Tag Archives: Breaking the Chains

Healing from Spiritual and Emotional Abuse by Shari Howerton

   The following post is copied with permission from the blog of the survivor and author, Shari Howerton. It can be found at this link…  http://tinyurl.com/4ky2gb2 . This post is to me of the same open and honest quality with which the book was written.  Thank you, Shari for allowing me to share your work with the readers of this blog. Certainly hoping all will be helped as much as I have been by your story, your insights and your victories. The book can be found here http://www.sharihowerton.com/ .

Survivor Shares Her Story and Journey to Freedom
Breaking the Chains- Overcoming the Spiritual Abuse of a False Gospel

 “I have recently been corresponding with a few more readers of my book. Since my book is a testimony, it has a limited audience. And since I am an unknown, self-published author, it will never be a bestseller. But it continues to sell (albeit in small numbers) each month. And I continue to hear from readers. Many of the people who have written to me were loaned a copy by someone who wanted to share it. I know that some authors might be frustrated by that because it means less book sales. But that doesn’t bother me at all. I spent nearly a year of my life working on the book. I poured my heart into it. And what is most rewarding for me is just knowing that it is still being read.

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Teaching of Perfection- a Double Edged Sword

    In previous post titled, “Rules, Rules, Rules – The Results?” found here.. http://religiouscultsinfo.com/?p=3649 , we included quotes from “Breaking the Chains” Overcoming the Spiritual Abuse of a False Gospel (Copyright © 2009 by Shari Howerton, ISBN- 978-0-9713499-4-0). The author, Shari Howerton laments about living under so many rules in the church her family was a part of during her years as a child and teenager. The church she was in taught perfection. She writes, “We believed that God revealed His “truths” to us as a group; “truths” He had not revealed to Christianity as a whole. As God’s special, we were called to restore the church to its former purity and ultimate latter day glory; we were not called to evangelize”. (page 20)

    While reading the book, I have been captivated at the many similarities that her church (Christian Gospel Temple-CGT) had/has with Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF). I spent 16 years either indirectly or directly under the teachings of WOFF and more specifically –Jane Whaley. Jane considered herself as the one who heard the “Truth” in many areas. For example, Jane taught/teaches about loud prayer, deliverance from demons for Christians, certain customs for marriage ceremonies, burial customs, strict lifestyle customs and many other “truths”. Certainly, while I was there we felt these were “truths” which –“We believed that God revealed His “truths” to us as a group; “truths” He had not revealed to Christianity as a whole.” After all, it was said several times, “we know there are other people out there with “truth”; we just have not found them yet…” So, did we ever expect to find them? These unique “truths” certainly served to make us (WOFF members) feel special and “set-apart” from others who did not or would not listen or accept what God was saying to us…. After all my time in that group I can say the efforts to “evangelize” were slim to none. Can you see a pattern here?

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