Moral Injury and Atonement Theories

Dr. Rita Nakashima Brock is a noted Asian American feminist theologian, activist, and world authority on moral injury. She was Senior Vice President for Moral Injury Recovery Programs at Volunteers of America. In this episode, she explains what moral injury is and the difference between moral injury and PTSD. She describes how moral injury affects her family, especially in her relationship with her father, who came back from the Vietnam War as a different person. Churches and faith communities can help people with moral injury by organizing supportive and non-judgmental groups. She says that traditional atonement theories are not helpful and explains it through the lens of moral injury. As a pioneer in Asian American theology, she uses the concept of interstitial integrity to describe multilayered, complex identities that defy simple characterizations of victims and oppressors. Many Asian American scholars have cited the concept to discuss their own identities. As a longtime activist, she says people need to form coalitions to resist the Trump administration's policies. She sees hope in the fact that more and more people are fighting back and resisting. Dr. Rita Nakashima Brock’s coauthored book Soul Repair: Recovering from Moral Injury after War. Listen wherever you get your podcasts Watch full episodes on YouTube Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X Website www.kwokpuilan.com