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Comfort in the Ashes: Explorations in the Book of Job to Support Trauma Survivors
Navigating Trauma in the Church
It's time for church leaders and believers to stop offering prettily packaged responses from a safe distance. It's time for us to sit in the ashes with the hurting, our Sunday clothes covered in dirt and grime, our faces lined with tears. Trauma brings people to the ash heap, so that is where the church needs to go.
The church should serve as a refuge for people in pain. And yet, we often end up unintentionally causing more hurt to trauma survivors. Theological platitudes and positive thinking aren't simply dismissive to those who suffer, but they inevitably retraumatize the wounded. Does the Bible have anything practical to offer for church leaders as they engage the pain in their congregations?
Biblical scholar Michelle Keener shows us that the book of Job provides embodied and practical answers for the church today. In this incredible tool for ministry leaders and trauma survivors alike, Keener
deep wisdom at the intersection of trauma theory and the book of Job for Christian communitiesreflection questions for ministry practitioners and those walking alongside those who have experienced traumaengagement with the idea of a shattered worldview and how to overcome the effects of that experience.Comfort in the Ashes helps leaders navigate their own trauma and gives practical guidance for supporting others whose worlds are falling apart. God meets us in our ashes and our pain. It's time for the church to do the same.
It's time for church leaders and believers to stop offering prettily packaged responses from a safe distance. It's time for us to sit in the ashes with the hurting, our Sunday clothes covered in dirt and grime, our faces lined with tears. Trauma brings people to the ash heap, so that is where the church needs to go.
The church should serve as a refuge for people in pain. And yet, we often end up unintentionally causing more hurt to trauma survivors. Theological platitudes and positive thinking aren't simply dismissive to those who suffer, but they inevitably retraumatize the wounded. Does the Bible have anything practical to offer for church leaders as they engage the pain in their congregations?
Biblical scholar Michelle Keener shows us that the book of Job provides embodied and practical answers for the church today. In this incredible tool for ministry leaders and trauma survivors alike, Keener
deep wisdom at the intersection of trauma theory and the book of Job for Christian communitiesreflection questions for ministry practitioners and those walking alongside those who have experienced traumaengagement with the idea of a shattered worldview and how to overcome the effects of that experience.Comfort in the Ashes helps leaders navigate their own trauma and gives practical guidance for supporting others whose worlds are falling apart. God meets us in our ashes and our pain. It's time for the church to do the same.
201 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 14, 2025
3 people are currently reading
176 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 29, 2024
This book ministered to me personally--teaching me how trauma works and how survivors put the pieces back together, while helping me to encounter God on the pages of the book of Job. Keener offers her reading of Job through the lens of trauma recovery, which uncovers pastorally rich insights into the book.
I'm grateful for her work to illuminate Job and our life experiences with energy and wisdom. I would highly recommend this book for pastors, trauma survivors, and all those who want to walk well with others through life's most difficult challenges.
I'm grateful for her work to illuminate Job and our life experiences with energy and wisdom. I would highly recommend this book for pastors, trauma survivors, and all those who want to walk well with others through life's most difficult challenges.
March 8, 2025
"Trauma," writes Michelle K. Keener in the introduction to her book Comfort in the Ashes, "isn't just sadness on steroids. It is not stepping on a Lego twice or forgetting to record your favorite show. Trauma is an event that goes beyond our ordinary capacity for coping and functioning. Trauma devastates. It dismantles. It goes to the heart of our most deeply held beliefs about God, the world, and our place in it."
And with that, Keener sets out to proffer a Biblically based and psychologically sound approach to handling trauma in our lives, our relationships, our churches, and our communities, based on the Book of Job from the Old Testament. Part well-developed inductive Bible study through Job from beginning to end, part research-based training about trauma, and part heartfelt exhortation to her readers, this book is an exceedingly in-depth look at what trauma is, the ways trauma manifests in religious contexts and relationships, and how professing Christians might begin to operate from a compassionate, open, trauma-informed heart within their respective circles.
