Dawn of Sunday: The Trinity and Trauma-Safe Churches - Paperback

by Joshua Cockayne (Author), Scott Harrower (Author), Preston Hill (Author)

Whether we realize it or not, our churches are full of those who have experienced and are living with the aftereffects of horror and trauma, whether as survivors, carers, or perpetrators. The central question of this book is simple: How can our churches become open to the Trinity such that they are trauma-safe environments for everyone? How can we join the triune God to become trauma-safe churches? While the reality is bleak, the church can dare to hope for healing because of the reality of God and the body of Christ. Using the metaphor of the dawn of Sunday, the authors propose a double witness to trauma that straddles the boundary between the deadly silence of Holy Saturday and the joy of Easter Sunday. While witnessing loss and lament we can also be open to the possibility of new life through God's trinitarian works of safety and recovery in the church. This involves adopting some basic principles and practices of trauma safety that every pastor, congregation, and layperson can begin using today. Creating trauma-safe churches is possible through God the Trinity.

Author Biography

Joshua Cockayne is a city center mission lead in the Diocese of Leeds and an honorary lecturer in theology at the University of St Andrews. He has published widely in philosophical theology on issues related to spirituality, liturgy, and ecclesiology.



Scott Harrower is associate professor of theology, history, and ethics at Ridley College in Melbourne, Australia. He is an Anglican priest and is the author of God of All Comfort: A Trinitarian Response to the Horrors of This World.



Preston Hill is assistant professor of integrative theology at Richmont Graduate University which houses an Institute of Trauma and Recovery. He is an ordinand in the Anglican Church in North America.