Uploaded April 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
1-MIN VIDEO: EMOTIONAL ABUSE IS REAL.
If you're a Christian, you may attend a church that doesn't condone divorce for emotional abuse. When a church's doctrine doesn't allow divorce for abuse, that leaves the leadership with no choice but to pretend that emotional abuse either doesn't exist or just isn't that bad.
They may dismiss it as "sticks and stones," or just normal ups and downs of married life. But it's not.
The legal profession takes emotional abuse very seriously. Anything that coerces a person or business or government.
For example:
• Extortion (threat to destroy someone or their family or their business)
• Bribery (something valuable to coerce someone to violate their principles)
• Assault (making someone apprehensive of imminent harm—not always physical)
• Blackmail (threat to smear someone’s reputation)
• Harassment (credible threat that would make someone fear for their safety)
These are all types of unlawful conduct I hear about daily in my support group for Christians who need life-saving divorces.
So when a Christian leader asks: "Why did she stay so long in that horrid marriage?"
I reply: "Because you told her to stay because emotional abuse was no big deal."
Sometimes the most dangerous place for a Christian who is being abused is in a church that doesn't believe in divorce for emotional or physical abuse.
____
ABOUT
Gretchen Baskerville is a Christian divorce recovery leader and researcher. For more than 20 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, and emotional abuse. She helps heartbroken people find strength and courage and healing.
Her book, "The Life-Saving Divorce" is about the one-half of U.S. divorces that are for very serious reasons. She will give you optimism about your children's future (nearly 8 in 10 children turn out fine after divorce, according to top researchers); and will help you understand emotional abuse, "gaslighting," the abuse cycle, and tips for surviving high-conflict divorces.
FOR A DISCUSSION ON THE TOPIC OF EMOTIONAL ABUSE, read CHAPTER 4 in The Life-Saving Divorce book.
What's a Life-Saving Divorce? A Life-Saving Divorce is a divorce for the serious reasons: a pattern of chronic emotional abuse, infidelity, domestic violence, sexual immorality, felony behavior, neglect, substance abuse, etc.
How to Get the Book, "The Life-Saving Divorce: Hope for People Leaving Destructive Relationships"
Paperback Book/Kindle via Amazon: amzn.to/3CCBsnr As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Follow Gretchen Baskerville:
Subscribe to Gretchen's You Tube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCRgtUNfTlYIRDt8iOK6XPKQ
Facebook: facebook.com/gretchen.baskerville
Twitter: twitter.com/GGBaskerville
Instagram: instagram.com/gretchenbaskerville
Other helpful links
Website and Blog: LifeSavingDivorce.com
Top 50 Blog Posts by Topic: lifesavingdivorce.com/popular
Life-Saving Divorce Email Signup: LifeSavingDivorce.com/courage
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1-MIN VIDEO: EMOTIONAL ABUSE IS REAL.
If you're a Christian, you may attend a church that doesn't condone divorce for emotional abuse. When a church's doctrine doesn't allow divorce for abuse, that leaves the leadership with no choice but to pretend that emotional abuse either doesn't exist or just isn't that bad.
They may dismiss it as "sticks and stones," or just normal ups and downs of married life. But it's not.
The legal profession takes emotional abuse very seriously. Anything that coerces a person or business or government.
For example:
• Extortion (threat to destroy someone or their family or their business)
• Bribery (something valuable to coerce someone to violate their principles)
• Assault (making someone apprehensive of imminent harm—not always physical)
• Blackmail (threat to smear someone’s reputation)
• Harassment (credible threat that would make someone fear for their safety)
These are all types of unlawful conduct I hear about daily in my support group for Christians who need life-saving divorces.
So when a Christian leader asks: "Why did she stay so long in that horrid marriage?"
I reply: "Because you told her to stay because emotional abuse was no big deal."
Sometimes the most dangerous place for a Christian who is being abused is in a church that doesn't believe in divorce for emotional or physical abuse.
____
ABOUT
Gretchen Baskerville is a Christian divorce recovery leader and researcher. For more than 20 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, and emotional abuse. She helps heartbroken people find strength and courage and healing.
Her book, "The Life-Saving Divorce" is about the one-half of U.S. divorces that are for very serious reasons. She will give you optimism about your children's future (nearly 8 in 10 children turn out fine after divorce, according to top researchers); and will help you understand emotional abuse, "gaslighting," the abuse cycle, and tips for surviving high-conflict divorces.
FOR A DISCUSSION ON THE TOPIC OF EMOTIONAL ABUSE, read CHAPTER 4 in The Life-Saving Divorce book.
What's a Life-Saving Divorce? A Life-Saving Divorce is a divorce for the serious reasons: a pattern of chronic emotional abuse, infidelity, domestic violence, sexual immorality, felony behavior, neglect, substance abuse, etc.
How to Get the Book, "The Life-Saving Divorce: Hope for People Leaving Destructive Relationships"
Paperback Book/Kindle via Amazon: amzn.to/3CCBsnr As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Follow Gretchen Baskerville:
Subscribe to Gretchen's You Tube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCRgtUNfTlYIRDt8iOK6XPKQ
Facebook: facebook.com/gretchen.baskerville
Twitter: twitter.com/GGBaskerville
Instagram: instagram.com/gretchenbaskerville
Other helpful links
Website and Blog: LifeSavingDivorce.com
Top 50 Blog Posts by Topic: lifesavingdivorce.com/popular
Life-Saving Divorce Email Signup: LifeSavingDivorce.com/courage
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