On Spiritual Abuse | Michael Kruger

1 week ago 18

An image of Michael Kruger and Kirk E. Miller with Logos Live script in the background.

In this episode of Logos Live, Kirk E. Miller speaks with Dr. Michael J. Kruger about the problem of spiritual abuse in the church, a topic he addresses in his book, Bully Pulpit. Together, Mike and Kirk explore how to recognize spiritual abuse, prevent it, care for those impacted by it, and foster church cultures marked by humility, safety, and accountability.

Follow the show on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more.

What you’ll find

Episode guest: Michael Kruger

Dr. Michael J. Kruger (PhD, University of Edinburgh) is president and the Samuel C. Patterson Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC. He is one of the leading scholars today in the study of the origins of the New Testament, and the author of numerous books. In 2019, Dr. Kruger also served as the president of the Evangelical Theological Society, the world’s largest society of evangelical scholars.

Episode synopsis

From early Christianity scholar to church health advocate

Mike Kruger is widely recognized for his expertise in New Testament canon and early Christianity, so his recent work in leadership issues might appear unexpected. He explains that his involvement stems from his role as president of Reformed Theological Seminary, where he trains future pastors and ministry leaders. Observing troubling patterns in church leadership, especially within his own theological circles, motivated him to address the often-overlooked problem of spiritual abuse.

While other groups outside the evangelical Reformed tradition have raised the alarm, Mike noticed that their voices often go unheard within his own community. His goal with Bully Pulpit was to bring credible, internal critique to bear on leadership issues, knowing that insiders are sometimes attributed more credibility than outsiders.

The Bible’s own concern for healthy spiritual leaders

As Mike notes, spiritual abuse is not a merely modern issue.

As Mike set out to write his book, he was surprised by the volume of biblical texts addressing leadership gone wrong. Jesus, Paul, and Peter, for instance, all warn about the dangers of domineering leaders. Kirk and Mike highlight Ezekiel 34, where God rebukes Israel’s unfaithful shepherds, and 1 Peter 5, which urges elders not to domineer but to shepherd with gentleness. Jesus’s own denunciation of power-hungry rulers in Mark 10 and his teaching on servant leadership form a clear foundation for the importance of character among ministry leaders.

According to Mike, healthy spiritual leadership is central to the church’s witness. If pastors do not reflect Christ in their leadership, the church’s health and mission suffer profoundly.

What makes a healthy church—& an unhealthy one?

When asked what defines a healthy church, Mike outlines several foundational marks:

Submission to the authority of God’s word
Faithful, godly leaders
Centrality of the gospel
Committed community life
Missional focus

However, doctrine and structure are not the only ingredients of church health. Culture also plays a crucial role. Mike explains that although church culture can be difficult to define, it is often easy to sense. As Kirk and Mike note, a church can have perfect doctrine on paper yet remain deeply unhealthy due to a culture of fear or manipulation.

One sure marker of poor health is when members experience fear of their pastors. If people walk on eggshells, avoid raising their concerns, or are terrified of crossing the leader or being “in his crosshairs,” the church culture is broken, regardless of its doctrinal statements. This fear often emerges from a pattern of domineering leadership, a theme Mike returns to throughout the conversation.

The subtlety of spiritual abuse

Mike and Kirk note that spiritual abuse isn’t always obvious. It doesn’t appear with twirling mustaches and overt villainy. Often, abusive leaders look competent, godly, and even charismatic. But over time, their leadership patterns bring damage and foster fear.

Kirk and Mike draw attention to how good principles can be weaponized: calls for unity can stifle dissent; appeals to authority can be used to demand trust rather than earn it; submission can be coerced instead of cultivated. The result is a spiritually oppressive environment, often masked by theological correctness, appeals to trust leadership, and a sense of legitimacy.

They emphasizes that spiritual abuse is not confined to certain theological traditions, nor are those who claim abuse necessarily those who buck at God-given, godly authority. In fact, many cases of abuse arise in theologically conservative, doctrinally orthodox contexts. The issue is not necessarily bad doctrine or succumbing to “the spirit of the age,” but a damaging lack of Christlike character among leaders.

Sin is universal, and as Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn famously said, “The line separating good and evil passes … right through every human heart—and through all human hearts.” A problem with assuming spiritual abuse will always appear obvious is that we blind ourselves to its many less-than-obvious occurrences. As Jesus himself said, wolves won’t appear as wolves, but as those dressed in sheep’s clothing (Matt 7:15). And often our own self-interest and confirmation bias make it difficult to acknowledge that a beloved leader would act so harmfully.

