Healing Violent Men
A Model for Christian Communities
- Counseling, Grief & Mental Health
- Publisher: Fortress Press (Augsburg Fortress)
- Published: 2002
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Publisher's Description
Domestic violence is a widespread, though largely invisable, problem, often exacerbated by the pastoral urge to "keep the family together" at all costs. Yet if that is not a solution, how should the church relate to batterers? "I believe that the Christian community, if it is to be genuinely a community of healing and hope, must attend to both the victims and the perpetrators of domestic violence," says David Livingston. Addressing the complex phenomenon of intimate violence against wives, lovers, and children, Livingston profiles batterers and battering and traces it to larger cultural pathologies. He explores the ambiguous role of religion and then offers practical advice for pastoral and programmatic efforts to embrace simultaneously the twin Christian imperatives of forgiveness and responsibility.
Endorsements (3)
“David Livingston treats domestic violence as gravely as any other form of torture and asks, 'What is the path to authentic repentance and reconciliation for the batterer? What is the responsibility of the Christian community?' Livingston has made a serious contribution toward the struggle for truth, justice, and reconciliation in the home.”
“David Livingston draws on his clinical experience, the factual record, and theological resources for an impressive study of a topic often ignored in the church and the academy. A factually informed, wise, compassionate, and helpful book.”
“This book helps to meet a desperate need. Livingston suggests a radical redefinition of reconciliation that shifts the focus from the victim to the community and sets high standards for what reconciliation might mean for all people.”
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