The work is dense with research and footnotes, and I'll make mention of the fact that the Kindle e-book formatting of the ARC left much to be desired; however, I imagine that's been summarily corrected for its actual publication release. There were some sections that felt fairly repetitive, not in a way that might serve as a reminder to readers of previous sections but in a way that seemed as though chunks of the book had been drafted separately, perhaps as individual articles, and then compiled, such that an editorial eye from beginning to end to smooth transitions and eliminate those repeated passages might have been helpful.
The authorial tone is one of genuine care and concern for those who have experienced trauma as well as encouragement and support for those who are in contact with people who have experienced trauma (and, really, by this time in history, who among us can say we have escaped entirely unscathed?). Job feels like the perfect part of the Bible to use in support of her thesis, and she builds an excellent case for the contention that trauma-informed care and living are, in point of fact, not only Biblically sound but also Biblically based. Her book synthesizes many experts in trauma and psychology and makes their work approachable. Comfort in the Ashes is a work that would be of utmost benefit and effectiveness for every pastor and priest, elder and church leader, church small group and ministry leader, church member, and professing Christian to read, with a highlighter in hand for the dozens of passages that bear remembering. Thorough, engaging, methodical, and critically important for the age in which we live, Comfort in the Ashes is going on my personal bookshelves for (frequent) future reference.
Content Warnings: Do be aware that the very subject matter and content of this book centers on trauma, in all its challenges and difficulties.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary advanced reader copy (ARC) of this work from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest, though not necessarily positive, review. The opinions herein expressed are my own.
Gratitude: I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.
And with that, Keener sets out to proffer a Biblically based and psychologically sound approach to handling trauma in our lives, our relationships, our churches, and our communities, based on the Book of Job from the Old Testament. Part well-developed inductive Bible study through Job from beginning to end, part research-based training about trauma, and part heartfelt exhortation to her readers, this book is an exceedingly in-depth look at what trauma is, the ways trauma manifests in religious contexts and relationships, and how professing Christians might begin to operate from a compassionate, open, trauma-informed heart within their respective circles.
The work is dense with research and footnotes, and I'll make mention of the fact that the Kindle e-book formatting of the ARC left much to be desired; however, I imagine that's been summarily corrected for its actual publication release. There were some sections that felt fairly repetitive, not in a way that might serve as a reminder to readers of previous sections but in a way that seemed as though chunks of the book had been drafted separately, perhaps as individual articles, and then compiled, such that an editorial eye from beginning to end to smooth transitions and eliminate those repeated passages might have been helpful.
The authorial tone is one of genuine care and concern for those who have experienced trauma as well as encouragement and support for those who are in contact with people who have experienced trauma (and, really, by this time in history, who among us can say we have escaped entirely unscathed?). Job feels like the perfect part of the Bible to use in support of her thesis, and she builds an excellent case for the contention that trauma-informed care and living are, in point of fact, not only Biblically sound but also Biblically based. Her book synthesizes many experts in trauma and psychology and makes their work approachable. Comfort in the Ashes is a work that would be of utmost benefit and effectiveness for every pastor and priest, elder and church leader, church small group and ministry leader, church member, and professing Christian to read, with a highlighter in hand for the dozens of passages that bear remembering. Thorough, engaging, methodical, and critically important for the age in which we live, Comfort in the Ashes is going on my personal bookshelves for (frequent) future reference.
Content Warnings: Do be aware that the very subject matter and content of this book centers on trauma, in all its challenges and difficulties.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary advanced reader copy (ARC) of this work from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest, though not necessarily positive, review. The opinions herein expressed are my own.
Gratitude: I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.
June 18, 2025
In the book of Job we observe a traumatized man and some well-intended but absolutely unhelpful friends trying to make sense of suffering. Through dialogue we get to see Job doing the hard work of rebuilding his schema while his friends insist on clinging to their retributive worldview.
The use of poetry is significant given the impact of trauma on language. In poetry, Job is permitted the use of metaphors, contradictions, and non-linear reasoning. His arguments shift and evolve as he strives to explain what has happened.
