Trauma is a form of suffering whereby the person’s capacity to respond to and integrate the experience is severely impaired. [1] Victims continue to see the world through this “lens of trauma” through persistent, intrusive, or distressing images or recollections of the event(s).[2] “The mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world by proclaiming the good news of God’s grace and by exemplifying Jesus’ command to love God and neighbor, thus seeking the fulfillment of God’s reign and realm in the world.”[3]

The church’s mission is to love God and neighbor, which makes it the church’s mission to provide a haven for the healing of ailments inflicted by the world. To carry out this mission, the church must first and foremost raise awareness of how it has failed to achieve its mission, acknowledge how it has contributed to the perpetuation of adverse conditions, and seek to find ways it can do better. The basic principles of being a trauma-informed church benefit all members of society, not just those who have been subjected to harsh trauma. By seeking to become a trauma-informed church, the church will demonstrate love for God and neighbor as intended, bearing one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2).

A Traumatic World

The church is called to recognize trauma in this world and to respond to it. “Trauma is woven throughout scripture.”[4] The parable of the Good Samaritan emphasizes that Christians are to help those who have been abused by others (Luke 10:25-37). The church is to recognize injustice and show mercy to all those whom it encounters. It is commanded to intervene. As Judith Herman stresses, “all the perpetrator asks for is for the bystander to do nothing.”[5] The church cannot stand by and do nothing, especially in the face of overwhelming research that the strongest factors contributing to resilience after a traumatic event is a supportive environment.[6]

            Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are preventable, potentially traumatic events that occur before the age of 18 years, which increase the likelihood of numerous risk factors and health outcomes.[7] ACEs are preventable, yet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 17% of adults in the United States have experienced 4 or more ACEs.[8] The most common ACEs for US high school students, according to a 2024 study, are emotional abuse, physical abuse, and household poor mental health.[9] These are all conditions that churches are equipped to offer a supportive environment for.

            According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA), trauma “results from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening, and that has lasting effects on the person’s functioning and mental, physical, social,

emotional, or spiritual well-being.”[10] Traumatic events can make individuals question whether or not they are worthy of God’s love, blame God for the things that happen to them, create social isolation, and call into question their moral value system.[11]

Community risk factors[12]

• Communities with high rates of violence and crime.
• Communities with high rates of poverty and limited educational and economic opportunities.
• Communities with high unemployment rates.
• Communities with easy access to drugs and alcohol.
• Communities where neighbors don’t know or look out for each other.
• Communities where there is low community involvement among residents.
• Communities with few community activities for young people.
• Communities with unstable housing and where residents move frequently.
• Communities where families frequently experience food insecurity.

Counteracting these risk factors can serve as the foundation for local church ministries.

Trauma in the Bible

Trauma is a significant biblical theme. The Bible glorifies oppression, patriarchy, and colonialism (Gen. 2:24, 9:25, 12:1, 15:18; Exo. 21:20-21, 35:2, 34:19; Lev. 25:44-46; Eph. 6:5). The Hebrew people were promised by God that they were chosen, set apart from others as special and worthy of God’s love (Deut. 7:6-8, 14:2; Ps. 135:4; Isa. 41:9). To fulfill this promise, they were to destroy all those who previously inhabited the promised land leaving not a trace of the previous culture remaining (Deut. 7:1-5, 13:15-17; 20:16-18). Women are told they are subordinate to men, cursed from nearly the beginning of time to serve their male counterparts (Gen. 2:18, 3:16). God is vengeful and punishes the disobedient (Deut. 32:35; Ps. 94:1; Rom. 12:19; Heb. 10:30). These are just a sample of the traumatic events presented throughout the Hebrew Bible.

Trauma is not limited to the Hebrew God; it continues into the New Testament. The Epistles reinforce patriarchy forbidding women to speak or reveal themselves during worship (Eph. 5:22-24; 1 Tim 2:11-15). Jesus threatens those who do not believe with damnation (Matt. 25:46; Luke 13:3). Christianity separates itself as God’s chosen people through Jesus statements that all must come through Him to be saved (John 3:16-18; 14:6). Jesus’ teachings instruct that one must not just control their own conduct in this world but that they should also seek to control the conduct of others through rebuking and punishment (Prov. 12:1; Matt. 18:15-18; Gal. 6:1; 2 Tim. 4:2; Heb. 12:11).

