New release tells a story of hope, healing after abuse by scout leader

FAITH NEWS SERVICE – Growing up in the home of an absent father and an emotionally abusive mother, Tom Stewart was an easy mark for a predator. Conditioned for compliance and desperate for affirmation from authority figures, Tom fell prey to a decade of sexual abuse by his Boy Scout leader in the 1970s. Unfortunately, his was not an isolated case.

The Boy Scouts of America have faced mounting abuse claims in the last several years, and by November 2020, over 92,700 claims of sexual abuse had been made by former Scouts.

Tom’s landmark lawsuit against the Boy Scouts in 2007 paved the way for others to come forward and set him on the road to forgiveness and healing. Rather than retreating into bitterness, Tom faced his past, proving that, even in the worst of circumstances, God can turn evil for good.

“The Lord has delivered me from the emotional damage of my afflictions and has redeemed them, using them for His good by equipping me to help free other victims who are still held captive by the chains of their past,” Tom says.

“The difficult circumstances I faced cultivated the compassion I needed to help others. I’ve learned how to understand the weary, the weak, and the faint because I’ve been one of them. I want to encourage those experiencing abuse not to allow the bitterness and the evil that it came from to consume them, but to overcome as victors instead of victims.”

In his new heartrending memoir from Redemption Press, Tom delivers a message of hope in the face of unthinkable hurt. On Wings like Eagles is a story of perseverance and the power of forgiveness, reminding us that by the grace of God, it is possible to rise above our brokenness.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A native of Western Washington, Thomas Gregory Stewart has enjoyed a thirty-five-year career as a chemical engineer at the Boeing Company, where his work focuses primarily on eliminating carcinogens from the workplace. But his true calling is to advocate for how trusting in God can sustain us through life’s trials. Drawing from his own hardships and healing, Tom’s life mission is to bring hope to the hopeless.

For review copies and media interviews, contact Tom Stewart: thomas.g.stewart@boeing.com