The Hero and the Whore
Reclaiming Healing and Liberation through the Stories of Sexual Exploitation in the Bible
- Counseling, Grief & Mental Health
- Publisher: Westminster John Knox
- Published: 2023
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Publisher's Description
Of all the things modern people of faith overlook or choose to ignore in the Bible, stories of sexual exploitation are near the top of the list. This isn’t so different from our world today, when victims of trafficking, rape, and harassment are dismissed and disbelieved, their stories twisted and erased. Trauma-informed educator and minister Camille Hernandez dives deep into the Bible’s stories of exploitation and abuse to name the difficult truths buried in Scripture, address the forms such violence takes in modern society, and illuminate a path of healing and hope. With a blend of storytelling, cultural analysis, and trauma-informed care, The Hero and the Whore invites readers to reconsider their assumptions about victims of sexual exploitation and respond with compassionate understanding that will bring us all to the wholeness God desires.
Endorsements (5)
“This book will likely challenge, upset, subvert, and anger the reader. It will also, I believe, offer a word of hope to women whose stories mirror those found in this book. It will enlighten those who do not share these realities—including white male cisgender males like me.”
“‘The women of the Bible can’t change their course of action,’ Camille writes, but ‘knowing their stories helps us to change ours.’ Camille’s words will infuse those in need of healing and liberation with the courage to seek and claim them as their rightful inheritance. She is the perfect person to have by our side as we birth new narratives of our inherent worth and beauty, no matter what our stories have been up to this point. This book oozes with brilliance and love.”
“In a time where many are at a crossroads and experiencing deep crises of faith, a necessary theological voice has emerged. What Camille has done in the pages of this book will heal us now, help heal the wounds of the past and work to heal generations to come. We have needed her and this amazing offering and I’m so glad they are both here!”
“A sagacious guidebook for reclaiming the feminine and restoring the narrative of women in ancient texts. Hernandez provides an informative, compelling and bold theological view serving as a much needed key for liberation from patriarchal centered theology.”
“The Hero and The Whore is a liberation theology of resistance against the weighty systems of oppression that bear down on us in this new era of White Christian Nationalism. Camille Hernandez lets us into the moments in her life when her keenly honed critical consciousness comes face to face with the supremacist ideologies of white Evangelicalism in the United States. She graciously offers us the acts of resistance that have allowed her to engage with biblical texts that have so often been used to support patriarchy and white supremacy. Her readings of scripture are intuitive and welcoming, inviting the reader to explore how their own story finds meaning within these texts. For anyone feeling pushed to the margins of Christianity, The Hero and the Whore is an excellent spiritual guide for determining what is worthwhile investment in our well-being and what needs to be left behind.”
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