Religious Trauma: How Has The Church Hurt You

Pop-culture has popularized the word “trauma” and watered it down to make it a touchstone for everyone. Yet, trauma is real pain and there are people who have really been hurt. People are suffering from physical trauma, relational trauma, and even religious trauma. They may not be able to escape the pain of physical trauma and as long as we are in relationships there is the risk of relational trauma, but people can choose to avoid religious trauma by severing ties with religion and disconnecting from the church. Sadly, on any given Sunday, homes all across our nation are filled with “Dones.” “Dones” are the people who once attended church but because of graceless, power hungry, dogmatic, “so-called Christians,” they’ve decided to avoid the pain and walk away from the local church. For some, the trauma has led to a “deconversion” or “deconstruction” of their faith. In this series, Religious Trauma, we will identify some of the sources of religious trauma and look to Jesus for healing and wisdom for how to cope with the hurt and pain we carry.