Confronting the Demon: A Gospel Response to Adult Bullying

by Gerald A. Arbuckle

Overview

Bullying is not something confined to school children. It is a widespread abuse found in families, workplaces, organizations (including churches), and beyond. Confronting the Demon focuses on the nature and types of contemporary bullying and what the Christian Scriptures advise to prevent it.

Bullying is a quality of most forms of violence, including racial, religious, and sex-based discrimination; sexual, physical, and psychological abuse; persecution and terrorism. This book focuses on such contemporary examples as the 2001 terrorist attacks, hate crimes around the world, sexual abuse, particularly among the churches, and cultures which promote bullying. Questions at the end of each chapter help people examine their own vulnerability to the vice of bullying and relate the context of its nature, meaning, and power to their own lives.

Chapters are Adult Bullying: Definition and Types," *Bullies and Victims, - *Cultures of Bullying, - and *A Gospel Response. -

Gerald A. Arbuckle, SM, PhD, is the co-director of Refounding and Pastoral Research Unit, Sydney, Australia. He is the author of From Chaos to Mission: Refounding Religious Life Formation, Healthcare Ministry: Refounding the Mission in Tumultuous Times and Violence, Society, and the Church published by Liturgical Press.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814630167
Publisher:	Liturgical Press, The
Publication date:	04/28/2004
Pages:	152
Product dimensions:	5.38(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Gerald A. Arbuckle, SM, is codirector of Refounding and Pastoral Development, a research ministry, in Sydney, Australia. An award-winning author, he is internationally known for his expertise in helping church leaders minister effectively in a postmodern world. In 2011 he presented the Martin D’Arcy, SJ, Lectures at Oxford University. His many books include Healthcare Ministry; Violence, Society, and the Church; Laughing with God; Culture, Inculturation, and Theologians; and Catholic Identity or Identities?, all from Liturgical Press.

Table of Contents

	Introduction	9
1.	Adult Bullying: Definition and Types	17
	What does "bullying" mean?	17
	Bullying is an abuse of power	20
	Bullying is an act of violence	23
	Five common types of bullies in the workplace	25
	Other types of bullying in the workplace and beyond	32
	Summary	38
	Questions	38
2.	Bullies and Victims	39
	The characteristics of a bully	39
	Sex differences in bullying	44
	Prejudice, discrimination, and bullying	46
	The impact of bullying on victims	54
	The similarity between suffering from bullying and post-traumatic stress disorder	59
	Biblical reflections	60
	Summary	62
	Questions	63
3.	Cultures of Bullying	65
	Defining "culture"	67
	Three models of cultures which promote bullying	70
	Summary	93
	Questions	94
4.	A Gospel Response	95
	Five principles for preventing bullying	97
	Five practical ways victims may respond to bullying	122
	Five practical ways non-victims may assist victims	130
	Summary	132
	Questions	133
	Further Reading	135
	Notes	138

Editorial Reviews

This would make an interesting book for discussions at home/school meetings or other church groups.
Catholic Library World

Readers will be challenged to explore more deeply what they believe, what a belief is based upon, and is it time to alter that belief in any way.
Catholic Library World

. . . it offers new perspectives on adult behavior. It can encourage the reader to question behaviors once taken for granted.
Catholic Library World

'Bullying' is defined here in very wide terms - not just the rude behavior of kids in the schoolyard, but practically all forms of abusive power and violence, from the assault of 9/11, to office-place chauvinism. Arbuckle gives defining examples of such behavior and relates it to a wider social context and culture. He then offers a biblical theology that counters such a misuse of power in relationships.
The Bible Today

[Arbuckle] examines what the Christian Scriptures teach us about the evil of bullying, and what we need to do to counteract it in our own lives and the world in which we live.
New Testament Abstracts

From the Publisher