Reclaiming Our Voices: Healing from Religious Trauma

By: Kristen Neighbarger Published on: 01/11/2023

As an adult who has reclaimed her voice, it’s baffling to me that the church I grew up in screamed as loudly as they could that we were supposed to “be like Jesus,” yet they ignored the character of Christ and how he related to, interacted with, blessed women and utilized them in his ministry. There are entire books written on the culture of Jesus’ day. If you haven’t spent some time researching what life was like, the cultural norms, and the laws related to men and women of that time, I would highly recommend it. It’s so eye-opening, and it helps in our understanding of the different texts and letters that have become our Bible today. Too often, our churches have a laser focus on Paul’s letter to a specific church while ignoring the actual works, words, and relationships of Jesus. That is highly problematic.