Cutting Room Floor: Spiritual Abuse
Series Introduction
This is the first post in a series of blog posts called the “Cutting Room Floor". This is a term often used by filmmakers about content that was recorded but did not actually make it into the final cut of the movie. In a similar way this blog series will include cut content from Sunday morning’s sermon that I wanted to include in the sermon but did not fit the flow or or tone of the passage. Consider it a type of “behind the scenes” look at the sermon.
Spiritual Abuse
For this week’s cutting room floor we will be considering more deeply Philippians 1:15-18. Sunday morning’s sermon worked through Philippians 1:12-18 where we saw that nothing can stop the Gospel. Circumstances cannot stop the Gospel and grifters cannot stop the Gospel. In verses 15-18 Paul talks about those who are preaching the Gospel out of selfish ambition seeking to afflict him in his imprisonment. Evidently Paul has a category for those who use ministry and use their platform to cause spiritual harm to people. Perhaps we could use the term “spiritual abusers” to describe them.
My wife and I have been reading through an excellent book by the president of Reformed Theological Seminary, Michael J. Kruger on spiritual abuse called, Bully Pulpit: Confronting the Problem of Spiritual Abuse in the Church. In it Kruger defines what spiritual abuse is and how to spot it, giving several defining marks of the presence of spiritual abuse in a ministry. He defines spiritual abuse as containing the following characteristics: someone with a position of spiritual authority, sinful methods of controlling and domineering, and appearing to be building God’s Kingdom when they are actually building their own (Kruger, 24-34). Later in the book he says that the clearest mark of spiritual abuse, specifically in the Church, is a “trail of dead bodies” (Kruger, 59). No, he does not mean literal dead bodies, this book is about pastors and ministry leaders not serial killers. What Kruger means is that a sure sign of someone who abuses spiritual authority is a trail of broken relationships and hurt people. Perhaps this could be a long list of people who left a Church hurt, or silent victims still in the Church too afraid to say anything.
Spiritual abuse is far too common in the Church today. Many experience it in one form or another whether it led to actual physical or sexual abuse or stayed more in the realm of emotional or verbal abuse, it is a real danger and it has hurt many in the Church today. It has led some to leave the Church, others to deconstruct or even worse “de-convert”, and it has turned many who are on the outside of the Church looking in away from the Church in general.
This issue can be discouraging and dismaying. Thankfully Paul’s words in Philippians 1:12-18 gives great comfort and encouragement especially to those who experienced real Church hurt or spiritual abuse. First, Paul calls out the sinfulness of it. We see this in verse 17 where Paul calls the behavior of those who are preaching the Gospel out of rivalry; selfish ambition and an attempt to afflict or harm him. Often times those who have been abused to any degree, especially from a spiritual leader fear bringing it into the light, but the Apostle Paul shows us that we can call sin–sin and call out those who use spiritual authority to cause harm. Second, Paul ends this paragraph by saying even though there are bad actors in the ministry he still rejoices that the Gospel is going out in verse 18. Do not get the Apostle wrong here, he is not saying that we can overlook sin as long as the name of Jesus is being proclaimed. He just finished calling what these men are doing sin, so this is just simply not the case. What he is saying however, is that just like our circumstances cannot stop the Gospel (12-14) neither can sinful and flawed men stop the spread of the Gospel–and friends that is something worth rejoicing in!
