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Articles
Finding God in the Midst of Distress
Dr. Kroeger delivered this sermon in June, 2008, at Brewster Baptist Church.
It begins:
"An injured woman was limping along the road, trying to escape an abusive situation. She wasn’t moving very fast, but she was doing her very best to get away. It seemed as though everything was against her. She was pregnant, a minority person, an immigrant and a slave. How’s that for being marginalized? Any of those conditions make a person more susceptible to abuse, feeling like they’re not a person at all. Abused women, whether or not they suffer physical violence, are almost always subjected to humiliation, insults, demeaning. They are stripped of their self-esteem, and they end up often blaming themselves for being the cause of family abuse."
The Candidate Who Didn’t Have Enough Votes
In the 1930s, Minnesota had a brilliant young governor who captivated my family’s imagination and admiration. His innovative labor program became a national model, and soon his sights had moved beyond the state level to broader objectives. Harold Stassen set the national record as having tried for the presidency no less than seven times! From my childhood, I understood about a disappointed candidate.
The Bible too tells us of a leader who simply did not have enough votes to implement his dream. Born into a slave family, the young Caleb could envision a society where his people would be free from bondage and oppression. There they could own their land, occupy their own homes, and live in peace and prosperity.
Watch Out How You Interpret Paul!
The Civic Auditorium in St. Paul, Minnesota was filled to capacity as a supposed expert held forth for a whole week on how to build constructive relationships within the family. At the time, he was enormously popular with the Christian public. The event had been widely promoted by churches and parachurch organizations, and I too had been encouraged to attend. I sat there, along with many thousands of others, watching as the “expert” drew a diagram of a man and woman standing side by side in a dating relationship. Then, while sketching the downward swoop of an arrow, he explained that after marriage, the woman dropped below her husband to a servant status.
Why We Need a Distinctively Christian Network to Address Domestic Abuse
Evangelicalism has been effective in proclaiming the redemptive and reconciling love of God to a world in desperate need. In the last half-century, it has gained in both numbers and influence throughout the globe. Believers can point to many accomplishments and ministries through which they have sought to bring glory to God and healing balm to those in need. There has been a recognition that we must be doers of the word and not hearers only.
Are the Shepherds Safeguarding the Lives of the Sheep?
Only yesterday I was told of a Christian woman who escaped a viciously cruel marriage and went to consult her pastor. The man of God, wishing to restore domestic peace and harmony, sent the fearful congregant back to her home along with his well meant prayers and good advice. Two days later the woman was dead, slain by the hand of her husband. Only weeks before a similar tragedy had been played out in a neighboring parish. Although the pastor had intended to reestablish the marital union, his guidance had led to its permanent destruction. His first obligation was to do all in his power to safeguard the life of the parishioner.
Guidelines for Pastors Responding to Domestic Violence:
Approaching an Abusive Partner
(Adapted from the FaithTrust Institute)
Remember the Goals
1. SAFETY for the victim and children
2. ACCOUNTABILITY for the abuser
3. FAITHFUL PRESENTATION of the biblical condemnation of abuse and of God’s call to repentance and transformation.
4. RESTORATION of individuals and IF POSSIBLE relationships OR
5. MOURNING the loss of the relationships
Guidelines for Pastors Responding to Domestic Violence:
Approaching a Battered Woman
When the Abuser is a Woman
In a small percentage of cases of domestic abuse, the offender is a woman. Sometimes both parties in a marriage engage in violent or abusive behavior. The abuse inflicted by women is usually verbal or emotional and can cause cruel suffering. Literary descriptions of termagant wives occur repeatedly— all the way from Socrates to Rip Van Winkle and Ethan Frome; but in real life such spouses can pose an insurmountable problem for committed Christian men.
Statement by Task Force on Violence against Women:
World Evangelical Alliance
Statement by Task Force on Violence against Women: World Evangelical Alliance
Preamble: Throughout God's Word, violence is condemned and peaceful living is encouraged. There are more than one hundred Biblical passages condemning various forms of violence and abuse. As Christians, we need therefore to listen to the heart of God and align our own hearts with His. From God's Word we learn the following principles:
Some Biblical Thoughts on Physical, Sexual, and Verbal Abuse
The Law of Israel on Household Violence
If a man hits a manservant or maidservant in the eye and destroys it, he must let the servant go free to compensate for the eye. And if he knocks out the tooth of a manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free to compensate for the tooth. (Ex. 21:26-27.)
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