God eventually shows up in the ash heap with the perspective and presence Job desperately needs. He even uses language that Job has already used which is pretty incredible. God also condemns the friends for “speaking wrongly about me” and commends Job for speaking “rightly to me”.
My take away and note to self is this:
Silence is ok.
Words are ok - especially words directed to God.
It is even ok if your first words are words that do not fit correctly.
Use poetry if necessary.
Maybe just start dialoguing
- preferably not with Elihu or Bildad.
The use of poetry is significant given the impact of trauma on language. In poetry, Job is permitted the use of metaphors, contradictions, and non-linear reasoning. His arguments shift and evolve as he strives to explain what has happened.
God eventually shows up in the ash heap with the perspective and presence Job desperately needs. He even uses language that Job has already used which is pretty incredible. God also condemns the friends for “speaking wrongly about me” and commends Job for speaking “rightly to me”.
My take away and note to self is this:
Silence is ok.
Words are ok - especially words directed to God.
It is even ok if your first words are words that do not fit correctly.
Use poetry if necessary.
Maybe just start dialoguing
- preferably not with Elihu or Bildad.
November 18, 2024
“In a world that’s increasingly superficial, trauma calls us to the deep.”
As someone who has suffered trauma throughout their life, Job has felt like the book the church has tossed at me to remind me that “He is working all things together for my good” and to “just wait and see what the Lord has on the other side.” Platitudes that have hurt me profoundly. Michelle’s wisdom through the book of Job has changed my perception on it. Helping me to see the reality of how Job can be used to help those who are hurting.
This book has been so timely for me, as I’ve walked with dear friends through tragedy. A gentle reminder of the ministry of presence and allowing people space to work through their own story. We are called to simply be trusted listeners because as Michelle so beautifully put it: “To be seen, heard, and loved in the middle of the darkness and ashes, that’s a precious gift.”
This book is a GIFT to believers walking with others through trauma and grief.
As someone who has suffered trauma throughout their life, Job has felt like the book the church has tossed at me to remind me that “He is working all things together for my good” and to “just wait and see what the Lord has on the other side.” Platitudes that have hurt me profoundly. Michelle’s wisdom through the book of Job has changed my perception on it. Helping me to see the reality of how Job can be used to help those who are hurting.
This book has been so timely for me, as I’ve walked with dear friends through tragedy. A gentle reminder of the ministry of presence and allowing people space to work through their own story. We are called to simply be trusted listeners because as Michelle so beautifully put it: “To be seen, heard, and loved in the middle of the darkness and ashes, that’s a precious gift.”
This book is a GIFT to believers walking with others through trauma and grief.
December 21, 2025
This is a brilliant book that everyone, especially those in churches, should read! I experienced trauma this year and as a result I am struggling with complex PTSD. This book provided the best explanation of the experience of trauma that I’ve read or heard. It was spot on about ‘miserable comforters’ and what trauma survivors desperately need instead - ‘trusted listeners’. I am lucky and thankful to have a trusted listener read this book with me.
This book is exceptionally well written and very engaging. It has helped me see the book of Job with new eyes. As a trauma survivor - someone who’s still on the ash heap - this book made me feel less alone, less unseen and less unheard. Thank you.
This book is exceptionally well written and very engaging. It has helped me see the book of Job with new eyes. As a trauma survivor - someone who’s still on the ash heap - this book made me feel less alone, less unseen and less unheard. Thank you.
July 29, 2024
A wonderful resource for the church in using the Book of Job to help trauma survivors to heal. Should be in every church library in the land!
September 6, 2025
Het bijbelboek Job stond eerst ver van Michelle K. Keener af. Ze wilde promoveren op een thema uit het Oude Testament, maar Job lag voor haar niet voor de hand. Totdat ze een traumatische ervaring had en door die traumatische ervaring kwam het bijbelboek Job dichtbij. Door deze ervaring werd het Bijbelboek Job juist een onderwerp om op te promoveren. Met Comfort in the Ashes geeft Keener een vereenvoudigde weergave van haar proefschrift over Job, gelezen met de inzichten van traumatheorie.
