Sunday, November 25, 2012

Complementarians Speak out about Violence Against Women







“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless.  
 Not to speak is to speak.  Not to act is to act.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer



Today, Novermber 25, was the day designated as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women:



"Millions of women and girls around the world are assaulted, beaten, raped, mutilated or even murdered in what constitutes appalling violations of their human rights. [...] We must fundamentally challenge the culture of discrimination that allows violence to continue. On this International Day, I call on all governments to make good on their pledges to end all forms of violence against women and girls in all parts of the world, and I urge all people to support this important goal."

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon



A number of leaders who promote complementarian teachings spoke out against the violence against women.  I am glad to see church leaders acknowledging the abuse of women and girls, especially among leaders who promote complementarianism from their pulpits or teachings.     If you are unfamiliar with the Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and what complementarianism is, as I was a few months ago, here is a statement from their website defining their purpose:




In opposition to the growing movement of feminist egalitarianism, they articulated what is now known as the complementarian position which affirms that men and women are equal in the image of God, but maintain complementary differences in role and function. In the home, men lovingly are to lead their wives and family as women intelligently are to submit to the leadership of their husbands. In the church, while men and women share equally in the blessings of salvation, some governing and teaching roles are restricted to men.



Some of these people are connected with The Gospel Coalition, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood,  and seeing them speak out against these abuses gives me hope that they take abuse of women seriously.   A few of the articles even mentioned that sometimes it is necessary to involve civil authority.  This seems to be a contrast to the way in which Sovereign Grace Ministries leaders/pastors handled many of the alleged abuse cases we read about in their recent lawsuit.  This illustrates quite profoundly that C. J. Mahaney and his pastors/leaders did not respond in a way that many of his peers would respond to alleged abuse.  You may recall, in most of the abuse stories we have read about online on survivor blogs, personal stories, and in the Sovereign Grace Ministries lawsuit, civil authorities were not notified.  The crime was labeled as "sin" and dealt with in a so-called "biblical" fashion within the church.  


Reader "An Attorney" offers additional insight for the abused woman:  Help the woman get to a shelter with her children, or provide that shelter.  Help her identify an attorney to deal with the legal issues. Help her get a protective order and access to the home. In many states, an abused woman can get an order granting her a car (of one or two the couple own), the house or apartment, the furnishings other than his clothes, and the bank accounts (short term, but in the long term, 1/2 of the cash and investments).  Help her get and keep custody of the children.



I would like to highlight a few of the articles posted on 11/25.  The first article is by Mary Kassian.  

Here is Mary's bio:
Mary is a distinguished professor of Women’s Studies at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and is the author of several books including The Feminist Mistake and In My Father’s House.

And here are key snippets of Mary's article:

Statement on Abuse on the Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

Complementarians believe that God created male and female as complementary expressions of His image. We believe that men bear a distinct responsibility to be protectors. When a husband abuses his wife, it’s a heinous betrayal of his responsibility and a grievous sin in the eyes of God.

Statement on Abuse
Adopted by the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood at its meeting in Lisle, Illinois in November, 1994.
  • We understand abuse to mean the cruel use of power or authority to harm another person emotionally, physically, or sexually.
  • We are against all forms of physical, sexual and /or verbal abuse.
  • We believe that the biblical teaching on relationships between men and women does not support, but condemns abuse (Prov. 12:18; Eph. 5:25-29; Col. 3:18; 1 Tim. 3:3; Titus 1:7-8; 1 Pet. 3:7; 5:3).
  • We believe that abuse is sin. It is destructive and evil. Abuse is the hallmark of the devil and is in direct opposition to the purpose of God. Abuse ought not to be tolerated in the Christian community.
  • We believe that the Christian community is responsible for the well-being of its members. It has a responsibility to lovingly confront abusers and to protect the abused.
  • We believe that both abusers and the abused are in need of emotional and spiritual healing.
  • We believe that God extends healing to those who earnestly seek him.
  • We are confident of the power of God’s healing love to restore relationships fractured by abuse, but we realize that repentance, forgiveness, wholeness, and reconciliation is a process. Both abusers and abused are in need of on-going counseling, support and accountability.
  • In instances where abusers are unrepentant and/or unwilling to make significant steps toward change, we believe that the Christian community must respond with firm discipline of the abuser and advocacy, support and protection of the abused.
  • We believe that by the power of God’s Spirit, the Christian community can be an instrument of God’s love and healing for those involved in abusive relationships and an example of wholeness in a fractured, broken world.


