Church Abuse: Why "Matthew 18" May Not Apply to Confronting Pastors

Abusive church leaders misuse Matthew 18 to silence victims. Learn why it may not apply to pastors and what you can do instead.

church, abuse, Bible, faith, God, religion and spiritualityF. Remy DiederichApril 12, 2024confronting a pastor, Matthew 18, gaslighting, power imbalance, spiritual abuse, church abuse, abusive pastor Comments

Tackling Church Wounds with Christy Boulware

This is my second post with some of the questions and answers from when I was interviewed by Christy Boulware for her podcast. We looked at spiritual abuse and women in ministry.

abuse, church, faith, religion and spiritualityF. Remy DiederichFebruary 29, 2024Christy Boulware, spiritual abuse, women in ministry, abusive pastorComment

Spiritual Abuse in Latin America, Abuso Espiritual en America Latina

Here is a spanish translation from a chapter of the book, Broken Trust, in regard to spiritual abuse.

abuse, faith, latin america, religion and spiritualityF. Remy DiederichAugust 30, 2020latin america, Spiritual abuse, spiritual abuse in latin america, church in Latin America, church abuse Comments

Left Behind: letting go of your friends from an abusive church

When you leave a spiritually abusive church or organization, you are leaving behind friends as well. How do you handle that?

church, abuseF. Remy DiederichDecember 10, 2017church, Spiritual abuse, toxic faith, abusive church, how to leave an abusive churchComment

Abusive Pastors, Understanding Why They Do What They Do

It seems to be a mystery why a pastor would ever abuse a member of their congregation. But abusive pastors exist throughout the church. This post discusses the reason why some pastors might be abusive and what you can do about it.

abuse, faith, church, religion and spiritualityF. Remy DiederichSeptember 16, 2017Spiritual abuse, abusive pastors, how to confront abusive pastors, bad pastor, confronting toxic pastors, how to confront a toxic pastor, signs of a toxic pastor, toxic church pastor Comments

Spiritual Abuse and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PTSD is a common result of spiritual abuse. Take your abuse seriously and get the help you need.

abuse, faith, spiritual abuseF. Remy DiederichSeptember 12, 2017ptsd, Spiritual abuse, Abusive pastors, bad pastors, toxic faith, religious traumaComment

Five Things I Learned from Spiritual Abuse Survivors

Survivors of spiritual abuse are often misunderstood and mistreated. The book, Broken Trust, was written with this in mind and incorporated the input of many survivors.

abuse, churchF. Remy DiederichSeptember 9, 2017ptsd, Spiritual abuse, toxic faith, spiritual abuse booksComment

Best Books on Spiritual Abuse: Broken Trust Tops the List

The book, “Broken Trust” by F. Remy Diederich was ranked as the best book on spiritual abuse by one expert.

abuse, church, religion and spiritualityF. Remy DiederichJuly 1, 2017spiritual abuse books, spiritual abuse, books on spiritual abuseComment

Survivors of Spiritual Abuse: Five Ways to Offer Your Support

Survivors of spiritual abuse are so often misunderstood and mistreated. This post will give you practical advice on how to treat survivors of spiritual abuse.

abuse, faith, religion and spiritualityF. Remy DiederichMay 13, 2017recovery, Spiritual abuse, toxic church, toxic faith, toxic pastor, spiritual abuse books, books on spiritual abuse, confronting abusive pastors, how to confront abusive pastors, abusive pastors, survivors of spiritual abuseComment

Spiritual Abuse: the Fruit of Toxic Faith

Toxic faith and spiritual abuse are related but distinct. Spiritual abuse grows out of wrong thinking about God by both the abuse and the abused.

religion and spirituality, abuseF. Remy DiederichJanuary 3, 2017grace, Spiritual abuse, toxic faith, books on spiritual abuse, spiritual abuse booksComment

I Left My Toxic Church...Now What?

After being abused spiritually, some people give up on church. Others dive right back into church. Before you return to church there are a few things to consider.

abuse, toxic churchF. Remy DiederichFebruary 20, 2016Spiritual abuse, toxic church, abusive pastor Comments

How to Reclaim Your Church from Spiritual Abuse

You are a leader in your church and spiritual abuse has just been exposed. What do you do? How do you “clean house” and get your church back on track? This post offers you a guide for the process.

abuse, Christianity, religion and spiritualityF. Remy DiederichMarch 14, 2015church, Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Spiritual abuse, toxic faith, toxic church, abusive church, confronting abusive pastors, confronting toxic pastorsComment

Don't Minimize Spiritual Abuse

It’s hard to admit to abuse. It’s tempting to minimize it. But when a church or pastor is found to be spiritually abusive it needs to be exposed. Don’t minimize spiritual abuse.

abuse, church, pastors, toxic churchF. Remy DiederichMarch 9, 2015abuse, church abuse, Spiritual abuse, toxic churchComment

How to Recover From Spiritual Abuse, by F. Remy Diederich

When you’ve experienced spiritual abuse, it can be so devastating you may not feel like you will ever recover. But God is faithful. He can renew your spirit if you give him the opportunity. This post will give you some direction to let that happen.

abuse, faith, religion and spiritualityF. Remy DiederichMarch 5, 2015Churches That Abuse, Spiritual abuse, toxic faith, books on spiritual abuseComment

Spiritual Abuse Checklist, by F. Remy Diederich

Sometimes a checklist is necessary to confirm what we think is true. Here is a spiritual abuse checklist to help you determine if you are in a spiritually abusive church or organization.

abuse, church, pastors, toxic churchF. Remy DiederichMarch 2, 2015spiritual abuse checklist, spiritual abuse, abusive pastors, bad pastors Comments

What is Spiritual Abuse?

You hear about spiritual abuse, church abuse, and religious abuse more and more in the news. But what is spiritual abuse? Learn what spiritual abuse is here.

abuse, Christianity, religion and spiritualityF. Remy DiederichFebruary 28, 2015spiritual abuse, defining spiritual abuse, what is spiritual abuse, definition of spiritual abuse, spiritual abuse checklist, signs of spiritual abuse Comments

How to Confront a Toxic Pastor in a Toxic Church

The church is supposed to be a blessing to the world. A pastor should be the greatest champion of grace and truth. There is nothing more perverse and distorted than a toxic pastor. Learn how to confront an abusive pastor.