In Comfort in the Ashes legt Keener vooral uit hoe kerken om kunnen gaan met mensen die een trauma hebben doorstaan en hebben overleefd. Tussendoor laat ze zien hoe de inzichten van de hedendaagse traumatheorie herkenbaar zijn voor wie het Bijbelboek Job kent. Trauma ontregelt en gooit al het vanzelfsprekende overhoop. Niet alleen het leven van iemand die iets traumatisch meemaakt ligt overhoop. Ook alle opvattingen worden door elkaar geschud. Niets is meer zeker. Ook de ervaringen met God niet en de opvattingen over God niet.
Wat iemand die een trauma doorstaat en overleeft nodig heeft, is een gemeenschap die aanvoelt dat er niets meer zeker is. Juist op dat punt laat het Bijbelboek Job volgens Keener zien hoe vaststaande opvattingen over God overhoop gegooid worden. De vrienden die Job komen troosten, zijn voorbeelden van verkeerde troosters. De vrienden mijden Job die op de ashoop zit weliswaar niet. Maar zij proberen, nadat zij met de chaos van Jobs leven en Jobs theologie geconfronteerd worden, de wereld zoals zij die kennen weer terug te krijgen. Dat gebeurt dan volgens Keener ten koste van Job.
Keener laat zien dat een trauma voor sprakeloosheid zorgt. Een traumatische ervaring zorgt niet alleen dat het leven van iemand ingrijpend overhoop gegooid wordt, maar ook dat de manier waarop iemand erover kan vertellen fragmentarisch is. Wie vanuit de kerk iemand die een trauma heeft opgelopen en heeft overleefd, dient er rekening mee te houden dat iemand de ervaring steeds weer opnieuw verteld. Als er dan over verteld wordt, kan het vertelde soms in tegenspraak staan met eerdere momenten waarin de traumatische ervaring is gedeeld. In het Bijbelboek Job is te zien dat Job meerdere keren nodig heeft om zijn verdriet en angst te delen.
De manier waarop iemand die een trauma meemaakt vertelt, kan soms tegen de borst stuiten.Iemand die een trauma meemaakt, kan harde taal uitslaan, een ander beschuldigen, steeds roepen dat er recht gedaan moet worden. In het Bijbelboek en Job zien we de traumatische ervaringen doorwerken in klachten (en in de psalmen ook een roep om wraak). Het is niet voor niets dat Job gaat speculeren over een rechtszaak over zijn onschuld waarbij God gedaagd wordt. Al beseft Hij dat in die rechtszaak God rechter is.
Als aan het einde van het boek God zelf komt spreken, is dat niet een overrulen van Job. Waar Job in Job 3 aangeeft dat de schepping helemaal ontregelt is en dat hij niet geboren had moeten worden, geeft God aan dat de wereld een orde heeft die Job niet kent. Dat spreken van God is niet bedoeld om de trauma weg te duwen, maar om Job de mogelijkheid te geven na dit trauma toch weer een bestaan op te bouwen. Na het spreken van God blijkt dat er voor Job weer een mogelijkheid is om het leven op te pakken (Job 42).
De uitleg van het Bijbelboek Job door Keener is gebaseerd op recentere uitleg. Het boek zelf geeft weinig nieuwe inzichten. Ook het idee om de exegese te verrijken met inzichten uit de traumatheorie is niet nieuw. De waarde van dit boek is vooral pastoraal: hoe pastores en gemeenteleden om kunnen gaan met medegelovigen die een traumatische ervaring hebben doorstaan, waarbij die omgang inzichtelijk wordt gemaakt aan de hand van wat Job doormaakte.
In Comfort in the Ashes legt Keener vooral uit hoe kerken om kunnen gaan met mensen die een trauma hebben doorstaan en hebben overleefd. Tussendoor laat ze zien hoe de inzichten van de hedendaagse traumatheorie herkenbaar zijn voor wie het Bijbelboek Job kent. Trauma ontregelt en gooit al het vanzelfsprekende overhoop. Niet alleen het leven van iemand die iets traumatisch meemaakt ligt overhoop. Ook alle opvattingen worden door elkaar geschud. Niets is meer zeker. Ook de ervaringen met God niet en de opvattingen over God niet.
