How Survivors of Abuse Relate to God

Susan Shooter gained her MA in Theological Studies at St John's College Nottingham; her dissertation was entitled ’The Cross as the Tree of Life: symbol of transformation for church and world’. Ordained in 1996 in the Diocese of Rochester, she served two curacies and was Incumbent for nine years, also tutoring on diocesan lay training courses; for two years she was Biblical Strand Leader for the Canterbury Christ Church Cert. in Theology for Ministry. Recently she successfully completed her DMin thesis with King's College London.

’In this remarkable text, Susan Shooter dives down into the wreck of the church's murky pastoral practice and theologies of domination in order to retrieve the submerged stories and wisdom of Christian survivors of abuse. Surfacing their stories, she brings them into dialogue with the Book of Job and the medieval mystic, Marguerite Porete and constructs an inspiring account of the authentic spirituality of the annihilated soul. The result is a text of powerful witness and indictment, yet one which also offers a slither of hope in the capacity of survivors to discern God's timeless and transformative presence in their experience and to offer a largely unrecognised ministry of grace. This is an impressive work that deserves to be widely read. It should inform ministerial training and practice, as well as the conduct of qualitative research and feminist practical theology.’ Nicola Slee, The Queen's Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education, Birmingham, UK 'This is essential reading for anyone in the Church with authority, those in ministerial training, all clergy in pastoral positions, and those who hope to understand the estimated one in five people who are abused at some point in their lives... This is a timely and important book.' Church Times 'Susan Shooter has performed a great service to the Church, painful as that may be. Every chapter will reward the reader with new information and insight regarding a little known community of sufferers in our midst.' Spirituality 'Susan Shooter has performed a great service to the Church, painful as that may be. Every chapter will reward the reader with new information and insight regarding a little known community of sufferers in our midst. The value of the book is enhanced by a bibliography and Indexes of Authors, Subject and Scripture.' Renew ’...[Shooter] carefully balance[s] throughout her text a clear condemnation of abuse with the affirmation that no situation is beyond the transformativ

• Contents: Foreword; Preface; Introduction: what lies beneath; Knocking at the door: presenting issues; Finding the right key: a grounded qualitative design; Opening up: how survivors of abuse relate (to) God; Crossing the threshold: Job the survivor?; At home with God: Marguerite Porete's Mirror; The authentic spirituality of the annihilated soul; What lies ahead: conclusions and implications; Epilogue; Bibliography; Indexes.