These Biblical stories with threats of supernatural punishment and abuse of power have been used to support spiritual violence and oppression using religion since its formation. Spiritual violence is a form of mental violence that “appears as intimidation, conversion, accusation, isolation and control” and uses a religious dimension.[13] How do we as a church use these sacred texts without propagating the message that violence, oppression, injustice, and complete conformity are the only acceptable means of worship and life? This paper seeks to present an argument that the church cannot just be an advocate against these things but can become a healing force in every community and throughout the world. The church can be trauma-informed.

Due to the significant nature of stories of trauma in the Bible, churches need to be skeptical about the materials they use for Bible studies in their church. Bible stories of war and military victories using violence (Josh. 6; Judg. 7-8; 1 Sam. 13-14; 2 Chr. 20) promote ideals of service, sacrifice, brotherhood, and courage, which military veterans are told to embrace.[14] The illusion of “manly honor and glory” found in battle forces veterans to suppress their traumatic emotions.[15] The Bible fails to address the trauma and moral injury associated with battle.

An analysis conducted of four Lutheran Bible commentaries published by the three largest Lutheran bodies in the United States between 1986 and 2021 revealed that none of the commentaries contained an article regarding sexual assault or exploitation. [16] Bible interpreters for centuries have written off sexual assault by either blaming the woman or considering it an act of adultery, suggesting consensual sex. A 2019 analysis, conducted by a Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary professor, revealed that only 5 of 25 Bible commentaries described Bathsheba as a “victim of David’s desires.”[17] It is “a common tendency to place blame upon the victim through seeking flaws in their personality or moral character.”[18]

Deuteronomy 22:23-29 identifies that not only must a woman call out for an unwanted sexual account to be considered rape but she is also required to be married to her rapist, never allowed to divorce. The criteria only apply to virgins and if they are discovered. All other women are assumed to be married and are subject to death for having sex with anyone other than their husband under any circumstances with or without their consent. It is women who are to blame for being attractive and a man being unable to control his urges around her. In 2 Samuel 13:15-17, despite that Tamar is clearly stated to have been raped, although she is not blamed, it is she who is punished and cast out. The raped women of the Bible are not given voices in the aftermath of their trauma and are considered “impure.”

The church must be willing to admit that these stories exist in its doctrine. They must be faced, and a witness must be given. The church must take a clear stance that the violation of another human being is not okay. These stories cannot be avoided but must be brought to light as atrocities, and that they are not the fault of the victim. Vieth heavily criticized the most recent Bible used in their study, the EHV Study Bible published in 2021, for having no commentary on the trauma Tamar experienced, but instead focuses on how David’s actions against Bathsheba had lasting consequences.[19] The tendency to blame the victim’s personality or character flaws is so prevalent that it has influenced psychological inquiry and research to seek an explanation for violent crimes not in the history of the perpetrator but through analysis of the victims.[20] The church’s focus should be to offer support for the victims of trauma, not to rationalize or justify the actions of the perpetrator.

Theological studies often seek to glorify the Bible, focusing on stories of redemption and triumph. They push the reader to focus on a particular agenda while discouraging them from paying attention to those oppressed in making that agenda possible. The victory of the Israelites rather than the decimation of the Canaanites, Solomon becoming a great king instead of Bathsheba being forced to marry her rapist, or salvation through Christ alone oblivious to its Antisemitism implications. “Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.”[21] For the church to be trauma-informed, it must be willing to read, study, practice, and preach doctrine and sacred texts through the eyes of both the victim and the perpetrator, the victor and the defeated, the lost and the one who lost them.

Why A Trauma-Informed Church?

            Disempowerment and disconnection from others are core experiences of psychological trauma, which must be recovered from for a victim to recover. “Recovery, therefore, is based upon the empowerment of the survivor and the creation of new connections.” [22] two features which the church is readily equipped to provide. The church cannot replace therapy, but it can be a supportive community to supplement it. The church was created by God that members might restore one another’s spirits and bear one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2).

            Creating a trauma-informed church might begin with training church leadership, but to create a trauma-informed worship environment, laity must also understand and behave in trauma-informed ways. Trauma continues to plague our world. While many studies have been conducted on PTSD, they have primarily focused on veterans and, later on, female sexual assault victims. Trauma is much more widespread than that.

