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: Dominique & Megan 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, they 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.
Blog Posts
Supplemental documentation for USA Today article on Oakwood Baptist Church
Yesterday, our story was published in a USA Today article titled “The tongue is a fire’: Southern Baptist church fractures over secrets and spiritual abuse” by Tricia Nadolny. Some external information was referenced in the story, which I have documented below. Note that the content of this blog entry may be updated or edited as necessary. …
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Descending: Part Nine of My Life Inside the Narrowgate Cult at Messiah College
This is blog post nine in this series, and since I started blogging, I have been asked numerous times “how much more is there?” I can say that there is no firm number, as I’m mainly transcribing and commenting on the journal I created back in the 90’s. Some topics have led me down a …
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When Church Hurts
by Megan Benninger * Straw men in pulpits weave yarns of conviction That blind me and bind me into humble submission. Are these narratives authored in naivety? Or willfully conceived and designed to deceive? Realities, …
The List
by Megan Benninger Dear SBC, Christa’s called for 15 years Through shattered heart and angry tears To have a list With your assist To save the little lambs. Though she persists You still dismiss Her simple clear request. So since you won’t, we’ll take the charge. Don’t trust you anyway. We’ll make the asked-for warning …
The Answer: Part Eight of My Life Inside the Narrowgate Cult at Messiah College
This Narrowgate story is a tragedy in Three Acts, and at this point in the story, the curtain is officially rising for Act Two. And I will warn you – if you thought things up to this point were bizarre, I can only quote Randy Bachman of the Bachman – Turner Overdrive: “you ain’t seen …
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Egalikus: Egalitarian Haikus
By Megan Benninger In His own image, God created them to rule— Male and female BOTH. (Genesis 1:27-28) … A royal priesthood, Jesus, only, mediates. No patriarchy! (1 Timothy 2:5) … Boys are not better. Slave nor free, male nor female. In Christ, all are one. (Galatians 3:28) … ONE woman, not all, Paul told …
Church of the Hacked
My vocation is in the field of Information Security, and much of my education has centered on learning about systems and how they are exploited. What that means in common English is how a device has a flaw, and how that flaw can be used to force information out of it. Examples of such devices …
Prosperity: Part Seven of My Life Inside the Narrowgate Cult at Messiah College
Sometimes, when the spirit moves me, I can do many wondrous things. I want to know when the spirit moves you – Did ye get healed? (Van Morrison) At this time, many people in Narrowgate were in significant debt. As a result, the teaching of financial prosperity gained more prominence. We were taught that it …
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“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits.” Matthew 7:15-16a
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