Book Review: Post-Traumatic Public Theology, Edited by Stephanie Arel and Shelly Rambo

Has there ever been a time in your life where a traumatic experience has changed you? This doesn’t have to be you personally. You could no someone who lost a loved one in 9/11 or another terrorist attack. You may know someone who has battled cancer. The point is that trauma can affect everyone, and every one must decide how they will respond to that trauma. As the writer of the introduction says, “This volume argues that the work of theology offers something distinctive in the aftermath [of trauma] (3).” With that in mind, how do the contributors to this work see the work of theology after times of trauma?

Chapter 1 is an introduction to the terminology presented here: post-traumatic, public, and theology. Chapter 2 talks about times of war and how we remember those who have fought in wars. Chapter 3 looks at a view of trauma and reality tv, with the Eucharist (communion) being a point of concern at the end of the essay. Chapter 4 deals with the trauma that comes with or because of physical disabilities. Chapter 5 discusses how trauma has come from the racism that permeates our society. Chapter 6 is an analysis of the scriptural/theological response to trauma, specifically from looking at John’s writings. Chapter 7 is titled “Elegy for a Lost World,” and by definition is a poetic chapter meant for the dead world that we now live in. Chapter 8 deals with the body of Christ as it exists now and how we help those who have been traumatized by some form of cancer. Chapter 9 discusses the justice that rightfully comes to those who have inflicted trauma on another. Chapter 10 examines how the effects of the 9/11 terrorist attacks changed how religious classrooms run. Chapter 11 talks about the suffering of those who go to an immigration detention center and the trauma that they face. Chapter 12 discusses community violence, like school shootings and how we should respond as individual communities. Chapter 13 talks about the different “communities” that exist in the world: national, religious, and gender. 

This was an enjoyable book to read. I liked how each author of the essays was able to take their own topic and run with it. There is so much trauma in the world and we often do not know how to deal with it. Hopefully, this book, which I give 4 stars out of 5, will help us learn more about dealing with trauma. 

WHERE TO BUY THIS BOOK:

http://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319406596

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THIS BOOK:

Arel, Stephanie and Shelby Rambo, Eds. Post-Traumatic Public Theology. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International, 2016.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL: I received a complimentary copy of this book through the Springer book review program, which requires an honest, though not necessarily positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.