As the church, we are called to bear witness and to minister to those who are affected by it. The church can be a place where victims can find empowerment and perpetrators can find healing. Singer identifies “the most fundamental element of trauma-informed practice is a basic understanding of trauma.”[23] We cannot help what we are not aware of.[24] Regular preaching and teaching focusing on how specific practices can be exclusionary or offensive is essential. Public acknowledgement of historical injustices regarding how passages read have been used should be acknowledged orally and in writing during services.

            ACEs are preventable traumatic experiences. The church, as a prominent presence in the community, can serve as an institution for the prevention as well as for the healing of adverse life experiences by serving as a center for creating a community that produces protective factors. The church should first and foremost be a supportive environment (Eph. 4:29; 1 Thes. 5:11). It is commanded to be encouraging  

            The CDC recommends using SAMHSA’s 6 guiding principles to a trauma-informed approach that readily applies to a church environment. The principles are safety, trustworthiness and transparency, peer support, collaboration and mutuality, empowerment, voice and choice, and cultural, historical, and gender issues.[25] The church should follow all of these guidelines to the best of its ability through training appropriate personnel. Church committees should exhibit transparency by having their meeting notes complete and readily available. Explanations of changes and procedures should be given. Peer support groups and professional resources should be offered and advertised. Discipline should be followed in the rotation and recruitment of church committee members, with special attention being paid to ensure all demographics of the church are included with voice and vote. The church should be aware of the demographics of the community it resides and respond appropriately to include cultural, historical, and gender issues in its services. The church should seek to be aware of and respond to events that adversely affect the members of its community.

            The church can design worship services that are trauma-informed. Pastors can pay attention to scripture passages that can be triggering. They can take the time to acknowledge how that piece of scripture has been used to harm others and how it can be used to heal. Pastors can preach embracing all emotions over toxic positivity. Toxic positivity traps people into believing they need to think and respond only in what has been deemed a positive way. It denies and invalidates someone’s emotional state, making them feel guilt or shame for expressing their true feelings.[26] Recent studies are beginning to show that institutions that utilize strong religious values are often sources of toxic positivity.[27]

            Words intended as encouragement, such as “Don’t worry, God’s got this,” “God never gives us more than we can handle,” or “Everything happens for a reason,” are often perceived as judging, condescending and projecting a lack of empathy toward the recipient. These words of toxic positivity invalidate their feelings and force the recipient to suppress their emotions in order to be accepted. Forcing the grieving, traumatized, or those in despair to project a happy appearance is to invalidate the gospel of Christ. Jesus did not approach Mary outside his tomb and tell her to “Stop crying, it will be okay.” Jesus approached with compassion and empathy asking instead “Why do you weep?” (John 20:15). The church has the opportunity to approach the community with empathy rather than judgment and invalidation of feelings. Being trauma informed is about awareness not fixing.

How a Trauma-Informed Church Can Help

The church is commanded to practice forgiveness (Matt. 18:21-22; Mark 11:25); Luke 6:37). It is a fundamental practice of the Christian faith.[28] Teaching and practicing forgiveness in a healthy way is essential to creating and maintaining a worship environment.[29] Knowledge and practice of forgiveness allow people to know they can make mistakes and be honest about them to others.

The greatest factor of resilience is social support.[30] Social support is having others who journey through the phases of your life with you. People who bear witness to your suffering as you bear witness to theirs. Healing from trauma is the work of a collective.[31] The Christian notion of redemption does not always function in a positive manner, especially when it comes to trauma and moral injury. For those who suffer, being told their sacrifices should be worn as silent badges of honor are unlikely to find this notion healing. [32]

Toxic positivity has been identified as causing nearly 1 million individuals to execute suicide.[33] Awareness of how clichéd phrases affect individuals is essential in changing the way Christians interact with one another. Telling people “to pray about it” is not a supportive response but an invalidating one. Meet people where they are without judgment, also known as: love one another.

Much of Christianity is based upon the suffering and traumatic experiences of Jesus Christ and the hope that rises from it. Christians bear witness to Jesus’ trauma as we are to bear witness to one another’s. Salvation preached as healing rather than a “get out of hell free” card presents itself in a more welcoming and inclusive manner.[34] The church should be a place where people choose to walk together rather than to be bystanders to one another’s suffering. The church is to be Simon of Cyrene (Matt. 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26) willingly rather than needing to be forced. If Christians are preaching “pick up your cross and follow me” (Matt. 16:24), they must be willing to help carry one another’s crosses. To be a trauma-informed church requires the church to recognize trauma, recognize when someone is carrying a burden too heavy for them to bear, or that they are too injured to carry alone.

While trauma-informed worship is essential in helping sufferers feel safer and more comfortable, the church can also serve as a contact for resources and referrals, and it can offer space to host support groups led by professionals and peers. Trauma-informed worship involves being honest about the Christian sacred text of the Bible. The pulpit can serve as a place of preaching equality and inclusion from pastors who stay up-to-date on research and social justice. A more therapeutic environment can easily be created through explaining why changes need to occur, what they hope to accomplish, and how they tie in to the theological interpretations of sacred texts that it is using. The church can be a place where everyone has a voice and those voices are heard. Prayers can be constructed to pray for both sides of the conflict.

The church cannot remove their suffering; they cannot change the outcome of their journey, but they can walk beside them, alleviating some of the weight, and bear witness to their life. The church can do this without offering judgment. The church can do this without pretending they have answers or invalidating their emotions. The church can help to create an oasis of peace and understanding in the world, offering refuge, not answers. It can be a place where people find empowerment and trust within its walls and its people. It can be a place that is truly welcoming to everyone. It can be trauma-informed.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

CDC. “6 Guiding Principles to a Trauma-Informed Approach Infographic.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Accessed June 2, 2025. https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/138924.

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Penguin Books, 1958.

“Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention: Risk and Protective Factors,” Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Accessed April 23, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/child-abuse-neglect/risk-factors/index.html.

Fraser, Jasmine J, Lelis Viera Gonzalez, and Dawn R Morton. “How the Church Can Heal: Healing Intergenerational Trauma Through Trauma-Informed Discipleship.” Christian Education Journal 21, no. 1 (April 2024): 60–75. https://doi:10.1177/07398913241261388.

Herman, Judith Lewis. Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence: From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror. Basic Books, 2015.

Pangestu, Yohana Putri Damayanti Adi, Jihan Aliifah, Paula Jati, Cindy Amalia, and Dominikus David Biondi Situmorang. “Analysis of the Generation Z’s Viewpoint from the Faith-Based Educational Institutions on the Toxic Positivity Phenomena: How and Why?” The Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling 76, no. 2 (June 2022): 97–104. https://doi:10.1177/15423050221090861.

Pisilä, Mikko. “Supernatural Punishment, Spiritual Violence and the Gospel of Matthew.” Approaching Religion 12, no. 1 (2022): 18–35. https://doi:10.30664/ar.111084.

Rambo, Shelly. Spirit and Trauma: A Theology of Remaining. Westminster John Knox Press, 2010. Kindle.

Rambo, Shelly. “Discovering Wounds: Veteran Healing and Resurrection in the Upper Room.” In Resurrecting Wounds. Baylor University Press, 2017.

“SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach,” Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Accessed on June 2, 2025. https://www.samhsa.gov/resource/dbhis/samhsas-concept-trauma-guidance-trauma-informed-approach.

Singer, Pete Louis. “Toward a More Trauma-Informed Church: Equipping Faith Communities to Prevent and Respond to Abuse.” Currents in Theology and Mission 51, no. 1 (2024): 62–76. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lsdar&AN=ATLAiREM240223000630&site=ehost-live.

Swedo, Elizabeth A., Sanjana Pampati, Kayla N. Anderson, Evelyn Thorne, Izraelle I. McKinnon, Nancy D. Brener, Joi Stinson, Jonetta J. Mpofu, and Phyllis Holditch Niolon. “Adverse Childhood Experiences and Health Conditions and Risk Behaviors Among High School Students — Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2023,” Supplements from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), October 10, 2024 / 73(4);39–49. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/su/su7304a5.htm.

The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church 2016 (BOD). The United Methodist Publishing House, 2016.

Werner, Gunda. “Asymmetry in Confession as a Cause of Sexual and Spiritual Violence—Dogma Historical Resources for Making Changes to Confession in Terms of Clerical and Sacramental Theology.” Religions 13, no. 4 (April 2022): 1–10. https://doi:10.3390/rel13040307.

