FOR most, if not all of us, stories of abuse by church leaders provoke heartbreak, righteous anger, and questions about why this continues to happen. In many of the books and articles written on this subject, the themes of individual personality traits (e.g. narcissism), celebrity culture, safeguarding policy, and governance are often explored. This is important work, dealing with the many threads that help to create the environment in which harm can be done in the name of God, or in contexts in which God-talk is common.
But, as a theologian, I cannot avoid detecting that theology — our beliefs about God, ourselves, and the world, rooted in scripture and tradition — is also a core factor in many of these stories.
Spiritual abuse is undoubtedly the result of individual, cultural, and sometimes organisational failures; but it is also a theological problem. By this, I do not simply mean that it generates theological questions about God’s actions, what the Church is and is not, and about sin and the nature of what it is to be human. Spiritual abuse is, in part, enabled by particular theological commitments, which must be interrogated and criticised.
This is not to say that theology is entirely to blame; but an honest appraisal of what is going wrong has to face the truth that what all abusers in Christian contexts have in common is some level of belief in (or at least public adherence to) Christian doctrine and Christian scriptures.
SPIRITUAL abuse, as defined most recently by Lisa Oakley, Kathryn Kinmond, and Peter Blundell, is “a form of emotional and psychological abuse characterised by a systematic pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour in a religious context or with a religious rationale” (“Responding Well to Spiritual Abuse: Practice implications for counselling and psychotherapy”, British Journal of Guidance and Counselling 52 (2): 189-206).
Definitions of spiritual abuse continue to evolve and vary, as the research does, but this definition is helpful for the sake of this argument, in that it highlights the importance of theology.
Religious contexts are situations in which theology has a recognisable impact on behaviour and activity. Through preaching, one-to-one conversations and interactions, Bible studies, and even songs, theology is being communicated to those who take part in services and other activities.
Theologies are lived or embodied by the group, making it clear, through actions and words, what is and is not expected in the space. “A religious rationale” is, at its core, theological, often drawing on scripture, analogies, and language that have a long history in churches, and can be easily manipulated. This can be done not only in a religious setting, but anywhere, by those who believe — and even by those who do not — but who know how to weaponise religious beliefs.
This definition also makes an important point regarding the “coercive and controlling” nature of spiritual abuse. Many of us may have had encounters with individuals in passing which may have been harmful to us. There may be a one-off event that we remember negatively, and that has caused us some level of trauma.
What distinguishes abuse according to this definition, however, is the “pattern” of behaviour. This involves the wearing down of people’s agency over time, the consistency of coercion, and the ongoing reinforcement of harmful messaging that deprives people of their dignity. Owing to the ubiquity of abuse in some contexts, it can be challenging to even name the abuse that we have experienced or are experiencing, especially when the person or behaviour involved is talked about as “just the way things are” or “just the way [insert name] is”.
Theology should come under scrutiny because it can be used to create an environment of empowering those who already have power and seek to abuse it. The belief that God has given particular individuals gifts to receive God’s words on behalf of others can easily be utilised in the creation of a culture in which “the man or woman of God” cannot be questioned.
The emphasis on God’s being almighty, controlling, and doing whatever he wills can easily cause us to imagine that following such a God allows us, or even requires us, to act in coercive and controlling ways towards others. The belief that salvation comes only through innocent suffering can very easily be manipulated to justify the physical harming of those who are vulnerable by others who are in positions of spiritual authority, especially in relationship to the discipleship or formation of others.
SO, HOW then do we know if we are at risk of doing harm to others, or of being harmed through the use of theology?
This is something that I plan to investigate as part of future research, but I think that a few things can be said at this point. Where people are told to believe and obey without being able to express doubt or ask questions, this amounts to coercion. Where theology is used to justify a hierarchy that conveys significant benefits to those at the top, at the cost of those at the bottom — this can be considered an abusive dynamic.
When the impact of particular ideas — either in simply hearing them, or seeking to live them out — causes mental, emotional, psychological, or any other kind of harm or distress, then we must question our interpretation of what should be “good news”.
It is not always easy to see the line where theology is playing a key or main part in abuse. There will usually be other factors. Theologies can be reframed, explained with greater nuance, and sometimes exchanged for other emphases when we recognise the harm that they can cause.
This is a responsibility for each of us. Christian theology, as a discipline, exists because of this need to ask continually what it means to respond to God’s self-revelation to creation in the person of Jesus Christ, through the power of the Spirit.
But this is not just the work of theologians. Each one of us who live in the light of this self-revelation and have the Spirit of truth within us might learn to discern where abuse is taking place — not only for ourselves, but, in particular, for the vulnerable among us.
Dr Selina Stone is a lecturer in theology and ethics at the University of Edinburgh. Her latest book, A Heavy Yoke: Theology, power and abuse in the Church, is published by SCM Press at £16.99 (Church Times Bookshop £13.59).
