Sermon
Bible + Trauma Q&A
Mercy Hill Church - Cincinnati
Speaker: Ernie Bonnoitt, with Steve Jones
November 21, 2022 · 56 min
Summary
Steve Jones explores how churches and Christian friends can compassionately support trauma survivors by prioritizing safety, listening without judgment, and avoiding harmful Christian clichés. Healing involves patience, proper therapeutic care, and recognizing trauma's neurobiological impact rather than attributing it to personal sin.
Highlights
When someone comes to see you to talk about abuse, they are attempting to tell you something they most want to forget. They are afraid of what happened, of the person who did it, of you and your reactions, as well as of remembering and speaking out loud.
You are being oppressed, and I am a defender of the weak. God is a defender of the oppressed, not pointing the finger of sin.
The church has done a horrible job of covering up and not helping people, and I'm sorry. We envision a church that's different, where a person truly can feel safe, where we're not gonna sweep things under the rug.