Understanding Clergy Misconduct in Religious Systems: Scapegoating, Family Secrets, and the Abuse of Power

by Candace Reed Benyei

In Understanding Clergy Misconduct in Religious Systems, you’ll take an incisive look at why sexual misconduct occurs in religious systems and how to implement proactive strategies for holistic change. Applicable to both Jewish and Christian communities, this illuminating exploration takes a look at the psychology behind scapegoating, why it is perpetuated, and how you can quell the damaging tradition of silence.Understanding Clergy Misconduct in Religious Systems helps you see leaders of religious institutions in a way that the world has been afraid to see them--in a glass clearly. Enriched with metaphoric myths and fairy tales instead of technical jargon, its unique systemic perspective reveals the psychodynamics behind the obsession with family secrets and lets you understand this dysfunction from the perspectives of victim, abuser, and counselor. These specific areas will both inform and aid you in dealing with this difficult

220 pages, Paperback

First published March 24, 1998

Reviews

[Edie]

Read for class. A timely and necessary book, I disliked the format, tone, and organization of the book but admit I learned a great deal. I did not like this one but I got a lot out of it and that is probably more important than all the problems I had with the text. The correlations between family function/dysfunction and church relationships was shocking and explained so much of what I had experienced and witnessed.