Uploaded September 2024 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
NEW VIDEO: Today we hear from two members of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church as they tell us how they were trapped for years in very destructive marriages by church leaders. They were repeatedly coerced and pressured by the pastor to stay with their spouses, even at great cost to their health, children, financial stability, and safety.
This isn’t surprising. The OPC’s official public online doctrinal stance does not condone divorce for physical violence, emotional or financial abuse, family-crushing addictions, or neglect and indifference. This policy is unsafe for abused wives and husbands, and (sadly), and while you may choose to stay and try to change the church (as one woman did), it may be best to resign from churches that smear the victimized spouse as "unforgiving" and repeatedly give a hand slap and a free pass to the abuser. #orthodoxpresbyterianchurch
I’m interviewing Caroline McKuen, a longtime Christian and dedicated church volunteer, and Alison Gerardi, a pastor’s wife. Caroline has started a new nonprofit organization for Presbyterians (and others) who are stuck in church “counseling” merry-go-rounds that never allow them to escape abusive marriages. The organization is called the Presbyterian Advocacy Coalition.
See below for links to their organization and to newspaper article about the pastor of their church. presbyterianadvocacycoalition.org/blog-1/why-women-dont-win-abuse-cases-in-presbyterian-churches
News articles about their stories:
Times-Union, New York
web.archive.org/web/20240722005419/https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/allegations-spiritual-abuse-calvary-church-19551662.php
News story:
angloamerica101.wordpress.com/2024/07/23/calvary-orthodox-presbyterian-church-pastor-dissuaded-women-from-ending-what-they-said-were-abusive-marriages
This is the nonprofit that Caroline and Allison have started to help Presbyterian women who are in abusive marriages or want to help someone who is:
presbyterianadvocacycoalition.org/blog-1/why-women-dont-win-abuse-cases-in-presbyterian-churches
Free downloadable comparison chart of churches and denominational policies. Find out which do and do not condone divorce for physical violence, emotional and financial abuse, or family-crushing addictions. lifesavingdivorce.com/unsafe
ABOUT
Gretchen Baskerville is a Christian divorce recovery leader and researcher. Since 1998, she has worked in churches in the Los Angeles area. She helps heartbroken people find strength, courage, and healing. For more than 25 years she has worked with Christian women and men going through difficult, life-saving divorces, listening with compassion to those who have suffered from domestic violence, betrayal, infidelity, addicted partners, and emotional abuse.
Herself the survivor of a toxic marriage, she walked through her own lifesaving divorce and was a single mother for many years. Today she is happily remarried. She is a graduate of Wheaton College with a degree in Bible and Christian Education.
For more information:
Website and Blog: LifeSavingDivorce.com
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lifesavingdivorce.bsky.social
Facebook facebook.com/lifesavingdivorce
Instagram instagram.com/gretchenbaskerville
You Tube youtube.com/@lifesavingdivorce
Twitter twitter.com/GGBaskerville
What's a Life-Saving Divorce? A Life-Saving Divorce is a divorce for serious reasons: a pattern of sexual immorality, physical abuse, chronic emotional abuse, domestic violence, felony behavior, life-destroying addictions, or abandonment/neglect.
Book, "The Life-Saving Divorce: Hope for People Leaving Destructive Relationships"
Paperback or eBook: amzn.to/3CCBsnr AUDIOBOOK: amzn.to/4f52Mh4
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
NEW VIDEO: Today we hear from two members of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church as they tell us how they were trapped for years in very destructive marriages by church leaders. They were repeatedly coerced and pressured by the pastor to stay with their spouses, even at great cost to their health, children, financial stability, and safety.
This isn’t surprising. The OPC’s official public online doctrinal stance does not condone divorce for physical violence, emotional or financial abuse, family-crushing addictions, or neglect and indifference. This policy is unsafe for abused wives and husbands, and (sadly), and while you may choose to stay and try to change the church (as one woman did), it may be best to resign from churches that smear the victimized spouse as "unforgiving" and repeatedly give a hand slap and a free pass to the abuser. #orthodoxpresbyterianchurch
I’m interviewing Caroline McKuen, a longtime Christian and dedicated church volunteer, and Alison Gerardi, a pastor’s wife. Caroline has started a new nonprofit organization for Presbyterians (and others) who are stuck in church “counseling” merry-go-rounds that never allow them to escape abusive marriages. The organization is called the Presbyterian Advocacy Coalition.
See below for links to their organization and to newspaper article about the pastor of their church. presbyterianadvocacycoalition.org/blog-1/why-women-dont-win-abuse-cases-in-presbyterian-churches
News articles about their stories:
Times-Union, New York
web.archive.org/web/20240722005419/https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/allegations-spiritual-abuse-calvary-church-19551662.php
News story:
angloamerica101.wordpress.com/2024/07/23/calvary-orthodox-presbyterian-church-pastor-dissuaded-women-from-ending-what-they-said-were-abusive-marriages
This is the nonprofit that Caroline and Allison have started to help Presbyterian women who are in abusive marriages or want to help someone who is:
presbyterianadvocacycoalition.org/blog-1/why-women-dont-win-abuse-cases-in-presbyterian-churches
Free downloadable comparison chart of churches and denominational policies. Find out which do and do not condone divorce for physical violence, emotional and financial abuse, or family-crushing addictions. lifesavingdivorce.com/unsafe
ABOUT
Gretchen Baskerville is a Christian divorce recovery leader and researcher. Since 1998, she has worked in churches in the Los Angeles area. She helps heartbroken people find strength, courage, and healing. For more than 25 years she has worked with Christian women and men going through difficult, life-saving divorces, listening with compassion to those who have suffered from domestic violence, betrayal, infidelity, addicted partners, and emotional abuse.
Herself the survivor of a toxic marriage, she walked through her own lifesaving divorce and was a single mother for many years. Today she is happily remarried. She is a graduate of Wheaton College with a degree in Bible and Christian Education.
For more information:
Website and Blog: LifeSavingDivorce.com
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lifesavingdivorce.bsky.social
Facebook facebook.com/lifesavingdivorce
Instagram instagram.com/gretchenbaskerville
You Tube youtube.com/@lifesavingdivorce
Twitter twitter.com/GGBaskerville
What's a Life-Saving Divorce? A Life-Saving Divorce is a divorce for serious reasons: a pattern of sexual immorality, physical abuse, chronic emotional abuse, domestic violence, felony behavior, life-destroying addictions, or abandonment/neglect.
Book, "The Life-Saving Divorce: Hope for People Leaving Destructive Relationships"
Paperback or eBook: amzn.to/3CCBsnr AUDIOBOOK: amzn.to/4f52Mh4
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
