Truth Trauma Theology

The biblical call to "love your neighbor" echoes through centuries, yet remains one of Christianity's most profound and challenging practices. In this innovative synthesis of practical theology and psychological science, professors Katherine M. Douglass and Brittany M. Tausen bring ancient wisdom from Scripture and cutting-edge research into a conversation that can revolutionize how you build meaningful connections.

Pulling from their respective areas of expertise, Douglass and Tausen illuminate the psychological pathways and spiritual practices that activate neighbor love. Through engaging stories and evidence-based insights, they reveal why human connection often faltersand provide actionable strategies to overcome these barriers.

Each chapter pairs illuminating research with practical exercises that readers can implement immediately, creating ripples of connection that extend far beyond their immediate circles. Love Your Neighbor doesn't just explain the biblical commandit empowers you to live it. Ideal for personal growth, small groups, or community-wide initiatives, this essential resource will help you love better and cultivate more Christlike ways of living in community.

Katherine M. Douglass is associate professor of educational ministry and practical theology at Seattle Pacific University. She is also an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Her research interests include the role that the arts play in faith, confirmation as a rite of passage, ministry with marginalized youth, and religious socialization in the home.

Brittany M. Tausen is assistant professor of social psychology in the Honors College at Baylor University where she teaches in the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core. Her research focuses primarily on ways to reduce dehumanization, enhance neighbor love, and cultivate virtue so that loving intentions more readily manifest in loving actions.

Whether you're a pastor, counselor, church leader, or someone who has been hurt by the church, Traumatized Church—written jointly by New Testament scholar Scot McKnight and therapist Adrienne Gibson—will help you on the road to healing and understanding. From understanding the symptoms of trauma in today's church members to providing actionable steps to foster safety, trust, support, collaboration, and empowerment, this book creates a roadmap for healing. 

Scot and Adrienne dive deeply into the realities of trauma—how it impacts individuals, communities, and ministries—Traumatized Church pairs theological insights with counseling expertise to guide readers through the four R's of trauma care: Realize, Recognize, Respond, and Resist. 

A compassionate and practical framework to address the wounds of trauma and learn how to develop churches as trauma-informed spaces. McKnight examines the life of the apostle Paul and his complex relationship with the Corinthian church, offering biblical wisdom from Paul's life that helps us shape a renewed response to trauma within the church today. 

Gibson relates stories of real experiences, practical advice, and scripturally grounded therapy insights to encourage a Kingdom-minded approach to community, rooted in love and restoration rather than re-traumatization. 

If you're ready to transform your understanding of trauma and begin building spaces of redemption, Traumatized Church is an essential resource for your ministry or personal growth. Together, we can create churches that reflect Christ's healing and compassion. 

Scot McKnight (PhD, Nottingham) has been a Professor of New Testament for more than four decades. He is the author of more than ninety books, including the award-winning The Jesus Creed as well as The King Jesus Gospel, A Fellowship of Differents, One. Life, The Blue Parakeet, Revelation for the Rest of Us, and Kingdom Conspiracy. 

Adrienne Gibson is a licensed professional counselor (LPC), clinical supervisor for the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners (AZBBHE), and the owner of Valor Counseling. She has been licensed for over two decades, working with children, families, and adults, and has served as a clinical supervisor and clinical director for two large community based mental health agencies in Arizona and Oregon. She has master’s degrees in counseling and New Testament. She regularly speaks on the topic of trauma and healing and consults with denominations on implementing trauma-informed care practices.

BK (Alfredo Valentin) is an urban apologist who focuses on providing apologetics, which is the defense of a religious or philosophical belief, specifically in the context of urban environments. someone who specifically addresses the questions, concerns, and objections of people living in urban areas, and presents the Christian faith in a way that is relevant and meaningful to them.

1. Tell about your ministry and why you decided to become an Urban Apologist?
2. Why do believe it is important that Christians understand the law and the OT?
3. There are many groups that say Christians are still required to follow the Mosaic Law, give us a basic overview of how the law is fulfilled in Christ.
4. How can people prepare themselves to engage with these various perspective.

Transform Your Suffering with Tools from Theology, Psychology, and Spiritual Formation

We don’t like pain.

