When Violence is No Stranger

Publisher Description

"It is not my enemies who taunt me-I could bear that.... It is you, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend...." Ps. 55:12-13 The paucity of resources for pastoral care of acquaintance-rape survivors highlights the invisibility of this growing crime and its largely uncharted pastoral challenges. In fact, most rape is by an acquaintance. Only 16 percent of such cases are reported; and, because they are difficult to prosecute, only 5 percent of those reported result in guilty verdicts. Focusing on the psychospiritual effects of this sexualized violence, Kristen Leslie offers the psychological and theological tools to religious professionals for understanding the deep spiritual trauma of the survivor and how best to work with her to reconstruct a personal world of meaning, trust, and faith. Based on extensive interviews with survivors, Leslie explains the personal and theological issues they raise, what they found helpful from religious professionals, the images and metaphors most ger