Spiritual abuse is a form of emotional and psychological abuse. It is characterised by a systematic pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour in a religious context. Spiritual abuse can have a deeply damaging impact on those who experience it. However, holding a theological position is not in itself inherently spiritually abusive, but misuse of scripture, applied theology and doctrine is often a component of spiritually abusive behaviour. (L. Oakley 2017)
The national church has created guidance for understanding spiritual abuse which can be found here:
4.2 Spiritual Abuse | The Church of England
Understanding Spiritual Abuse in Christian Communities
Dr Lisa Oakley and Justin Humphreys have produced a Spiritual Abuse summary document titled Understanding Spiritual Abuse in Christian Communities.
Read the document here or click on the picture to read it.
Replenished Life are an independent charity which supports those who have experienced abuse and trauma within faith.
Visit their website for more support, advice and resources.
Focus on Spiritual Abuse in the Diocese
Our Head of Safeguarding, Louise Whitehead, wrote a piece on Spiritual Abuse for Pathways, the magazine for the people of the Diocese of Oxford. You can read the article here, and access the full Winter 2023/24 issue of Pathways here.
Dr Lisa Oakley (left) ran a workshop on Spiritual Abuse for our PSOs as part of the Safeguarding Sunday event we held at Christ Church Cathedral in November 2023.
To find out more about Safeguarding Sunday click here.
Further reading and resources:
- A useful leaflet from Replenished Life - Spiritual Abuse and Coercive Control in a Religious setting
- A two-part podcast with Julie Roys on the Roys Report podcast, featuring thirtyone:eight CEO Justin Humphreys - Understanding & Overcoming Spiritual Abuse
- Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse by Dr Lisa Oakley & Justin Humphreys (spckpublishing.co.uk)
‘Let There Be Light’ explores the pattern of abuse experienced over a period of four decades under the leadership of Mike Pilavachi in the UK church. A Church of England safeguarding report substantiated claims of emotional, physical and spiritual harm. This documentary explores the story of what happened - and lessons the Church must learn for the future.