Abuse & The Church Wrap-Up: The Stories We Didn’t Tell (and a list of resources)
by Rachel Held Evans
(Note: Look for Sunday Superlatives later this evening!)
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”
- Matthew 11:28
As we come to the end of our weeklong series, “Into the Light: A Series on Abuse and the Church,” I feel weary and heavy-laden, in need of rest. I am struck by a special longing for Easter, which, believe it or not, is just around the corner.
I am also struck with a feeling of incompleteness. We covered a lot of ground this week, and we told a lot of stories, but there are still many stories we didn’t tell—stories of human trafficking and sex slavery, stories of men abused by women, stories of redemption and reconciliation, stories of abuse on the mission field. Each story is unique, and each story is sacred. And so I hope the series has inspired you treat your own story, and the stories of others, as such. May we all be inspired to speak with more truth, more conviction, more care, and more bravery about this difficult topic, so that our awareness doesn’t end here, but continues to grow, until the day when all things are reconciled to the source of love, and the story of abuse is only a memory.
I’ll conclude the series with a list of resources and links to posts from others this week. Please feel free to add to the list in the comment section.
Into the Light: A Series on Abuse and the Church
The Scar of Sexual Abuse by Mary DeMuth
No More Silence: An Interview with Boz Tchividjian of G.R.A.C.E.
"Today's Journey" : Thoughts on Healing from Grace Biskie
Proper Treatment for Sexual Abuse: 7 Questions to Consider
Dianna Anderson on Rape Culture and Victim Blaming
"Don't Talk About It": Reflections on Spiritual Abuse by Kristen Rosser
Out of the Shadows: Getting Help Inside and Outside the Church
"They tried to 'fix' me with fists and cricket bats"
The abusive teachings of Michael and Debi Pearl
Spiritual Abuse Awareness Synchroblog
Additional Resources / Domestic Violence
National Domestic Abuse Hotline - 1−800−799−SAFE(7233)
Signs of Abuse and Abusive Relationships
Peace and Safety in the Christian Home
“Seven Reasons Women Stay in Abusive Relationships and How to Defeat Each One of Them”
Restored: Ending Violence Against Women
Abuse/Dating Violence Statistics
Additional Resources / Abuse in a Christian Environment
"When the Child Abuser Has a Bible" by Victor Veith and Boz Tchividjian
Abuse in the Church DVD Curriculum
"Saving Bathsheba" by Rachel Marie Stone
Suffer the Children: Developing Effective Church Policies on Child Maltreatment
"Fear in Fanda" - Sexual Abuse at a Missionary Boarding School
Diane Langberg on Sexual Abuse Within Christian Organizations
"Sexual Abuse on the Mission Field"
"10 Ways to Spot Spiritual Abuse" and "What to Do if You Are in a Spiritual Abusive Situation” by Mary DeMuth
Top 10 Signs of a Spiritually Abusive Church – Part 1& Part 2 by Elizabeth Esther
“Tips for Recovering from a Spiritually Abusive Church” and “Tips for “Moving On” from an abusive church experience” by Elizabeth Esther
Wellspring Retreat & Resource Center
Boundaries: When to Say YES, When to Say NO, To Take Control of Your Life by Cloud and Townsend
The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse: Recognizing and Escaping Spiritual Manipulation and False Spiritual Authority Within the Church by David Johnson and Jeff VanVonderen
Additional Resources / Sexual Abuse
Thin Places by Mary DeMuth
The Wounded Heart: Hope for Adult Victims of Child Sexual Abuse by Dan B. Allender
Diane Langberg on The Spiritual Impact of Abuse
Child Sexual Abuse: Startling Statistics
Additional Resources/ Counseling & Therapy
Global Trauma Recovery Institute
The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology
"3 Signs of Repentance Every Church Leader Should Know" by Dr. Philip Monroe
"What Forgiveness Isn't" by Denise George
Additional Resources / Child Abuse
Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline
"Blow the Whistle on Child Abuse"
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Suffer the Children: Developing Effective Church Policies on Child Maltreatment
Elizabeth Esther on Michael and Debi Pearl
A Silence of Mockingbirdsby Karen Spears Zacharias
Court Appointed Special Advocates
Additional Resources / Bullying
The Bully Project (The documentary film, “Bully,” is especially eye-opening)
“Understanding Bullying” – Psychology Today
Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy by Emily Bazelon
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This is obviously an incomplete list. So please feel free to use the comment section to help me fill in the gaps with your own favorite resources on abuse
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