Customer Reviews

Telling the Truth: Preaching Against Sexual and Domestic Violence

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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.