Rid of My Disgrace: Hope and Healing for Victims of Sexual Assault
The statistics are jarring. One in four women and one in six men have been sexually assaulted. But as sobering as these statistics are, they can't begin to speak to the darkness and grief experienced by the victims. The church needs compassionate and wise resources to care for those living in the wake of this evil. Other books attempt to address the journey from shame to healing for victims of sexual abuse, but few are from a Christian perspective and written for both child and adult victims. In Rid of My Disgrace, a couple experienced in counseling and care for victims of sexual assault present the gospel in its power to heal the broken and restore the disgraced.
Justin and Lindsey Holcomb present a clear definition of sexual assault and outline a biblical approach for moving from destruction to redemption. Rid of My Disgrace applies a theology of redemption to the grief, shame, and sense of defilement victims experience. This book is primarily written for them, but can also equip pastors, ministry staff, and others to respond compassionately to those who have been assaulted. Part of the Re:Lit series.
Top Highlights
“Our definition of sexual assault is any type of sexual behavior or contact where consent is not freely given or obtained and is accomplished through force, intimidation, violence, coercion, manipulation, threat, deception, or abuse of authority.” (source)
“He would rather have kept her assault and suffering hidden. Even though the text says her father, the king, was furious, he did nothing. It was appropriate for David to be angry. However, he should have reached out to Tamar and protected her, even if it was only in a gesture of articulating that anger to her that she had been wronged. When victims are abused and shamed, often the response (or lack thereof) of family and friends continues to pile on the shame. Those who should have been supportive and taken her side did not. They minimized what had happened, showing that they did not understand the depth of Tamar’s pain.” (source)
“They are not just chemicals in your brain and physiological responses to stimuli. Your emotions are to be taken seriously and listened to. They reveal what you believe about God, yourself, your experience of sexual assault, others, and the world. What you believe has a huge connection to how you respond to disgrace, violence, denial, shame, guilt, fear, anxiety, bitterness, despair, and so on.” (source)
“one in four women and one in six men are or will be victims of sexual assault in their lifetime” (source)
“Paul concedes that suffering is painfully real. But in comparison to glory, suffering looks different because it is dwarfed by the grandeur of glory awaiting believers. It is important to see that rather than minimizing suffering, Paul is actually maximizing glory.” (source)
Product Details
- Title : Rid of My Disgrace: Hope and Healing for Victims of Sexual Assault
- Authors:
- Holcomb, Justin S.
- Holcomb, Lindsey A.
- Publisher: Crossway
- Publication Date: 2011
- ISBN: 9781433516061
Justin S. Holcomb (PhD, Emory University) is an Episcopal priest and teaches theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando. He has written or edited more than twenty books on abuse, theology, and biblical studies. Justin and his wife, Lindsey, live in Orlando, Florida, with their two daughters.
Lindsey Holcomb (MPH, Touro University) holds a public health degree with a focus on violence against women. She works in nonprofit development and is an advocate for survivors of abuse. Lindsey is a former case manager at a sexual assault crisis center and a domestic violence shelter. She has coauthored seven books with her husband, Justin.