Spiritual Abuse in Evangelisation and Discipleship (with Paul Fahey)
Episode 155 In this episode, Paul Fahey joins me in a pivotal conversation about spiritual abuse within the context of evangelisation and church communities. We share our journey from years of traditional evangelisation to a deeper understanding of the Great Commandments and how they relate to the Great Commission. We examine the importance of truly loving others as Christ loves us and how our distorted images of God can impact our relationships and evangelisation efforts. We address th...
Episode 155
In this episode, Paul Fahey joins me in a pivotal conversation about spiritual abuse within the context of evangelisation and church communities. We share our journey from years of traditional evangelisation to a deeper understanding of the Great Commandments and how they relate to the Great Commission. We examine the importance of truly loving others as Christ loves us and how our distorted images of God can impact our relationships and evangelisation efforts.
We address the often-overlooked emotional and psychological abuses by those in spiritual authority and discuss what a healthy use of authority should look like. We also delve into the critical role of personal integrity and humility for those in spiritual leadership. This episode offers crucial insights into the ways we can foster a more loving and respectful approach to faith, evangelisation and discipleship.
Watch this recording on YouTube.
Follow me on my Instagram account @animann for more material on the integration journey and subscribe to my monthly reflections on Begin Again.
RESOURCES
Paul Fahey's Spiritual Abuse Workshop (Fall 2025)
Sherry Weddell’s book Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus
Pope Francis’ address to the Indigenous Peoples and Members of the Parish Community Sacred Heart
CHAPTER MARKERS
00:00 Introduction
03:29 Spiritual Abuse in Evangelisation
05:52 Introducing Paul Fahey
09:43 Personal Experiences and Reflections
14:18 The Role of Trust in Evangelisation
25:29 Coercion in Evangelisation
30:48 Subtle Forms of Coercion
44:45 Preferential Option for the Institution
50:26 Defining the End of Evangelisation
53:16 The Importance of Dignity and Freedom
55:23 Evangelisation vs. Proselytism
56:52 Intellectual Conversion vs. True Discipleship
58:15 Lack of Self-Awareness in Evangelisation
01:01:25 Corporate and Individual Responsibility
01:04:33 Historical Context of Church Authority
01:18:35 Healthy Use of Spiritual Authority
01:24:07 Emotional and Psychological Abuse in Church
01:31:38 Empowering the Laity
01:33:53 Final Thoughts and Gratitude
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00:00 - Introduction
03:29 - Spiritual Abuse in Evangelisation
05:52 - Introducing Paul Fahey
09:43 - Personal Experiences and Reflections
14:18 - The Role of Trust in Evangelisation
25:29 - Coercion in Evangelization
30:48 - Subtle Forms of Coercion
44:45 - Preferential Option for the Institution
50:26 - Defining the End of Evangelisation
53:16 - The Importance of Dignity and Freedom
55:23 - Evangelisation vs. Proselytism
56:52 - Intellectual Conversion vs. True Discipleship
58:15 - Lack of Self-Awareness in Evangelisation
01:01:25 - Corporate and Individual Responsibility
01:04:33 - Historical Context of Church Authority
01:18:35 - Healthy Use of Spiritual Authority
01:24:07 - Emotional and Psychological Abuse in Church
01:31:38 - Empowering the Laity
01:33:53 - Final Thoughts and Gratitude
Paul Fahey
Professional Counselor
Paul Fahey lives in Michigan with his wife and five kids. He is a limited licensed professional counselor, retreat leader, and catechist. He is a co-founder of Where Peter Is and the founder and host of the Third Space podcast. He provides counseling for those who have been spiritually abused and produces resources for Church leaders to better safeguard their communities against all forms of abuse.