How the Cross Provides Healing for Abuse Victims

Speaking primarily from his own traumatic experiences and pastoring others through their own, Matthew Spandler-Davidson led a workshop for pastors at the 2021 TGC National Conference titled “How the Cross Offers Healing for Victims of Abuse.” Having both experienced and seen abuse as a child—from beatings to rape to being smothered with a pillow—he was left shy, insecure, bitter, angry, and self-centered. It was through the care of a rugged fisherman with a thick Scottish accent, a glass eye, and a long beard that he was introduced to the Bible and the gospel broke into his stubborn, dead, and cold heart. Hope was stirred as Christ and his church became a refuge for his weary soul, and he worked to create the same for other victims when he became a pastor. Spandler-Davidson enumerated three ways churches can become a hope-giving refuge for victims of abuse and several ways to ensure that your church can be a place of safety for the vulnerable and healing for the hurting. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.