Safe Church: How to Guard Against Sexism and Abuse in Christian Communities - Paperback

by Andrew J. Bauman (Author)

If the past few years have taught us anything, it's that by and large the church has failed women. From sexual abuse scandals involving high-profile pastors, to decades-long systemic cover-ups of sexual harassment and mistreatment, to harmful theology that has driven women to leave the church and find community elsewhere, it's clear that something is broken. If we want to fix it, it's time we start listening.

Drawing on new, firsthand research and in-depth interviews, Safe Church allows women to voice the pain they have suffered at the hands of insecure leaders who were often unaware of how their words, actions, and attitudes were harming their sisters in Christ. With practical advice on how to create more equity and less sexism and abuse in the church, this honest look at how misogyny masquerades as biblical truth is a vital resource for pastors, church leaders, and anyone who wants to make a meaningful difference in their own Christian community.

Back Jacket

"This book will haunt you--and it should. Don't just read it. Feel it. Grieve it. And then go and do something about it."--Sheila Wray Gregoire, author of The Great Sex Rescue and founder of Bare Marriage

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By and large, the church has failed women. From sexual abuse scandals involving high-profile pastors, to decades-long systemic cover-ups of sexual harassment and mistreatment, to harmful theology that has driven women to leave the church and find community elsewhere, it's clear that something is broken. If we want to fix it, it's time we start listening.

Drawing on new, firsthand research and in-depth interviews, Safe Church allows women to voice the pain they have suffered at the hands of leaders who were often unaware of how their words, actions, and attitudes were harming their sisters in Christ. With practical advice on how to create more equality and less sexism and abuse in the church, this honest look at how misogyny masquerades as biblical truth is a vital resource for pastors, church leaders, and anyone who wants to make a meaningful difference in their own Christian community.


"Andrew Bauman has with immense wisdom and humility addressed the exegetical, theological, cultural, and traumatic bonds that need to be broken to create not only equity and safety but flourishing for both men and women. This book is a tour de force for more honest and holy conversation and transformation."--Dan B. Allender, PhD, professor of counseling psychology and founding president, The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology

Author Biography

Dr. Andrew J. Bauman is the founder and director of the Christian Counseling Center: For Sexual Health & Trauma (CCC) and a licensed mental health counselor. A former pastor, Andrew now works with men and women to bring healing and wholeness to their sexual and spiritual lives. His mission is to use his unique position to elevate women's voices and expose a disease that desperately needs to be removed from the church's body.