The Healing Spirit: A Study of Seven Journeys to Recovery from Childhood Sexual Abuse

This book traces the journeys of seven victims of childhood sexual abuse who have experienced recovery through the activity of the Holy Spirit within the context of the local church. These recovered victims have been enabled to move beyond the devastation of abuse by others whom they trusted to a place of emotional and psychological stability appropriate sexual intimacy with their spouses and a growing level of spiritual maturity. While the Christian community has been slow to grasp the severity and extent of the problem or to provide the healing resources of the gospel some victims have found recovery in local churches. The author has undertaken in-depth interviews to elicit and explore the narratives of their journeys from woundedness to well-being. These narratives are an important source of information on the activity of the Holy Spirit in healing. While the Spirit is an entity hidden to us the author has explored the experiences of seven recovered victims to disclose meaning for the work of the Spirit in all areas of Christian ministry. The Healing Spirit addresses with great care and sensitivity a Christian response to the abuse of children an issue that has become a scourge in our times. Stossich cites examples of abused individuals and seeks in a caring objective and clinical way to examine with careful analysis a redemptive and pastoral way forward. I commend this book to the serious student of pastoral care those committed to restoration and those who believe that recovery is available through the power of the Spirit. --Timothy W. Jack National Leader Apostolic Church UK Leo Stossichs timely book explores the active role that local churches can--and do--play as safe environments where survivors feel able to disclose their pain and find emotional support. In this eminently readable book Stossichs pastoral compassion shines through. --Graham Buxton Professor of Theology Fuller Theological Seminary Leo Stossich has written an important book on the process for finding healing from sexual abuse especially when churches around the world are grappling with the implications of inquiries into institutional sexual abuse. --Angelo Cettolin Vice Principal Eastern College Australia In a world sensitive to the horrors of childhood sexual abuse particularly in church institutions The Healing Spirit reminds us how the local church can be a source of recovery for victims. With deep care Stossich retells the healing stories of survivors noting the place pastors churches and the Holy Spirit played in their journeys. The result is a compassionate thoughtful and challenging book that will offer hope to victims and churches and be a valuable tool in the hand of pastors. --Stephen Baxter Senior Pastor of Hobart Baptist Church State Leader for Tasmanian Baptists Leo Stossich is a qualified teacher an ordained minister and has planted several churches. He gained his doctorate of ministry at Tabor College of Higher Education in Adelaide Australia. His dissertation was The Healing Spirit: An Investigation of Spiritual Healing for Christian Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse. Stossich has lectured at the Tasmanian College of Ministries and Tabor College in Hobart. He is married with four adult children and four grandchildren.