Hi Albert! Thanks for engaging. To answer your question, “the church” refers to the collection of believers in Jesus Christ. The term comes from the Greek word, ekklesia, and is found in the New Testament of the Bible.
“It is worth mentioning that in the New Testament, no synagogue, temple, chapel, tabernacle, building or any other meeting place was ever called a “church.” The term always referred to the Christian assembly and, in the New Testament, it was used for both the local community of believers and the overall collection of Christians.”
I do realize that the term “church” is now used by other religions, but I am referring to the Christian church in this article, where abuse (unfortunately) is not limited to any particular denomination or stream. I’m certain abuse happens in other religions as well, but it is Christianity I am speaking about here.
