BULLY PULPIT:
Confronting the problem of spiritual
abuse in the church
By Michael J. Kruger
Zondervan. 164 pages. £19.35
ISBN 978 0 310 136 408
Content warning: this book and therefore this review contains material some may find difficult.
Do we really need another book about spiritual abuse in the church? For the answer, read on.
As President of Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina, Michael Kruger is responsible for training the next generation of church leaders. In Bully Pulpit, he offers us a thoughtful insight into a very troubling issue. He reminds us that we must not ‘circle the wagons’ but face our sins head-on, repent, and put wrongs right. Loving the church means we want to see it purified so it reflects the beauty of the Lord Jesus.
Unlike Marcus Honeysett’s book, Powerful Leaders, (reviewed in April 2022) in en Kruger doesn’t flinch from using the term ‘spiritual abuse’. Drawing on examples from both sides of the Atlantic, he captures the devastation that it unleashes on a believer’s life – physically, psychologically and, above all, in their trust in God Himself.
He addresses poignant questions like why churches don’t stop abusive leaders and how skilfully abusive leaders ‘flip the script’ before he goes on to describe the kind of culture that resists abuse. Yes, we need protective policies to care for the abused but, above all, we need to keep abusive leaders from gaining positions of power in the first place. Amongst other things, this requires us to put character over competence, teamwork over hierarchy and accountability over secrecy.
Kruger concludes with a heartfelt appeal to Christian leaders who suffer ‘the wear and tear of ministry’. How do we prevent ourselves from becoming abusive leaders? By being captivated by One who describes Himself as ‘gentle and humble in heart’. The ultimate answer to abuse is His cross. ‘There, on display for all the world to see, was a “shepherd” who did not save his own life but gave it up freely for the sake of others’ (p.145).
This is a compassionately written, thought-provoking book. Although it references the UK it, almost inevitably, has an ‘American’ feel. Honeysett’s Powerful Leaders and Challenging Leaders, edited by Graham Nicholls, probably make better starting points in helping us to confront a very real and present danger that destroys Jesus’ people and damages His reputation.
