Fortress Press

Rev. Dr. Driver peels back layers of the Genesis stories of faith that we know, to explore them in new and thought-provoking ways. As the stories come alive, he names the family traumas in such a way that the reader joins the story of Scripture, naming evil and the sins of patriarchy, racism, and sexism. Especially insightful are the implications for ministry. These insights are ways the church can see past the surface story and see people as people, support victims of abuse, and be a beacon of hope that God, in Jesus Christ, is with us even in the pain and suffering of life. Thank you for making this real.

Driver's insightful work provides a fresh perspective on Scripture for those affected by trauma, particularly survivors of gender-based violence. This book offers a compassionate alternative to traditional patriarchal interpretations of Genesis, challenging shame-based beliefs often reinforced by such readings. While acknowledging that some survivors may choose to distance themselves from biblical texts, Driver creates a thoughtful and gentle pathway for those seeking to reengage with Scripture. This valuable resource serves as a healing balm for readers navigating the complex intersection of faith and trauma recovery.

In this crucial book, Cory Driver explores the traumatic experiences of biblical individuals and families with compassion, careful attention, and astute insight that offer wisdom and hope for those who have had their own traumatic experiences and those who accompany and care for them. Along the way, Driver brings the ancient and ever-new Jewish practice of midrash into living engagement with biblical scholarship and lived human experience to bring biblical stories and their characters to life in new, oft-troubling, and graciously redemptive ways.

This is a book that "says the quiet part out loud," courageously naming the sexual trauma that pervades the experiences of characters in the book of Genesis. It can be deeply disconcerting to read these texts through the lens of trauma, but Driver does not leave his readers to despair. Instead, he helps us to turn both the horror and the hope of these sacred stories toward the healing of wounds in our communities.

Informed by rabbinic and modern biblical interpretation, Cory Driver offers careful and original readings of several biblical stories related to gender-based and sexual trauma. Driver reads these texts with thoughtfulness and compassion and proposes pastorally sensitive lessons to be learned from them. Undergirding his readings is the affirmation that "the Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18). This book will be valuable both for those who have suffered such trauma and for those who care for them.