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