Julie Anne's note:  Do you notice something missing in the above?  The above statement which is the most current statement from the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) very clearly acknowledges abuse.  That is good.  But they failed to acknowledge that violence against women is a CRIME.  There is also no mention of involving authorities when there is abuse.  That omission is wrong.  


Mary's article continues:

I emailed Wayne Grudem earlier this week to ask what he would like to communicate to complementarian pastors on this Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. This is what he said:

I strongly deplore any abuse of wives by their husbands and I believe the Bible teaches clearly against it. When pastors learn about abuse occurring in a home in their congregation, they have an obligation before God to seek to bring an immediate end to it, through direct personal conversation with the abuser, support of the abused, professional counselling, through means such as church discipline, protective personal intervention in dangerous situations, using law enforcement and other legal pressures, extensive prayer, and, if necessary, legal separation. Pastors also need to encourage their church members and attenders to tell someone in church leadership if abuse is occurring, so that appropriate means can be brought to bring an immediate end to it.  Nobody in a leadership role in CBMW thinks that abuse within a marriage is justified by the biblical teachings about husbands and wives.
Wayne Grudem, Ph.D., Research Professor, Phoenix Seminary, and co-founder and past president of CBMW



I'm very pleased to read Wayne Grudem's response above.  Notice he does discuss using law enforcement and also mentions legal separation.  Finally!  Someone needs to change CBMW's statement on abuse to incorporate utilizing legal separation and notifying law enforcement when suspected illegal activity has taken place. 


Dr. Russell Moore also left a public response on his blog.  He is the Chairman of the Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.  Here is his bio:

Russell D. Moore is Dean of the School of Theology and Senior Vice President for Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he also serves as Professor of Christian Theology and Ethics.


I was very pleased with Russell's strong words against spousal abuse.  He does mention getting the law involved, if necessary.  The whole article is very good, please take the time to read it.  I underlined the references of reporting to legal authorities.  


The Church & Violence Against Women 
Male violence against women is a real problem in our culture, one the church must address. Our responsibility here is not simply at the level of social justice but at the level of ecclesical justice as well.
“A man who hits you has surrendered his headship, and that is the business both of the civil state in enacting public justice and of this church in enacting church discipline.”

"In the public arena, Christians as citizens should be the most insistent on legal protections for women. We should oppose a therapeutic redefinition of wife abuse as merely a psychological condition. And we should call on the powers-that-be to prosecute abusers of women and children in ways that will deter others and make clear society’s repugnance at such abuse. "

"Whatever our views on specific economic policies, we must recognize that much economic hardship of women in our age is the result of men who abandon their commitments. We should eschew obnoxious “welfare queen” rhetoric and work with others of goodwill to seek economic and social measures to provide a safety net for single mothers and abused women in jeopardy. We should join with others, including secular feminists, in seeking legal protections against such manifestations of a rape culture as sexual harassment, prostitution, and sex slavery."


Owen Strachan is one more public leader who responded to the occasion.  Owen is Assistant Professor of Christian Theology and Church History at Boyce College in Louisville, Kentucky and also teaches at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  Additionally, he is a writer for the Gospel Coalition.


In Owen Strachan's article, he very succinctly identifies himself as a complementarian, describing what he perceives as his role as husband and how he would handle a situation of spousal abuse.  He writes a hypothetical letter to Bob, an abusive husband.  I will highlight a few paragraphs, but please read the article.  You can see that he, even as a complementarian, has very high regard for the protection and care of wives.  I enjoyed his Dear Bob letter very much.  



Dear Bob:

It has come to my attention that you are abusing your wife verbally and physically.  Knowing this, I am trying not to tremble as I write.  There is nothing worse than the strong mistreating the weak.

Please know this: your abuse of your wife in the name of Christian leadership is a direct repudiation of true manhood.  You think that the expulsive exercise of your strength is warranted by Scripture.  You think that it shows that you are a man.  Actually, it shows your depravity.

Owen then discusses the complementarian view using scripture in Ephesians to support his views.   We then read his views of Bob's behaviors in light of his interpretation of scripture.  These are strong words showing he understands abuse as abuse, not as accepted behavior for a "man of God".


Your present pattern, Bob, looks like Satanic headship.  You are attacking and tearing down.  The biblical pattern is Christic headship, sacrificial, others-centered, offered in order that others might flourish and thrive.  If you do not cease your ways, the elders of your church will “deliver [you] to Satan for the destruction of the flesh” (1 Cor. 5:6).  If you are bent on destroying your loved ones, you will face the prospect of a life outside the church, which places the soul in danger of eternal destruction if gospel repentance does not happen. 

And like Wayne Grudem, and Russell Moore, Alex also mentions bringing civil authorities into the picture in this paragraph (my underlines):

Repent of your sin.  It is a stench in God’s nostrils.  Were it not for your worth as an image-bearer, I would find it difficult not to threaten harm to you myself, and to bring many men with me.  As things stand, if you continue your pattern of abuse, I will indeed bring men with me, and we will rescue your wife and family, and we will not allow you to harm them.  We will bring the full force of the law crashing down upon you.  We are men of God; we are not weak; we are leaders and protectors of wives and children.  The Lord has saved us from our own wickedness and transformed us to be good to those he has given us.  As men of God, we are not scared of you.  We will surely stand up to you.  We urge you to stop your abuse, repent of your sin, and leave the pattern of destruction you have begun.




Can you imagine if this would have been the action taken in response to alleged abuse stories we have heard from Sovereign Grace Ministires?  Whoa Nellie!

And lastly, on the Gospel Coalition website, there is an article by Matt Smethurst entitled, Don't Mess With Her, Man.  This article acknowledges the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and discusses male authoritarianism listing many Bible verses on "the sort of men who would ever dare harm their brides."   The verses are good, but again, I found the article lacking on what to do if there is abuse taking place.  There was no mention of contacting civil authorities if crimes were committed.  The verses discussed how women should be treated and behavior that God does not like.  They are missing the boat when they fail to address practical applications such as reporting to authorities.  I left a comment on the website and we'll see if they allow it to remain.  It wouldn't be the first time I've had a comment removed from The Gospel Coalition website (hmm, wonder why?).






These public posts encourage me to some extent because they are identifying real abuse issues, instead of ignoring them.  Yet I remain puzzled.  And I think a lot of that puzzlement is due to what I see behind the scenes.  It makes me curious to know if these leaders are just using the right words on this special day to highlight abuse or if they will really put their money where their mouth is and bring harsh action upon abusers? 

And then my mind drifts to stories we've read of church leaders who have covered up alleged abuse (such as Sovereign Grace Ministries, Calvary Chapel, etc).  What if your close friend was a leader of a church who covered up abuse and failed to report alleged abuse to authorities?   How would you handle that situation?  Do you have an obligation to say something - - - even if your friend's church was out of your "jurisdiction"?      I think you do.  If you don't say anything, how many more victims will there be?  


