Trust after Trauma: Triune Healing from Spiritual Abuse in John’s Gospel
These are some posts that explore the dynamics of healing from spiritual abuse in the Gospel of John, with a focus on the distinct works of Father, Son and Spirit. I’m putting links here all in one post as I work on expanding them into a book. If you take the time to read any of these I would love your feedback!
Speaking the Unspeakable
Did you know January is spiritual abuse awareness month? There are increasing numbers of helpers, providers, and organizations offering more hands-on, practical resources, and I am so thankful for that. I take a lot of my cues for religious trauma healing from the Gospel of John, which is more imaginative, symbolic, story-driven, and theological. But pr…
“The Empty Grave, a Sea of Tears”
This is part two of a three-part series on healing religious trauma. If you missed it, I encourage you to start with part one, Speaking the Unspeakable.
Time Doesn’t Heal, But God’s Time Does
This is part three of a series on healing religious trauma. ICYMI, I encourage you to start with part one, Speaking the Unspeakable, and part two, “The Empty Grave, a Sea of Tears.”
The Dynamic of Spiritual Abuse
How can we help survivors of spiritual abuse? I believe it all starts with definitions.
Spiritual Abuse Tactics in John’s Gospel
My family is approaching the one year anniversary of our functional excommunication from the church where my wife worked as Director of Women’s and Children’s Ministries. As I’ve been anticipating that anniversary I’ve also been working on an idea for a book about spiritual abuse recovery through the doctrine of the Trinity
The Dynamics of True Shepherding
In walking alongside survivors of religious trauma it is very tempting to focus the light on the darkness. But the darkness of spiritual abuse is first clarified and then outshined by the brightness of the Good Shepherd, and without continually redirecting our gaze to the True Light, our lights grow dim. Diane Langberg does this so well in her book
Knowing God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Did you know that you have a unique relationship with each person of the Trinity?
The Holy Spirit’s Healing for Spiritual Abuse
“God intends the believer’s devotional life to be boldly tri-personal in its shape.” So writes Dan Peters in his master’s thesis Communion and the Trinity: distinct relations with Father, Son and Spirit. Paraphrasing a bold statement from Donald Macleod, Peters explores the reality that Christians have “a relationship …
How the Son Re-Names and Rights Reality
Last week we began a three-part series in John 10 looking at the distinct work of the Trinity in healing survivors of spiritual abuse. To quote Dan Peters again, healing for spiritual abuse should be “boldly tri-personal in its shape.” Having focused on the re-knowing work of the Spirit, we will look at the re-naming work of the Son. But first, consider…
Safe in the Hands of the Father
One of the most notable traits of post traumatic stress is hypervigilence and hyperarousal. After being severely wounded, our minds and bodies set to semi-permanent high alert mode. It’s as if Defcon 5, the defense readiness condition in times of peace, is no longer available. A traumatized body might range from Defcon 4, …
Hermeneutics for Spiritual Abuse Healing
If anything can be said of the New Testament church with confidence, it’s that they interpreted their present experience in the drama of prior revelation. I recently wrote a lengthy newsletter demonstrating this by weaving my own experience of spiritual abuse into the narrative of ch. 9 of the Gospel of John. Such reading…
The Light of the World
Why does John’s Gospel begin the way it does? And how is that relevant for spiritual abuse survivors? This week’s Theology & Therapy post is a meditation on the Trinity for those healing from spiritual abuse. It’s heavy on the theology, but with an aim for therapy. I encourage readers to go slow and take time to let the quotes from the Gospel of John si…
Empire Criticism in the Gospel of John?
Due to changes in my family’s schedule, including teaching a high school psychology class for the first time this fall, I am experimenting with changing my writing and posting schedule. Hence the delay from my normal Friday posts. I’m going to try Tuesdays for now, but the goal is still “once a week”!
Awakened By The Father
The daughters and sons of the Triune God have distinct relationships with each person of the Trinity. Eternal life is knowing Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is both a unified knowledge of the one true God, and distinct knowledge of each Person. As I reflected a few months ago, in John 10 Jesus directs us to
The Good Shepherd Sends Safe Shepherds
Did you know that the Gospel of John is all about the fulfillment of the OT expectation for the removal of false shepherds and the return of good shepherds? Not just the Good Shepherd, but also under-shepherds called by Jesus to mediate his loving care for his flock. What follows are some exegetical notes establishing the…
Spiritual Despair (The Good Kind)
Spiritual abuse recovery begins with the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit shining truth in the darkness. This beginning work does not banish the dark. That comes later and gradually. Here, at the beginning, with a crack of the door, a slight twist of the blinds, or a flash of a match strike, the Spirit merely—but oh s…
The Word of God Welcomes Your Words of Spiritual Trauma
Enduring spiritual abuse, like any other form of trauma, creates a tension that Judith Herman describes painfully well:
Thick Clouds, Darkness and Spiritual Abuse
It is true that those who follow Jesus “will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” because Jesus is “the light of the world” (8:12). At the same time, those who follow Jesus still experience darkness in various forms. In John’s Gospel the stories of the disciples in the dark at sea and Mary Magdalene in the dark at the empty tomb have e…
Let Her Speak
A book about healing from spiritual abuse in John’s gospel would be incomplete, neglectful, and possibly even harmful if it didn’t pay close attention to the way John portrays Jesus’ interaction with women. So I will be devoting three Substacks to that subject.
