The Hope in Our Scars

The church has a PR problem: instead of being a picture of the beauty of Christ's love, we've manifested disillusionment, despair--even abuse. Having experienced disillusionment herself, Aimee Byrd blends memoir, contemplative reading of Scripture, and biblical theology to show us Christ amidst the chaos as we find freedom that rises out of pain.

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Aimee Byrd peels back the church's underlying and pervasive theology of power to face the shame that lurks there and find the lasting hope of belonging in Christ.

Some things happening in the church these days should provoke our anger. It's racked with scandals of fraud, abuse, cover-up. It's embroiled in racism, misogyny, marginalization, and hatred. The truth is that we have to fight to love Christ's church. Many of us are left wondering what kind of hope can the church offer if its leaders will not care for its wounds, admit their complicity, and move toward true reconciliation with God's people.

From the author of Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood comes a passionate plea to work through our disillusionment with the church and rediscover what's true and beautiful about our covenantal union with Christ.

Having tread her own path of disillusionment, Aimee Byrd invites us to see Christ among the chaos so apparent in his church. Along the way, Aimee guides us through deeply theological and personal reflections on how we can:



Cultivate healthier forms of trust by recognizing power structures at work.
Understand the limits of authority, and free ourselves from tribes and celebrity culture.
Take appropriate social risks by speaking up when we're uncomfortable.
Rediscover how our stories matter to God.

 

This book is written to those who have been wounded by the church. To those who have suffered abuse at the hands of church leaders and are left with deep scars. To those who are disillusioned or deconstructing their faith, The Hope in Our Scars offers a way forward with a God who walks with us in our affliction and wants to make it into something beautiful.