Currently in the United States, one out of four girls and one out of seven boys will be sexually abused, and lifetime sexual assault rates for young adult women appear to be rising dramatically to as high as 40%. So Christian leaders must have a solid biblical understanding of sexual abuse and ministry to survivors.

Before surveying each book, some general comments are in order on similarities and differences between the Holcombs's book and Heath's book. Both are composed by evangelical authors with academic and ministry expertise and are written with great compassion for survivors. While all three authors self-identify as evangelicals, they represent contrasting ends of the spectrum. Elaine Heath is a Methodist minister who is strongly influenced by liberal theological tradition. The Holcombs are Calvinists who serve at Mars Hill, a large church strongly committed to a “complementarian” gender model. Heath essentially utilizes a reader-response hermeneutic, finding multiple meanings of a text largely through the eyes of abuse survivors and through the mystics. The Holcombs utilize a more traditional grammatical-historical hermeneutic, interpreting texts in keeping with historic reformed exegesis. Perhaps the starkest theological difference is seen in their understanding of the atonement and its relevance to sexual abuse survivors. Heath rejects penal substitutionary atonement, arguing that it makes “the good news of the gospel” often seem like “bad news” to abuse survivors (p. 126). The Holcombs, on the other hand, largely structure their last two chapters around penal substitutionary atonement, arguing that it is the central means by which God brings shalom to those ravaged by violence.

Heath's twofold thesis is encapsulated in the title of her book: (1) Based on her reading of Matt 25:40, 45, she argues that Jesus is in and with all who suffer, including all who suffer sexual abuse. Thus, we will learn and hear Jesus through those who suffer. (2) Due to patriarchy and spiritual abuse, sexual abuse survivors often struggle to hear God through the pages of Scripture. Thus, they are often best able to hear God when they hear the Bible “read through the eyes of a survivor” (p. 5).

Even if one does not accept Heath's universalistic reading of Matt 25:31-46, she is surely correct that our understanding of abuse and relevant biblical passages needs to be enriched by the insights of survivors. For instance, Heath notes that the Christian church has rarely recognized that Jesus experienced sexual abuse by being crucified naked. Her explanation for this omission has merit: “the reason Jesus's sexual abuse has not been named is that we survivors were not the ones doing the theology, at least not from our perspectives as survivors” (p. 123). Heath's vulnerability in disclosing her own childhood sexual abuse strengthens the outworking of her thesis. Throughout this book it is clear that her insights have been forged through personal pain and a personal experience of God's grace. Her writing style is simple, clear, and practical. Appendix A, “A Five-Day Retreat Plan for Survivors of Sexual Abuse,” is a unique, useful resource for survivors. One of the greatest strengths of We Were the Least of These is the creative development of various biblical texts not normally applied in treating sexual abuse. For example, insights she draws from the gang rape of the Levite's concubine (Judg 19), the application of the story of Esther to modern sex trafficking, and the connections she makes between eunuchs and those wounded by sexual abuse are deeply insightful.

From this reviewer's vantage point, readers can certainly benefit from Heath's many insights of a practical nature as to how survivors can process the abuse they have experienced. Unfortunately, however, We Were the Least of Theseis deeply deficient theologically. In addition to denying substitutionary atonement, she questions or denies other pivotal doctrines such the doctrine of original sin. For her, Adam and Eve were simply immature persons who were deceived; they were not willful sinners. This view of the fall and human depravity undermines the basis for universal human sin and evil, including sexual abuse. This theological weakness is seen throughout the book. While survivors are called to turn to Jesus, it is unclear exactly what this involves or how this will remove their shame and guilt.

In Rid of My Disgrace, Justin and Lindsey Holcomb assert that the only cure for the shame created by sexual abuse is the healing grace of God. Furthermore, they assert that abuse survivors do not have the innate resources to heal themselves. Because sexual abuse strikes so deeply into the heart and mind of the survivor, it creates great identity-confusion and self-condemnation. Thus, disgrace cannot be self-cured.

To experience healing and freedom, your identity must be established on the work of Christ, not on the foundation of the shame and self-hate that frequently results from assault. Making a transition from a “victim” identity to an identity in Christ is offered in God's redemptive work through Jesus. . . . Confronting your distorted self-image and having your identity reconstructed is not a chore you do but is the fruit of having faith in the person and work of Jesus. (p. 73)

Rid of My Disgrace is divided into three parts: disgrace, grace applied, and grace accomplished. Part one clarifies the nature and effects of sexual assault. While these chapters are fairly short, they are packed with heavily researched, essential information. Part two explains how God's grace can be applied to six different effects of sexual assault: denial, shame, distorted images of God and self, guilt, anger, and despair. Each of these chapters is prefaced with a survivor's story. Part three takes the reader into a deeper study of sin, violence, and redemption.

I can best summarize the strengths of Rid of My Disgrace by noting that it offers the most theologically developed treatment of sexual abuse by a complementarian evangelical author. It is very well researched, drawing on a vast and divergent array of sources, from Freud to Calvin, the U. S. Justice Department to the Heidelberg Catechism. The Holcombs's focus on the grace of God as the only cure for the destructive disgrace of sexual abuse is developed consistently and passionately throughout this book. The reality and horrendous effects of sexual abuse are dealt with boldly. It should also be noted that numerous doctrines and biblical passages are skillfully developed throughout the book. Part three, in particular, superbly overviews redemptive history, putting sexual abuse on the continuum of sin, all of which violates shalom.

In many respects the book's weaknesses are closely related to its strengths. While the theology is richly developed it is not always specifically applied to sexual abuse. For instance, as robust as the last two chapters are theologically, they lack virtually any specific link to sexual abuse. In many other instances, theological concepts are related to sexual abuse but in a highly conceptual manner, leaving the reader to figure out how make real-world application, something many survivors will be hard pressed to do. Similarly, some key concepts warrant more specific clarification. For instance, the discussion of forgiveness is quite solid as far as it goes, but a precise definition of forgiveness is not given, nor are specific, practical steps offered for the monumental task of forgiving evil abusers. Finally, it would be helpful if several key concepts broached particularly in the stories were given conceptual and biblical development. These represent some of the complex, vexing realities survivors must contend with that are often ignored or denied in the conservative evangelical church. These include marital rape, the parameters of marital submission, the relationship between patriarchy and abuse, and the role of biology in depression/despair.

Both of these books contribute significantly to the ministry literature on sexual abuse. They do so from different theological poles, however, and while discerning readers will be able to glean many important insights from Heath's work, readers should be aware of the superior theological foundation on which the Holcombs's book has been written, with its rich centering on the grace of God as the source of all healing from sexual abuse.