Moral injury the role of the church Crisis and Trauma

2. i. Introduction
ii. Definition of the words: Moral Injury, Role of the Church, Crisis,
Trauma.
iii. Consequences of moral injury
iv. Possibility to recover
v. Conclusion
vi. Recommendation

3.  Now days a person is well described in the society where they belong through their
moral values, that’s to say the moral values of a person is what make him/her and
it’s what affect how they think, talk, and act. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is
on moral injury and the Role of the Church, “Crisis and Trauma”.
 However, before going further to the question, I shall start by defining the key words
for the better understanding of the question. Then, I shall look at the consequences
of moral injury, the possibilities to recover from moral injury, along which I shall be
demonstrating the place or the intervention of the church while the society go
through this stressful period, then conclusion and recommendation.

4.  Moral injury: Moral injury is a specific category of trauma characterised by guilty,
existential crisis, and loss of trust that may grow following a supposed moral
violation.
 It refers to the psychological, social and spiritual influence of events involving
infidelity or transgression of one's own deeply held moral beliefs and values
happening in high risks circumstances. Moral injury is not a known mental health
disorder in itself, but maybe linked with depression or post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD).
 Moral injury also defined as an individual's confidence, experience, and
expectations about their own or others' motivations or capacities to conduct in a just
and ethical manner. It is further defined as the failure to integrate one's experiences
into pre-existing moral frameworks and the inability to explain or justify one's own
conduct or the actions of others.

5.  The role of the church is to make Christ recognized and loved, to spread the
knowledge of the salvation universally, and to suffer and pray for the salvation of
souls. Christ gave His church the commission to spread the message of salvation to
the ends of the earth.
 The greatest gift God gave to the church is the gift of the good news of the Gospel.
In the Gospel, God brings to fulfilment His hidden plan, prophesied and prefigured
in the Old Testament, to save mankind and to give each man a share in His divine
life through Jesus Christ His son.
 Thus the church do speaks and listens to the world, without actually being
conformed to the world. It tries to show the world how to be faithful to the Gospel
and how to journey towards Heaven. (Lab, 2018)

6.  Crisis is a state of sensitivity or feeling; it is a confusion and anxiety that comes
from inner man to the degree that formerly successful coping mechanisms fail us
and ineffective decisions and behaviours take their place. The person going through
a crisis could consequently feel lost, exposed, frightened, afraid, furious, guilty,
hopeless, and helpless. (Center, 2014)
 (Jinkerson, 2016) Trauma is a psychological reaction to a catastrophic occurrence,
such as an accident, rape, or natural disaster. After an incident, shock and denial are
common emotions. Unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, strained relationships, and
even physical symptoms like headaches or nausea are examples of longer-term
effects.

7.  The society suffers from these different things in different ways like luck of
someone to confide in or luck of information. That now where that church comes in,
because the church is a place of refuge, God use the church to heal the society. The
society is at risk of moral injury epidemic because human beings are neurologically
hardwired to need love, which is the basis for being moral and for being at peace
with themselves and the world.
 Another way to say “neurologically hardwired” is to affirm that we are made in the
image of God, the Spirit that links us profoundly and completely to each other, our
bodies, and all of creation. (Brock, 20221)
 (Sonya B. Norman, and Shira Maguen, , 2023) Morally damaging experiences and
the guilt, humiliation, or rage that follows may be a factor in stress reactions like:
Changes in sleep, Significant and on-going negative changes in behaviour or
routines, such as trouble focusing, an increase in errors, isolation, and
compulsive/addictive activities like excessive work, excessive eating, or excessive
drinking.

8. Cont. …
 However, recovery from moral injury is not an individual accomplishment because
upholding moral principles is essential to preserving significant relationships and
being a member of a community.
 It is a relational process that heals our families, communities, and fosters a love of
life, beauty, and creativity. People need to risk trusting others to receive our
testimonies and confessions without judgement, and they (pastors, counsellors,
elders, Christians) need to be prepared to hear stories with compassionate hearts and
quiet minds, without reacting with horror, disgust, or dismay.
 We (Ministers of the gospel of God) learn that we are more than simply our traumas
or moral ambiguities and that there is more to us than lonely suffering when we use
writing or speaking to turn memory from an internal torturer to an external witness.
Then, we can use moral harm experiences as knowledge, resiliency, and wisdom
resources in our daily lives and in our communities.

9. Cont. …
 When people face accurate traumatic stressors like a pandemic or climate disaster,
we are experiencing a direct threat to our life or the lives of others we know. We are
all either vicariously witnessing trauma, through media or through supporting others,
or directly experiencing the plight of closes others. As it is generally known that the
role of the church is to make Christ known and loved, to spread the knowledge of
salvation everywhere, and to pray and suffer for the salvation of souls. Christ gave
His Church the commission to spread the message of salvation to the ends of earth.
(Silva, C., & Maguen, S., 2009)
 As pastors, elders, leaders, ministers, volunteers, mentor, as Christians. We must
support people who have suffered moral or spiritual harm. Although we might not
have had the experiences that have led to their injury, we never served in battle; we
have never been a first responder. As I am writing this work I am reminded of what
we actually learned in under graduate with Dr. Machinga about a wounded healer, a
person who got his/her own injuries but stand to help others under same situation,
that’s to say we do assist people in a good way on what we have experienced before
as a person, and now know what to do through a personal experience as a pastor
counsellor who represent Christ in the church and the society at large. We can all
relate because we have all failed in some ways, and each one of us has stepped
outside of our moral bounds and still found grace, forgiveness, and healing.
(Demarco, 2022)

