Abuse is in
The Christian Home
Domestic Violence
Abuse is in the Christian Home
Women who are suffering in abusive marriages are sitting in our pews.
Christian women are more likely to remain in or return to unsafe relationships because of their religious beliefs.
Abuse is not a marriage problem
- Men use their God-given authority to subjugate their wives
- Men will misuse scripture as a means to oppress their wives
MARRIAGE COUNSELING IS
- It affirms for the abuser he is, in fact, entitled to his abusive behaviors or responses toward his imperfect wife
- It affirms for the victim she is, somehow, responsible for the behaviors or responses of her abusive husband
- Victims won’t often disclose abuse in marriage counseling because they aren’t safe or free to do so. And if there’s no safety or freedom to express oneself honestly, there can’t ultimately be marriage counseling anyway.
- Marriage counseling assumes there are two people who desire the help available to them in counseling. In situations of abuse though, you typically have one client (the victim) who desperately wants help, and another (the abuser) who is present physically in the counseling room but not as a willing participant.
“The marriage has been shattered because of the behavior and mindset of the abuser. That doesn’t mean the victim is a perfect woman or doesn’t have her own sin, she does. But those sins haven’t made him do his stuff. He’s chosen to act out in his ways because of his own stuff and until he owns that, repents of that, is willing to really work to change that, you can’t rebuild the broken marriage.”
“Abuse, addictions, chronic adultery are not marriage problems…they cause marriage problems.”