With great power comes great responsibility

We talk power and abuse in theology with Selina Stone and her hopes for her new book, out this month.

Hello, Selina. Tell us about your new book, A Heavy Yoke. What is it about?

It’s a book about theological threads that can be traced through stories of spiritual abuse that have hit the headlines in recent years. The beliefs we hold have huge power in how we see ourselves and others, and they also impact our actions. This connection between certain Christian doctrines and abusive practices among church leaders is something I wanted to explore. I do not mean theology is to blame in and of itself – of course many will believe some of these same ideas and not use them to abuse others. But I do think that when we see theologies or passages in Scripture being used in this way, then we need to do some work to explain more clearly how these ideas should or should not be understood. This is what I hope to do in this book, but it is really just the start of the conversation. There is much more to do in terms of research and writing on this topic. 

Given the upsetting news that’s come out about abuse in the Church in the last few years, it might feel obvious why this topic was on your mind. Nonetheless, is there anything specific that inspired you to write it?

I had already been thinking about the questions of power and leadership because of a course I was teaching. So, as these stories started to emerge, I didn’t have to work too hard to see the connections with the reading I had been doing on these themes. I really felt an urgent sense of responsibility, as a theologian, to do what I could to address what I had identified as the problems of spiritual abuse. I had seen brilliant books about narcissism and celebrity culture and abuse, but there were clear theological threads I wanted to examine.

While there is clearly going to be overlap, would you say that there is something unique about abuse in church or spiritual communities as opposed to other types of abuse?

The research on spiritual abuse is still an emerging field, and defining spiritual abuse itself is not straightforward. The most recent definition provided by psychologist Professor Lisa Oakley and her colleagues is ‘a form of emotional and psychological abuse characterised by a systematic pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour in a religious context or with a religious rationale’. So the uniqueness can be recognized in the context and the rationale used by abusers. A person who abuses someone in the workplace may use similar strategies to groom them, but the context and rationale will be distinct from religious contexts.

Additionally, I think spiritual abuse is also unique because harm is done very specifically to the victim in relation to their experience of their faith and spirituality. So the fact that the abuse might directly impact how a person sees God, or themselves in relation to God, also represents a unique form of abuse. And this can happen not just in a religious setting, but in an abusive relationship, friendship or work environment.  

Do you think Christians are prone to being (more) naïve about power, what it looks like, and who might have it?

I think the problems of power are human problems, which we can find in any organized religious and non-religious group – and even those we might consider to be ‘movements’ rather than organized institutions. But I do think we have some challenges that are particular to our faith because of the history of Christianity in the West, our doctrinal commitments and our attempts to live in light of them. In terms of naivety, I don’t think this is true of all Christians – I think some individuals or groups who are used to having or exercising power bring that same insight into church communities and can thus gain access to even more power. I would say some of us have been encouraged to be naïve, to not think about power or be concerned with it. In effect, that allows those with power to hold onto it, since their power becomes invisible. And theology can play a huge role in convincing us not to think about power. We who are not used to having power can be distracted by focusing on personal piety and life after death, or being told the Bible doesn’t permit us to have power, which is really just a way to preserve the power of those who already enjoy it.

What do you think about the Bible in all of this? It seems to me that sometimes people can struggle to critique certain passages where unhealthy dynamics might be said to exist, or problematic things happen, out of fear of unravelling too much, perhaps. Is that something you’ve thought about here?

I definitely understand the fear people can have about unravelling too much; beginning the journey of critical thinking in relation to the Bible can feel daunting. But I believe that part of journeying with God and in faith involves telling the truth about our experiences and what we see when we read the Bible. For example, David is constantly held up as an example, especially by men, because he is a military hero and called ‘a man after God’s own heart’. This might be true in some respects, but he is also a man who abuses his power as king when he decides to have sex with Bathsheba. We see no record of her being asked for consent – he wanted her and ‘sent his messenger to get her’. We should be able to see that and say it is wrong. And, what’s more, we should be able to disagree when David reflects on this in Psalm 51.4, and says ‘against you, you only, have sinned’. The Bible provides us with many records of how people have experienced life with God and interpreted those experiences. We are allowed to question their interpretation. 

If there is one thing/key message that you’d like people to take away from your book, what would it be?

That when we find our traditions, teachings or understandings of Scripture are doing or enabling harm, we have a responsibility to address the harm, by thinking and speaking more clearly. We can hold people accountable for what can be obvious manipulations, but, at times, our theological choices make it very easy for people to do harm to others, and this should not be so. I think truly divine commands, laws, teachings or invitations – whatever language we want to use for the wisdom God wants us to receive and live out – are life-giving, not death-dealing. 

Who would you like to read this book? And are there any people you think should handle this with care?

I have done my best to ensure I hold such sensitive themes with care, but I would encourage victim-survivors to tread carefully, just because it may trigger memories or responses that are difficult. I just want this to be something that anyone, from young people who are new to church to older folks who have had years of both beautiful and difficult experiences, to be seen and supported. I want the book to provide language for those who are victim-survivors and have never had their truth validated. I want those who have left churches because of safety reasons to feel seen and realize that they are not the problem. Too often, those who leave, or report or ask difficult questions, are treated as if they are the issue, when really they can be alerting us to areas for greater reflection and work. But to anyone who reads, no matter who you are, thank you, and please share it with whoever may need it.

Thank you, Selina.

-

Dr Selina Stone is Lecturer in Theology and Ethics at the University of Edinburgh in the School of Divinity. She is a writer, speaker and host of the Sunday School for Misfits podcast.

Her latest book, A Heavy Yoke: Theology, Power and Abuse in the Church, out this month, is available to order here, with 20% off all orders placed before the end of August.

If you have any safeguarding questions or concerns or want some advice, you can contact independent safeguarding organization Thirtyone:eight (contact details here).