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Addendum:  Pastor Jeff Crippen's blog post today caught something that I missed in Wayne Grudem's comment above.  Here are a couple key thoughts:


Notice once again the glaring absence of any affirmation that divorce is a biblical means of dealing with abuse.  Abuse victims/survivors will quickly understand that this statement dooms victims to a lifetime of working to “restore relationships”, to “involvement in a process of reconciliation,” of “ongoing counsel and support,” but divorce?  Forget it.  Remarriage?  Forget it.  Abusers love this sort of talk.  If the victim will just believe God and trust Him and keep doing all she can, God can bring her abuser to repentance and they can live happily ever after.  That is a fairy tale.  [Also notice that they tell the victims that they need counseling too.  For what?  PTSD?  That would be fine.  But I suspect this "counseling" is going to me more of the ilk of "you aren't perfect either, you know."]
As long as any theologian, author, or organization refuses to tell victims that they can divorce their abuser because the abuser has already treacherously divorced them by ongoing, hard-hearted violation of the marriage covenant, then my ears are deaf to everything else they have to say.  That is too bad, because I do think that Grudem and CBMW have done some good and have published some excellent books.  I just cannot hear them though as long as they continue to sentence abuse victims to ongoing bondage.  [I refuse to use the ESV Study Bible for this reason.  Grudem's notes in the back forbid divorce for abuse].

Reader "Sad" notified me in the comments of another article from Jonathan Leeman of 9Marks:  Violence against Women and Church Discipline:

As in other cases of clear and unrepentant sin, abuse can and often should be grounds for excommunication from the church. Rather than simply explain this, I thought it might be helpful to offer a sample of the kind of church discipline letter our church will send. (This particular letter does not refer to an actual situation.) No doubt, a letter like the following presumes that the elders have already been working with the individual, and for one reason or another they determine that the man's profession of faith is no longer credible by virtue of his actions.

Following up on Jeff Crippen's thoughts above, I wonder if Jonathan Leeman's church (or any of the other blog authors for that matter) would consider "divorce" as an option?  If the husband fails to repent and change his ways, is the wife to remain legally separated for the rest of her days?  




photo credit: devastar via photopin cc

38 comments:

  1. These groups do not give a crap about women. They say one thing with their words and do the exact opposite with their actions.

    They read and interpret a different bible than the ones I own.

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    Replies
    1. Well, we will see how they handle these types of cases. With so much media attention given to key sex abuse cases (Boy Scouts, Penn State, Catholic Church, etc), if these men are just all talk and no action, someone will eventually speak out. You can be sure of that.

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    2. Julie:

      It is past time for people to speak out especially how women are treated in most churches.

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    3. Tom: I agree. I would encourage my readers to go to the websites listed above and leave comments. That is a very small act that someone can do, but you can be sure that the comments are read (and sometimes removed).

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  2. 56 years a Baptist, mostly SBCNovember 26, 2012 at 4:12 AM

    You remarked that SGM dealt with the abuse "biblically" within the church. Please edit and make that "unbiblically". There is nothing biblical about making small children who are victims of abuse confront and forgive their abuser. Nor any victim of abuse for that matter.

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    1. Oh, you're right - I left of the quotes as I had done earlier in the sentence. Thanks for letting me know, 56 yrs!

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  3. You missed this from the 9Marks Website:

    Violence Against Women and Church Discipline
    By Jonathan Leeman | 11.26.2012 PRINT
    The United Nations designates yesterday, November 25, as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. A number of friends have written comments on the matter.

    How should a church respond to the case of a husband abusing his wife, or man his daughter? Decisively and quickly.

    A church should start by helping to remove a woman from a place where she will be harmed. Elders may choose to assist a woman find different accomodations merely if there is a threat of violence. If a woman has actually been assaulted, they should involve the police. Crimes against the body fall within the jurisdiction of the state (Rom. 13:1-7), and Christians can thank God that we live in a time when the state actually takes interest in such matters.

    As in other cases of clear and unrepentant sin, abuse can and often should be grounds for excommunication from the church. Rather than simply explain this, I thought it might be helpful to offer a sample of the kind of church discipline letter our church will send. (This particular letter does not refer to an actual situation.) No doubt, a letter like the following presumes that the elders have already been working with the individual, and for one reason or another they determine that the man's profession of faith is no longer credible by virtue of his actions.

    Dear ----,

    Greetings on behalf of ------ Church.