So, we find creative ways to go around it. We try to ignore, minimize, or deny our suffering, but we're stillleft hurting. The twisting and defiling work of sin on this world is overwhelming and shatters our assumptions about ourselves and our place in the world. And yet, the path forward is through suffering. Our afflictions present an opportunity to encounter God and allow him to redeem our suffering.

Drawing on six years of research, When the Journey Hurts untangles common misconceptions about suffering, instead helping you find meaning in it. The authors integrate theology, psychology, and spiritual formation to provide actionable steps and tools that teach you how to suffer well in relationship with God and others.

This book introduces seven key practices to help you uncover meaning in your suffering, equipping you toengage with suffering in a healthy, faithful way:

• Identifying with Christ's suffering
• Lament
• Surrender
• Forgiveness
• Gratitude
• Memento mori (remembering our mortality)
• Weaving our storyof suffering into God's story

These practices are supported by both theological insights and psychological research, providing a unique approach to navigating suffering. Rather than diminishing the weight of your pain, this book is designed to help you transform suffering into an opportunity for spiritual growth and deeper connection with God. With When the Journey Hurts, you'll find that your pain can lead you closer to Jesus.

Jason McMartin is professor of theology at Biola University. He has served as an urban missionary and also as a bi-vocational pastor.

Kelly M. Kapic holds the Honorary Chair of Theology and Culture at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. Kapic has also worked on research teams funded by the John Templeton Foundation. He is an author or editor of more than fifteen books, including the award-winning titles You’re Only Human and Embodied Hope, and is an active speaker.

Dr. Liz Hall is professor of psychology at Rosemead School of Psychology, Biola University, in La Mirada, California. For the past decade, she has led a team exploring the resources Christianity offers during difficult times. She coauthored Relational Spirituality with her husband, Todd, and has published over 150 academic works.

With wisdom and deep empathy, a seasoned chaplain reminds listeners of God’s steadfast, loving presence in their lives.

When life turns upside down, the world's cruelty can feel crippling. Unexpected and devastating news like a diagnosis, betrayal, or layoff can make God feel distant—or nonexistent. It's natural to wonder where God is and whether he cares at all. Those who face trials need a reminder that God is still for them.

Bob Page, retired Air Force brigadier general, offers ten reasons to persevere in faith and move toward a life of renewed hope and purpose. God Is Still for You invites listeners to sit with a battle-seasoned chaplain, who knows firsthand how painful life can be, and ask the hard questions. With decades of experience in active duty, Bob personally understands how dark it can feel to believe God is absent.

Each chapter highlights Scripture, contains real-life stories, and ends with a clear statement of why the listener can be sure that God is still for them. With biblical truth, fresh and compelling retellings of Bible stories, and a wise and personal writing style, Bob will guide listeners to find hope.

In The Hallway Miracle, Cara shares a story of personal transformation shaped by early antisemitic bullying and a lifelong wariness of Christians. Years later, she finds herself working at an elementary school as the only Jewish staff member among Christian coworkers, uncertain what genuine faith truly looks like.

Set during the fall of 2002, as sniper attacks bring fear into everyday life across the Washington, D.C., area, the memoir unfolds against a backdrop of heightened anxiety and uncertainty. When a student is killed at a nearby school, the fragile sense of safety disappears.

Blending personal reflection with historical tension, The Hallway Miracle explores anxiety, identity, and faith. Through a small but unexpected moment involving a desk calendar devotional, a handful of M&M’s, and a powerful prayer, Cara encounters a moment of grace that reverberates far beyond the hallway where it begins.

Written with honesty and sensitivity, this book will resonate with readers who carry complicated questions about faith and long to see what belief looks like when it is lived out with quiet authenticity.

Cara Shine is a retired award-winning elementary school teacher with a passion for encouragement, anxiety management, and “bridge building” between the Old and New Testament through her Jewish background. When she isn’t busy with her work as a lay pastor and ministry coordinator, Cara and her husband, Jeff, enjoy trying to beat their daughter, Emma, and her husband, Matthew, at Pickleball whenever they have a chance. They rarely succeed, but darned if they don’t keep trying! Her faith story, The Hallway Miracle, will reignite your compassion for those around you and remind you that even in the darkest hours, God can turn ashes into something beautiful.

What do you do if the faith that raised you seems to fail when you need it the most?