Woman Redeemed and Commissioned
Last week I began a series of reflections on women in the Gospel of John. This continues an ongoing project on how the Trinity heals the trauma of spiritual abuse. This week I planned to write about the Samaritan woman of John 4, which I have been studying for a few weeks. However, as happens from time to time, when I sat down to begin writing I stumble…
Mary Magdalen and the Tears of Renewal and Reformation
This is part three of a mini-series focusing on the stories of women in the Gospel of John. In case you missed them, see part one regarding the woman of John 8, and part two regarding the Samaritan woman of John 4. Today the focus is on Mary Magdalen in John 20.
Mary Magdalen, the Song, and John the Singer of the Song
This post, not sent to your email, shares some biblical reflections excised from today’s published newsletter cut to keep down the word count. I believe it is important stuff, but for a Reformation Day post I wanted to focus on the heart of the matter: listening to the voices of women proclaiming that the body of Christ is absent and empty.
Spiritual Boundaries: Internalizing the Trinity
In previous posts on how the Trinity heals the trauma of spiritual abuse I adapted Shannon Thomas’ stages of healing from psychological abuse (see especially Awakened by the Father, and Spiritual Despair). In this post we will explore the need for the growth of internal boun…
Advent in John’s Gospel: Fearlessly Into the Dark
Crisis reveals character. That is the message of Advent.
Advent in John’s Gospel: Healing Trauma through Embodied Reading
Have you ever sat at a table and eaten a meal with a betrayer? Have you ever dined with a close friend who later stabbed you in the back? I have. Many times. Many meals. Over many years. With a shepherd and his family. I remember the evening meals of delicious, mouth-watering steaks, and breakfasts with buttery-sweet p…
Advent in John’s Gospel: God Among Us In Human Flesh
Although this will reach you the day after Christmas, this is the fourth and final part in a series of Advent reflections in the Gospel of John.
Religious Trauma and the New Temple
There is faith on the other side of spiritual trauma, because Jesus is building a temple of trusting disciples out of religious trauma survivors.
When Empire Comes to Church
It is tempting to adopt an “other” reading of Gospel criticisms against religious authorities. The wolves and heretics are always “out there,” never “in here.” We all want to be the heroes of our own story, and we naturally want to identify with the heroes in written stories.
When Empire Comes to Church, Part 2
How does a Christian pastor justify spiritual abuse? By telling himself he is protecting the Lord’s mission and cleansing the Lord’s temple.
When Empire Comes to Church, Part 3
This is the third post in a series on empire in the Gospel of John and Peter’s use of violence in John 18:10. If you haven’t read those yet, see part one and part two.
Records of the Liberating Gospel
In the last Thesis 96 post, Records of the Dangerous Gospel, I showed some history of how the Gospel of John has been misused to justify violence and oppression. My interest in this question is not merely how people have read John, but how people have
Womanly Trouble
After my 6-part, 14,000+ word series on gender in the Gospel of John, it’s time to switch gears. Today’s piece is still somewhat related, but will transition us to some more traditional Thesis 96 topics on doing apologetics for the abused. In future posts I will be taking a look at Os Guinness’ book
The Truly Reformed Pastor
As a Greek professor recently pointed out online, knowing a little Greek can tempt one to make too much out of too little. The example was John 21:15-17 when Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love [agapaō] me?”, and Peter answers, “Yes Lord, you know that I love [
When the Most Wonderful Time of the Year is Dreadful
I tried the Substack chat feature for the first time, and I want to give a big thank you to Shannon Bates, Douglas Roorda, Jennifer A. Newton-Savard, Joshua Olson, and The Female Seminarian for giving me feedback and encouragement to write this series, yet another one on the Gospel of John. If you would like to discuss in a safer environment, my chat is open to subscribers only, unlike these posts which are open to everyone.
Church Liturgy and Systemic Corruption
What do you do when tradition has been tainted with trauma? What options do we have when religious custom has become corrupt? Do we cancel, like Calvin and the reformed tradition did with the Roman Catholic Mass? What if liturgies are not only theological errors but ethically harmful as well? If a religious tradition has become rooted in systemic injust…
Reforming Toxic Liturgies
This is Part 3 of a 4-part Advent series on trauma and the liturgical calendar. See Part 1 and Part 2. These are longer posts, and if you skim or skip due to the length, I understand. The problem with reading familiar Bible passages in new ways is, for me at least, it takes a lot of words; hard to condense into a TL;DR.…
Following Jesus while Walking away from Oppressive Holy Days
I apologize for showing up in your inbox twice today—or three times, not really sure what happened! I accidentally scheduled this to publish before it was finished. This is Part 4 of an Advent series on trauma and the liturgical calendar. See Part 1,