It's time for Focus on the Family to start acknowledging abuse happens in Christian marriages.
Category: Domestic Violence
Book Review Series – "The Excellent Wife" by Martha Peace – Chapter Sixteen – Watch Your Words
This chapter is full of conflicting important points and is a reminder that verbal and emotional abuse is not appropriate.
Book Review Series – "The Excellent Wife" by Martha Peace – Chapter Fifteen – One Long, Unmotivating List
In this chapter, the author provides a list of ways wives are motivated to honor Christ in submission to their husbands. I'm motivated to cut out as much from the list as possible. ~Kathi
Domestic Violence Survivor Responds to Wayne Grudem's Change of Opinion on "Allowing" Divorce for Abuse in Marriage
Next time you meet a divorced survivor, look in her eyes with kindness and ask yourself how bad it had to be to risk all she did.
Book Review Series – "The Excellent Wife" by Martha Peace – Chapter Fourteen – A Wife's Orderly Way to Respond to Her Husband's Evil Responses
How does a Christian wife respond to her husband's evil behavior? This orderly list provides more harm than help.
Pastors and Church Leaders: do you know who is in your audience? Well-intentioned sermons may be harmful to survivors.
Please preach and communicate as if one in three women listening in your audience are victims of domestic violence.
Book Review Series – “The Excellent Wife” by Martha Peace – Chapter Thirteen – Submission Provides Protection?
It’s obvious that in Peace’s world of submission, a husband can behave any way he likes without consequence; otherwise, options would be given to wives for how to deal with abusive behaviors.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month – Safety Planning
Safety plans are helpful for victims/survivors at different points of time. Safety plans help victims/survivors to think through ways to stay safe while in a harmful situation or navigate after leaving an abusive relationship. One thing that I have learned from listening to people is that survivors always have to be on the offensive. It's… Continue reading Domestic Violence Awareness Month – Safety Planning
Book Review Series – “The Excellent Wife” by Martha Peace – Chapter Twelve – Setting the Stage for Submission
This book has already focused so much on submission, but for some reason Peace has at least two more chapters left on this topic. It makes me wonder if she is trying to convince herself that her theology is that good by saying it over and over and over.
Pastor Neil Schori Urges Pastors and Church Leaders to Get it Right about Domestic Violence
If church leaders are counseling abused spouses to go back to their abusive partners because they don't meet the church-approved "divorce criteria," they are contributing to the abuse by placing survivors in harm's way.
Domestic Violence: A Call to Pastors – Documentation to Help Domestic Violence Victims
This is one practical way that a pastor can help a domestic violence victim - by providing a letter stating that she is needing time off work or a safety accommodation to deal with domestic violence-related issues.
Twitter Twaddles and Truths
Sometimes there are tweets that really need to be seen wider than the Twitterverse. I will be compiling tweets to highlight here.
Book Review Series – “The Excellent Wife” by Martha Peace – Chapter Eleven – Mutual Sex or Sex on Demand?
In so many of the godly wife books we see that the wife's duty is to provide sex for her husband whenever he wants it. At least she identifies that a wife has a desire and need for sex.
Book Review Series – “The Excellent Wife” by Martha Peace – Chapter Ten – R.E.S.P.E.C.T., Find Out What it Means to MP
Peace likens the wife's position to her husband as a soldier to his superior officer, which leads to the biggest problem I have with this chapter: the husband being viewed as the position of authority and the wife respecting her husband because of that position.
Book Review Series – “The Excellent Wife” by Martha Peace – Chapter Nine – Putting on Love
A Christian wife should not be led to believe that she is undeserving of living in a healthy, harm-free relationship.
Book Review Series – “The Excellent Wife” by Martha Peace – Chapter Seven – False Idols and Faking Joy
I honestly don't understand how a wife expecting her husband to treat her with respect, kindness, and love is an idol.
Book Review Series – “The Excellent Wife” by Martha Peace – Chapter Six – Perfect in Image, Lacking in Glory
Because only men can bring glory to God, the husband will always be the head of the wife.
Book Review Series – “The Excellent Wife” by Martha Peace – Chapter Five: Wives, if You Experience Abuse, Acknowledge Your Sin
"A wife who is a victim of abuse should not be forced to think about how her "sinful actions" contributed to abuse. This constant reminder of sin can keep a victim trapped in an abusive marriage longer than she should be."
Book Review Series – “The Excellent Wife” by Martha Peace – Chapter 4: Doing Your Minimal Duty to God
"You may be thinking, "I'm willing to work at having a close relationship with my husband, but he is not." If he is unwilling to communicate or is cruel and yet you respond in a godly manner, you will be suffering for righteousness sake and God will meet your needs." ~Martha Peace
Harvest Bible Chapel’s Pastor James MacDonald is OUT; the Painful Personal Stories Left in the Wake
Well, he finally did enough damage that even his elders cannot cover this up. James MacDonald was caught saying despicable and cruel things on a recording which was aired by Chicago-area radio personality and former Harvest Bible Chapel congregant, "Mancow" Muller. on WLS/AM 890. And he was fired!