Wat iemand die een trauma doorstaat en overleeft nodig heeft, is een gemeenschap die aanvoelt dat er niets meer zeker is. Juist op dat punt laat het Bijbelboek Job volgens Keener zien hoe vaststaande opvattingen over God overhoop gegooid worden. De vrienden die Job komen troosten, zijn voorbeelden van verkeerde troosters. De vrienden mijden Job die op de ashoop zit weliswaar niet. Maar zij proberen, nadat zij met de chaos van Jobs leven en Jobs theologie geconfronteerd worden, de wereld zoals zij die kennen weer terug te krijgen. Dat gebeurt dan volgens Keener ten koste van Job.
Keener laat zien dat een trauma voor sprakeloosheid zorgt. Een traumatische ervaring zorgt niet alleen dat het leven van iemand ingrijpend overhoop gegooid wordt, maar ook dat de manier waarop iemand erover kan vertellen fragmentarisch is. Wie vanuit de kerk iemand die een trauma heeft opgelopen en heeft overleefd, dient er rekening mee te houden dat iemand de ervaring steeds weer opnieuw verteld. Als er dan over verteld wordt, kan het vertelde soms in tegenspraak staan met eerdere momenten waarin de traumatische ervaring is gedeeld. In het Bijbelboek Job is te zien dat Job meerdere keren nodig heeft om zijn verdriet en angst te delen.
De manier waarop iemand die een trauma meemaakt vertelt, kan soms tegen de borst stuiten.Iemand die een trauma meemaakt, kan harde taal uitslaan, een ander beschuldigen, steeds roepen dat er recht gedaan moet worden. In het Bijbelboek en Job zien we de traumatische ervaringen doorwerken in klachten (en in de psalmen ook een roep om wraak). Het is niet voor niets dat Job gaat speculeren over een rechtszaak over zijn onschuld waarbij God gedaagd wordt. Al beseft Hij dat in die rechtszaak God rechter is.
Als aan het einde van het boek God zelf komt spreken, is dat niet een overrulen van Job. Waar Job in Job 3 aangeeft dat de schepping helemaal ontregelt is en dat hij niet geboren had moeten worden, geeft God aan dat de wereld een orde heeft die Job niet kent. Dat spreken van God is niet bedoeld om de trauma weg te duwen, maar om Job de mogelijkheid te geven na dit trauma toch weer een bestaan op te bouwen. Na het spreken van God blijkt dat er voor Job weer een mogelijkheid is om het leven op te pakken (Job 42).
De uitleg van het Bijbelboek Job door Keener is gebaseerd op recentere uitleg. Het boek zelf geeft weinig nieuwe inzichten. Ook het idee om de exegese te verrijken met inzichten uit de traumatheorie is niet nieuw. De waarde van dit boek is vooral pastoraal: hoe pastores en gemeenteleden om kunnen gaan met medegelovigen die een traumatische ervaring hebben doorstaan, waarbij die omgang inzichtelijk wordt gemaakt aan de hand van wat Job doormaakte.
April 9, 2025
Michelle K. Keener does a beautiful job of melding trauma and the biblical story of Job. I know this story deeply as I have read it multiple times in searching for answers for my own self. Keener really focuses on the trauma aspect, the ins and outs and brings in commentary from well respected individuals in the field to really show a deeper side of what Job is all about and why it's healing and hopeful for survivors.
This book is a much needed resource in the church for those who are trauma survivors but also for those who work with trauma survivors. I am both. This book gave me some deeper insight to those who I encounter in a healing ministry, from a comforter/friend perspective. It gave me some tangible things to look for and insight to understand themes that I may not necessarily picked up on before, as I am not a trained counselor.
From a personal perspective, as a trauma survivor myself, it also hit home on some of my own personal struggles. It helped give words and a voice to what I have been experiencing but also the 'why' behind it. Thank you for this. I highly highly highly recommend this for anyone who counsels/ministers/facilitates/is going through their own journey of healing. POWERFUL!!!! I will be recommending this for the team I work with.
