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Please try again later. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. I have read my fair share of books on sexual abuse and trauma care, but none of them approach the topic as clearly and holistically as The Long Journey Home. Informative and honest, this book takes you through the details necessary to understanding sexual abuse.
Sexual abuse can cause extensive emotional, mental, and spiritual damage, and this book seeks to explain, name, and address all of these things. The information in this book from trained and experienced theologians and psychologists is the best I have read. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to understand the deep psychological and spiritual repercussions sexual abuse, and how to help survivors heal. This issue presents unique and complex difficulties especially with spiritual healing, and this book addresses them, which is something I have not found elsewhere.
As someone who is both a survivor of sexual abuse, and has spent the past five years working with survivors, I can say this book is as real as it gets. I believe this is a topic that is essential for ALL spiritual leaders to become familiar with, and this book by Andrew J.
Schmutzer is one of the best resources out there. Sexual abuse is, among other things, an assault on the soul.
With deception and distortion, manipulation and entrapment it stalks the vulnerable and preys upon the innocent. On multiple levels it exploits, overwhelms, and overpowers and then covers its trail of devastation by cloaking itself in self-protective lies and hiding behind silence-inducing threats.
And when this evil moves on to other venues, the ravaged are left to try to make sense of what has happened and somehow find a way to move on with their lives. However, moving on can be fraught with difficulty; recovery from sexual abuse is often challenging and complex, taxing the inner resources of even the most resilient. Its wounds run deep, leaving victims feeling isolated, vulnerable, confused, damaged, and numb. Fortunately, there are pathways to healing that can help facilitate recovery for survivors.
Andrew Schmutzer, Professor of Biblical Studies at Moody Bible Institute, has provided a valuable resource to ministers and professional counselors by assembling a collection of insightful and practical essays from experts in the field of abuse and recovery. The Long Journey Home: Understanding and Ministering to the Sexually Abused LJH provides information about the nature and dynamics of sexual abuse, and offers a variety of field-tested strategies to assist in the healing process.
The LJH is sensitively written, theologically grounded, academically informed, and psychologically attuned. Truly integrated in its approach, LJH is a rich and comprehensive reference designed to inform and equip helpers to become more familiar with the key issues so as to be able to skillfully navigate the difficult terrain in walking the path of recovery with survivors of sexual abuse in a spiritually sensitive and psychologically informed manner. This important work should be on the shelf of anyone who counsels with these individuals.
I highly recommend The Long Journey Home! This book in it's entirety covers the wide spectrum of sexual abuse and does a fantastic job with collaborating the viewpoints and evidence from a wide spectrum of clinical, psychological, theological and pastoral information. The research and the resources are phenomenal. I can't say enough about this piece of work, except if you are in ministry, counseling, or a pastor, you need this on your shelf and read.
If you are hurting from sexual assault or know someone who is, this is the book to read. It touches on every different facet of sexual assault and the devastating effects it has on people's souls. Nobody wants to talk about sexual assault, but Mr. Schmutzer, with boldness tackles the tough topics with grace and deep Biblical understanding. Once you open this book you won't want to put it down.
It allows you to work through the healing process one step at a time and as you are, God's promises within the pages of this book, bring their healing power to overwhelm your heart. This book changed my life, and the lives of my friends who I have recommended it to. It's a must read for anyone desiring to go into pastoral care, children's ministry, or psychology. One person found this helpful. I wish every single person in ministry would read this book. It was so helpful to me and I believe should be handed out in every church and seminary!
Provides help for the severely abused Christian from a true Christian perceptive. Most books on the subject are written by a secular counselors. See all 15 reviews. Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway. Understanding and Ministering to the Sexually Abused.
Set up a giveaway. Customers who viewed this item also viewed. Between Pain and Grace: A Biblical Theology of Suffering. Mitchell had threatened to kill her family if Elizabeth spoke out, brainwashing was involved—but the safety pin was a kind of transitional object for Elizabeth to her prior life. His world view was shaped by facets of Mormon culture and doctrine polygamy is no longer held.
The context of socialization and tradition does play a role. Recall that Mitchell was known to the Smart family. Most victims know their abusers, which compounds issues of anger, betrayal, and shame. For her part, Elizabeth returned from Paris, France, nine years later for the trial—she was completing her LDS missionary service.
She is Mormon herself. How are therapists trained to work with religion? Who suffers more from silence: Who sets the agenda? Do police and social workers adequately understand shame-based social systems and the tenacity of religious convictions? Is culture and faith to be dismissed as outdated or a nuisance? Well, consider that Elizabeth was handcuffed and placed in the back of a squad car. What does that communicate!
Sadly, cases large enough to compete with the Olympics are probably going to be known by the name of the perpetrator, not the victim—Elizabeth. Nor is every abuse survivor, even those molested once, able to show the resilience of Elizabeth Smart. Are church leaders adequately trained for this kind of complexity?
She wants to be a lawyer. My point is that addressing SA is bigger than all of us. Every professional discipline is needed. It is time to work together! The result is twenty-three chapters collected under three headings: The chapters are written at a semi-technical level. The tone of the book is instructional, pastoral, and at times almost investigative. Readers may feel like they are seated at a table, surrounded by a team of concerned professionals discussing their own situations and offering strategies to help the abused, instruct leaders, and guide the church.
The universal problem of SA requires a more universal approach, so the language is overall, intentionally inclusive. Gender specific treatments are already out there. Contributors worked from their own training, insight, and passion. Beyond a broad Christian commitment, there was no intention to use one method, one school of thought, or to arrive at any set of conclusions—The Long Journey Home uses multivalent methods in a multidimensional dialogue.
The result is a rich ferment of discussion and maybe a few differing opinions. But enough lines have already been drawn in the sand. In the address of SA, it is time for disagreement at a higher level. Also included are five Stories of Survivors who boldly share from their own lives.
The questions highlight vital points in the chapter, press the reader to contemplate certain scenarios and contemporary social views, and offer suggestions to engage various aspects of SA in the classroom of academy as well as ministries of the community and local church. So the questions are written with various professions in view. Whether the reader wants an introductory treatment of a given issue or a more advanced discussion in a professional journal, the reading list is always offered to help guide the user—college professor or pastor, group leader or counselor.
Regardless, the desire of all the contributors is to partner with Christian leaders who want to address SA in a more focused, proactive, and redemptive manner. Finally a glossary, some written prayers for survivors, and a bibliography close out the volume. Following an interdisciplinary dialogue requires such tools. For many glossary terms, cross-references are offered for a more in-depth understanding for the reader e.
Are church leaders adequately trained for this kind of complexity? Well, consider that Elizabeth was handcuffed and placed in the back of a squad car. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. On multiple levels it exploits, overwhelms, and overpowers and then covers its trail of devastation by cloaking itself in self-protective lies and hiding behind silence-inducing threats. Do police and social workers adequately understand shame-based social systems and the tenacity of religious convictions? Read reviews that mention sexual abuse journey home long journey andrew schmutzer pastoral care sexually abused highly recommend understanding sexual resource ministry survivors healing counseling god provides resources theological necessary theology christian.
The written prayers are addressed below. While For Further Reading has a broader appeal, the extensive bibliography may be valued more by the student, counselor, or specialist. It not only contains the sources used in the chapters, but also many other scholarly resources on aspects of SA. A list of helpful web resources has also been provided for survivors and caretakers, alike.
How to Use This Book Within psychology, theology, and pastoral care, the interests and needs of many professions and ministries are represented and also overlap. The Long Journey Home offers an arc of understanding. So I thought I would offer a few suggestions to help maximize use of this book. Sexual abuse is not mono- but multi-factorial, so listen to the insights and concerns of other professional voices at the table.
By design, these questions will pull from many opinions, perspectives, and backgrounds. Or, join a support group where you can reflect, process, and grieve as you need to. These chapters recommend many creative ideas to inform the abused in your congregation that you care and are willing to walk with them. Many ideas are offered here to develop healing services for the abused. There are many biblical texts from the Old and New Testament that need to be preached, taught, and employed in articulate and sensitive ways for the sexually wounded.
Help survivors write their own. Therapists can use these prayers in support groups. Counselors can use them as diagnostic tools to see what emotions a survivor identifies with. In these prayers, survivors have a mode of expression that does not hide their anger, sense of betrayal, or fear that God himself may have abandoned them. In them, survivors always find that Jesus suffered in ways amazingly similar to their experiences.
Pastors can use some of these prayers for healing services designed for the abused. Such prayers can be an aid when teaching or helping others lament and redeem their pain. This is important in shaping a generous dialogue and teaching others the skills of advocacy. The entire book can be used in the class. Especially important for counseling and therapy is becoming familiar with the glossary of terms surrounding SA.