Redeeming Power: Understanding Authority and Abuse in the Church, Paperback

Power has a God-given role in human relationships and institutions, but it can lead to abuse when used in unhealthy ways. Speaking into current #MeToo and #ChurchToo conversations, this book shows that the body of Christ desperately needs to understand the forms power takes, how it is abused, and how to respond to abuses of power.

Although many Christians want to prevent abuse in their churches and organizations, they lack a deep and clear-eyed understanding of how power actually works. Internationally recognized psychologist Diane Langberg offers a clinical and theological framework for understanding how power operates, the effects of the abuse of power, and how power can be redeemed and restored to its proper God-given place in relationships and institutions. This book not only helps Christian leaders identify and resist abusive systems but also shows how they can use power to protect the vulnerable in their midst.

About author(s):Diane Langberg (PhD, Temple University) is an internationally recognized psychologist and counselor with 47 years of experience. She speaks regularly on abuse and trauma all over the world, directs her own counseling practice in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, and cofounded the Global Trauma Recovery Institute at Biblical Theological Seminary. Langberg is also on the board of GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in a Christian Environment) led by Boz Tchividjian and cochairs the American Bible Society's Trauma Advisory Council. She has authored or coauthored numerous books, including Counseling Survivors of Sexual Abuse, On the Threshold of Hope, and Suffering and the Heart of God: How Trauma Destroys and Christ Restores.