Books You Should Read: What Kind of Watchman Are You?

You will not enjoy reading this book.

Steve Black’s book What Kind of Watchman Are You? addresses the prevalence of child sex abuse within families and churches, a topic which all-too-often gets swept under the rug for the sake of convenience.

The Ezekiel 33 Project

The Ezekiel 33 Project (Facebook link here) is a project headed up by Black which attempts to shine a light on this very dark and difficult issue. The stated goal of the Ezekiel 33 Project, per its Facebook page, is “to prevent, bring awareness, and support to families regarding the issue of child sexual abuse.” The project and the book both find their roots in Ezekiel 33:2-6:

“Son of man, speak to your people and say to them, If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and make him their watchman, and if he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people, then if anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But if he had taken warning, he would have saved his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand.”

I first came into contact with Black and the project when he spoke at the TRU Church Ministry Conference in August, 2019. Given the difficult nature of the subject, it is probably no surprise to anyone reading this that this was the first time I had ever heard the topic of child abuse ever given a dedicated lecture at a conference or lectureship (as an aside, that desperately needs to change). After hearing him speak, I immediately purchased a copy of his book and began reading once the conference ended.

What Kind of Watchman Are You?

The book takes the principle of the watchman laid out in Ezekiel 33:2-6 and develops its application within the specific context of exposing and preventing sexual abuse, particularly child abuse, within families and congregations. Black presents a blend of biblical passages and research statistics that compliment each other in showing both the universality and the prevalence of sexual abuse. Black makes a point of exposing behaviors that should alarm “watchman,” as well as introducing certain preventative measures for families and congregations. If some of the measures seem extreme, it is likely because we have not considered the issue as seriously as we should have. In my experience, books on this difficult topic are generally heavy on statistics and light on application, including little more than pop psychology in a failed attempt to be useful. Black avoids this trap by basing his application on Scripture. He also explores the inconsistencies most of us have between dealing with this issue and others.

The book is not exhaustive by any stretch. Rereading Watchman took me less than an hour. The book is meant to start a discussion over a difficult topic that most congregations and families have avoided; in this regard, the book is completely successful. Do not expect to have every question about the subject answered; rather, expect to learn the questions you should have been asking all along.

Who Should Be a Watchman?

Anyone who has children in their charge in any capacity - parents, grandparents, teachers, elders, ministers, etc. - stands to gain from reading this book. Given the way Black handles the topic, the brevity of the book, and the importance of what is discussed, Watchman gets an unreserved recommendation for everyone. You will not enjoy it, but you need to read What Kind of Watchman Are You?

(Start2Finish Books, 2017; 96 pages)