Victims of domestic violence often turn to their churches for help. Many church leaders are not educated in domestic violence and unwittingly aid the abuser instead of the victim. My Experience Many years ago, I was an abuse victim. I became afraid of my...
Many women who have experienced domestic violence have also experienced some type of sexual assault, either in their adult relationship, or as a child. Though you may not have been forcibly raped, as a child you may have: Been exposed to pornography Been exposed to...
I just finished my month of reading the bible every day. Toward the end of the month, we were to read the book of Amos. As I did a few weeks ago, I read these two chapters, and wrote down anything that stood out to me. Then, I went back and tried to identify what the...
Good Morning Friends! My good friend Amy Thomson who writes the "Picking up the Pieces" blog, recently asked me to guest blog for her and say what prompted me to write my first book, A Journey through Emotional Abuse: from Bondage to Freedom. In the blog, I describe...
This is Part 3 of my series on how to honor Domestic Violence Awareness Month. One great way to further domestic violence awareness is in your church, with your pastor and elders (lay leaders of the church). Most people have very little education about domestic...
I can't tell you how many stories I've heard of domestic violence victims (usually women) whose churches did not support them when they finally separated from their abusive spouses. This lack of support had many different faces: Their pastor told them to their face...
In my last blog, I told the story of how I asked two different pastors at my church for help when I was being abused by my first husband. In both cases, my pastors were unable to give me the help I needed. Because of their lack of knowledge about domestic violence, I...
Lately I’ve been posting comments and questions to my twitter and Facebook accounts about churches and how they help or hinder the abused. If you ask your church for help with domestic violence, and they tell you to submit, pray harder or be a better wife, they can't...
In his blog from March 31, 2012 entitled “Does ‘Turn the Other Cheek’ Mean We Must Submit to Abuse?” Pastor Jeff Crippen talks about what Jesus said in Matthew 5:38-39, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do...
Many Christian abuse victims are given the message that God has ordained the suffering that they are experiencing, and that it would be a sin if they separated from or divorced their abuser. This belief keeps many victims trapped in unhappy marriages that can only be...
Click for a preview of DV Guide for Churches now.