In this conversation, Dr. Michelle Keener joins Dr. Lynn Cohick to discuss her upcoming book “Comfort in the Ashes: Explorations in the Book of Job to Support Trauma Survivors” and her study of the Book of Job through the lens of trauma. She explains that trauma is a response to an event that overwhelms our ordinary coping capacity and leaves a wound that remains unhealed. Dr. Keener explores the retribution principle in the book of Job, where Job's friends try to impose their agenda on his story, blaming him for his suffering. She also highlights the importance of the book's shift from prose to poetry, symbolizing the rupture of trauma and the messy middle of the survivor's journey.

The conversation explores the themes of trauma, justice, apology, forgiveness, and meaning-making in the book of Job. It discusses the silence of the unrepentant and the longing for justice and acknowledgment of trauma survivors. They also address the tendency to rush forgiveness and the lack of emphasis on repentance. The importance of providing a meaning-making space for trauma survivors is emphasized while discussing the naming and provision for Job's daughters at the end of the book which symbolizes positive change and hope while suffering. 

Key Takeaways: ·       

Trauma is a response to an overwhelming event that leaves an unhealed wound. 

The retribution principle in the book of Job reduces our relationship with God to a business transaction, causing harm and insecurity. ·       

Trusted listeners are those who can hear and listen to a survivor's story without imposing their agenda. ·       

The shift from prose to poetry in the Book of Job symbolizes the rupture of trauma and the messy middle of the survivor's journey. Trauma survivors often long for justice and acknowledgment of their pain, including an apology from the person who caused the trauma. 

The church sometimes rushes for forgiveness and neglects the importance of repentance, which can hinder healing and justice. 

Creating a meaning-making space for trauma survivors to process their experiences and find their meaning is crucial for their healing. 

The book of Job explores the tension between God as judge and adversary, reflecting trauma survivors' complex emotions and thoughts.

Job's naming and provision for his daughters at the end of the book symbolize positive change and hope while suffering.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 - Introduction and Background
07:06 - Understanding Trauma as a Response
29:31 - The Silence of the Unrepentant
45:20 - The Symbolism of Job's Daughters

Episode Resources: 

Comfort in the Ashes: Explorations in the Book of Job to Support Trauma Survivors by Dr. Michelle Keener  

Shattered Theology: A Trauma Theory Reading of the Book of Job (Dissertation by Dr. Michelle Keener)  

The Lost World of the Israelite Conquest: Covenant, Retribution, and the Fate of the Canaanites (Volume 4) (The Lost World Series) by Dr. John Walton and J. Harvey Walton  

Resurrecting Wounds: Living in the Afterlife of Trauma by Dr. Shelley Rambo  

Michelle Keener, Ph.D.  

The Visual Museum of Women in Christianity  

Episode Sponsor:  

The Alabaster Jar is brought to you by The Center for Women in Leadership, a newly formed 501©3 nonprofit organization whose purpose is to equip women in a context that is biblically rooted, theologically robust, and ethnically diverse to thrive as leaders in the academy and the Church. Follow them on Instagram @leadershipwithoutapology. Learn more about The Center for Women in Leadership at: https://www.leadershipwithoutapology.org/.