In the last chapter, I suggested that contemporary Christian responses to shame, especially chronic shame, have been limited and inadequate. Here I propose to explore some of the factors intrinsic to Christian ideology and practice that may actually produce and exploit shame. My working hypothesis is that Christianity, like other social institutions, engenders and promotes shame, often to enhance order and control. Shame can be used as a very effective means of manipulating people into obedience and compliance in the interests of the powerful who identify those interests with the will of God.

The ambivalent relationship between Christianity and dysfunctional shame

The relationship between shame and Christian thought and practice is complex and ambivalent, as is the relationship between Christianity and human well-being generally (Batson et al. 1993). Christianity can create, exploit and deny shame in groups and individuals. However, it can also diminish and alleviate shame, enhancing worth, efficacy and esteem.

I possess a series of letters from self-identified shamed people. For some of them, Christianity as they experienced it in early life helped to create a sense of shame and oppression.