Sanctuary

Posted on Mar 25 2020 - 5:20pm by Rebekah Schrepfer
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Sanctuary

Hope and Help for Victims of Domestic Abuse

Author:  Millage, Sydney   
Genre:  Counseling, Family, Women's Issues
Publisher:  The Lockman Foundation2018
Tags:  Abuse, marriage
Series:  


Rebekah’s Review

 

I liked this book.  Sydney Millage gives a comprehensive view of the heart of a victim of abuse.  For those who aren’t sure if what you are experiencing is abuse, this book is what you need to read!  For those who are in healthy relationships,  this is a great book to give you the whole lay of the land when it comes to spiritually helping people in abusive situations.

The book is front loaded with truths about the heart attitudes and spiritual health of the victim.  It is not until chapter 14 that there is practical help for escaping truly abusive situations.   That might be a difficult setup for someone in that situation.   So in that sense, the book is designed to build up a victim’s spiritual fortitude in the midst of verbal abuse and mild forms of abuse.  It is also made to help that person recognize when to go get immediate help. 

There were several places that I would have stated things differently,  but she comes around to what I agree with in the end.  For instance, some statements made me cringe, and they are similar to other statements I have  seen in many counseling resources.  She says a couple of times, “Most biblical counselors, pastors, and lay leaders are well-versed in Scripture, but few have knowledge about how to help domestic abuse victims.”  This makes it sound like a pastor is not a good place to go for help, because their knowledge of the Bible isn’t enough to help a victim.  Also, I’m not sure I would agree with that wording if I’m also to affirm that the Bible alone is my sole authority for faith and practice.  It’s not the Bible + counseling techniques. So her way of communication seems to be to go the long way around the barn to get to the door, but that is a small criticism, really.

 The book is Scripture-centered and deals with the heart of the issue of domestic abuse.  I highly recommend it.