An image of a Logos search for the word "domineer" or "lord it over."

Using Logos’s Precise Search, we see that Peter uses the same word for “domineer” as Jesus.

Defining & assessing spiritual abuse

Mike offers a clear, two-part definition: Spiritual abuse occurs when

a leader possesses spiritual authority (pastor, elder, etc.)
that they wield in domineering, heavy-handed ways that harm those under their care.

Crucially, spiritual abuse is tied to the spiritual role of the abuser. In other words, this isn’t just interpersonal conflict—it involves misusing God-given authority and invoking divine legitimacy in harmful ways. And they do this all while claiming to be building God’s kingdom, when in fact they are building their own.

Certainly, spiritual abuse is more subjective and harder to detect than something like physical abuse. Nonetheless, Mike argues that since Scripture expects churches to evaluate a leader’s character and qualifications, it presumes we can and must concern ourself with such evaluations. The difficulty of assessment does not excuse or warrant neglect. The Bible does not treat this matter as optional. It assumes such qualities can be known.

Mike warns against dismissing spiritual abuse because it seems vague or subjective. While it may lack visible scars, its impact is very real. To treat it as insignificant, or deny it altogether, is to bring further harm to the already wounded.

The impact of spiritual abuse

Kirk and Mike detail the deep damage spiritual abuse can cause, taking things that are so vital and good (e.g., Scripture, one’s relationship with God, the church) and twisting them into a source of agonizing pain and confusion. Symptoms can include the following:

Physical symptoms (e.g., PTSD-like stress)
Emotional and relational trauma
Social ostracization from their church
Doubts about God, faith, and the church

Mike likens spiritual abuse to a child being harmed by their parent. The damage isn’t only the act itself but the betrayal of trust by someone meant to nurture and protect. Similarly, pastors are supposed to be shepherds. When they harm their flock, the wounds are profound.

One consequence is that many victims withdraw from church entirely. Paradoxically though, the best healing often comes through re-engagement in a healthy church where gentle leadership can restore trust. But unfortunately, many never find their way back.

Why survivors don’t speak up

Mike acknowledges that many victims never come forward—and those who do often regret it. Time and again, he has heard that the ecclesiastical process (e.g., investigations) proved more traumatizing than the abuse itself. Victims are often disbelieved, maligned, attacked, or pressured to remain silent. Churches often protect their leaders or institutions rather than those abused for the sake of “carrying on with the mission.”

Kirk challenges churches to put people above institutions (see Isa 1:12–17). Protecting the church’s reputation cannot come at the expense of the wounded.

How we can prevent spiritual abuse

Mike outlines two key strategies for abuse prevention:

Rethink how we assess ministry candidates. Current systems prioritize theological precision but often neglect emotional maturity and character. Churches must develop more robust methods for evaluating fitness for ministry.
Establish credible accountability structures. Churches need reliable, fair, and safe systems for handling abuse allegations. These systems must avoid re-traumatizing survivors and must actually hold leaders accountable.

Without these, the culture of silence and fear will persist.

The importance of listening to women

While spiritual abuse is not gender-specific, women often occupy vulnerable positions in church structures and are frequently targeted or dismissed. Mike argues that churches need to include the concerns of women, given their unique contributions—men and women complement each other. Thus, women’s perspectives prove indispensable, especially when addressing concerns raised by women.

Moreover, involving women in teams and review committees ensures that victims aren’t forced to share their stories in intimidating, all-male environments. Women, as image-bearers and Spirit-filled members of Christ’s body, must be heard and valued.

Hope amidst the hurt

While this discussion addresses painful realities, Mike offers a word of hope:

Christ sees and cares for the wounded (Matt 18:6).
He is not like abusive leaders. He is gentle, sacrificial, and trustworthy (Matt 11:28–30; 12:20).
He is building his church, and he will not fail (Matt 16:18).

Sometimes we can recoil at speaking of the church’s ills. But the path towards health lies not in denying problems but in loving the church well enough to name and confront them. Healthy churches begin with humility, honesty, and a commitment to Christlike leadership.

Kirk closes with a call to remember Jesus’s words in Matthew 18:6 and his immense care for the “little ones” who have been abused by spiritual leaders. Jesus still walks among the lampstands (Rev 2–3); he still sees, cares, and defends his own and holds churches and its leaders accountable.

For those hurt by the church: Christ sees you. He will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick (Matt 12:20).
For pastors and other leaders: Shepherd as Christ did—gently, sacrificially, and without domineering (1 Pet 5:1–5).
For the church itself: Pursue health not by preserving appearances, but by protecting and caring for people above your own personal comfort.