What is spiritual abuse?
I said, "It's an unhelpful extra-biblical phrase."
Like liberal and legalist, the term spiritual abuse just didn't sit well with me. When a problem gets a label that isn't in the Scripture, it's hard to know whether we're solving - or even identifying - that problem Biblically. I had a pretty good discussion with some of you on Facebook on this topic.
So we rephrased the question. Is it possible to abuse a position of spiritual authority? If it is possible, then what constitutes abuse? And what happens when I do? Is it an offense against God only, or does that abuse also make me responsible for the hurt that others experience?