I was at an event recently, and the topic of church hurt came up over coffee. (I find that coffee is usually involved when heavy issues like abuse arise.) I shared a bit of my own story with the group, which led to someone else sharing her story, telling me that it took her a while to recognize that what she experienced was wrong. She reminded me that church hurt is the result of people, not God, and that’s true. 

When I was growing up, I didn’t really learn that much about the fear of the Lord, but that’s not true of some of my friends, especially those who grew up in cults. The fear of the Lord is often wielded as a weapon in high-control groups, but what the Bible describes as the fear of the Lord isn’t supposed to be used to harm or control...

My first memory of a pastor being removed from his position was Jimmy Swaggart, a popular televangelist in the 80s...

Creo que pensé que una vez que dejara mis situaciones de abuso espiritual, hablara de ellas, me tomara un descanso y volviera a una...

I honestly thought I had moved past it all, but about a month ago, I was a couple of hours away from the place where it all went down...

I think I believed that once I left my spiritually abusive situations, talked through them, took a break, and re-entered a solid church...

Tis the season when we are surrounded by messages of merriment and all things glittery... And yet, many of us lament.

It’s probably not a surprise to you that the words of God have been misused and abused since the beginning.

What is Truth? “Truth” was once something I held so concretely, something I trusted another with so diligently…

Perhaps the title of this blog was a bit jarring for you, especially if you consider yourself a Christian. I first considered this...

How can an all-loving, all-powerful God allow evil and suffering to exist and continue?

The world of Christian denominations can be very confusing and messy for individuals at large, but particularly for those who have come...

Giving is wonderfully purposeful practice from the Lord, but unfortunately it can be manipulatively twisted and taken out of context by...

Divorce is a heavy word that brings a lot of disappointment, questions, and pain. While it's not difficult to find solid, biblical...

My dad was a volatile man. No one knew what would set him off or when he would lose it, so we were always constantly on guard and alert...

Have you ever wandered the Bible section of a bookstore and thought to yourself, “Why so many Bible translations?” Or maybe you have...

“We will be stepping outside of God’s blessing if we don’t get engaged.” Was it a threat? Spiritual abuse? Or the Holy Spirit speaking...

“I don’t understand…” I heard his voice behind me. It was late, and I was standing at the sink washing the last of the day’s dishes, as...

“How were you able to read the Bible after it had been used to hurt you?” (A recent question asked by an attendee of @dotchurch–watch...

“There’s no way to untangle love from worthiness.” Did you hear Amber say this in her interview with me on the Reclamation podcast, a NWM...