'Safe Church: How to Guard Against Sexism and Abuse in Christian Communities' (book review)

'Safe Church: How to Guard Against Sexism and Abuse in Christian Communities' (book review)

Christian Post, 

.. suppresses women's voices. Bauman highlights problematic theological interpretations that reinforce ungodly gender hierarchies, turning them into theological shackles for women seeking to serve, lead, or simply be heard in their faith communities.

Christianity at large has long operated under the assumption that submission is synonymous with faithfulness, that obedience to authority equals obedience to God, and that suffering in silence is somehow an indicator of increased holiness. This book dismantles those myths with both theological precision and an undeniable moral force.

Bauman does not merely diagnose the problem — he dissects it. His exploration of how trauma is exacerbated by spiritual abuse is particularly eye-opening. He details how abusive systems protect offenders, vilify victims, and leverage religious authority to keep women in cycles of harm. His research provides heartbreaking support for these claims, telling story after story where church leaders blame the wife's sexual availability when an elder is arrested on pedophilia charges, where the wives of abusive and porn-addicted men are told that any anger over the betrayal will cause their unfaithful husband to keep using porn, where scripture is twisted to teach women to essentially worship their husbands in place of God.

For those who have experienced this firsthand, reading these pages feels like both an exoneration and a deep grief — a painful affirmation of the betrayal so many have lived through.

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(*) https://www.christianpost.com/voices/safe-church-how-to-guard-against-sexism-and-abuse-book-review.html