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Books: Spiritual Abuse Damaged Disciples (scroll down the page) - Ron and Vicki Burks This book is an account of the years the authors spent in the shepherding movement and their struggle to break free and rebuild their lives.
From Dean's List to Dumpsters: Why I Left Harvard to Join a Cult - Jim Guerra Personal account of ten years in the nomadic Jim Roberts group. Discusses "forsaking all," being plagued by mites, denied marriage, isolation from family, dumpster diving.
Boston Movement: Critical Perspectives on the International Churches of Christ - Carol Giambalvo & Herbert Rosedale (Eds.) The International Churches of Christ, formerly known as the Boston Church of Christ and often referred to as the Boston Movement, is often said to be the fastest growing cultic group in the world.
The Twelve Tribes: aka Messianic Communities - Journey from Orthodoxy to Heresy (scroll down the page) - Rev. Robert Pardon and Judy Pardon Detailed description of the history, theology, structure, and psychological aspects of the Twelve Tribes, aka Messianic Communities.
In the Shadow of the Moons: My Life in the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Family (scroll down the page) - Nansook Hong Daughter of prominent church members,
Nansook was handpicked at age fifteen by Reverend Moon to marry his son, Hyo
Jin. During her fifteen-year marriage, Nansook bore five children while
attending high school and Barnard College in Manhattan. Her children provide her
only comfort in a life of loneliness and fear. Finally, with the support of a
few allies and an unbending faith in God, she made a risky escape from the
compound. This is the harrowing tale of her years as an abused wife and
privileged member of a religious cult, and her fight to create a life for
herself and her children, beyond the shadow of the Moons. Known as the "Prince of the
Spiritualists," Keene, in this powerful and nakedly honest autobiographical
account, says he isn't the only fraud prowling the world of the paranormal. The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse - David Johnson, Jeff Vanvonderen Churches are meant to be safe places where spiritual leaders help and equip the members for the work of service. There are some churches, however, where leaders use their spiritual authority to control and dominate others, attempting to meet their own needs for importance, power, intimacy or spiritual gratification. Through the subtle use of the right "spiritual" words, church members are manipulated or shamed into certain behaviors or performance that ensnares in legalism, guilt and begrudging service. This is spiritual abuse, and the results can be shattering. Deeply ingrained spiritual codes of written and unwritten rules control and condemn, wounding believers' spirits and keeping them from the grace and joy of God's kingdom. Believers find themselves enslaved to a system, a leader, a standard of performance that saps true spiritual life.
Toxic Faith - Stephen Arterburn and Jack Felton Toxic Faith distinguishes between a healthy faith and a misguided religiosity that traps believers in an addictive practice of religion. It shows how unbalanced ministries, misguided churches, and unscrupulous leaders can lead their followers away from God and into a desolate experience of religion that drives many to despair. Toxic Faith shows readers how to find hope for a return to genuine, healthy faith that can add meaning to life. In the words of the author, ?I want to help you throw out that toxic faith and bring you back to the real thing.?
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