AJG:
It's not that simple.
Coercive persuasion is often used within destructive churches.
See [
www.culteducation.com]
Coercive persuasion is quite different from other forms of persuasion such as education, advertising, propaganda and indoctrination.
See [
www.culteducation.com]
A good book from an evangelical perspective about abusive churches is "The Subtle Power of Spritiual Abuse."
See [
www.amazon.com]
Another book that details abusive churches is by Ronald Enroth, an evangelical sociologist. Enroth's book is titled "Churches That Abuse."
See [
www.amazon.com]
It's important not to blame the victims of destructive churches, but to aknowledge the inherent problem of leaders and their bad behavior within such organizations.