Praise for The Dinah Project
“Combining personal testimony with theological sensitivity, Coleman offers psychological, pastoral, and – most important – practical responses to sexual violence. Her guidelines offer not only a vision of a compassionate G-d but also the means for creating a restorative community. This book, and the Dinah project it describes, should find a home in every church.”
Amy-Jill Levine, Ph.D. E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of New Testament Studies. Director, Carpenter Program in Religion, Gender and Sexuality. Vanderbilt Divinity School and Graduate Department of Religion.
“There are many volumes of scholarly inquiries into the treatment of abusers and those who have been abused. There are volumes of inspiration books conveying the ‘stories’ of persons who have been harmed by sexual violence. There are few resources available for those interested in organizing a positive and effective response to the epidemic of violence in our culture. Rev. Coleman has addressed that need in a most helpful way.”
Gene Kraus, Parish Life and Ministry Team. Office of Church Life and Leadership, United Church of Christ
“I have been counseling victims of sexual violence for 10 years and Ms. Coleman has addressed this issues surrounding the spiritual part of healing that is so difficult for each survivor. Ms. Coleman’s book is so hopeful and promising to the church community. She offers a wonderful array of materials to offer any church the tools to get started. Her story is powerful and offers hope to survivors everywhere."
Char Creson, Ed.D. Clinical Therapist, Rape and Sexual Abuse Center of Middle Tennessee
“Thanks to Monica Coleman, church folks have no more excuses for failing to deal with sexual violence! Church leaders and parishioners alike have been socialized with the same rape myths and misinformation as the rest of our communities. There is no better starting point than this book for learning to minister to the survivors sure to be found in any congregation. Rev. Coleman's trailblazing plan for addressing sexual assault and abuse in our churches has been laid out in a concise, easy-to-follow format, in order to be a blessing to faith communities everywhere.”
Lori S. Robinson. Author, I Will Survive: The African-American Guide to Healing from Sexual Assault and Abuse
“Monica Coleman has gifted the church with an invaluable spiritual resource that provides the church with a theology, language, blueprint, and practical ministry plan to help the church say to persons who have suffered from sexual violence that their tears are understood.”
Rev. Frank A. Thomas. Pastor, Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, Memphis, TN. Author, They Like to Never Quit Praisin' God: The Role of Celebration in Preaching, What’s Love Got To Do With It? Love, Power, Sex and God and Spiritual Maturity: Preserving Congregational Health and Balance. Co-Executive Editor, The African American Pulpit