Churches That Abuse: Help for Those Hurt by Legalism, Authoritarian Leadership

I believe we all know of people who have been in abusive relationships and even abusive job situations but it is sometimes hard to imagine people getting involved in abusive churches. That is why this book is a must read for every disciple. This book exposes abusive churches. Dr. Enroth even names names. Every chapter opens with an abusive story. Each person is real. Each person has been hurt by abusive churches. The irony is that the leaders discussed in the book fail to see their abuses. Many try to cover them up or simply ignore the pain they have dealt to others. In the end, I appreciated Dr. Enroth showing the reader that Jesus is not the abuser. While most of these religious groups claim to be speaking in His name or even quote Scripture, they have twisted the teachings and practices of Jesus to be something He never intended (1 John 5:1-4). Truly, Jesus is not like men (Hebrews 13:8) and He will not cause us the pain that is found in this book (Matthew 11:28-30).

This is a excellant book. Not only for active Christians to read and study, but also for those who have been hurt in life, by Churches that have abused them. This book came too late for me. I was a convert to a well known "church" denomination, that is a thriving cult in itself. We were required as faithful members to attend special rituals, that were considered secret and "sacred". Along with this holy ritual we were sworn to secrecy with secret handshakes, signs, tokens and symbols. These things not to be shown to the outside world, or even to fellow Christians. Coming out of this "church", and breaking away from it, was a mind wrenching experience. And taking it's toll on emotions was devistating. This book should be read by even those in pastoral seminaries and bible schools also, as to how a Church should not be conducted by those in power. Church counselors, and those in mental health professions could do well reading this book.

This book was published in 1991. But the central message is as true now as it was then. The church can be a wonderful source of comfort, spiritual guidance and fellowship to Christians. But unfortunately, there are churches -- some of them seemly "mainstream" -- that exercise too much authority in the lives of the people who attend them. Ronald Enroth gives a list of red flags to look out for to indicate an abusive church. For me, one of them stands out strongly: when a particular person in the church (often, but not always, the pastor) announces him/herself as the channel through which God is working and that obedience to that person is a sign of being truly submitted to God. Some of them will even go as far as to say that if they are wrong, God can still use that for the ultimate good. Well -- technically, that could be right. If you'll pardon a cliche, God can and does make lemonade out of lemons all the time. But nowhere does the Bible teach that we are to deliberately subject our judment, spiritual discernment and independent thinking to another person. Since the book was written over 13 years ago, some of the groups Enroth describes may have changed -- but the warning is still there, and it is good for Christians to be aware that there are people who want to steal away the freedom that Jesus Christ can give. He explains why this can happen and gives suggestions on how to either avoid it or get out of the abusive situation. This book is at its best when reviewed a lot.

This book was instrumental in revealing to me things that were wrong in the church I was attending when I read the book.It helped me know I wasn't "crazy" or rebellious or misunderstanding things. I was being abused and God used the truths in this book to set me free."Who the Son sets free is free indeed..."

This book is a must-read for those who have suffered spiritual abuse, and for those who work with them. Mr. Enroth gives many real life stories of persons who became involved in harmful churches and groups. He shares what happened to these individuals, and then describes the patterns of abuse so that the reader can recognize signs of abuse or potential abuse. The reader will be able to see the similarities among various groups. The psychological and sociological ramifications are described. An extremely important contribution; this book will enlighten, warn, instruct, and maybe even shock you.