Vieth, Victor. “The Need for a Trauma-Informed Lutheran Theology: A Case Study on Lutheran Study Bibles.” Currents in Theology and Mission 51, no. 3 (2024): 52–66. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lsdar&AN=ATLAiREM240705000749&site=ehost-live.

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[1]. Rambo, Shelly. Spirit and Trauma: A Theology of Remaining (Westminster John Knox Press, 2010), 18. Kindle.

[2]. Rambo, Spirit and Trauma, 18.

[3]. The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church 2016 (The United Methodist Publishing House, 2016), ¶ 121.

[4]. Pete Louis Singer, “Toward a More Trauma-Informed Church: Equipping Faith Communities to Prevent and Respond to Abuse,” Currents in Theology and Mission 51, no. 1 (2024): 62. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lsdar&AN=ATLAiREM240223000630&site=ehost-live.

[5]. Judith Lewis Herman, Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence: From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror (Basic Books, 2015), 10.

[6]. Singer, “Toward a More Trauma-Informed Church,” 70.

[7]. Elizabeth A. Swedo et al., “Adverse Childhood Experiences and Health Conditions and Risk Behaviors Among High School Students — Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2023,” Supplements from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), October 10, 2024 / 73(4); 39. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/su/su7304a5.htm.

[8]. Swedo et al., “Adverse Childhood Experiences,” 39.

[9]. Swedo et al., “Adverse Childhood Experiences,” 43.

[10]. “SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach,” Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration accessed on April 23, 2025, https://www.samhsa.gov/resource/dbhis/samhsas-concept-trauma-guidance-trauma-informed-approach.

[11]. Singer, “Toward a More Trauma-Informed Church,” 65.

[12]. “Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention: Risk and Protective Factors,” Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) accessed April 23, 2025, https://www.cdc.gov/child-abuse-neglect/risk-factors/index.html.

[13]. Mikko Pisilä, “Supernatural Punishment, Spiritual Violence and the Gospel of Matthew,” Approaching Religion 12, no. 1 (2022): 18. https://doi:10.30664/ar.111084.

[14] Shelly Rambo, “Discovering Wounds: Veteran Healing and Resurrection in the Upper Room,” in Resurrecting Wounds (Baylor University Press, 2017), 111.

[15]. Herman, Trauma and Recovery, 28.

[16]. Victor Vieth, “The Need for a Trauma-Informed Lutheran Theology: A Case Study on Lutheran Study Bibles.” Currents in Theology and Mission 51, no. 3 (2024): 54. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lsdar&AN=ATLAiREM240705000749&site=ehost-live.

[17]. Vieth, “The Need for a Trauma-Informed Lutheran Theology,” 55.

[18]. Herman, Trauma and Recovery, 168.

[19]. Vieth, “The Need for a Trauma-Informed Lutheran Theology, 60.

[20]. Herman, Trauma and Recovery, 169.

[21]. Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart (Penguin Books,1958).

[22]. Herman, Trauma and Recovery, 191.

[23]. Singer, “Toward a More Trauma-Informed Church,” 63.

[24]. Fraser, Jasmine J et al, “How the Church Can Heal: Healing Intergenerational Trauma Through Trauma-Informed Discipleship.” Christian Education Journal 21, no. 1 (April 2024): 66. https://doi:10.1177/07398913241261388.

[25]. “SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach,” 2025.

[26]. Pangestu et al. “Analysis of the Generation Z’s Viewpoint,” 98.

[27]. Pangestu et al. “Analysis of the Generation Z’s Viewpoint,” 99.

[28]. Gunda Werner, “Asymmetry in Confession as a Cause of Sexual and Spiritual Violence—Dogma Historical Resources for Making Changes to Confession in Terms of Clerical and Sacramental Theology.” Religions 13, no. 4 (April 2022): 2. https://doi:10.3390/rel13040307.

[29]. Fraser et al, “How the Church Can Heal,” 65.

[30]. Fraser, et al, “How the Church Can Heal,” 65.

[31]. Rambo, “Discovering Wounds,” 115.

[32]. Rambo, “Discovering Wounds,” 117.

[33]. Pangestu et al. “Analysis of the Generation Z’s Viewpoint,” 98.

[34]. Rambo, “Discovering Wounds,” 125.