10.  Ministers needs to practice the words of 2Corinthians 1:3-4 “praise is to God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
who brings us consolation in all our tribulations, enabling us to comfort others with
the comfort we ourselves have experienced from God”.
 Nobody should ever have to endure hardship or embarrassment by themselves.
Instead, we need to become a safe harbour for those who are struggling because it is
our sacred calling.
 Therefore Church should be the best easiest place which help people to come and
say I am not ok, and not a place when a person come confessing their struggles, sins,
and doubts, and when you ask if someone knows or walking with them to come out
of the trouble, they reply: oh no! No one could ever know, what would they think of
me? We must do better and be better. Most people in today’s society suffer from
moral injury because they fear the judgement of others if they ever happen to know
the situation they are actually in and this fear causes a lot of damage to their mental
well-being as they do not know who to trust and open to.

11. Cont. …
 As ministers, then let’s not be so quick to only refer people to mental-health
professionals. Yes, please send people to get therapeutic counselling because I do
believe in therapy, but we need also to provide the spiritual counsel and guidance
that so many are yearning for.
 We are equipped to handle these questions of sin, shame, and suffering, and if you
do refer, do not refer and forget. Instead, enquire as to "How may you may be able
to minister to the person spiritually while he/she receive the therapy.” Perhaps it's a
weekly Scriptures prayer time, an Anonymous meeting, a word of encouragement,
or supporting their family during a difficult time.
 Even church leaders and pastoral care providers are at risk of developing traumatic
stress symptoms (Demarco, 2022).This acute stress reaction is natural, but it is
important to promote self-care, social support, and sleep, in order to prevent
prolonged psychological consequences such as post-traumatic disorder and
depression. These serious reactions are more likely to occur in people with a story of
trauma, but we can take steps to protect ourselves and minimize the negative
consequences.

12. Cont. …
• Trauma recovery and resilience are processes that benefit most from the presence of
encouraging relationships. Clarity and adaptability are the most crucial weapons in
times of instability and uncertainty.
• We experience emotional turmoil, blurred vision, and unstable thinking during a
crisis. When faced with hardship, people are more likely to respond emotionally
than logically. This kind of reaction creates unneeded confusion. Although the
church has historically been regarded as a source of stability, it now needs to
demonstrate flexibility.
• In times of crisis, ministry leaders must function on three levels: situational
awareness, biblical fidelity, and cultural awareness. Utilizing limited resources
(time, money, and people), overcoming challenges, and adapting to new information
are all necessary components of leadership agility. The ability to discern what is
extra is the first step toward agility. It calls on leaders to adopt a learning attitude,
taking advice from God, their peers, and international experts. Agility triumphs in a
time where interpersonal engagement norms are always shifting. (Silva, C., &
Maguen, S., 2009)

13.  In conclusion of the above, there is one thing to be taken note of that individuals
with moral are frequently withdrawn, aloof, unable to share, distracted, in charge,
excess drinking or sleeping, exhausted, or otherwise unable to be present. They may
find it difficult to talk, and not much interests them. They might not even understand
why they are feeling so horrible.
 All of these indicate that their system may be shutting down in an effort to shield
itself from emotional suffering. Re-establishing one's self-worth and life-sustaining
relationships is a necessary component of the comprehensive process of healing
hearts.
 Therefore, the Church need to understand that people come to church with their
hurts for they believe it is the right place to be discharged from their trauma or
injuries. Acknowledging that the church plays a great role in the lives of those
experiencing moral injuries for the church solve what medicine cannot solve, what
the society cannot solve but the church. Jesus Christ provides the peace of mind and
heart through the church for it is the one well equipped to solve this kind of
situation.

14.  This paper is highly recommended to all servants in training in the Institution of
Theology and Religious Studies and all different church leaders, knowing fully that
they minister among people who are dealing with moral injury manifested in
different ways, therefore you should practice to give room to people open-up and
confide the problems.
 The Church need to see beyond physical suffering and go up to the soul knowing
that some of the challenges that these people go through the Lord have already
formed leaders in different ways, thus, our own experience is one of the key to help
those in challenge of any kind, as it was said above that: we never served in battle,
we have never been a first responder.
 It will not be easy but never impossible for people consciously or unconsciously are
yearning for moral injury help in one way or the other, and let not forget that moral
injury become dangerous if not treated, for a damaged spirit become a public danger.

15.  Brock, R. N. (20221). An epidemic of moral injury. The Christian Century, 17-21.
 Center, N. I. (2014). What is Crisis. Possible Crisis Outcomes, 1-7.
 Demarco, M. (2022, December 30). How to Help Someone Struggling with Moral
Injury. Consulté le September 13, 2023, sur
https://michelejdemarco.medium.com/?source=post_page-----83c69632921a------
--------------------------
 Jinkerson, J. (2016). Defining and assessing moral injury. A syndrome perspective
Traumatology, 7-8.
 Lab, M. (2018, January 12). What is the role of the Church in the world? Consulté le
September 12, 2023, sur Your Family Can become a Holy Family:
https://afc.org/fc_question/what-is-the-role-of-the-church-in-the-
world/#:~:text=The%20role%20of%20the%20Church%20is%20to%20make%20Chri
st%20known,the%20ends%20of%20the%20earth.
 Silva, C., & Maguen, S. (2009). injury and moral repair in war Veterans. A
preliminary model and intervention strategy. .
 Sonya B. Norman, and Shira Maguen, . (2023). Moral Injury. PTSD: National Center
for PTSD, 29-30.
