Ronald M Enroth "Churches That Abuse" (Zondervan: 1992)

Abusive churches: - Misuse spiritual authority - Use fear, guilt and threats - See themselves as special - Foster rigidity - Discourage questions - Make leaving painful

... evangelical or fundamentalist in theological orientations. p. 31

...strong, control-oriented leadership .... Followers are led to believe that there is no other church quite like theirs and that God has singled them out for special puposes .... dissent is discouraged ...People who don't follow the rules or who threaten exposure are often dealt with harshly. Excommunication is common. . p.32 - 33

Most evenings were given to church activities ... When asked what church members did for fun ... "That's what we did for fun, we went to church." p. 39

Every indication of a negative or "rebellious" attitude or unapproved opinion was attributed to demons. p. 40

...abdication of personal moral responsibility for sin .... There was a tendency to attribute any problem, interpersonal or otherwise, to demons. p. 51

[Name of Pastor] will only accept 'corrective criticism' coming from a 'right spirit.' Of course, he is the judge of 'right spirits' and whether any criticism is truly constructive. p. 82

Jerry McDonald ... noted in a 1986 paper that authoritarian religious groups manipulate "rewards, punishments, and experiences to systematically sever from members their past support systems, which include their own powers of independent and rational thinking, their ability to test, define and evaluate, as well as their ability to freely interact with others about their experience. ..." p. 109

... one of the tactics of control used ... - fear of demons and spirits of deception ..." p. 112.

Pastors exercised control and manipulation through their sermons. Certain themes came through regularly: covenant, authority, obedience, submission, serving, honouring ... p. 114

When a rebellious individual leaves an abusive group, he is labeled as a traitor, a reprobate, a sinner, a backslider ... p. 169.

Unwavering obedience to religious leadership and unquestioning loyalty to the group would be less easily achieved if analysis and feedback were available to members from the outside. It is not without reason that leaders of abusive groups react so strongly and so defensively to any media criticism of their organisations. p. 175

The leadership has done a beautiful job of putting together a large number of words that say nothing. p. 176