Untwisting Scriptures That Were Used to Tie You Up, Gag You, and Tangle Your Mind Quotes

“While writers and speakers are telling you that you need to search your heart for the root of bitterness, which they call unforgiveness, they allow the real roots of bitterness, the self-exalters in positions of authority, to gain more and more ascendancy. Wolves can come in— not only the ones that wear sheep’s clothing— but even some who wear shepherd’s clothing.”
― Rebecca Davis, Untwisting Scriptures That Were Used to Tie You Up, Gag You, and Tangle Your Mind

“Nowhere in the Bible is bitterness shown to be a secret sin, “hidden deep within the heart,” which can only be pointed out by those in authority (a teaching that forges it into a tool of religious abuse). Nowhere in the Bible is sinful bitterness shown to describe the person who has been hurt by an abuser. Instead, Destructive Bitterness paints a picture of the abuser. Both religious abusers in a church or ministry setting, and those who abuse emotionally, psychologically, and physically within the home can qualify as Biblically “bitter” in the sinful, destructive sense. They then are a Source of Bitterness, causing Grieving Bitterness to others.”
― Rebecca Davis, Untwisting Scriptures That Were Used to Tie You Up, Gag You, and Tangle Your Mind

“We can live in hope that our Lord will one day redeem all the brokenness of this sin-cursed world,[126] but He expects you to carry no burden of guilt for grieving bitterness. In it, He is with you, and He loves you.”
― Rebecca Davis, Untwisting Scriptures That Were Used to Tie You Up, Gag You, and Tangle Your Mind

“We are taught that grieving is feeling sorry for yourself, and that real strength is to not show any emotions at all. Because we do not know how to be sad, we want to get to the end-stage of grief; we want the benefits and the results of healing, but we do not want to take the time to move through the often long and painful process of grief. For too long we have been taught that shedding tears is a sign of weakness and that you must not wallow in your sorrow. . . . As a result of this approach to grief, we have a whole generation of people with unresolved issues, hurts, and pains in their past that have been shallowly dealt with at best, and at worst have been ignored and discounted completely. The result has been an increasingly shallow Christianity and a profound lack of understanding of the nature of God and how, as His people, we are to move and live in a fallen world.[117]”
― Rebecca Davis, Untwisting Scriptures That Were Used to Tie You Up, Gag You, and Tangle Your Mind

“Repeatedly and consistently, the Bible calls us to stand with the weak and oppressed, to speak out for those who for one reason or another can’t speak for themselves. God is a God of justice and mercy, and He calls us to walk in justice and mercy with Him, to have His heart, His compassion and empathy.”
― Rebecca H. Davis, Untwisting Scriptures That Were Used to Tie You Up, Gag You, and Tangle Your Mind

“Some people may have been unable to express any grief or sadness for a significant period of time while they were living with abuse. Suppressing grief may have been a survival strategy, especially if a woman's visible crying and sorrow had been a trigger for further abuse from a partner. Some women have also faced a dilemma about allowing their children to see them visibly upset, and have buried their grief for many years while the children were young or dependent. For these women, the extent and complexity of their grief and loss may feel overwhelming, even frightening.”
― Rebecca H. Davis, Untwisting Scriptures That Were Used to Tie You Up, Gag You, and Tangle Your Mind