Forgiveness After Trauma - by Susannah Griffith (Paperback)

About the Book

The church's teachings on forgiveness often fail victims and survivors of abuse. This book reclaims forgiveness by centering and empowering survivors.

Book Synopsis

Susannah Griffith wishes she had spent less time thinking about forgiveness. But as a Christian minister, a biblical scholar, and a survivor of abuse, she has learned a lot about it.

In Forgiveness after Trauma, Griffith explores what the Bible says--and doesn't say--about the biblical call to forgive. She helps readers understand this command in ways that are healing and restorative, framing it within broader concerns around lament, anger, accountability, release and rebirth, and reconciliation.

The result is what Griffith calls "trauma-informed forgiveness," which takes seriously God's forgiveness of sinners while centering survivors of abuse and aiding their healing. This view also empowers those who have been harmed in other ways by abuses of power and justice in religious institutions.

Readers will resonate with Griffith's astute biblical analysis and personal reflection, which point to God's love--a love that never includes abuse and strives for justice for the vulnerable.

From the Back Cover

A Trauma-Informed Path toward Forgiveness

The church's teachings on forgiveness often fail victims and survivors of abuse.

As a Christian minister, biblical scholar, and survivor of abuse, Susannah Griffith has spent a lot of time thinking about forgiveness. In Forgiveness after Trauma, she explores what the Bible says--and doesn't say--about the biblical call to forgive.

Griffith advocates for "trauma-informed forgiveness," which takes seriously God's forgiveness of sinners while centering survivors of abuse and aiding their healing. This view also empowers those who have been harmed by abuses of power and justice in religious institutions.

"Provides desperately needed insight and clarity on one of the most significant issues survivors face as they take steps toward safety and recovery. This book will empower many who find themselves stuck and unsure how to move forward on their healing journey."
--Wade Mullen, author of Something's Not Right: Decoding the Hidden Tactics of Abuse--and Freeing Yourself from Its Power

"Griffith weaves together Scripture, memoir, and practical theology in a trauma-informed ethic of forgiveness. Required reading for clergy, lay leaders, and anyone willing to accompany survivors navigating intimate partner violence."
--Teresa Kim Pecinovsky, author of Mother God

"Through her own story of trauma and recovery, Griffith gently urges readers to discover the many facets of forgiveness, paving a way forward after harm. Her story is one I'll return to again and again."
--Tiffany Bluhm, speaker and author of Prey Tell: Why We Silence Women Who Tell the Truth and How Everyone Can Speak Up

"Griffith speaks from a mixture of personal narrative, biblical scholarship, and pastoral experience to deliver a trauma-informed understanding of forgiveness."
--J.W. Buck, author of Everyday Activism: Following 7 Practices of Jesus to Create a Just World

About the Author

Susannah Griffith (PhD, Vanderbilt University) is an independent scholar whose work focuses on the intersection of biblical studies and trauma. She is also a minister advocating and caring for the marginalized outside the walls of the church. Her first book, Leaving Silence, was a Christianity Today Book Award finalist for Christian discipleship. Griffith resides in Northern Indiana with her husband and three young daughters.