“Victims of abuse in churches do not seek revenge, but restoration”

Published February 16, 2026 By admin

Finding victims of abuse in evangelical contexts requires understanding some of the specific characteristics of these faith communities.

This analysis is the focus of Lina Fernanda Montoya Alzate, a psychologist specialising in trauma who works as a university lecturer in Colombia and who travelled to Madrid (Spain) in January to participate in an awareness week organised by Mesa Salmo 15 (in English, Psalm 15 Table) together with the US organisation GRACE.

Using spiritual narratives to abuse and silence

Montoya discussed the case studies of several women she has accompanied in recent years, to highlight the “misuse of religious symbols, narratives and practices” in churches where spiritual and sexual abuse took place.

The key to abuse is the “unequal, coercive condition and the use of religious narrative” that “nullifies the will of the person”, explained Lina Montoya.

Sexual abuse by Christian leaders is almost always built on previous spiritual abuse, said Montoya, who take advantage of asymmetrical power relationships based on “the implicit trust that those who attend church place in these communities of faith”.

Read more https://evangelicalfocus.com/life-tech/33817/victims-of-abuse-in-churches-do-not-seek-revenge-but-restoration

Content retrieved from: https://evangelicalfocus.com/life-tech/33817/victims-of-abuse-in-churches-do-not-seek-revenge-but-restoration.