Healing Spiritual Abuse & Religious Addiction

Rating:
Summary: Two half books under a single cover
Review: The first 48 pages of this tome deal with the title subject, and are insightful and worthwhile. Yet the remaining 100 pages seem more of a rehash of birth order determinants set in a biblical melieu: the responsible child (#1=Pharisee); the rebel child (#2=Samaritan); the lost child (the Essene); and the comedian/clown/distractor (the Sadducee). Each of these vignettes is portrayed in an open and instructive manner, yet the nexus between spiritual addiction (1st 48 pages) and this child-order hypothesis seems lacking. The chapters on Scripture & Spiritual Abuse, and What Would Jesus Do, seem to offer diagnosis without treatment. Notwithstanding, this book can be recommended. The notion of Spiritual Addiction, particularly by those called to the clerical life, is present in this book, and if we are content that this is a valid first cut at a significant problem, then the recommendation stands. Much more needs to be done on and with this topic. The authors' seminal book --"Good Goats: Healing Our Image of God" attacks the problem of spiritual addiction much better. "Good Goats" offers diagnosis and treatment of the root factors in spiritual addiction.(5 stars).