This book was very helpful. It’s unfortunate that more books are not written like this one to help Christians discern error. The writing was biblically balanced.
In an unhealthy church it is considered rebellion when decisions are questioned. Matthew 23 is referred to as giving example of where the Christians loyalty should be-- which is To Christ.
The author gives the traits of abusive leaders and unhealthy churches. He gives a list of 7 warning signs of spiritual abuse in a church:
1) Power Positioning
2) Unquestioned Authority
3) An atmosphere of secrecy
4) Elitist attitude
5) Performance emphasis
6) Fear motivation
7) Painful exit
1) Power Positioning
2) Unquestioned Authority
3) An atmosphere of secrecy
4) Elitist attitude
5) Performance emphasis
6) Fear motivation
7) Painful exit
Mike Fehlauer explains that many Christians have fallen into abusive situations within the church and he answers questions that maybe you’ve been wondering about, such as what is the role of the Pastor, what is a healthy church, when and how should I leave a church, what should I do if I recognize any of these unhealthy symptoms and more. He gives key scriptures and real life situations for why we should reject controlling and manipulative leaders, and also helps the reader by giving a foundation in which to build on to restore broken relationships and build trust.
There are a list of questions for discussion at the end of each chapter. One valuable point in the book is; when leaving a controlling church, it is impossible to leave correctly in the eyes of the abusive pastor. If you are suffering under the control of a manipulating leader, this book will help bring healing and will help you put things into a proper perspective.
Copyright© 2001
Publisher Charisma House
This book can be found at Amazon.com