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What does theology have to offer in this present moment of scandal, abuse, and cover-up? 

Recent headlines and social media posts are splashed with revelations or speculations about Jeffrey Epstein and his collaborators. The case of Gisèle Pelicot, victim of dozens of rapes by strangers facilitated by her husband, who drugged her, shocked the world. The Church itself has failed in safeguarding against abuse time and again across denominations and geographic locations. 

����logo��� School of Theology invites you to read along and join the conversation during our Summer Book Club as we grapple with some of the most pressing and painful issues of our time.

Abuse is not just a Catholic problem or a political bargaining chip. The goal of this six-week summer reading group is to move beyond moral outrage to a space of honest reflection, taking stock of the theologies — both inside and outside the Church — that enable abuse and the resources that can guide us forward. 

“Epstein, coverups, abuse — these things are all over the news. And how are we supposed to process this as Christians?” says book club facilitator Dr. Michael Toy. “How are we supposed to make sense of this as Christians? Especially when the church’s track record on these things is so blemished?”

BOOK CLUB DETAILS

• Options to join: Participants are welcome to join for a single session or all three.
• Facilitator: Dr. Michael Toy, Assistant Professor of Practical Theology at ����logo���’s School of Theology.  
• How much: Registration is free and open to all. Participants are responsible for purchasing books.

• Gatherings: Mondays, June 8, June 22, July 6 at 7 p.m. EDT over ZOOM

SCHEDULE

Monday, June 8
Manon Garcia, Living With Men: Reflections on the Pelicot Trial (Polity, 2025)

Gisèle Pelicot became a feminist hero by waiving her right to anonymity as a victim of multiple rapes facilitated by her husband. Manon Garcia, a philosophy professor, writes with clear and accessible prose for an audience beyond academia, asking vital questions about patriarchy, the justice system, and violence. 

• Available on  for current School of Theology Faculty & students, or on reserve at both libraries.

• Available for purchase .

   

Monday, June 22
Julie K Brown, Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story (HarperCollins, 2021)

A year-long investigation by Julie Brown of the Miami Herald uncovered the stories of over 60 women who reported being abused by Jeffrey Epstein. Her reporting led to Epstein’s arrest in 2018. This book builds and expands on her original reporting.

• Available on  for current School of Theology Faculty & students, or on reserve at both libraries.
• Available for purchase .

Monday, July 6
Janet Fife and Gilo, eds., Letters to a Broken Church (Ekklesia, 2019)

Letters to a Broken Church collects the voices of survivors of abuse in churches, clergy, theologians, and a newspaper columnist. This selection of short, honest chapters calls for honest, vulnerable reflection by all those in the church—whether clergy, administrators, or members of a congregation. 

• Available for purchase .