Dawn of Sunday
The Trinity and Trauma-Safe Churches
- Counseling, Grief & Mental Health
- Publisher: Cascade Books (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2022
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Publisher's Description
Whether we realize it or not, our churches are full of those who have experienced and are living with the aftereffects of horror and trauma, whether as survivors, carers, or perpetrators. The central question of this book is simple: How can our churches become open to the Trinity such that they are trauma-safe environments for everyone? How can we join the triune God to become trauma-safe churches? While the reality is bleak, the church can dare to hope for healing because of the reality of God and the body of Christ. Using the metaphor of the dawn of Sunday, the authors propose a double witness to trauma that straddles the boundary between the deadly silence of Holy Saturday and the joy of Easter Sunday. While witnessing loss and lament we can also be open to the possibility of new life through God's trinitarian works of safety and recovery in the church. This involves adopting some basic principles and practices of trauma safety that every pastor, congregation, and layperson can begin using today. Creating trauma-safe churches is possible through God the Trinity.
Endorsements (3)
“This book offers a pastoral theology that knows how to journey through the pain and the horror of suffering, abuse, and bodily trauma. Cockayne, Harrower, and Hill . . . provide well-researched and nuanced perspectives on the effects of trauma with strategies for how to engage the bodies and the stories of those impacted. . . . For each of the contributors, even in the darkness before the dawn, hope lingers and creates a path toward life.”
“Cockayne, Harrower, and Hill show us how the triune God gives us solace in sufferings, hope amidst horrors, and strength in our weakness. This is no empty therapeutic but theology for healing and restoration after traumatic experiences. A terrific resource in pastoral theology.”
“Moving beyond pat answers and reductionistic attitudes, the authors demonstrate the resources of a Christian understanding of the Trinity for the church’s handling of trauma. Despite often failing their members, churches can and must have a positive role in healing. This book charts a practical course through what is often a very challenging pastoral terrain. It should be required reading for pastors and religious workers, as well as for anyone entrusted with the care of other souls.”
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