Special Episode Recap: Wounded Yet Risen: Trauma, Survival, and the Cross in Mark 15
What happens when we stop rushing from crucifixion to resurrection—and instead sit with the silence, the scars, and the cry of abandonment? In this special episode of Wesleyan Threads, Pastor Britt steps outside the usual bounds of Methodist history and polity to explore the crucifixion of Jesus through the lens of trauma theory. This reflection, part of an NT 501 final project at Candler School of Theology, reads Mark 15 as a site of both devastating wounding and radical survival.
Drawing on biblical trauma studies and theologians like Jürgen Moltmann, the episode invites listeners to see Jesus not simply as a victim, but as a survivor—one whose resurrection carries the scars of crucifixion. What if the hope of Easter doesn’t erase pain but transfigures it?
Key Threads
Trauma theory as a lens for interpreting Scripture
Silence, fragmentation, and abandonment in Mark’s Passion narrative
Jesus’ cry of dereliction and divine solidarity in suffering
Resurrection not as reversal of trauma, but survival with scars
Theological engagement with Jürgen Moltmann’s The Crucified God
Takeaway Quote
“The scars remain. The hope persists. And in Christ, wounded yet risen, we find a God who enters trauma and transforms it with love.”
Explore More
Jürgen Moltmann, The Crucified God — A powerful theological meditation on suffering and divine solidarity.
Shelly Rambo, Resurrecting Wounds: Living in the Afterlife of Trauma — A practical and theological reflection on trauma, survival, and resurrection.
David G. Garber Jr., “Trauma Theory and Biblical Studies” — A concise scholarly overview of trauma hermeneutics in biblical interpretation.
Listen to “Wounded Yet Risen” wherever you get your podcasts or at wesleyanthreads.org.
