Charismatic Captivation: Authoritarian Abuse & Psychological Enslavement In Neo-Pentecostal Churches

by Steven Lambert

Multitudes of sincere and trusting believers are caught in the virtually invisible web of religious captivation in the churches they attend, the ministries they are under, and the networks they are aligned with and don't know it! These faithful followers of Christ are unaware victims of spiritual abuse, psychological enslavement, and emotional exploitation perpetrated under the heavy-hand of hyper-authoritarianism. That is to say, the leadership of the church-group of which they are a part is dominating, controlling, manipulating, and exploiting their followers for their own personal gain and private kingdom-building. Without realizing the spiritual effect of what they are doing, myriads of sincere and faithful followers of Christ, in submitting themselves and surrendering their God-given right to self-governance or personal autonomy unto their spiritual leaders, have become "slaves of men" in violation of God's explicit warning against such: "DO NOT BECOME SLAVES OF MEN!" (1 Cor. 7:23). Frequently, in groups employing such hyper-authoritarian practices, adherents codify their willful enslavement by signing biblically-prohibited "covenants" with their leaders requiring them to effectively surrender their free-will unto their spiritual taskmasters and granting them the right to intervene in and make decisions regarding the mundane matters of their lives. Authoritarian abuse (aka, "spiritual abuse") is one of the most widespread and troubling problems facing the Church today. Indeed, the truth is that ecclesiastical enslavement and exploitation is pandemic in many sectors of 21st Century Christendom, though those churches and ministries employing it go to great lengths to disguise and conceal it. What makes the pandemic problem even more insidious is that many of the perpetrators and proliferators of these spiritually repressive teachings and techniques are respected, and in some cases revered, spiritual leaders. Moreover these autocratic systems of religious hegemony are being imposed in church-groups espousing orthodox Christian beliefs, whose membership is comprised of a cross section of average Americans-individuals and families-of every race, education level, station, status, and vocation, rather than radical, fringe religious sects and cults as many uninformed people would suppose. Though religious predomination is certainly nothing new, and hyper-authoritarianism is by no means limited to the Neo-Pentecostal branch of the Church, it has especially flourished in Charismatic and other Neo-Pentecostal groups since it was infused into the very fabric, foundation, and functions of that branch of the Church in the early- to mid-seventies through the auspices of what became known as the "Discipleship or Shepherding Movement." The doctrines and practices spawned in that false movement remain an integral part of the operations of many churches and groups yet today! Indeed, what many do not understand is that with the emergence of the plethora of "networks" now in existence, there is an invisible web of interrelated organizations that secretly control and direct everything substantive that goes on in the realm of Neo-Pentecostal churches, including "approving" or "blacklisting" ministers and leaders who refuse to submit to the secret "Charismatic chain-of-command." Written from an "insider's" perspective by an inveterate, respected Charismatic minister and lettered theologian, who is consulted by the media as an expert on Christian cults, Charismatic Captivation, has been appraised and praised by ministers, scholars, theologians, church leaders, and laymen as one of the most comprehensive as well as convincing volumes written to date on the prevalent problem of authoritarian abuse, yet without the "Charismatic-bashing" in which other books citing Neo-Pentecostal abuses often engage.

304 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2003

About the author

There is more than one author with this name on GR. This is Steven^Lambert.

Steven Lambert writes on Christian topics.

Reviews

[Jo Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend for mature Christians.
A thorough and raw depiction of the imperfections of some churches. Great for a mature Christian to read and be aware of some subtle traps and tricks of charismatic churches. Learnt soo many common things to be careful of. Personally I’ve experienced some of these scenarios mentioned and thankfully have found a healthy church since then and had to relearn what good looks like. I’m really hoping if someone is experiencing cult like tendencies, to have a read of this book to help bring some clarity.

Truly grateful for the level of research and evidence the author has selflessly shared with everyone, thank you for being so vulnerable and honest.

[Marion Wiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

After spending 12 years in what proved to be an abusive church, I did a great deal of research to find out about how these churches operate. This book was absolutely key in helping me break the ties and regain my freedom from a very controlling atmosphere. The research Dr. Lambert has done has proven to be very valuable in understanding how these places twist scripture to maintain their control. Understanding how and why these places operate is essential in dealing with the fallout after leaving, and this book really helped with that. Understanding brings light, and light brings freedom. I highly recommend this book.