From Fear to Freedom: Abused Wives Find Hope and Healing

Susan Thomas is a middle-school guidance counselor, teacher, and social
worker in Milton, Ontario.

Despite 25 years of expanding awareness of the social problem of wife
abuse, 30 percent of women experience abuse at the hands of their
partners. Remaining isolated from awareness of the issue are those women
who hold the belief that God does not want them to leave their partners.

This long-awaited, reader-friendly handbook offers hope. The author
presents a feminist analysis of wife abuse, but impressively relates it
to an understanding of Scripture. In the book, five women tell their
stories of victimization and entrapment. After each story, Rogers offers
commentary that helps readers to understand why women stay, why they
leave, how healing begins, and what hopes there are for life afterward.

Religious leaders are often more adept at interpreting Scripture than
addressing the real-world problems of women who are trapped in
life-threatening situations. Rogers demonstrates that it is possible to
love God and at the same time work to end abuse.