A Heavy Yoke: Theology, Power and Abuse in the Church

by Selina Stone

Overview

What we believe about God becomes the basis for how we think about ourselves, as leaders and individuals, and how by extension, we think about and treat others. But the relationship between doctrine, practice and power is not always straightforward. The Christian call to humility when applied to people of global majority heritage or those living with disabilities, can simply add to their marginalisation. Servant-leader language has often been tarnished by the many leaders who adopt this as a mantra despite abusing their power in practice.

In A Heavy Yoke, Selina Stone lifts the lid on the ways Christian theology can, often unwittingly, uphold existing power structures to the detriment of the flourishing of the whole church. Engaging and timely, the book calls for a more rigorous and critical understanding of Christian theology and how it is shaping Christian leaders, churches and organisations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780334066699
Publisher:	Hymns Ancient & Modern
Publication date:	08/28/2025
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Dr Selina Stone is Lecturer in Theology and Ethics at the University of Edinburgh in the School of Divinity. She is a writer, speaker and host of the Sunday School for Misfits podcast.

Table of Contents

Foreword vii Introduction 1 1 Power and Theology 15 2 Words from God? Calling, Power and Speech 33 3 The Almighty: Power, Our Work and God’s Ways 53 4 On Principalities and Powers 73 5 Sanctifying Suffering: The Cross and Christian Abuse 90 6 The Problem of Vulnerability 109 7 The Power of Discernment 131 Bibliography 154

Editorial Reviews

The misuse of power is so integral to the experience of spiritual abuse… This book, which seeks to explore how power works in and through theology and how this power can be abused, is both timely and important. … [It] is refreshing in that it actively seeks to be accessible, to write in a way that encourages and invites those of us without a theological background to the table and in so doing not only educates but also challenges us and allows us to explore our own theologies. Whilst the book rightly explores abuse of power and takes time to explore this in depth, it also comes from a position of hope, we can do and be better.

Lisa Oakley

This book is a wise and unflinching analysis of the abuse of power across all church traditions. It describes the tangle of human failings and inadequate theology which has harmed so many people so profoundly. It challenges our understanding of some things we hold dear, such as obedience, humility, calling and holiness. We need to listen to what its author has to say, to listen to those whom the church has harmed, and to listen to God, whose creative and lifegiving breath, as Selina reminds us, is the true nature and definition of power.

Sarah Mullally

'A Heavy Yoke' is insightful and courageous in exploring some of the most complex and challenging aspects of how power is sometimes used within the body of Christ. Selina Stone encourages us to look more closely at our theologies and how they have sometimes enabled, facilitated and been used to justify the unthinkable. This book holds a light to some of the darkest places we have found within our Christian communities in recent years and causes us to helpfully question the basis for such abuses of power and people. I thoroughly recommend this book. It won't be an easy read, but it is enlightening, thought-provoking and necessary.

Justin Humphreys