To Heal or Harm
Scripture's Use as Poison or Medicine for Abuse Survivors
- Counseling, Grief & Mental Health
- Publisher: Zondervan Reflective (Zondervan)
- Published: 2026
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Publisher's Description
Empowers survivors to interpret Scripture in healing ways while unlearning harmful biblical perspectives. Scripture plays an unique and profound role in the lives of many abuse survivors. It can be a powerful instrument for healing. Unfortunately, it is often wielded against survivors as a weapon, causing great and long-lasting harm. In over two decades of abuse ministry Steve Tracy's ministry, Mending the Soul, has found that some of the most extensive trauma harm is experienced by survivors who had Scripture misused against them by abusers or the abusers' collaborators. Sometimes survivors have inherited harmful ways of reading Scripture from well-meaning family members, pastors, or religious communities. To Heal or Harm is a lifeline for survivors and their loved ones that will quickly help you: Refute the most common, harmful misuses of Scripture. Decontaminate broader biblical perspectives that have been used against you. Allow you to experience more of the beauty and healing power of Scripture. This book is divided into three sections: Lays the foundation by briefly surveying the complex richness of Scripture and then giving basic principles for proper biblical interpretation. Dismantles poisonous interpretations of passages commonly misused against survivors (passages on marriage, children, church, abuse victims, and spiritual life). Surveys, by category, key biblical texts which are most helpful for abuse survivors' protection and healing. With compassion and deep insight, Steve Tracy will show you how key biblical texts have been typically misused, and he explains what those texts do and do not mean. The book includes appendices surveying biblical teaching on various abuse-related topics.
Endorsements (3)
“This book is a gift to survivors and those who care for them. Tracy dismantles commonly distorted perspectives of Scripture that have caused deep harm in many of our churches, offering a redemptive framework for understanding God’s heart through the Bible. To Heal or Harm is a valuable resource for pastors, mentors, advocates, and anyone seeking to walk with integrity, grace, and wisdom alongside those who carry the wounds of abuse. Nearly all the accounts of abuse that survivors have disclosed to me were made exponentially more excruciating by a parent or pastor’s misuse of Scripture. In To Heal or Harm, Steve Tracy empowers survivors to reclaim God’s word as medicine rather than poison and equips all believers to rightly interpret the Bible. This is essential reading if the church is to offer protection for the vulnerable and healing for the abused.”
“Untwisting Scriptures to reveal God’s heart is my passion and mission, so I’m always grateful when other men and women of God undertake it too. I love how To Heal or Harm addresses specific twisted Scriptures to help the abused walk in clarity, hope, and freedom and goes further to show who God really is and why we can trust him. This book will be a boon and a blessing to many. To Heal or Harm is a vital and timely resource in the fight against abuse stemming from the misuse of Scripture. With clarity, theological depth, and pastoral sensitivity, Steven Tracy confronts the so-called poison passages and offers biblically grounded, redemptive interpretations that reflect the true heart of God. He exposes false teachings with courage while unveiling the healing power of Christ’s love as revealed throughout Scripture. This book is not only a corrective to distorted theology but also a balm for those wounded by it. Every pastor, counselor, teacher, and advocate should keep an extra copy on hand as an essential reference—equipping them to support the abused and challenge those who twist Scripture for power and control. I look forward to sharing this book with others—what a great and much-needed resource. To Heal or Harm is a beautiful gift for those who have endured oppression and harm through distorted interpretations of Scripture. If you, or someone you know, has had God’s beautiful message to you used as a weapon of control, I hope you will read this book. It will help you untangle the confusion that arises from the misuse of Scripture and provide insight into the true heart of God.”
“This timely book exposes the shame of those who misuse Scripture to justify the abuse of victims and in the process deepen the victims’ physical and psychological trauma. The anecdotes of those who have been on the receiving end of Bible bashing are heart wrenching. But this book offers far more. Dr. Tracy highlights how God sees, hears, feels, grieves, rescues, heals, and restores. He unveils the healing role of Scripture and God’s demand for justice and mercy and includes illustrations of compassionate ministry to those who have experienced trauma. Highly recommended. Like Jesus’s own mission, the purpose of Scripture is to transform and give life, but in the wrong hands the Bible has too often been twisted in order to steal, kill, and destroy. Too many people have been traumatized by Christians who have weaponized Scripture. Tracy has written a bold and necessary corrective, calling out harmful readings of Scripture and comforting the abused with the real message of the gospel, a message of the grace of God, the love of Christ, and the healing power of the Spirit. If you want to rightly handle the word of truth, read this book; it is the closest thing to a “safety manual” for the Bible I have ever read. And it is desperately needed. In a world of extremes, Steve offers a needed reminder: Scripture is meant to heal, not harm. This book equips pastors, survivors, and families to recognize the abuse of Scripture and rediscover God’s heart to heal and restore. Read it. Find freedom. And be healed. Steve Tracy offers us all a beautiful gift. To Heal or Harm helps those of us who have hurt and been hurt when Scripture is used to protect those in power rather than to faithfully serve the flock. In a time when it may be tempting to move away from Scripture because of its harmful applications, Steve passionately and practically teaches us how to rightly handle and interpret the word in ways that bring healing, hope, and life. Years ago, a woman I knew struggled to separate God’s voice from the voice of her abusive pastor-uncle. She believed God was disappointed with her fear, until she realized the condemnation she heard in Scripture wasn’t divine—it was human, distorted by abuse. It took years to reclaim the Bible from that voice. If you’ve had similar experiences—if Scripture has been used to wound or silence you—Steve’s book is a lifeline. With wisdom, compassion, and scholarly rigor, he walks beside survivors, exposing misused texts and restoring a picture of God as protector, healer, and advocate for the abused. Start with one passage or one chapter—this is a book to heal with, not rush through. To Heal or Harm is a much needed and deeply healing resource. Having been married to a “pastor” who used his Bible training to twist Scripture and control me, I know firsthand how disorienting and spiritually damaging this misuse can be. Reading this book helped me uncover hidden areas in my heart that still needed healing. More importantly, it helped me reconnect with the true heart of God—his justice, his compassion, and his great love for the abused. This book is a gift to survivors and to anyone seeking to understand the healing power of Scripture when it is rightly handled.”
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