Welcome to ChurchTrauma.org

“Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them.” Ecclesiastes 4:1 English Standard Version (ESV)

Our Story: We have been in a religious cult, a charismatic nondenominational church, and a Southern Baptist church that all exhibited signs of spiritual abuse. As survivors of spiritual abuse in diverse church settings, we have dedicated their lives to preventing spiritual abuse in institutional settings and serving others who have also been abused under the guise of Christianity.

Our Goal is to:

Listen: We hope to provide a safe place for victims of spiritual abuse to share their stories without judgement.

Identify: We want to identify spiritually abusive wolves within organized religion, to protect others from harm.

Educate: We want to help others identify the signs and symptoms of spiritual abuse through our written works and educational resources, and through speaking engagements.

Recent Blog Posts

• 
  Mias First Tale: Part Twenty-one of My Life Inside the Narrowgate Cult at Messiah CollegeJune 25, 2021
  Editor’s Note: This is the first part of Mia’s tale. Mia reached out to me to share some of her experiences within the Narrowgate group. As one of the original members of Narrowgate, she lends understanding to how the group formed and progressed.  This is … Read more
• 
  It’s 10pm; do you know where your pastor is?June 13, 2021
  This post was written by an anonymous guest blogger. Sometimes “clergy sex abuse” looks like a priest molesting an altar boy.  Sometimes it looks like a deacon whose “brotherly” hugs are way too tight.  Sometimes it looks like a pastor who is sought out for … Read more
• 
  the cryJune 12, 2021
  PANIC. THEY ARE COMING FOR ME. THEY HATE ME, AND GOD IS ON THEIR SIDE.THEY WILL STOP AT NOTHING TO SILENCE ME. I AM NOT SAFE. NOWHERE IS SAFE. heart pounding, eyes flicking this way and that, and so I shut them. I squeeze them … Read more
• 
  Childhood trauma in an SBC churchApril 27, 2021
  Trigger warnings: violence, blood, spiritual abuse Disclaimer: Not all children are traumatized by the teachings referred to in this article. Every person is different and processes things differently. But I have become increasingly aware of the thousands of now-adults who were indeed traumatized by their … Read more
• 
  Street Lights and Salvation: An Exodus from the Christian Anti-Science MovementApril 12, 2021
  By Eve Stewart Editor Note: This is a guest post from Eve Stewart, a dear friend of our oldest daughter, Anya. Eve was raised in an Evangelical, inerrantist tradition and was homeschooled using Classical Christian methods and materials. Eve has written a powerful article about … Read more
• 
  The Brother’s Tale: Part Twenty of My Life Inside the Narrowgate Cult at Messiah CollegeDecember 19, 2020
  Editor’s Note: This is the first of several entries written by outsiders – that is to say, by those who were friends or family members of Narrowgate members. They can convey far more effectively than I the thoughts, feelings, and emotions experienced when a loved … Read more

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