John Powell, Ph.D., professor, Counseling Center, Michigan State University
These powerful pages bring the realities of damaging human experience into the perspective of a loving God. With professional skill and spiritual insight from the crucible of experience, Dr. Allender blends a keen understanding of the dynamics of sexual abuse with the practical application of Christian truth. An excellent and timely book!


Maxine Hancock, author of Child Sexual Abuse
Dr. Allender acts as a true surgeon of the soul in making a diagnosis which, while compassionate, is never sentimental. He brings the wounded survivor of abuse to the Great Physician for healing. I welcome this book: a next step for those who have begun the healing process, and a place to start for others.


Dr. Pamela Reeve, Multnomah School of the Bible
Dan Allender has unraveled the very heart of sexual abuse, both in diagnosis and scriptural resolution. This is the first book on sexual abuse that gives the victim God's path to healing: a costly path of fresh suffering that leads to a life characterized by love.


Book Description
Someone you know has been sexually abused. A recent study indicated that 38% of the women interviewed had been sexually abused by an adult or family member by the age of 18. You may think you don't know anyone who has been sexually abused, especially if most of your friends and acquaintances are Christians. But the statistics indicate otherwise: sexual abuse knows no religious or social boundaries. The Wounded Heart is an intensely personal and specific look at this most "soul deadening" form of abuse. Personal because it may be affecting you, your spouse, a close friend or neighbor, or someone you know well at church. And specific because it goes well beyond the general issues and solutions discussed in other books. Dr. Allender's book reaches deep into the wounded heart of someone you know, exploring the secret lament of the soul damaged by sexual abuse-and laying hold of the hope buried there by the One whose unstained image we all bear.


About the Author
DR. DAN B. ALLENDER travels and speaks extensively to present his unique perspective on sexual abuse recovery, love and forgiveness, worship, and related topics. He has coauthored four books with Dr. Tremper Longman: Intimate Allies (Tyndale House), The Cry of the Soul (NavPress), Bold Love (NavPress), and Bold Purpose (Tyndale). Dan serves as professor of counseling at Western Seminary in Kirkland, Washington, and taught at Grace Theological Seminary and Colorado Christian University in a similar role. He lives in Seattle, Washington with his wife and three children.

FROM THE PUBLISHER