Using the Bible to Justify Abuse

The Bible can open the kingdom—or slam the door shut. In this episode, Mike, Tim, and Suzie explore Jesus’ warning to religious leaders who use Scripture to exclude, shame, and control, and ask why that warning still feels so relevant today. Looking at Matthew 23 and Luke 11, they unpack how the Pharisees are accused of rejecting Jesus, twisting Torah, and using religious authority to reinforce their own righteousness. The conversation connects those ancient warnings to spiritual abuse, political anger, online outrage, and the ways faith can be used either to bring people closer to God or push them away. Together, they consider what it means to “nullify” Scripture, how to recognize when a teacher is clarifying its message or obscuring it, and why lament, community, and peacemaking matter in a culture overwhelmed by grief and conflict. At the heart of the discussion is one searching question: Is our use of the Bible shaped by Jesus’ way of mercy—or by coercion and shame? Timestamps 00:00 - Fall break check-in and podcast banter 00:54 - Family trip to Columbus and Dave & Buster’s 02:19 - 30A, post-hurricane tourism, and fall break 03:53 - Hannah calls in after an eight-mile run 05:31 - Tim’s fall break, the Dodgers, and the Guardians 06:51 - The kindness mob story 09:34 - How positive and negative social media cascades spread 10:27 - Listener feedback about current events and Scripture 13:28 - A school shooting and the need to lament 15:23 - Making space for communal grief and prayer 19:35 - The search for peace 21:33 - Matthew 23 and shutting the kingdom door 23:59 - The “key to knowledge” in Luke 25:26 - Three ways the Pharisees closed the door 27:22 - The healing of the blind and mute man 28:44 - Jesus’ power, the Pharisees’ accusation, and blasphemy against the Spirit 31:59 - Ceremonial washing and the tradition of the elders 34:21 - Corban and honoring parents 36:36 - The sinful woman in Luke 7: judgment and mercy 38:29 - The woman caught in adultery 40:45 - Spiritual abuse and distorted readings of Scripture 44:30 - Susie on blocking others from a kingdom one has not entered 45:57 - Leaders preaching against what they have not faced in themselves 48:15 - Peacemaking, shalom, and responding to chaos 50:06 - Jesus, shame, and writing in the dust 51:35 - Mercy, wrath, and the death penalty debate 53:16 - The wounds teachers bring to their interpretation of Scripture 54:34 - Filters, theological posture, and interpretation 57:48 - Jesus clarifies Torah rather than obscuring it 58:18 - The “key to knowledge” and a cruciform way of reading the Bible 60:01 - Closing thanks and the Shema As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to [email protected], and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram. We're on YouTube (if you're into that kinda thing): VOXOLOGY TV. Our Merch Store! Etsy Learn more about the Voxology Podcast Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify Support the Voxology Podcast on Patreon The Voxology Spotify channel can be found here: Voxology Radio Follow us on Instagram: @voxologypodcast and "like" us on Facebook Follow Mike on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikeerre Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford Instagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy