When the Church Harms God's People
Becoming Faith Communities That Resist Abuse, Pursue Truth, and Care for the Wounded
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About
Internationally recognized psychologist Diane Langberg has come face to face with the crushing trauma of sexual abuse, trafficking, domestic abuse, and rape--and its cover-up.
Even more tragic, she has encountered it all within Christian communities and the church.
As a highly respected trauma scholar and psychologist working in the United States and around the world for more than 50 years, she envisions a better way.
In When the Church Harms God's People, Langberg unveils what she has learned about how churches cause harm and why Christian communities often foster unhealthy leaders who end up hurting rather than protecting God's people. She also offers hope for the future, describing how churches can reflect Christ not just in what they teach but also in how they care for themselves and others.
This book is an invaluable tool for leaders and laypeople alike who want to help the church resist abuses of power and become a safe place for survivors.
Contents
Introduction: Why I Write
1. Encountering Sickness in the Body of Christ
2. What the Church Is Called to Be
3. Wolves, Sheep, and Shepherding
4. Examining Culture in the Light of Christ
5. Self-Deception
6. Systemic Deception
7. Systemic Abuse within Christendom
8. Repentance and Forgiveness
9. A Message to Victims
10. A Message to Shepherds
11. A More Excellent Way
The Author
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Diane Langberg
Diane Langberg (PhD, Temple University) is an internationally recognized psychologist with more than fifty years of experience. She chaired the advisory board of the American Association of Christian Counselors until stepping down in 2021 and cofounded the...
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