Kristen LaValley grew up a church kid through and through. She said “the sinner’s prayer” before she could write her name―and spent the next few decades trying to prove she meant it; in a body that couldn’t rest, with a mind she didn’t yet understand, under a God she was afraid to disappoint. She learned to perform the kind of faith that got praised: one that hid pain and swallowed questions.

But in the thick of depression, spiritual exhaustion, and a late ADHD diagnosis, she found herself wondering if the faith she’d built her life on could really hold her.

In Growing Up Saved, Kristen maps the slow undoing of a faith formed in certainty and what it took to find God in the middle of her unraveling.

In these pages, you’ll find authenticity, empathy, and compassionate theology as you explore:

• how to find your way through a faith that was formed in fear
• the intersection of trauma, mental health, neurodivergence, and spiritual identity
• the healing work of making peace with your body, your mind, and your story
• a path for those navigating life after disillusionment, burnout, religious trauma, or pain

This book isn’t a call to give up on faith. It’s an invitation to hold it differently. With tenderness, grit, and humor, Kristen offers a hard-won way through grief and grace to a messy, holy rebuilding.

Kristen LaValley is a writer and storyteller whose words offer a refreshing perspective on faith and spirituality and resonate with those who carry tension in their faith. She offers insights that intersect doubt and belief, hope and suffering, beauty and heartache. With a deep love for the Christian faith and a willingness to explore its complexities, Kristen’s writing offers nuanced conversations that

challenge readers to think deeply and wrestle with important questions. Kristen lives in Massachusetts with her husband, Zach, and their five children. 

If you’re silently suffering under the weight of depression, anxiety, shame, grief, and spiritual doubt, Dominique Young helps you discover the nearness of a God who does not shy away from your brokenness. In this safe space, you are invited to take off your mask, confront your hidden pain, and be seen by God for who you truly are―beloved.

Far from a quick fix or feel-good message, God, Where Are You? is a vulnerable, faith-filled journey that uses heartfelt storytelling and practical tools to help you wrestle with real emotions and deep questions―like how to deal with failure, how to find your true identity, and more.

Practical tools include:

• Tracing God Devotionals: Explore Bible verses at the end of each chapter and learn how to recognize God’s character and presence even in hard places.
• Reflection Questions: Through self-examination, you can heal deeply and receive clarity, healing, and personal revelation.
• Prayers: Each chapter includes heartfelt prayers that bridge raw emotion and spiritual intimacy, modeling honest and hopeful dialogue with God.

God, Where Are You? is not just a book to be read―it’s a healing journey to be walked. With authenticity, compassion, and biblical grounding, Dominique is your traveling companion to uncover the life-giving truth: even in the silence, God is near.

Dominique Young is the founder of Faith Mamas Inc. (Faith Family Worldwide), a community of more than 6,000 Christian women and a private app serving over 1,700 believers. She helps people break free from fear through Scripture and has been featured on the Don’t Mom Alone podcast and The Refreshed Moms Podcast. Dominique holds a psychology degree from Hampton University and a master’s in theology from Fuller Seminary. She is also a devoted wife and a mother of four.

Here is a safe space for your deepest questions and your hidden pain.

Interview Outline

• Was there a particular moment or life experience that inspired you to write God, Where Are You? How did your own spiritual and mental health shape the stories and insights that you share in your book?
• You invite readers to confront grief and doubt with honest faith. What advice would you give to someone who wants to experience God’s presence as they contend with unresolved pain or unanswered prayers? You emphasize that faith and healing can coexist with suffering. Why is it important for Christians to understand that healing is often a multifaceted or lengthy process?
• You mention in your book that some trauma victims process grief and pain on their own because they are afraid of turning to a therapist for help. What are some common fears that prevent people from seeking out a therapist? What would you say to encourage them to be open to therapy? How can faith communities better support those who are suffering from depression and anxiety?
• One of your goals when writing God, Where Are You? was to help readers put on a new identity rooted in the Holy Spirit. For women who are feeling stuck in pride or self-reliance or shame or guilt about past mistakes: What first steps should they take to begin to embrace their new identity? You encourage readers to drop their “masks.” What does that mean, and what might that entail from day to day?
• God, Where Are You? helps readers identify lies from their pasts that have skewed their self-perception. Give us an example of a common lie related to one’s identity that individuals need to replace with God’s truth.

