Esther
was raised in a home grown fundamentalist Christian group, started by
her paternal grandfather. “Self ordained,” he began a Bible study
in his home which came to be known as The Assembly. It included a
hyper-literal interpretation of the Bible and very strict rules. It
was later described at a cult, not because of the beliefs but because
of the group's behavior and method of control. There was also a
preoccupation with end of the world theology.
Esther
describes her experiences growing up in the group, attending their
own elementary school and camps, corporeal punishment, attending
public high school (with the assignment to save them) and seeing many
rather normal Christians, panic attacks, awareness of unaddressed
spousal abuse within the group, “biblical” marriage, motherhood,
apocalyptic hysteria after 9/11, she and her husband researching
abuse in the group, leaving, and the search for real Christianity.
Becoming
healthy is an ongoing process. Reexamining her beliefs to find a more
balanced way of living has been a far greater task than she imagined.
The Assembly was her faith, her family, and her friends. It is taking
time to learn how to give and receive grace and how to live with
freedom.
I
am so glad that Esther did not abandon her Christian faith altogether
when she came out of a warped version of it. In A Conversation with
the Author she emphasizes that she is not critiquing the orthodox
beliefs of Christianity but the way in which those beliefs were
practiced, a harsh and graceless mindset.
As
an evangelical Christian, I don't like it when Christianity goes
wrong. This is an excellent book showing the effects when it does. I
recommend this book. There is a great discussion guide so this book
would be good for reading groups and church leadership groups to
read.
You
can read a sample chapter here.
Elizabeth
Esther is a popular blogger and advocate. She and her husband
live with their five children in Santa Ana, CA. You can find her blog
at www.ElizabethEsther.com.
Convergent
(an imprint of Crown Books, a division of Random House LLC), 224
pages.
I
received a digital copy of this book from the publisher for the
purpose of an independent and honest review.
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