re:generation

Emotional Abuse 

Emotional abuse focuses on control. It is a way to manipulate others by using shame, blame, criticism, aggressive behavior, passive aggressiveness, and gaslighting (gaslighting is an act of manipulation and focuses on leading and pressuring people to question their thoughts, memories, motives, and sanity). Emotional abuse is most common in family structures such as marriage and parent-child relationships (including blended families) but can be common among friends and co-workers as well. Emotional abuse can also occur when emotional needs are neglected by a caregiver, i.e., a parent, spouse, or adult child. 

Physical Abuse

Physical abuse is the non-accidental use of force that results in bodily injury, pain, or impairment. This includes but is not limited to being hit, punched, kicked, slapped, burned, cut, hair pulled, bruised, or improperly physically restrained. Physical abuse can include using objects to inflict the harm. Physical abuse is not limited to children and can happen to adults of any age. Neglect is also considered an aspect of physical abuse.  It can happen when a person neglects the physical wellbeing of their spouse or child.  This type of abuse often happens when one adult cares for another, such as in the case of an adult child caring for a parent. 

Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse is any sexual activity (verbal, visual, emotional, physical) engaged in without consent* (agreement), which uses one person to meet another person’s sexual or emotional desires. This activity may be accomplished through force, intimidation, coercion, deception, or influence of authority.  

*Note: A person does not “consent” if he or she cannot accept or refuse sexual advances. A victim’s age, circumstances, understanding and dependency/relationship to the offender may limit ability to consent. A child cannot consent to sexual activity.  

Abortion is the willful and deliberate termination of a pregnancy by a woman or a couple who do not desire to carry the child to a full-term birth. When abortion ends the life of her child, a woman choosing abortion can go through stages of Post Abortion Syndrome (relief, rationalization, repression, resentment). She may experience symptoms such as guilt, shame, anxiety, self-hate, prolonged grief, bitterness, anger, depression, emotional numbness, and suicidal thoughts. She might obsess about getting pregnant again or not want to ever get pregnant again. She can develop fears of infertility or that future children will die. She may also find it hard to bond with her own present or future children or to be near other children or pregnant women. Abortion affects everyone involved; many women report that they want their partner’s honest opinion.

Anger is a strong emotion of displeasure, agitation, and belligerence that is aroused when a person perceives a wrong suffered. Anger is a God-given emotion that signals when something is wrong. Anger alerts you to hurts, injustices, fears, or frustrations over unmet expectations and needs. There are varying degrees of anger ranging from mild irritation to uncontrollable violence. Broad categories include indignation (disgust for an offense or injustice), wrath (fierce anger with a desire to avenge which moves you toward action), fury (powerful anger that compels you towards violence or destruction), and rage (blazing anger that drives you to a loss of self-control, temporary insanity, or unmanageable violence). While anger is not a sin, how you respond or express these feelings may become sinful.

Body image is defined as a person’s perception of their physical appearance or sexual attractiveness of their own body. Body image is valued in our world today. Though a healthy body is good, for many people, physical health and beauty becomes an obsession. The quest to reach a physical standard created by the world can be devastating. Men and women alike struggle to find worth, acceptance, and approval in their own self-image rather than finding their worth in who God created them to be. God created humans to reflect His image and find value in His purpose for their lives.  

Codependency describes unhealthy relationships in which individuals use one another to get their own emotional needs met in a manner that harms each other and the relationship.  Codependence develops in love-deficient relationships where internal brokenness exists. Someone struggling with codependence (often unknowingly) looks to another person to fill his or her need for love or significance, rather than looking to God.  

Depression is defined as a persistent sad mood or loss of pleasure in normal activities. Depression is also described as an emotional heaviness that weighs the heart down. Normal ups and downs are a common part of life. Feelings of sadness can be a normal reaction to difficult situations or struggles. For some, however, feelings of sadness and hopelessness can become crippling or prolonged, making normal day-to-day functioning a struggle.  

Eating disorders are a group of conditions marked by an unhealthy relationship with food. These conditions grow beyond attempts to “eat healthy” or “lose weight” into an obsessive, controlling, preoccupation with food. Eating disorders are complicated, dangerous (sometimes deadly) symptoms of underlying struggles. Individuals must relearn to eat in a healthy way, while addressing the underlying issues. Core issues may include deep-rooted insecurity, low self-worth or self-hate, repressed guilt or shame, perfectionism, control, and people-pleasing. Often, the person with the disorder does not believe he or she is in real danger. Medical evaluations often help to ensure a safe recovery.  

Fear is a strong, unpleasant emotion caused by an identified looming danger or threat, whether real or perceived. Anxiety is lingering apprehension caused by unclear future events that seem challenging, daunting, or uncertain. These two are interrelated; fear causes anxiety, and anxiety can lead to fear. Fear is a God-given emotion created to protect you when you face real danger. Fear triggers adrenaline, inciting a fight-or-flight-or-freeze response for survival. God, however, did not intend for your mind or spirit to be persistently controlled by fear or anxiety.  

A mind and spirit preoccupied with fear can be paralyzing, rob you of peace, and harm your physical, mental, and spiritual health. It can shift your focus from the all-powerful, sovereign God who loves you and who has your best interests in mind. Constant worry and anxiety are often a result of misplaced meditation.  

Gambling can stimulate the brain's reward system much like drugs or alcohol, leading to addiction. 

Compulsive gamblers repeatedly turn to gambling as a preferred coping mechanism while disregarding its risks or consequences. For the addict, gambling is more of a mindset than a specific activity (slot machines, sports betting, etc.); he or she can turn any activity with risks and rewards into a vehicle for gambling.  

Shame is a painful feeling about who you are as a person because of your actions or the actions of others; “Who am I?” These feelings affect self-perception, how you interact with others, and how you relate to God. Shame can include feelings of humiliation, disgrace, and embarrassment about who you are and your worth. Shame is when your own low opinion of who you are as a person or your value is determined by something other than God’s opinion of you (your failures, sufferings, or another’s low opinion of who you are, etc.).

Overspending is when someone consistently spends money to excess. When a person routinely spends a large percentage of income on discretionary purchases, it can lead to hardship, debt, addictive spending, and sin. Pursuing worldly gains can even cause a person to abandon his or her faith. People overspend for many reasons: materialism, emotional escape, comfort, pleasure, image-building, social acceptance, compulsion, and “buyer’s rush” are just a few. Overspending affects rich and poor people alike. One of the clearest symptoms of a spending problem is the accumulation of unneeded or overly extravagant items for the purchaser or their loved ones.  

Pride is a high opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority. Pride is also a dignified sense of what is due to oneself, or one's position, or character. Pride has infected all humans in varying degrees. Pride entices a person to exalt himself or to bring others low for the sake of comparative advantage or superiority. It is competitive and wickedly deceptive. Prideful people have difficulty recognizing their own pride, while being keenly aware of pride in others. The opposite of pride is humility.

Sex outside of marriage 

The bible reserves the act of sex to the marriage covenant between one man and one woman. The Bible says the “marriage bed” is undefiled. That means the sexual relationship between a husband and wife is pure. However, any sexual activity between unmarried persons is outside of God’s intended purpose for sex. This includes sexual intercourse but can include other sexual activity.  

Lust and Pornography 

Pornography is any material used to elicit sexual arousal. Pornography can include images, videos, magazines, literature, television, movies, social media, and any other source that stimulates erotic behavior or feelings for a person. Pornography use is not exclusive to gender or age groups. The root of this sin is primarily spiritual and emotional rather than sexual.

Homosexuality

Homosexuality is sexual activity between members of the same sex. Every time the New Testament references homosexual practice as a sexual sin, it is within the context of other sins. He offers the same redemptive plan to all people. He discourages any sexual sin (regardless of gender attraction) outside of His plan for sexual expression because He loves us, and sin is destructive. Homosexual practice has been present throughout history. The only relationship where a sexual union is celebrated is within the confines of a monogamous heterosexual marriage between one man and one woman. Desires do not determine identity. We are not a sum of our attractions and desires.  

Homosexuality is sexual activity between members of the same sex. Every time the New Testament references homosexual practice as a sexual sin, it is within the context of other sins. He offers the same redemptive plan to all people. He discourages any sexual sin (regardless of gender attraction) outside of His plan for sexual expression because He loves us, and sin is destructive. Homosexual practice has been present throughout history. The only relationship where a sexual union is celebrated is within the confines of a monogamous heterosexual marriage between one man and one woman. Desires do not determine identity. We are not a sum of our attractions and desires.  

Self-injury is the practice of deliberately harming the body without suicidal intent. People self-injure in many ways to varying degrees of severity. The practice is not exclusive to one gender or age group. The root of this struggle is primarily spiritual and emotional rather than physical. Common characteristics of self-injury can include cutting, intense scratching, burning, hitting, piercing, or pulling out hair for the purpose of harming the body.  

Substance abuse or addiction (of alcohol, drugs, pills) is the repeated misuse and unhealthy, compulsive desire and dependency of a legal or illegal substance, which is continued by the user with disregard to negative impact. Addicts and alcoholics often want to quit but find they cannot. They go back to the addiction despite the harm it causes because they do not have a way to live life without it. Though some people may even be born with propensities towards alcoholism/addiction, it is patterned abuse that forms chemical dependency.