Trauma: How the Church Can Heal Soul Wounds

Faith communities provide space to lament and compassion in suffering.

Trauma knows no boundaries.

People of all ethnicities, social economic status, ages, and religions experience trauma. With a world filled with trauma, it is clear that the government, mental health practitioners, and psychologists are unable to meet the millions in need of trauma healing.

One “organization” in the world situated to respond to trauma is the church. But is the church prepared? Is she willing to understand the nature of trauma and participate in supporting faith and Bible-based healing responses?

Some of these responses include practices the church has not always been known for: validating, supporting and comforting victims, speaking up about injustice, inviting individual and corporate lament, re-connecting oppressed people to God. We need the church to be a safe community for victims.

What Is Trauma?

A person may become traumatized after experiencing an event or series of events that overwhelm their capacity to cope. These experiences include actual or threats to physical, sexual, emotional and spiritual well-being. The adverse reactions impact not only the person but also their relationships.

Trauma disrupts faith and spiritual connection to God. It is this particular wound of the heart that is the focus of this blog post.

Trauma Wounds the Soul and Creates Barriers to the Gospel

Pastor Kevin Brown shares, in Exodus 6 we learn that Moses received a clear message from God that the Hebrew slaves were about to be freed from 400 years of captivity. Soon, they would have their own land. Moses faithfully delivered the message but verse 9 gives us a stunning response: “Moses told [the good news of their deliverance] to the Israelites, but they would not listen to him, because their spirit had been broken …

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