Breaking the code of silence: Christian authors provide sexual abuse resources to churches

A recent press release on Christian Newswire states there is a one in six chance that your husband, male co-worker, or male church buddy is living with a devastating secret; he was sexually abused or molested as a child and is struggling as an adult - unbeknown to his wife, family, pastor, and friends - with the scars of this emotional trauma.

Thomas Edward - a Christian life coach - and Rev. Dennis L. Waters, Sr. - a Christian author and pastor - know first-hand the emotional and physical pain associated with sexual abuse and neglect. Both men experienced childhood sexual abuse and know what it is to suffer in silence with false guilt, shame, and unresolved grief - feeling like there is nowhere to turn.

Edward wrote Healing a Man's Heart, a workbook designed to help Christian men face, admit, and deal with their abuse. He also conducts Healing Broken Men Workshop Retreats (www.healingbrokenmen.com), which allow participants to start or continue their healing in a safe, private and supportive environment.

Rev. Waters wrote I Will Restore: A Ministry of Healing for African American Male Survivors of Prepubescent Physical and Sexual Abuse (www.iwillrestore.org). He is the brainchild behind RESTORE! - a Maryland-based ministry of healing and reconciliation for African American male survivors of prepubescent physical or sexual abuse - and offers a variety of workshops and trainings that equip survivors and their supporters (i.e. spouses, pastors, siblings) with an array of tools, techniques, and biblical principles to help them move from victim to victor.

Given the recent spur of church-related sexual abuse and/or molestation reports in Baltimore, the information and resources provided by both men could not have come soon enough!