Telling the Truth: Preaching About Sexual and Domestic Violence

Book Overview

Every congregation in North America has victims, survivors, and perpetrators of violence in its midst. Many in the church, while supporting marital and family connections, do not know how to address abuse. Many ministers are searching for theological and ethical perspectives with which to frame an effective pulpit, teaching, and pastoral ministry.Telling the Truth assembles the wisdom of experts from across disciplines and denominations. Biblical and theological issues are analyzed by Johanna Van Wijk-Bos, Shawn Copeland, and Wendy Farley. Pastoral resources are presented by Marie M. Fortune, James Poling, Nancy Ramsay, and David Goatley. Preaching strategies are discussed by Barbara Patterson and John S. McClure. Four sermons are also included to provide effective models for ministering against sexual and domestic violence.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0829812822
• ISBN13: 9780829812824
• Release Date: March 1999
• Publisher: Pilgrim Pr
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 0.5" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

Every Preacher Should Read This Book:

This book, edited by John McClure and Nancy Ramsay, should be read by every preacher who considers compassion to be the most important characteristic of God. This is a book that addresses primarily the subjects of sexual and domestic violence, but its contributors write about much more than that. The introduction lists numbers that are staggering: one in three girls and one in seven boys below the age of 18 is being sexually abused; every six minutes a woman is raped in the United States; woman-battering is the major cause of serious injury to women; it is also a primary cause of homelessness for both women and children. This book would be worth the time and money if only the first chapter were read. Wendy Farley, in this chapter, writes that "the violence in our society does not require a correct theory, but rather praxis: preaching, counseling, comforting, lobbying. It requires the work of compassionate action." Preaching, counseling, comforting and even lobbying are what this book is all about: refusing to let the Church remain silent on a subject that invades our sanctuaries every Sunday and the offices of pastors and counselors on a daily basis. It is a book that speaks to and for all people: victims, offenders and bystanders. It needs to be read, but more importantly, it needs to be preached.