraudulent, they can be manipulative or exploitive.
Sometimes high pressure religious groups are evasive about there true
identity: “We really don’t have a name, we’re just Christians.”
A healthy Christian group should have no qualms about revealing who it
is
and what its intentions are.
11. Does the group foster relationships and connections with the larger
society that are more than self-serving?
First impressions are not always correct. Sustained contact with an
unhealthy church, however, will usually reveal a pattern that is consistent
with the characteristics we have identified.
Members will be requested to serve, to become involved, to sign up for
a
variety of activities that, upon closer inspection, appear to maintain
the
system and serve the needs of the leadership.
Abusive churches thrive on tactics that promote dependency.
Emphasizing obedience and submission to leaders, these churches often
require a level of service that is overwhelming to members, resulting in
emotional turmoil and spiritual breakdowns.
Web resources used to develop this page:
Book Review of Churches That Abuse
Another Book Review of Churches That Abuse
Other links: