SPIRITUAL ABUSE: An Investigation

Investigating Spiritual Harassment and Abuse 

WP Post Article

In an exclusive article, Ian Shapira reported on problems within the US Anglican Church (2025, October 24).

Two leaders in the Anglican church are identified early in the WP report.

   [Ruch, who has been a bishop for 12 years, is one of two top leaders in the continent’s Anglican denomination confronting allegations of wrongdoing. The other is its senior-most official, Archbishop Stephen Wood. A married father of four sons, Wood, 62, has been accused by a former employee of trying to kiss her last year inside his church office in South Carolina, according to a new church presentment, which The Washington Post obtained in advance of its Monday submission. The accusations, which include plagiarizing sermons and demeaning colleagues, could prompt an ecclesiastical trial against Wood and his removal from ministry, according to the denomination’s laws. (Shapira, 2025).]

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My concern is for people who have experienced spiritual harassment or abuse because as a psychologist, such harmful experiences were often sources of distress among my patients. And since my retirement from clinical work, my research with various colleagues has revealed the difficulties survivors experience.

If you are interested, I suggest reading this story with a view to understanding the link between two concepts, Spiritual Harassment and Spiritual Abuse, which I suggest are on a continuum.

First Things: Two Definitions

Following are two definitions you may find useful. I do not present these as final or exhaustive definitions but as working definitions to be revised as we learn more about these troubling concerns.

What’s different about my definitions is my focus on the effect on the person who has been harassed or abused. If you read other definitions, you can see a focus on a process or on the perpetrator, which though interesting, does not capture the essence of appreciating what happens to a person who is the target.

Spiritual Harassment

Spiritual harassment refers to unsolicited or intrusive spiritual or religious remarks or behaviors, often repetitive in nature, which contribute to a hostile, humiliating, or uncomfortable environment. Such actions may result in spiritual or psychological distress and adversely affect an individual's spiritual well-being or engagement in religious activities.

Focus on the survivor's experience when defining spiritual harassment.

Spiritual Abuse

Spiritual abuse refers to actions involving the use of spiritual authority, doctrine, or trust to exert control, manipulate, dominate, or exploit an individual, resulting in demonstrable harm. Such harm may manifest across various domains, including but not limited to spiritual, sexual, relational, economic, medical, and psychological aspects.

In the WP story, notice especially the report of a woman referred to as JA found in section IV: "A female deacon says she was abused and silenced."

Focus on the survivor's experience when defining spiritual abuse.

Look for increased distress and spiritual struggles when studying the continuum between spiritual harassment and abuse.

Reading The Story

Now I will offer a link to the article and hope you are able to access it online or in your local library.

Washington Post Link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2025/10/24/anglican-church-bishop-allegations/

However, even if you cannot read this particular story, I hope you find these ideas helpful in thinking about similar reports of harassment and abuse.

Read More About Spiritual Abuse and Harassment

I have three blog posts, which address these issues in more depth:

Spiritual Harassment

https://suttonpsychology.blogspot.com/2021/09/spiritual-and-religious-harassment.html

Spiritual Abuse

https://suttonpsychology.blogspot.com/2021/09/spiritual-or-religious-abuse.html

Spiritual Neglect

https://suttonpsychology.blogspot.com/2021/09/spiritual-or-religious-neglect.html

Note

This page is for education and not personal advice. Consult health care providers for the most recent information and personal concerns. Links that do not work are not under the control of the post author. We suggest you try a search to see if the item of interest can still be located.

Post Author

Geoffrey W. Sutton, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Evangel University, holds a master’s degree in counseling and a PhD in psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. His postdoctoral work encompassed education and supervision in forensic and neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. As a licensed psychologist, he conducted clinical and neuropsychological evaluations and provided psychotherapy for patients in various settings, including schools, hospitals, and private offices. During his tenure as a professor, Dr. Sutton taught courses on psychotherapy, assessment, and research. He has authored over one hundred publications, including books, book chapters, and articles in peer-reviewed psychology journals. 

His website is https://suttong.com 

You can find Dr. Sutton's books on   AMAZON    and  GOOGLE. 

Many publications are free to download at ResearchGate   and Academia  

News Stories Related to the Washington Post Investigation

RNS: https://religionnews.com/2025/10/23/acna-archbishop-steve-wood-accused-of-sexual-misconductacna-scaffold/

Anglican Church: https://anglicanchurch.net/updates-on-the-ecclesiastical-trial-of-bishop-stewart-ruch-iii/

NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/us/anglican-church-stephen-wood.html

The Boston Globe: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/23/nation/us-anglican-church-archbishop-accused-sexual-misconduct-abuse-power/