Overview

How do we create communities of healing and flourishing in a world of trauma and stress? As research continues to reveal more about the impacts of trauma and stress on our brains and nervous systems, traditional theological concepts need to be reshaped to meet these new understandings. Current events and experiences of violence, war, and a global pandemic have showed us that do not only impact individuals but whole communities and societies, and the effects span generations. The pastoral implications of this are vast and must be explored. In Human Flourishing in a World of Trauma and Stress, pastoral theologian Heidi Ann Russell answers advances in trauma study with a new theological anthropology that considers questions of freedom, sin, and grace in conversation with our understanding of the brain, trauma, and stress. Pastorally, the book uncovers the layers of trauma present in those we serve in our faith communities. Ministers and faith communities involved in spiritual care are called to be trauma-informed and to understand how relationships harm and heal, ultimately to participate in God's creating, redeeming, and sustaining activity in the world. As informative as it is practical, this new volume explores the theological and pastoral implications of trauma-informed ministry that leads to human flourishing.

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Reviews

""In the second century St. Irenaeus asserted against those who belittled our embodied existence that the glory of God is the human being fully alive. Masterfully weaving together neuroscience, epigenetics, and more traditional sources of theological inquiry, Heidi Ann Russell sheds new light on this ancient axiom with a data-driven approach to trauma-informed theological anthropology and pastoral ministry for the twenty-first century. As God-imaging social creatures, she claims, we bear the capacity and call to co-create, co-redeem, and co-sustain one another in a world of trauma and stress. The book's scholarly rigor makes it suitable for research at any level; its pastoral approach makes it a valuable resource for ministers; and its approachable style makes it an accessible challenge for any reading group."" Jason P. Roberts, Principal Lecturer, University of Georgia -- (12/5/2025 12:00:00 AM)

Author Information

Heidi Ann Russell, PhD, is an associate professor at the Institute of Pastoral Studies of Loyola University Chicago. She received her PhD in religious studies from Marquette University and her MDiv/MA from Washington Theological Union. She is the author of several other books, including The Source of All Love: Catholicity and the Trinity (Orbis Books, 2017) and Quantum Shift: Theological and Pastoral Implications of Contemporary Developments in Science (Liturgical Press, 2015).

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