Looking Shame in the Eye: A Path to Understanding, Grace and Freedom

By Simon Cozens

What is shame and where does it come from? How can we break free and help others held in its vice-like grip? And what is the gospel when shame is the problem?

Shame, humiliation and stigma are all around us. Online shaming reminds us of the power of shame, the crisis of self-worth, the weight of judgement and the need for freedom. At the same time, people are becoming less responsive to gospel messages about guilt, morality and sin. If we want to reach those around us and bring healing to their hurts, we need to speak their language: the language of shame.

This book helps Christians to introduce 'shame thinking' into their own lives and the lives of those they disciple and evangelize. Above all, it shows how God's freedom can release anyone suffering from the debilitating grip of shame.

Introduction: Reputation ruined - what shame looks like
1 Identity, perception, judgement, and the horizontal nature of shame - case study from Genesis
2 Shame examined - what exactly is shame and how does it relate to guilt? Helpful emotion but also profoundly destructive
3 Who do you think you are? Shame in relation to identity: fig leaves and Instagram
4 Shame and the cross - flipping the script; putting shame to shame. How Jesus dealt with shame
5 'Disposing' of the shameful body - hiding, distancing, laughter, etc. Cultural perceptions
6 A new life. The role of the church - a brand new social community for the shamed
7 Putting our house in order before we help others: practical application
8 Reaching out to the shamed: practical application

• Language: English
• Publisher: IVP
• Release date: Oct 17, 2019
• ISBN: 9781783599219

Simon Cozens

Simon Cozens is fascinated by the subject of shame, having examined it through Western eyes, but also seen its cultural effects in Japan where he worked as a missionary. Significantly, he has worked shame issues through in his own life. He lectures in cultural anthropology at the Worldview Centre for Intercultural Studies in Tasmania, and preaches and leads workshops on shame. Previously he was a church planter with WEC International. This book reflects his passion to help the shame-prone to find grace and a home.