God is a Trauma


Book Description

"It will not be easy at first to sense that God is a trauma, that 'the jungle fire-fight, the early morning rape, the speeding automobile of the drunk driver...may be God images if, like God, they create us in their image, after their likeness.' But little by little, this 'gnostic analysis' gets under the skin, & one begins to see, indeed, that 'whatever traumatises us becomes our parent' & our God, & that our religion has traumatised us by being 'religious kitsch,' covering our hurts. Greg Mogenson makes the point sensitively, therapeutically, & compellingly that 'the notion of salvation is eternally corruptible,' & that 'we need salvation from the very notion of salvation itself.' It may be as important for souls today to wrestle God as a Trauma as it was for Jacob to wrestle God's angel traumatically...& for the same reason!"--David L. Miller.




Suffering and the Heart of God


Book Description

She's seen slave dungeons in Ghana. Genocide in Rwanda. Systemic sexual abuse in Brazil. Child abuse and domestic violence in the US. After forty years of counseling abuse survivors around the world, Dr. Diane Langberg, a world renowned trauma expert, remains certain that what trauma destroys, Christ can and does restore. This book will convince you, too, of the healing heart of God. But it's not a fast process, instead much patience is required from family, friends, and counselors as they wisely and respectfully help victims unpack their traumatic suffering through talking, tears, and time. And it's not a process that can be separated from the work of God in both a counselor and counselee. Dr. Langberg calls all of those who wish to help sufferers to model Jesus's sacrificial love and care in how they listen, love, and guide. The heart of God is revealed to sufferers as they grow to understand the cross of Christ and how their God came to this earth and experienced such severe suffering that he too is "well-acquainted with grief." The cross of Christ is the lens that transforms and redeems traumatic suffering and its aftermath, not only for the sufferer, but it also transforms those who walk with the suffering. This book will be a great help to anyone who loves, listens to, and seeks to help someone impacted by trauma and abuse. There is no quick fix, but there is the hope for healing through the love of God in Christ.




The Holiness of God


Book Description

Central to God’s character is the quality of holiness. Yet, even so, most people are hard-pressed to define what God’s holiness precisely is. Many preachers today avoid the topic altogether because people today don’t quite know what to do with words like “awe” or “fear.” R. C. Sproul, in this classic work, puts the holiness of God in its proper and central place in the Christian life. He paints an awe-inspiring vision of God that encourages Christian to become holy just as God is holy. Once you encounter the holiness of God, your life will never be the same.




The Trauma of Doctrine


Book Description

The Trauma of Doctrine is a theological investigation into the effects of abuse trauma upon the experience of Christian faith, the psychological mechanics of these effects, their resonances with Christian Scripture, and neglected research-informed strategies for cultivating post-traumatic resilience. Paul Maxwell examines the effect that the Calvinist belief can have upon the traumatized Christian who negatively internalizes its superlative doctrines of divine control and human moral corruption, and charts a way toward meaningful spiritual recovery.




A Most Accursed Religion


Book Description

The long-awaited second, expanded and revised edition of Greg Mogenson's God Is A Trauma.




Post-Traumatic God


Book Description

After traumatic events, many turn away from the Church; this book presents a path home, providing a way back to a God who can be trusted, loved, and worshipped. Today, the church is sometimes viewed (even from within) as a place apart, which may create a barrier of understanding for those who have experienced trauma. Post-Traumatic God grew out of Peters’ own experience as a chaplain in Iraq and later as an Episcopal priest, and from his subsequent work with an organization he founded, Episcopal Veterans for Peace, which helped him identify the need for this quite-different book to bridge that gap. In it, Peters explores three related themes: history (the early church itself was a post-traumatic community); theology (especially building on Tillich's World War I experiences and the theology he subsequently developed); and ecclesiology (how church can offer community to trauma survivors. Post-Traumatic God equips the Church to heal the unseen wounds of the soul.




Restoring the Shattered Self


Book Description

Many counselors are not adequately prepared to help those suffering from complex posttraumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD). In this updated text, Heather Davediuk Gingrich provides an essential resource for Christian counselors, ably integrating the established research on trauma therapy with insights from her own thirty years of experience and an understanding of the special concerns related to Christian counseling.




Unshackled


Book Description

Break through Barriers to Healing from Trauma and Discover Paths to Healing Trauma can either be used as a catalyst for growth, sparking empathy and a closer relationship with God, or as fuel for shame, avoidance, and isolation. Many veterans and first responders know firsthand the toll that trauma can take but lack the knowledge of how to grow from it and move forward. In Unshackled, Elizabeth Stevens uses her unique perspective as both a trauma survivor and a professional psychiatrist to help veterans and first responders, as well as other trauma victims, learn how to grow and heal from their traumatic experiences so that they can experience the abundant life God has for them. Specifically, you will come to understand and learn the effects of trauma from Elizabeth's story of brain injury, multiple sexual assaults, an eating disorder, post-traumatic stress, suicidal thoughts, depression, and loss of independence; how to get past barriers to healing; which paths will move you forward; the importance of holistic healing--physical, psychological, and spiritual; and that Jesus Christ delivers the ultimate healing.




Tackling Trauma


Book Description

Trauma is a universal phenomenon that can be caused by international catastrophes or individual, personal tragedy. Trauma is also a severely neglected topic in Christian literature, and while it can challenge someone’s faith in Christ, God and the ministry of his Word is central to dealing with the emotional and psychological impact of trauma. By his Spirit, through his Word, and through his church, God is available to minister to people suffering from trauma and bring transformation to their lives. In this book, a team of experienced and informed Christian professionals from around the world promote a deep biblical response to trauma through clinical and theological wisdom and their first-hand experience of witnessing and experiencing trauma. The contributions provide practical responses to people’s trauma, rather than mere descriptions of the problems, making it an ideal resource for pastors, counsellors, humanitarian workers and students.




Trauma and Grace, 2nd Edition


Book Description

This substantive collection from noted scholar Serene Jones explores recent work in the field of trauma studies. Central to its overall theme is an investigation of how individual and collective violence affect ones capacity to remember, to act, and to love; how violence can challenge theological understandings of grace; and even how the traumatic experience of Jesus death is remembered. Jones focuses on the long-term effects of collective violence on abuse survivors, war veterans, and marginalized populations and the discrete ways in which grace and redemption may be exhibited in each context. At the heart of each essay are two deeply interrelated faith claims that are central to Joness understanding of Christian theology: (1) We live in a world profoundly broken by violence, and (2) God loves this world and desires that suffering be met by words of hope, love, and grace. This timely and relevant cutting-edge book is the first trauma study to directly take into account theological issues.