Follow Dominique On:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dominiquenyoung/

How might believers get back to offering the gifts of suffering-faith, perseverance, empathy, and hope-to those living in a literal world of hurt?

People used to seek support from the Church when life got hard. But instead of providing a place for people to suffer well together, many churches today focus more on big growth, how-to programs, and positive news. If we come to value comfort over depth, chasing after more safe, predictable lives, we risk diminishing our light and His hope.

In Holy Disturbance, author Karen Sjoblom aims to reacquaint people of faith with the gifts of suffering by weaving historical and current-day narratives around Reverend Addison Groff's timeless prayer, "Disturb Us, O Lord." Focused on equipping and encouraging pastors, leaders, volunteers, and congregants, Sjoblom invites the Church and Her people to move toward deeper faith and community-especially within our storms.

• Study how and why we've drifted from being suffering servants
• Read dozens of stories from congregants, leaders, and pastors about grief, recovery, hurt, and growth within the Church
• Soak in reflection questions, meaningful practices, and leadership wisdom to map a new course for your church and community-and a renewed thirst for God

Suffering engenders messier lives but richer, deeper connections...and this is what the Church was built for. Holy Disturbance is part love letter and part wake-up call to the Church and Her people-to recognize the gifts that come from our seasons of struggle, and to share our hard-won lessons and His hope with a hurting world.

About Karen:

An award-winning author, freelance writer, and editor, Karen Sjoblom has had a 40-year career in healthcare, science, education, high tech, and nonprofit communications, as well as decades in faith-based nonfiction. She also co founded and ran for nine years Eve‟s Daughters, a nonprofit for single moms and their kids outside of Portland, Oregon. In addition to Holy Disturbance, she‟s published Gone for Good: Lessons from a Midlife Exodus; One: Single Mothering, Full Circle from her time with Eve‟s Daughters; two parenting books with New Leaf Press as part of the Mom2Mom series; plus a patient and family handbook on living with Lou Gehrig‟s disease. She‟s also edited several books by multiple authors. She‟s passionate about matters of faith, resilience, and re-creation: studying our stories and scars, witnessing His mercy, and stepping into our missions. She lives in the Midwest, writing, teaching, and encouraging others to know, value, and share the wisdom gained from their life-journeys with a hurting world. 

Follow Karen:

Website: KarenSjoblom.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karen.sjoblom

LinkedIn: https:/www.linkedin.com/in/karensjoblom/

Regina V. Cates is an author, activist, podcaster, and founder of Romancing Your Soul, an organization that helps people develop lives of love, compassion, and purpose. Her first internationally bestselling book Lead with Your Heart: Creating a Life of Love, Compassion, and Purpose continues to be an inspiration to people who desire a more fulfilled life. Regina is followed by hundreds of thousands on social media who embrace her messages of kindness, compassion, and empathy for one another as equal members of our human family.

In this conversation we discuss Regina's new book The Real Conversation Jesus Wants Us to Have: A Call to Bravery, Peace, and Love.

Viewing modern Christianity from Jesus’s point of view Why are we not loving our neighbors as ourselves? What has changed? What questions can you ask to confront the judgmental attitudes alive within Christianity? How do you think Jesus would view modern Christianity? What attributes, from Jesus’s viewpoint, make great leaders great?

Demonstrating why it is necessary for individuals to critique their religious and social experiences from Jesus’s viewpoint in order to truly love Christ. For individuals who are fed up with church but still love Jesus, what should they do? Where should they go?

What is broken within Christianity? What are some tangible solutions to fix what is broken within Christianity? What religious, social, and political persecution have you witnessed? How does the church fail to address sexual abuse, misogyny, homophobia, corrupt politics, and religious authority?

Resonating with those who have themselves fallen victim to widespread religious judgment. How can this book be a guide to those fallen victim to widespread religious judgment?

Compelling Christians and Christianity to answer questions Jesus would ask of anyone who claims to love and follow Him. What do you think it would be like to have a conversation with Jesus about our modern world? What would the conversation focus on?

Follow Regina:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReginaVCates/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/regina_cates_music/

Website: ReginaVCates.com