A LIBRARIAN’S ORIENTATION
What this book explores
Psychologist Diane Langberg examines power as a capacity that operates through individuals, relationships, systems, and religious institutions. Drawing on decades of work with trauma and abuse, she considers deception, coercion, institutional loyalty, leadership, gender, and the tendency to protect a Christian organization or reputation while sacrificing people, then measures power against the self-giving pattern of Jesus.
EDITORIAL NOTE
Why it’s in the Library
It helps travelers distinguish Christian speech about servanthood from the actual effects of power. Langberg keeps victims and truth at the center when institutions prefer image management, premature forgiveness, or claims that protecting the ministry protects God. The book's distinct role is moral and clinical orientation for recognizing power; it does not become an investigation manual or transfer clinical authority to ordinary church leaders.
Good starting place if…
You want a sustained Christian and trauma-informed examination of how power becomes deceptive in leaders, systems, churches, and efforts to respond to abuse.
Know before you begin…
Discussions of sexual abuse, coercion, institutional betrayal, and spiritual manipulation may be activating. The book's Christian frame may be difficult for readers harmed by Christian authority, even when it is used critically. It is not therapy, legal counsel, a reporting protocol, or an independent investigation; immediate safety, mandated-reporting duties, evidence preservation, and qualified professional support remain separate.