Beyond the Parentheses: Your Journey to Transcend Religious Trauma, Seek Truth, and Embrace Love

by Susan Ford

Overview

ARE THE ECHOES OF YOUR RELIGIOUS PAST HOLDING YOUR SPIRITUAL FUTURE HOSTAGE?

If so, author Susan Ford can relate. Raised as a legalistic, fundamentalist Baptist, Susan felt trapped, hopeless, and depressed until she set out to pursue the truth with all her heart.

In Beyond the Parentheses, Susan shares her personal story and invites you to embark on a powerful journey where you will realize how you too can:

• Recognize, confront, and resolve lingering religious trauma
• Seek and pursue truth wherever it leads
• Boldly embrace love and discover healing

This book is for you if you:

• Have a complicated relationship with God and Christianity
• Have been hurt by religion or have had it used as a weapon against you
• Are navigating or considering a return to faith after religious trauma

IT'S TIME TO RECLAIM YOUR SPIRITUALITY AND SEEK THE TRUTH YOU DARE TO BELIEVE EXISTS.

IT'S TIME TO MOVE BEYOND THE PARENTHESES.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798885830805
Publisher:	Susan Ford
Publication date:	12/09/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	252
File size:	481 KB

Table of Contents

Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .xiii

Are You Stuck in Spiritual Parentheses? . . . . . . . . . . . . .xv

Reflection Invite: Introduction . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .xix

Part 1: Living Under Legalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Chapter 1: In the Beginning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Chapter 2: Train Up a Child . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Chapter 3: Drowning in Dogma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Reflection Invite: Part 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Part 2: Leaving Fundamentalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Chapter 4: Questions Without Answers . . . . . . . . . . 49

Chapter 5: Through the Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Chapter 6: Broken Promises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67

Reflection Invite: Part 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78

Part 3: Looking for Truth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81

Chapter 7: Laying the Bedrock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83

Chapter 8: Asking Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Chapter 9: Making a Decision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99

Reflection Invite: Part 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111

Part 4: Latching onto Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Chapter 10: Seek and Ye Shall Find . . . . . . . . . . . .117

Chapter 11: Processing Religious Trauma . . . . . . . 129

Chapter 12: A New Perspective of Love . . . . . . . . .151

Reflection Invite: Part 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159

Part 5: Laying Down Ego . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163

Chapter 13: The Most Reluctant Convert . . . . . . . . 165

Chapter 14: Facing Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

Chapter 15: Admitting Humanity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183

Reflection Invite: Part 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190

Part 6: Letting Go of Perfectionism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Chapter 16: Hiding from Imperfection . . . . . . . . . . . 195

Chapter 17: Safe to Be Imperfect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199

Chapter 18: Forgiven Imperfection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

Reflection Invite: Part 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Epilogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

Abiding in Grace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

Reflection Invite: Epilogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219

Recommended Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .227

About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .231