Dawn of Sunday: The Trinity and Trauma-Safe Churches

by Joshua Cockayne, Scott Harrower, Preston Hill

Whether we realize it or not, our churches are full of those who have experienced and are living with the aftereffects of horror and trauma, whether as survivors, carers, or perpetrators. The central question of this book is How can our churches become open to the Trinity such that they are trauma-safe environments for everyone? How can we join the triune God to become trauma-safe churches? While the reality is bleak, the church can dare to hope for healing because of the reality of God and the body of Christ. Using the metaphor of the dawn of Sunday, the authors propose a double witness to trauma that straddles the boundary between the deadly silence of Holy Saturday and the joy of Easter Sunday. While witnessing loss and lament we can also be open to the possibility of new life through God’s trinitarian works of safety and recovery in the church. This involves adopting some basic principles and practices of trauma safety that every pastor, congregation, and layperson can begin using today. Creating trauma-safe churches is possible through God the Trinity.

Genres: Theology

301 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 8, 2022

Reviews

[Joshua Morgan]

Really enjoyed reading this book that testifies to the “double witness” the church can have to survivors of trauma - witnessing both to the horrors that the person has experienced as well as the hope for healing that God the Trinity offers, now and at resurrection. The practical suggestions at the end of the book were excellent and a great way for churches to become trauma-safe places. Will definitely be recommending these to my fellow elders.

[Kaytlyn Douglass]

This book took me nearly 2 years to finish, but I finally did! I read parts of it for an essay I was working on and knew I wanted to revisit it in its entirety at some point.

Quite a dense read overall despite it being relatively easy to understand; lots of really good references to other books on trauma, some interesting theological perspectives around the Trinity and how each person of the Trinity is an active participant in the healing journey; and I really appreciated the practical suggestions given in the final chapters of the book.

Overall a great book to sit with if you are a trauma survivor, or if you are caring for people with trauma. You just might be sitting with it for a couple of years!

[Paul Shotsberger]

I’m not gonna lie, this is a dense read and very repetitious, but it also contains some excellent , practical steps a church can take to become more trauma-safe. If that’s your goal, I highly recommend the book.