Reviews

"Merritt explains that churches that teach the notion that God is vengeful can be damaging to people in the pews. . . . In her book, Merritt uses a pastoral approach to talk about individuals she has encountered who have suffered from spiritual abuse. [Each chapter] opens with a problem or story, analyzing the thinking behind the problem, imagining a more life-giving theology rooted in the Christian tradition versus one that teaches people that God was behind what wounded them, and practicing disciplines that embody healing, including prayer, writing and conversation." - America
"Merritt explains that churches that teach the notion that God is vengeful can be damaging to people in the pews. . . . In her book, Merritt uses a pastoral approach to talk about individuals she has encountered who have suffered from spiritual abuse." - America
"If your story includes being hurt by the church, or by religious people, this book might be just the balm you've been looking for." - Off the Page
"For anyone who has known the wounding that can come from those speaking and acting in God's name, this book is a must. In other words, if you have ever been to church or know someone who has, this book is for you. Read. And find healing for your wounds." - Patheos
"Maybe you're like me. You love the church and have never left it. But you persist in belief that honesty is the only path to truth and confession opens the door to growth. If so, you need Carol Howard Merritt's wonderful new book, Healing Spiritual Wounds." - Religion News Service
"Merritt's book has been so welcome - it's a timely template for personal reflection, and for reconciling the quest for spiritual fulfillment with our deeply flawed institutions and the people within them." - Salon
"Healing Spiritual Wounds provides validation and comfort for anyone feeling alone within or abandoned by the church. In this much-needed book, Merritt offers practical ways to explore the sources of our brokenness. A generous guide to reconnecting with a loving God." - Meredith Gould, author of Desperately Seeking Spirituality: A Field Guide to Practice (Liturgical Press)
"Healing Spiritual Wounds is a gift of candid and caring space for those who have been hurt by the church, and Carol Howard Merritt is a wise and gentle guide through the complex work of spiritual recovery. Welcome to a deeper, healthier faith journey." - Rachel G. Hackenberg is the author of Sacred Pause and Writing to God
"Merritt transfigures her own harrowing journey into wisdom for others. With the heart of a pastor and the skill of a healer, Merritt pairs moving testimony with thoughtful exercises for working through trauma. Courageous, cathartic, and deeply moving, this book is a balm for bruised believers." - Katherine Willis Pershey, author of Any Day a Beautiful Change
"This book is joyful, but it's also sobering, for it's a reminder of how deeply religious practices can wound the spirit, and just how many people are still out there, right now, being pierced by cruelty in the name of God." - Spirituality and Health
"Carol Howard Merritt offers a profoundly useful resource for reconciliation and rebirth. In artfully rendering the story of her life, Merritt invites others to look deeply at their own lives, and to redraw the lines of their belief, and their very selves. This book is a gift." - Bromleigh McCleneghan, pastor and author of Good Christian Sex