In a breakthrough book first published in 1991, the authors address the dynamics in churches that can ensnare people in legalism, guilt, and begrudging service, keeping them from the grace and joy of God?s kingdom.Written for both those who feel abused and those who may be causing it, The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse shows how people get hooked into abusive systems, the impact of controlling leadership on a congregation, and how the abused believer can find rest and recovery.

In a breakthrough book first published in 1991, the authors address the dynamics in churches that can ensnare people in legalism, guilt, and begrudging service, keeping them from the grace and joy of God's kingdom.Written for both those who feel abused and those who may be causing it, The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse shows how people get hooked into abusive systems, the impact of controlling leadership on a congregation, and how the abused believer can find rest and recovery.

David Johnson has been the senior pastor at Church of the Open Door in Maple Grove, Minnesota, since 1980. During this time, the church has grown from a congregation of 160 to 3,000 people. A much sought-after speaker, he is a graduate of Bethel College and received his theological training at Bethel Seminary and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. His Growing in Grace radio broadcast is syndicated internationally. David and his family live in Minnesota.

Jeff VanVonderen is an internationally known speaker on addictions and church and family wellness. He has worked as a counselor in both residential and outpatient treatment settings, as well as in the religious community, taught at the college level, and is the author of several books. He makes his home in California.

2002-05-18 Read this book if your yoke is heavy

The basic message of this book is simple but important: God does not weigh his children down with guilt, God does not work his children to death, God does not tell his children to submit to abusive family members. That's the dramatic stuff and this book is well worth reading if you need to hear this particular form of Good News.

The more subtle stuff involves mistaking the fruits of the Christian life for salvation. Another reader thought this was a simplistic feature of the book, but I think that (with the very best of intentions) many churches get conned by this subtle form of the anti-Gospel: if you don't go to all the church meetings, you're not a real Christian; if you don't work on all the committees, you're not a real Christian; if you don't speak in tongues, you're not a real Christian; etc., etc.

This book does not constitute a witch-hunt for "cults". The material is drawn from every-day situations, including the dramatic and almost incredible to the every-day sorts of situations we want to say "no" to and sometimes find difficult.