Made in God's Image: The Incest Survivor's Embodied Journey from Deicide to Resurrection

Child sexual abuse, particularly incest, violates the body in profound and lasting ways—disrupting identity, severing trust, and attempting to erase the core of who we are as people. Survivors are often left shrouded in shame, struggling with painful theological questions: Who is God, and where was God during the abuse? How can divine presence be felt now, in bodies marked by betrayal and violation? In the wake of such overwhelming trauma is it possible to know, trust, or feel the love of God? Despite the devastation inflicted by incest, the violated body is not only capable of healing—it is also a sacred site of revelation. The abused body speaks theological truth. Within its wounds lies a deep, often overlooked wisdom that bears witness to the imago Dei. By bringing the experience of incest into dialogue with the narrative of Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Resurrection Sunday, the survivor’s body is re-imagined as a living testimony to divine presence, resilience, and truth.

Sumer Bingham Musick is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Pikeville in Pikeville, Kentucky. She completed her MA and MPhil at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom and her PhD at Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida. She specializes in trauma informed and embodied theology. As a sexual abuse survivor, educator, and yoga instructor she is committed to helping others find safe space to heal.