Death of a Pastor's Wife Part 1: When Control Sounds Like Faith

Mica Miller was 13 when she first met John-Paul "JP" Miller—the pastor who would eventually become her husband. Long before their relationship became romantic, JP had already become her pastor, mentor, trusted adult, and spiritual authority.

In Part 1 of our coverage of Netflix's Death of a Pastor's Wife, we trace their relationship from its beginning through the disturbing allegations about what Mica experienced behind closed doors.

But Mica's story raises a much bigger question: What happens when coercive control has the language of God behind it?

We're talking spiritual abuse, submission and "helpmate" theology, the very different ways shame and grace can be distributed inside the church—and what happens when the person claiming God's authority is also the person no one seems able to hold accountable.

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