Telling the Truth: Preaching Against Sexual and Domestic Violence [Paperback]

John S. McClure (Editor), Nancy J. Ramsay (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1998

Virtually every congregation in North America has victims, survivors, or perpetrators of sexual and domestic violence in its midst. Pastors and church members unambiguously support marital and family bonds, but many lack the skills and experience needed to help both the abused and their abusers to recover. Telling the Truth gathers the wisdom of experts from across disciplines and denominations - including Wendy Farley, James Poling, and Marie Fortune - to provide pastors and laity with the theological and ethical grounding from which to preach, teach, and minister to both the abused and those who have victimized them. Presenting practical, hands-on resources, and encompassing biblical and theological perspectives, pastoral helps, and preaching strategies, this comprehensive volume also provides several sermons as effective models for ministering to victims and perpetrators alike.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: United Church Press (November 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0829812822
• ISBN-13: 978-0829812824
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,599,663 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every Preacher Should Read This Book:, December 29, 1999

By 

Matt Coplen (Lincoln, Arkansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Telling the Truth: Preaching Against Sexual and Domestic Violence (Paperback)

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.