The Abuse of Power: A Theological Problem

James Poling, both a practical theologian teaching in a seminary and a pastoral counselor who works with survivors of sexual abuse and perpetrators, has made an important pastoral theological contribution with his book The Abuse of Power. Drawing together process theology, psychoanalytic theory, and feminist and African-American sociology and theology Poling brings forward and interprets personal (often silenced) experiences of sexual violence. Through his own pastoral counseling experiences and his subsequent research, his consciousness has been raised about the influences of gender, race, and class on the perpetration of sexual violence, and this is the driving force of The Abuse of Power. He seeks to shed light on the reality of sexual violence in its most common occurrence in the lives of women and children, particularly in the home or with trusted adults. He examines theories of self, community, and God through the lenses of feminist and African-American theorists to expose oppressive gendered and raced biases, tentatively suggesting reasons for the predominance of male sexual violence against women vis-a-vis each of these areas. He is a practical theologian, and his theorizing is penultimately in the service of better ministry and God-talk (ultimately seeking a more just and humane world, visualized as a web of inter-related beings). Consequently, he makes liberatory suggestions of change in visions of self, community, and God that would work toward relational selves, loving communities, and images of a loving and just God -- suggestions that emerge from the experiences of survivors of sexual violence. Poling's book exemplifies his own definition of practical theology, which involves a "rhythm of practice and reflection," or theological reflection that emerges from actual ministry practices or experiences in the church -- in this case, survivors of sexual violence -- and is done in their service. Poling includes in the book a discussion of his own social location (white, male, privileged, with power), his own kind of conversion on these issues through his work with survivors and perpetrators, and ways he seeks to be accountable in terms of gender, race, and power. Moreover, he writes clearly about how this research influenced him to change the way he thinks about and does theology, yielding a new definition of practical theology that privileges "the unheard voices of personal and community life for the purpose of continual transformation of faith in the true God of love and power." This is an important book particularly for ministers, teachers, and pastoral counselors who seek to understand the prevalence of sexual violence, its influence, and new ways to think critically about it.