Truth Trauma Theology

Whether you're a pastor, counselor, church leader, or someone who has been hurt by the church, Traumatized Church—written jointly by New Testament scholar Scot McKnight and therapist Adrienne Gibson—will help you on the road to healing and understanding. From understanding the symptoms of trauma in today's church members to providing actionable steps to foster safety, trust, support, collaboration, and empowerment, this book creates a roadmap for healing. 
Scot and Adrienne dive deeply into the realities of trauma—how it impacts individuals, communities, and ministries—Traumatized Church pairs theological insights with counseling expertise to guide readers through the four R's of trauma care: Realize, Recognize, Respond, and Resist. 
A compassionate and practical framework to address the wounds of trauma and learn how to develop churches as trauma-informed spaces. McKnight examines the life of the apostle Paul and his complex relationship with the Corinthian church, offering biblical wisdom from Paul's life that helps us shape a renewed response to trauma within the church today. 
Gibson relates stories of real experiences, practical advice, and scripturally grounded therapy insights to encourage a Kingdom-minded approach to community, rooted in love and restoration rather than re-traumatization. 
If you're ready to transform your understanding of trauma and begin building spaces of redemption, Traumatized Church is an essential resource for your ministry or personal growth. Together, we can create churches that reflect Christ's healing and compassion. 
Scot McKnight (PhD, Nottingham) has been a Professor of New Testament for more than four decades. He is the author of more than ninety books, including the award-winning The Jesus Creed as well as The King Jesus Gospel, A Fellowship of Differents, One. Life, The Blue Parakeet, Revelation for the Rest of Us, and Kingdom Conspiracy. 
Adrienne Gibson is a licensed professional counselor (LPC), clinical supervisor for the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners (AZBBHE), and the owner of Valor Counseling. She has been licensed for over two decades, working with children, families, and adults, and has served as a clinical supervisor and clinical director for two large community based mental health agencies in Arizona and Oregon. She has master’s degrees in counseling and New Testament. She regularly speaks on the topic of trauma and healing and consults with denominations on implementing trauma-informed care practices.

BK (Alfredo Valentin) is an urban apologist who focuses on providing apologetics, which is the defense of a religious or philosophical belief, specifically in the context of urban environments. someone who specifically addresses the questions, concerns, and objections of people living in urban areas, and presents the Christian faith in a way that is relevant and meaningful to them.

Tell about your ministry and why you decided to become an Urban Apologist?
Why do believe it is important that Christians understand the law and the OT?
There are many groups that say Christians are still required to follow the Mosaic Law, give us a basic overview of how the law is fulfilled in Christ.
How can people prepare themselves to engage with these various perspective.

Transform Your Suffering with Tools from Theology, Psychology, and Spiritual Formation
We don’t like pain.
So, we find creative ways to go around it. We try to ignore, minimize, or deny our suffering, but we're stillleft hurting. The twisting and defiling work of sin on this world is overwhelming and shatters our assumptions about ourselves and our place in the world. And yet, the path forward is through suffering. Our afflictions present an opportunity to encounter God and allow him to redeem our suffering.
Drawing on six years of research, When the Journey Hurts untangles common misconceptions about suffering, instead helping you find meaning in it. The authors integrate theology, psychology, and spiritual formation to provide actionable steps and tools that teach you how to suffer well in relationship with God and others.
This book introduces seven key practices to help you uncover meaning in your suffering, equipping you toengage with suffering in a healthy, faithful way:
Identifying with Christ's suffering
Lament
Surrender
Forgiveness
Gratitude
Memento mori (remembering our mortality)
Weaving our storyof suffering into God's story
These practices are supported by both theological insights and psychological research, providing a unique approach to navigating suffering. Rather than diminishing the weight of your pain, this book is designed to help you transform suffering into an opportunity for spiritual growth and deeper connection with God. With When the Journey Hurts, you'll find that your pain can lead you closer to Jesus.
Jason McMartin is professor of theology at Biola University. He has served as an urban missionary and also as a bi-vocational pastor.
Kelly M. Kapic holds the Honorary Chair of Theology and Culture at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. Kapic has also worked on research teams funded by the John Templeton Foundation. He is an author or editor of more than fifteen books, including the award-winning titles You’re Only Human and Embodied Hope, and is an active speaker.
Dr. Liz Hall is professor of psychology at Rosemead School of Psychology, Biola University, in La Mirada, California. For the past decade, she has led a team exploring the resources Christianity offers during difficult times. She coauthored Relational Spirituality with her husband, Todd, and has published over 150 academic works.

With wisdom and deep empathy, a seasoned chaplain reminds listeners of God’s steadfast, loving presence in their lives.
When life turns upside down, the world's cruelty can feel crippling. Unexpected and devastating news like a diagnosis, betrayal, or layoff can make God feel distant—or nonexistent. It's natural to wonder where God is and whether he cares at all. Those who face trials need a reminder that God is still for them.
Bob Page, retired Air Force brigadier general, offers ten reasons to persevere in faith and move toward a life of renewed hope and purpose. God Is Still for You invites listeners to sit with a battle-seasoned chaplain, who knows firsthand how painful life can be, and ask the hard questions. With decades of experience in active duty, Bob personally understands how dark it can feel to believe God is absent.
Each chapter highlights Scripture, contains real-life stories, and ends with a clear statement of why the listener can be sure that God is still for them. With biblical truth, fresh and compelling retellings of Bible stories, and a wise and personal writing style, Bob will guide listeners to find hope.

In The Hallway Miracle, Cara shares a story of personal transformation shaped by early antisemitic bullying and a lifelong wariness of Christians. Years later, she finds herself working at an elementary school as the only Jewish staff member among Christian coworkers, uncertain what genuine faith truly looks like.
Set during the fall of 2002, as sniper attacks bring fear into everyday life across the Washington, D.C., area, the memoir unfolds against a backdrop of heightened anxiety and uncertainty. When a student is killed at a nearby school, the fragile sense of safety disappears.
Blending personal reflection with historical tension, The Hallway Miracle explores anxiety, identity, and faith. Through a small but unexpected moment involving a desk calendar devotional, a handful of M&M’s, and a powerful prayer, Cara encounters a moment of grace that reverberates far beyond the hallway where it begins.
Written with honesty and sensitivity, this book will resonate with readers who carry complicated questions about faith and long to see what belief looks like when it is lived out with quiet authenticity.
Cara Shine is a retired award-winning elementary school teacher with a passion for encouragement, anxiety management, and “bridge building” between the Old and New Testament through her Jewish background. When she isn’t busy with her work as a lay pastor and ministry coordinator, Cara and her husband, Jeff, enjoy trying to beat their daughter, Emma, and her husband, Matthew, at Pickleball whenever they have a chance. They rarely succeed, but darned if they don’t keep trying! Her faith story, The Hallway Miracle, will reignite your compassion for those around you and remind you that even in the darkest hours, God can turn ashes into something beautiful.