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by Lisha Lender (Author)
The hard truth is that no church or faith-based community is immune to having child abuse happen within its church families. Breaking the Silence will educate you about the realities of child abuse and why many victims blame God for abuse, have a misguided understanding of who He is, and walk away from God and the church.
It is time for the church to be educated about child abuse and take a stand to support victims. Child abuse includes physical, sexual, and verbal abuse as well as neglect and living in domestic violence. The majority of child abuse is perpetrated by someone in the victim's family or someone the victim has a close relationship with. Go into the life of victims and learn how they are impacted their entire life by those who abuse them. The ACE study is an eye-opening reality check of the lasting effects of child abuse on victims.
Abuse within the family system keeps most victims quiet. Victims feel alone and isolated. This isolation affects every relationship the victim has, now and in the future, especially their relationship with God.
It is time for the faith community to be actively involved in helping victims of child abuse. Child abuse is a crime committed against the very children God has entrusted to us. This is not about protecting the church or maintaining family unity. It is about helping people thrive and live the life God intended for them. This can only happen when the church steps up and is willing to face the reality of the brokenness within many of its church families.
There is a desperate, silent cry from millions of victims just waiting for someone to notice them, believe them, and help them heal.
Breaking the Silence is written as a call to educate the church, but it is loaded with information anyone will find useful. Everyone needs to know and understand the realities of child abuse. Whether you know it or not, abuse is happening in your town, in your neighborhood, and possibly in your own home.
We tend to remain silent about things we do not understand. It is time to break the silence.
