Ebook
God's people are meant to be a blessing to others. Yet in the Scriptures, throughout history, and in our own times we too often see the people of God causing harm to people on the margins. Rather than caring for the widowed and the orphaned or loving the sojourner, too often we see abuse of power that breaks spirits and inflicts lasting harm.
For anyone who has felt left out or pushed out of the church, Othered is your invitation to find spiritual rest and belonging in a God who loves, restores, and blesses the outcast and the marginalized. Jenai Auman draws on her experience growing up as a biracial kid in the American South as well as working within toxic ministry environments to reveal a hopeful, trauma-informed way forward. This book illuminates how hurt and betrayal in the church are longstanding problems that God neither sanctions nor tolerates. It offers holistic responses to the grief, anger, and trauma that come with being ostracized or oppressed by the church. And it shows how God provides shelter and provision in the midst of the wilderness.
Because God sees, hears, and loves you--even if the church has failed you.
God sees, hears, and loves you--even if the church has failed you
God's people are meant to be a blessing to others. Yet in the Scriptures, throughout history, and in our own times we too often see the people of God causing harm.
For anyone who has felt left out or pushed out of the church, Othered is your invitation to find spiritual rest and belonging in a God who loves, pursues, and blesses the outcast and the marginalized. Drawing on her experience growing up as a biracial child in the American South, as well as her work in toxic ministry environments, Jenai Auman reveals a hopeful, healing path forward for the ostracized and oppressed. Her informed and holistic responses to grief, anger, and trauma powerfully demonstrate how God offers shelter and provision in the midst of the wilderness.
"Whether abused, exiled, excommunicated, scapegoated, or marginalized, being 'othered' seeks to erase parts of you and the stories one may possess. Auman's work calls us to remember, pay attention to, include, and see and hear the stories of those who have been overlooked as a sacred part of the story of God."--Dr. Terence Lester, founder of Love Beyond Walls, author of I See You, When We Stand, and All God's Children
"Othered is a tender and honest love letter to those on the margins of Western, white Christianity, a reminder that we are not alone and that our journey matters."--Kaitlin B. Curtice, award-winning author of Native, Living Resistance, and Winter's Gifts
Jenai Auman is a Filipina American writer and artist. She draws from her years in church leadership as well as her trauma-informed training to write on healing, hope, and the way forward. She is passionate about providing language so readers can find a faith that frees. She received her bachelor's degree in behavioral health science and is currently pursuing a master's in spiritual formation at Northeastern Seminary. Jenai lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband, Tyler, and their sons, Quinn and Graham.