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*
This book is a much needed resource in the church for those who are trauma survivors but also for those who work with trauma survivors. I am both. This book gave me some deeper insight to those who I encounter in a healing ministry, from a comforter/friend perspective. It gave me some tangible things to look for and insight to understand themes that I may not necessarily picked up on before, as I am not a trained counselor.
From a personal perspective, as a trauma survivor myself, it also hit home on some of my own personal struggles. It helped give words and a voice to what I have been experiencing but also the 'why' behind it. Thank you for this. I highly highly highly recommend this for anyone who counsels/ministers/facilitates/is going through their own journey of healing. POWERFUL!!!! I will be recommending this for the team I work with.
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*
September 27, 2024
Coming from a person who struggles with PTSD this was a freshing perspective on trauma and how to have a biblical perspective of trauma. The book of Job is one of my favorites in the bible. Although I have read the Job before I have not read it with this point of view of the context. Seeing now that trauma does in fact come in many different forms. I love how the author perfectly draws the connection between what trauma does to our faith and our mind. My first interpretation for this title did not compare to the deliverance of the writing. The author has strategically conducted a well research on the topic, which has taught me a lot more than what I have known on this topic before. The author has also implemented sympathy for us readers who suffer with this type of trauma and pain. I am so happy the author has decided to write and bring this to the attention of the church and I hope that it begins to have churches bring the right support for survivors of trauma.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who has endured trauma, this book shines a new light and brings hope that soon churches will begin to support trauma survivors in their time of suffering.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who has endured trauma, this book shines a new light and brings hope that soon churches will begin to support trauma survivors in their time of suffering.
September 1, 2024
Comfort in the Ashes was an excellent read. The author did a great job with defining what trauma is and helping readers understand trauma using the book of Job and the things he experienced in his life. This book should be read by anyone looking to understand and help people who have experienced trauma in their life and those who have experienced trauma themselves
Thank you NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review
Thank you NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review
September 27, 2024
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This was a really insightful and interesting read which will be extremely useful for me in the future to help me work with religious people. I also liked the scripture index being provided along with a bibliography as I myself am not deeply religious so didn’t recognise many and it will be useful to refer back to.
August 3, 2025
I loved this book! It mirrors many of the lessons I have taken from the Book of Job that set me free to let God be God and trust Him in the midst of trauma. Keener's additional insights were like fresh light to me, now that I understand trauma even more than I did when reading the Book of Job in one long sitting twenty-five years ago. Highly recommend for anyone who struggles with faith issues and has been through personal trauma that seems inexplicable.
January 22, 2025
I wondered how I would resonate with this work by Dr. Michelle Keener, given that trauma has not been my cross to bear to this point. But I have read and wondered at the book of Job, and I was curious to see how she made sense of it.
I learned so much! What exactly is trauma? How can we who are not traumatized support those who are? Job's context gives us a broad platform from which to explore the journey of healing. His friends were no help. Keener walks through the book of Job, showing us examples of what worked and what didn't, and how we might be able to apply lessons from the biblical text to our pain or the suffering of others in our world. You don't have to be a professional caregiver to appreciate this.
You can’t have my copy because I’ve ruined it with all my underlining, notes, and scribbles. It’s that good. If you’re a pastor, counselor, chaplain, friend, or family member of someone who has gone through traumatic experiences, don’t miss this book.
I learned so much! What exactly is trauma? How can we who are not traumatized support those who are? Job's context gives us a broad platform from which to explore the journey of healing. His friends were no help. Keener walks through the book of Job, showing us examples of what worked and what didn't, and how we might be able to apply lessons from the biblical text to our pain or the suffering of others in our world. You don't have to be a professional caregiver to appreciate this.
You can’t have my copy because I’ve ruined it with all my underlining, notes, and scribbles. It’s that good. If you’re a pastor, counselor, chaplain, friend, or family member of someone who has gone through traumatic experiences, don’t miss this book.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews