When my daughter, Kristal, and I decided to write her story of Clergy Sexual Abuse last December, we had no idea that our publishing date would end up coinciding with a sudden and sickening avalanche of stories of abuse at the hands of powerful and influential men.
We had pondered long and prayed much about telling the story. We sought the advice of Godly and trusted friends. And we felt sure of our calling. So we went to work.
The result is a book written for survivors and those who have been touched in some way by the abuse of a minister or priest. The book consists of eight chapters that tell Kristal's story, highlighting various aspects of Clergy Sexual Abuse. Each chapter includes supplementary material to help readers understand the dynamics and devastation of Clergy Sexual Abuse.
I can assure you it's not easy to tell a story like this. It wasn't easy living through it, either. But what has been amazing to us is the number of people who have crossed our path in this last year who have their own stories of abuse. Over and over they have encouraged us to tell the story.
Our prayer is that this book will be a catalyst for hope and healing. Powerful and influential men who have abused their positions of trust in the church have too often gotten a pass from their denominational leadership. Young leaders going into the ministry often have had absolutely no training in this area.
Hopefully this book will be a tool to start building fences at the top of the cliff instead of having to deal with the devastation at the bottom. Hopefully this book will be another voice that says, "Powerful men must be held accountable when they abuse the trust they have been given. Denominations must end the collusion and break the silence that protects them and destroys the victim."
Our hope is that you will read Broken and Beautiful and join us in shining the spotlight on this very important issue.
We had pondered long and prayed much about telling the story. We sought the advice of Godly and trusted friends. And we felt sure of our calling. So we went to work.
The result is a book written for survivors and those who have been touched in some way by the abuse of a minister or priest. The book consists of eight chapters that tell Kristal's story, highlighting various aspects of Clergy Sexual Abuse. Each chapter includes supplementary material to help readers understand the dynamics and devastation of Clergy Sexual Abuse.
I can assure you it's not easy to tell a story like this. It wasn't easy living through it, either. But what has been amazing to us is the number of people who have crossed our path in this last year who have their own stories of abuse. Over and over they have encouraged us to tell the story.
Our prayer is that this book will be a catalyst for hope and healing. Powerful and influential men who have abused their positions of trust in the church have too often gotten a pass from their denominational leadership. Young leaders going into the ministry often have had absolutely no training in this area.
Hopefully this book will be a tool to start building fences at the top of the cliff instead of having to deal with the devastation at the bottom. Hopefully this book will be another voice that says, "Powerful men must be held accountable when they abuse the trust they have been given. Denominations must end the collusion and break the silence that protects them and destroys the victim."
Our hope is that you will read Broken and Beautiful and join us in shining the spotlight on this very important issue.
RSS Feed
