Permission to speak freelyAnne Jackson
In Permission To Speak Freely, Anne Jackson writes about hurt, confession and healing in the Church. The project was born out of her own experiences with abuses, sins and struggles that are not normally talked about in Christian community. The book is also inspired by the many hundreds of responses from hurting people she received when she asked "What is one thing you feel you can't say in church?" on her blog.
In the book, Anne seeks to encourage the church to be a safe place for people and for those who are hurting or struggling to confess the things they have been keeping secret so that they may move towards healing. I really like that she focuses not just on how the struggling can benefit but also how they can use their experiences to help others. I found the encouragement to use my experiences to help others really challenging.
True to the theme of the book, Anne shares a lot from the tough parts of her life. I applaud her honesty because some of it is difficult stuff that we in the Christian community tend not to talk about. It’s stuff we probably should talk about more so people can get the help they need rather than suffering in silence.
I reviewed this book in audiobook format. Anne’s reading of her book was very expressive so it felt more like listening in a conversation than hearing someone read you the book. Because I reviewed in audio format, I can’t comment on the art work I am told is in the printed version.
I highly recommend this book. I found it encouraging, challenging and inspiring. I hope Permission to Speak Freely is widely read because I believe it has the potential to help a lot of people.
I reviewed a pre-release review copy of the book provided by christianaudio.com. The book will be available late August.
