Overview

#MeToo. #ChurchToo. #GodToo? What if survivors of sexualized violence experience the Bible as a powerful spiritual resource rather than an oppressive tool in the hands of those seeking to dismiss or justify abuse? Bible scholar Susannah Larry leads fellow survivors and those who care for them in a journey toward reclaiming the Bible amid the trauma of sexualized violence. Leaving Silence: Sexualized Violence, the Bible, and Standing with Survivors is an unflinching examination of sexualized violence in the Bible and the God who stands steadfastly with survivors. Larry addresses biblical experiences of coercion, familial betrayal, and self-blame while also illuminating God's constant care and concern. ​By centering the experiences of survivors in Scripture, Larry opens new insights into some of the Bible's most difficult texts and releases its ancient stories to serve as a powerful healing witness to the God who has shared in the experience of sexualized violence. Under Larry's skillful guidance, readers will rediscover the God who is present in experiences of trauma and who desires ultimate wholeness for survivors.

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9781513808185

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Reviews

"""Leaving Silence explores God's heart for the harmed, how we all can come to care for and empathize with the silenced, and why it matters. Susannah Larry invites all of us to center the narrative of the oppressed rather than the oppressor as we seek restoration and wholeness.""--TIFFANY BLUHM, author of Prey Tell: Why We Silence Women Who Tell the Truth and How Everyone Can Speak Up ""A profoundly caring book for anybody wrestling with biblical texts on sexualized violence. Writing from a deeply personal perspective of Christian faith, Susannah Larry considers biblical rape prose and poetry, including the story of Jesus, in light of contemporary and theological issues, among them consent, abuse of power, trauma, forgiveness, reconciliation, theodicy, evil, and God's love. The conversational and accessible tone of the reflections always supports victim survivors and the notion of a loving God."" --SUSANNE SCHOLZ, professor of Old Testament at Southern Methodist University Perkins School of Theology ""In Leaving Silence, Susannah Larry grapples with sexualized violence in Scripture and in the church, concepts of power and privilege, the role of family, and God's place in all of it. Her honesty and questions are refreshing. Her writing is clear and crisp. Larry does not sugarcoat the difficulty we find in the Scriptures. Nor does she gloss over the horrific. She unflinchingly looks evil in the face--and tells the truth--while standing with survivors, and demonstrates that our loving God is nothing like the corruption so many of us have experienced. This book is timely, needed, a gift. Every church should have a copy."" --MARLENA GRAVES, author of The Way Up Is Down: Becoming Yourself by Forgetting Yourself ""Reading Leaving Silence, I was overwhelmed with God's love for survivors through in-depth examination of Scriptures concerning sexual survivors. A God who is present. Susannah Larry also moves forward with accountability to the church in all these situations and a strong call to move from silence to responsibility and accountability. Every church leader should have this book in their possession and read it diligently."" --JO ANNE LYON, general superintendent emerita of The Wesleyan Church"

Leaving Silence explores God's heart for the harmed, how we all can come to care for and empathize with the silenced, and why it matters. Susannah Larry invites all of us to center the narrative of the oppressed rather than the oppressor as we seek restoration and wholeness. --TIFFANY BLUHM, author of Prey Tell: Why We Silence Women Who Tell the Truth and How Everyone Can Speak Up A profoundly caring book for anybody wrestling with biblical texts on sexualized violence. Writing from a deeply personal perspective of Christian faith, Susannah Larry considers biblical rape prose and poetry, including the story of Jesus, in light of contemporary and theological issues, among them consent, abuse of power, trauma, forgiveness, reconciliation, theodicy, evil, and God's love. The conversational and accessible tone of the reflections always supports victim survivors and the notion of a loving God. --SUSANNE SCHOLZ, professor of Old Testament at Southern Methodist University Perkins School of Theology In Leaving Silence, Susannah Larry grapples with sexualized violence in Scripture and in the church, concepts of power and privilege, the role of family, and God's place in all of it. Her honesty and questions are refreshing. Her writing is clear and crisp. Larry does not sugarcoat the difficulty we find in the Scriptures. Nor does she gloss over the horrific. She unflinchingly looks evil in the face--and tells the truth--while standing with survivors, and demonstrates that our loving God is nothing like the corruption so many of us have experienced. This book is timely, needed, a gift. Every church should have a copy. --MARLENA GRAVES, author of The Way Up Is Down: Becoming Yourself by Forgetting Yourself Reading Leaving Silence, I was overwhelmed with God's love for survivors through in-depth examination of Scriptures concerning sexual survivors. A God who is present. Susannah Larry also moves forward with accountability to the church in all these situations and a strong call to move from silence to responsibility and accountability. Every church leader should have this book in their possession and read it diligently. --JO ANNE LYON, general superintendent emerita of The Wesleyan Church

Author Information

Susannah Larry is a writer and scholar who works in between the piles of blocks and baby dolls on her living room floor. Raised in Atlanta, she brings together academic rigor and deep faith commitments in her writing. Susannah is assistant professor of biblical studies at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana. Though denominationally nomadic for several years, she now feels at home in Anabaptist and Mennonite traditions and attends Hively Avenue Mennonite Church. Susannah enjoys writing creative nonfiction, running, and cooking vegetarian meals. She blogs at susannahmarielarry.com.

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