Shame and the Church

Shame is a much misunderstood and often misdiagnosed problem that can cause significant issues in the church as in wider society. Indeed, there have been times when the church has even been the cause of shame. How, then, do we create a less shaming church? This book argues that there are six forms of shame in the church personal, relational, communal, structural, theological and historical. Seeking to establish the causes and consequences of shame, chapters explore how theology and the Bible engage with shame, and consider personal first-hand accounts of shame in a church context. Wise, challenging, and underpinned by a rigorous theological foundation, this book is an important contribution to scholarship around shame and effacement in church contexts and at the same time a vital aid to practice.