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a report published by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland 2002 Price £7.95
This excellent report, an example of quality theological reflection, is warmly recommended to all who are engaged with family life and pastoral care issues. The seriousness of the subject, namely an attempt to address the failure of the churches, as yet, to respond adequately to the needs of those who are survivors of sexual abuse, somehow seems to raise the quality of the theological discussion.
The chapter dedicated to theological reflection is particularly powerful in that it addresses the integrity of the Gospel and the integrity of the Church as Christ's Body against realities, such as patriarchy, control systems and the expected submissiveness of women; all of which, even in the life of the Church, contribute to abuse.
The phenomenon, in some Christian groups, of Deliverance Ministry, is shown to compound the problem, sometimes with catastrophic consequences, especially when exercised with limited knowledge of the consequences of sexual abuse, and when allied to a theology which is a cover for power manipulation.
The ready and simplistic response of so many Christians to both abused and abusers that 'forgiveness' is the answer is thoroughly examined and shown to be so often misguided and inadequate.
But it is not just that chapter. The whole report enables profound theological thinking as it considers the wider issues relating to sexual abuse; the procedures developed in the Churches in recent years to improve child protection practice; the implication of abuse for all those caught up in it; and the difficulties and embarrassment Christian congregations experience when abused people or one time abusers are in their midst.
The final chapter offers beautiful examples of prayers and simple liturgies that identify with the pain of those abused, offers them Gospel focussed affirmation and proclaims 'We'll leap and dance the resurrection story including all within the circles of our love'.