April 2020 Safe Church Webinar With Ruth Everhart, Author of #MeToo Reckoning

On April 29th Safe Church hosted a webinar with Ruth Everhart, author of The #MeToo Reckoning discussing how too often, churches have been complicit in protecting those who abuse and in maintaining cultures of secrecy, shame, and silence.

View the recorded webinar on YouTube!

Safe Church also hosted an online book study - you could too! Find out more about a book study here.

Resources

During the webinar, some resources were shared by Ruth Everhart, Safe Church and members of our community. Thank you to all who were a part of the conversation and shared! 

• An article from The Christian Century that was noted by one of our attendees of the webinar that speaks into the Biblical narratives Ruth references in her book about women of the Bible -  Women of the Bible Say #MeToo.  As noted in the article: "Their stories can be mined for glimmers of hope, as precious as gold ore, or read as cautionary tales, warnings about what happens when the powerful become corrupt and the vulnerable are silenced."
• A question was raised about how survivors talk about their trauma and the importance of processing through giving voice to the narrative. Safe Church created a page for survivors to share their stories with our community. This is an invitation; you are invited to share your story. Then, let’s listen, really listen, and see where the Spirit leads us in response: S.O.S. Sharing Our Stories

• During the webinar there was discussion on the pressure to forgive the offender too quickly. Forgiveness is a process. Here is a Network article on this: Responding to Abuse Toolkit: Forgiveness

Why this book?

All too often, churches have been complicit in protecting those who abuse and in maintaining cultures of secrecy, shame, and silence. In her book, The #MeToo Reckoning, pastor and author, Ruth Everhart, shines a light on a topic that can no longer be ignored. God is at work in the #MeToo movement, calling the church to hear their voices, and to stand in solidarity with those who have been violated. The book weaves together stories of those who have experienced abuse within a church setting and stories from scripture, and ends each chapter with a hope for the future. We are excited to learn from Ruth! Here is a video from Ruth, sharing more reasons to read her book. :)