Being a Sanctuary: The Radical Way for the Body of Christ to Be Sacred, Soft, and Safe

by Pricelis Perreaux-Dominguez

Overview

"Perreaux-Dominguez constructs a solid model of church reform. . . . This inspires."—Publishers Weekly

What does it mean to be the Body of Christ in a healthy and holy way?

When news outlets reveal church scandals or we hear stories about people leaving the church, it can seem as though we are in a bit of a crisis as the Body of Christ. In Being a Sanctuary, Pricelis Perreaux-Dominguez—who has experienced abuse, trauma, and racism within the church—takes us on an honest, biblical, and reflective journey as she examines the state of the church and offers us a hopeful path forward.

Perreaux-Dominguez focuses on three aspects of God's vision for the church: that it would be sacred (Bible based), soft (trauma informed), and safe (justice centered). Each section of the book explores what these mean for the church using biblical teaching, practical instruction, and stories from her own experiences. She unpacks practical steps the body of Christ can take to realize this vision and cultivate a lifestyle of being a sanctuary, including repenting, pursuing sanctification, showing Christ's compassion, healing injustices, choosing unity over uniformity, and being advocates.

This book is for anyone ready to be both challenged and encouraged on how we, as the Body of Christ, can collectively return to God's foundational call to be radicals who choose the path of being sacred, soft, and safe—just like Jesus is.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781587436413
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/10/2024
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	327,470
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Pricelis Perreaux-Dominguez (MSW, MSEd) is a truthteller and space builder committed to helping the Body of Christ be healthy and holy. She is the founder and CEO of Full Collective, creator of the annual Sowers Summit, and host of the Being a Sanctuary podcast. She has spoken at conferences such as Proverbs 31 and Verity Conference and has written for Chasing Justice and She Reads Truth. She is also a contributor to the devotional The Women We've Been Waiting For. Pricelis holds master's degrees in community-based leadership and social work, and she is currently pursuing a master of arts in biblical and theological studies from Denver Seminary. She is a proud Black Latina (Dominicana) born and raised in New York City, where she resides with her husband and son. You can find her on Instagram @pricelispd.

Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction (But, Really, an Invitation)
Selah Prelude
Part 1: Sacred—From Passivity to Responsibility
1. Selah Will Be Our Saving Grace
2. Higher and Holier
3. The Roots of Uniformity and the Road toward Unity
4. Taking Sanctification Seriously
Selah Interlude: The Body I Now See
Part 2: Soft—From Collision to Compassion
5. A Call to Collective Suffering, or Practicing Presence
6. A Place for the Weary, Wounded, and Wandering
7. Living in Sighs and Silence
8. Souls over Sides and Stances
Selah Interlude: Choosing to Be Last
Part 3: Safe—From Observing to Responding
9. Know Peace, Know Justice
10. "Go and Do Likewise"
11. Beloved before Anything
12. Being Sanctuaries
Selah Postlude: Restorative Radicals

Editorial Reviews

09/02/2024

Christians must work together to repair an American church riven by crisis, division, and disillusionment, according to this wise guide from Perreaux-Dominguez (Good News Is Coming), CEO of Full Collective, an organization for Christian women. According to the author, the “Body of Christ”—comprised of the church’s members—has been infected by a monolithic culture that centers white men and excludes those of different races, ages, and abilities, cutting against Jesus’s vision of a diverse, unified faith community. As a corrective, Perreaux-Dominguez draws on the Bible for such suggestions as praying for others, inviting the “lost” into “healthy Christian spaces and communities,” and donating time, energy, or resources to marginalized church members. Throughout, she stresses the importance of viewing other Christians as fellow “image bearers” of God for whom one must care, even if one doesn’t agree with all aspects of their life. Linking her core principles to a broad slate of action items (examples of living justly range from “treating our neighbors with dignity” to recycling), Perreaux-Dominguez constructs a solid model of church reform that recognizes social, cultural, and racial differences while prioritizing the essential unity that comes from “working alongside Christ” and one another. This inspires. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly