Resources On Spiritual, Physical, And Sexual Abuse In The Church

Sexual, physical, and spiritual abuse is a reality in the visible church. Those of us in the Pauline-Augustinian tradition should not be shocked or surprised since the Scriptures and the Augustinian doctrine of sin teaches us to expect as much. What remains is for Christians and particularly the visible church to decide how to address abuse and abusers. Below is a small collection of resources that we hope will help pastors, elders, deacons (who often encounter cases of abuse before others in the church) think through these issues and to resolve to address them biblically and wisely. If you are the victim of physical or sexual abuse please call your local authorities immediately. They have abundant resources to help. If you are the victim of spiritual abuse in the church, please see the resources below intended to guide you to finding help. Dear pastors, elders, and deacons, if you know about physical or sexual abuse in your congregation, you may be a mandatory reporter, i.e., required by law to report that case to law enforcement. Even if the law where you live does not require you to report abuse, you should. You are not helping the abuser or the abused by failing to report a crime.

Dear victim, there is hope and help. The grace of Christ helps and heals wounded Christians daily.

  1. R. Scott Clark, A Beginner’s Guide To Addressing Spiritual Abuse In The Church
  2. Michael Kruger, What Is Spiritual Abuse?
  3. R. Scott Clark, A Follow Up Regarding Abuse In The Church: We Are Talking About Practice
  4. Wes Bredenhof, 10 Ways Churches Should Respond To Sexual Abuse
  5. Wes Bredenhof, Enough Abuse Already
  6. Audio: With Presbygirls On Abuse In The Church
  7. R. Scott Clark, On Disciplining Abusers And Protecting The Sheep
  8. Hohn Cho, On Missing The Point Of Sexual Abuse
  9. Harrison Perkins, Review: Bully Pulpit: Confronting the Problem of Spiritual Abuse in the Church by Michael J. Kruger
  10. Report of the Independent Investigation (SBC)
  11. Keith Evans, Wolfish Benefits
  12. Harrison Perkins, Abuse, Burnout, and the Pastoral Remit
  13. R. Scott Clark, It Can Be Difficult But We Need To Open Our Eyes And Pay Attention To The Facts
  14. Dianna, The Open And Hidden Costs Of Sexual Abuse
  15. Former Mars Hill Elders Plead For Driscoll To Resign Over Continuing Abuse Of The Sheep
  16. R. Scott  Clark, Are P&R Churches “Wholly Inadequate” To Investigate Abuse?
  17. R. Scott Clark, Is There A Sexual Abuse Crisis In Christian Schools?
  18. Heidelcast 142: When Pastors Abuse
  19. Wes Bredenhof, Reasons Why Wilson Should Not Be Regarded As Reliable
  20. Wes Bredenhof, More Reasons Why Wilson Should Not Be Regarded As Reliable
  21. Wes Bredenhof, To Abusive Men
  22. Michael Kruger, A Christlike Pastor Is Not A Bully
  23. Justin Holcomb, An Open Letter to Survivors of Abuse
  24. Justin Holcomb, Sexual Assault, Domestic Abuse, and the Gospel
  25. Podcast: How Church Abuse Contributes to Dechurched Casualties
  26. In Defense of Church Discipline

RESOURCES

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