Proverbs of Ashes : Violence, Redemptive Suffering, and the Search for What Saves Us

In, Proverbs of Ashes: Violence, Redemptive Suffering, and The Search For What Saves Us, Rita Nakashima Brock and Rebecca Ann Parker reveal stories that share their personal experience with abuse and violence. As I read this book, I could only wish such a book was present decades ago. This is due to my own experience with abuse and how the church I grew up in, used Christ suffering on the cross to glorify and sanction suffering as this sort of, divine rites of passage necessary to enter into relationship with Jesus Christ. Brock and Parker share Christianity’s complicity with violence and how they and many others have suffered under interpretations of scripture that shape America’s ideas of Christian faith. Parker speaks boldly when she states, “Neither Jesus death on the cross nor our own acts of self-sacrifice had saved us. But something had. We wanted to tell what we have tasted and seen ourselves of how life is saved.”At the heart of, Proverbs of Ashes, as I interpret their work, is the question raised by Parker. She says, “The question of what really saves people’s lives is all I’m thinking about.” Answering the question, “what really saves us” appears to be the theological task of this book. Brock and Parker concluded, the best way to search out such a question would be by using their own personal experience of abuse and violence. By using their personal experiences, they moved Christian theology from the corridors of academic theory to our present human experiences with violent abuse. They also place themselves on the witness stand to argue their claims that Christian theology does not save us. Brock states, “We wanted theology to offering healing. We were convinced Christianity could not promise healing for victims of intimate violence as long as its central image was a divine parent who required death of his child.”Brock and Parker do not set out to reconstruct Christian theology. They do however, find new meaning in traditional Christian theological terminology, such the meaning of sin and salvation. Brock and Rita lean toward Walter Raushenbush’s definition of sin and salvation. In his definition, sin is understood as a “betrayal of bond of care among human beings. The root of sin is not rebellious refusal to obey God, but a deep-seated selfishness.” Salvation is understood as a “voluntary socializing of the soul. Individuals are saved by entering into a new of self-sacrifice, with no thought for self, only love for others. Society is saved by the institutionalization of generosity…”Brilliant by Brock and Rita who share a much-needed liberating theology that seeks to inspire a commitment of grace and love from each other.

This is not an easy book to read. The authors write candidly and are not afraid to share their lives with the reader, pain and all. But in the midst of such overwhelming pain, both the authors and their readers (at least me) have been able to find a message of freedom, hope, and redemption. I'm a middle-class guy in my middle twenties, and much of what the authors write about is very different than my own experiences, but I know many people who have experienced (and continue to experience) similar levels of pain as to those described in the book.Conservative Christians will not like this book. I'm telling you that right now. But they are not the intended audience. This book is for those who have been hurt by religion, for those who have been hurt by lovers, for those struggling with depression, and for those who are totally worn out from pretending they're okay and everything is fine, when their lives are falling apart around them. Even more so, this book is for those who have been hurt by religion, or in the name of religion, but who do not want to leave Jesus behind.I actually gave a copy to a friend who was struggling from her broken relationship and resulting abortion. One of the authors experiences matched that of my friend very closely, and my friend was very grateful to hear the message that she is not alone. Whereas other authors might condemn such an act, the last thing anybody hurting enough to consider suicide needs is a religious message about how bad abortion is and how they have sinned so badly. The authors of Proverbs of Ashes do not condemn. They sympathize. Their message of "me too" is one of the most meaningful things anybody in that situation can hear. They recognize the pain abortion can and does cause, but at the same time, they tell how they worked (and are continuing to work) through their situation.I read this book because it was recommended within some other book, of which I don't recall.If you are willing to learn, and you are not afraid of crying, please read this book. I would not be at all the man I am today were it not for reading this book and a few others like it. Yes, this book is classified under feminist theology, and yes I am a totally straight guy, and yes this book did help me a lot. Though my takeaway from the book may not be that of others, I have learned to be gentle with others, to treat women with respect that is lacking in many relationships today, and to be a kinder man. And for those reasons, I am profoundly grateful that the authors chose to share their lives so candidly with me, a reader they will never know and who comes from very different circumstances as themselves. It took a lot of courage for Rita and Rebecca to write this book, but I am so glad they did. Thank you.

Warning: this book is not for the faint of spirit! It is an excellent book that speaks to the souls of women who have experienced violence of any type. (Being a woman, I can't speak for men who have experienced violence. Someone else will have to write that review.)My soul was deeply moved by the writings of authors Rita Nakashima Brock and Rebecca Parker. Proverbs of Ashes speaks to the pain I experience as an Christian. As I recognize the immense power of story in people's lives, I find myself grimacing more and more at the reality that the story that has primacy in the Christian tradition is the story of the crucifixion of Jesus. The story is at its very core a violent story, and one that brings humiliation and shame (as do domestic violence and sexual abuse). Nakashima Brock and Parker describe that angst without apology. They don't sugar coat it; they don't try to lessen the pain. They acknowledge and name it, and therein lies the seed of healing.This is a book for those pondering the violence in our Christian tradition. It is a book for those who are questioning their place in the Christian church, especially those who have experienced violence or abuse. This is a book for the church to ponder. It is time to reorient our focus in Jesus' story from death to resurrection, to locate salvation beyond just a personal relationship with Jesus to a recognition of the whole human family, and to live out the compassion that can be found at the root of every world religion. This book is a starting point for that grand journey of the world's soul.

Arrived on time. Excellent book. The dust cover was speckled with a brown material which I was not expecting from the description.

Personal and perceptive account of human journeys with God