Holy Runaways

Name: Holy Runaways
ISBN: 9781506485652

Rediscovering Faith After Being Burned by Religion

by Matthias Roberts

Publisher

Broadleaf Books

Publication

Oct 03, 2023

Format

Hardback

Illustrated

Price

25.99

Dimensions

5.75 x 8.75 in

ISBN

9781506485652

Pages

266

Age

Adult 18+

Rights Sold

LanguageEnglish AudioCountryWorldwideAgent-BuyerTantor Media

Description

Holy Runaways speaks to people who are feeling ignored, oppressed, or rejected by their religious community and church, offering a path forward built on speaking truth, deep listening, and acting with compassion.

In the past decade, church attendance among US adults has decreased by more than 25 percent. Americans report leaving religious communities because of the institutions' hypocrisy and resistance to change or because of trauma they have experienced in those spaces. Instead of safe havens for people of faith, many churches have become sites of harm--places people feel the need to escape at all costs.

In Holy Runaways, psychotherapist Matthias Roberts reaches out to those who, like him, want to understand the religion they've run from and erect a new faith on firmer foundations. He concludes that the best blueprint for a new spiritual home requires reimagining ourselves, God, and our very definition of faith.

Roberts blends deeply personal stories, new interpretations of familiar Christian parables, and recent scholarship about the dynamics of trauma to offer a way forward--and a warm, helpful companion--for readers on their own journeys. He calls out people who perpetuate systems of violence and oppression and suggests ways we can all contribute to a new system built on love--and a new home we can inhabit together.

Awards & Endorsements

Kaitlin B. Curtice, award-wining author of Native and Living Resistance

"For anyone who has a traumatic relationship to the often-toxic institution that is American Christianity, Holy Runaways is a book that will hold your hand and remind you that you aren't alone. The stories and wisdom in this book will help us come home to ourselves and recognize that God (or The Sacred) was here all along."

Author(s)

Matthias Roberts

Matthias Roberts (he/him) is a psychotherapist specializing in religious and spiritual trauma and the author of Beyond Shame: Creating a Healthy Sex Life on Your Own Terms. He hosts Queerology: A Podcast on Belief and Being and holds two master's degrees from The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, one in theology and culture, and one in counseling psychology. His work has been featured by O: The Oprah Magazine, Bustle, Woman's Day, Sojourners, The Seattle Times, and many others. He lives in Seattle.