    The purpose of this letter is to inform you that last night, at the church's members meeting, the assembled congregation formally voted to remove you from the rolls as an act of discipline for violating your marital vows through acts of abuse toward your wife. As you know, the Scriptures call husbands to love their wives as Christ loves the church (Eph. 5:25-33), and Christ does not abuse his church. He protects and cherishes it. When a husband instead abuses his wife, he lies horribly about the character of God and the gospel of Christ.

    ----, by this letter we want to demonstrate our love for you by warning you of the seriousness of your sin and of your need to repent. We understand that only God can evaluate the human heart, but we must tell you that the decisions you have made are not consistent with how the Bible describes a Christian. Consequently, as a church, we can no longer with confidence call you our brother in Christ.

    However, we long to be able to do so! Please know that you are always welcome to attend the services of our church. We would be delighted to have you here, and should you desire to repent, we would love to see you restored to full fellowship with us in the gospel. If there is any way we can help you pursue that repentance, including helping you to discern what repentance would look like, we are only too ready. ------, we love you, and even though it would be easier to do nothing, we hope that our actions will be seen by you as evidence of our love and concern for you, and of our love for the honor of Christ supremely.

    May the Lord bless you with a sincere faith, a good conscience and a servant’s heart. Know that we long to welcome you back here.

    On behalf of CHBC, I am

    --------

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. It looks like that article was published today. My article was published last night.

      I'll add it to the addendum.

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    2. I would add: Help the woman get to a shelter with her children, or provide that shelter. Help her identify an attorney to deal with the legal issues. Help her get a protective order and access to the home. In many states, an abused woman can get an order granting her a car (or one or two the couple own), the house or apartment, the furnishings other than his clothes, and the bank accounts (short term, but in the long term, 1/2 of the cash and investments). Help her get and keep custody of the children.

      Delete
    3. In above comment: "(or . . ." should be "(of . . ."

      Delete
    4. Oh, that's good, An Attorney. I added it above. Thank you!

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  4. : "Freedom of Speech" doesn't mean freedom 2 sin as a Christian! U may THINK u have freedom 2 say what u want about ppl. God says u don't!

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    Replies
    1. Who is sinning? Saiko - is that you? Your comment sounds just like your tweets. Why hide behind "Anonymous"?

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  5. Adding a clause to CBMW's 1994 Statement on Abuse about the importance of legal protection is a good suggestion. I'll make sure to pass it on.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for stopping by, Mary. Another suggestion would be to add "spiritual abuse" to the other abuses mentioned. I appreciate you passing along my suggestions.

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    2. "Adding a clause to CBMW's Statement on Abuse about the importance of legal protection is a good suggestion."

      It's more than a good suggestion. "Passing" on the idea 18 years after CBMW's Statement on Abuse shows that CBMW's "statement" was not worth too much in the first place. I'll save my approval until the clause is approved. Sheesh.

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    3. Dee - Good point. And another thing, a paper is just a piece of paper unless it is enforced. But who is going to enforce it? Are we seeing them holding each other accountable? Who holds CJ Mahaney accountable? Are his Gospel Coalition brothers challenging him on the abuse cases in his churches? Why not?

      This hits a nerve with me because we heard of pastors who knew of my pastor's abuse issues and they failed to say anything to him. They also had the opportunity and the platform on my blog (and trust me, they knew about my blog), to say something, but still refused. So, basically it took a group of women to speak out. Wow.

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    4. Mary Kassian, two years ago I wrote a Critique of CBMW's Statement on Abuse, making many suggestions as to how it might be improved. You can find my original critique here
      http://www.notunderbondage.com/resources.html

      I'm going to republish it very soon at A Cry For Justice
      cryingoutforjustice.wordpress.com

      After I sent my critique to CBMW I heard back from Randy (the then-President of the organization) that CBMW would be reviewing its Statement.
      But nothing has changed since then.

      I feel I was given very short shrift by CMBW. In fact, CMBW rebuked me for having sent the critique around to as many big names on CBMW's board that I could find emails for. I was reprimanded like a schoolgirl.

      If you pass on any suggestions to them about their Statement on Abuse, I think you will need to be very proactive in following it up till they make some real changes.

      I am very disappointed that CBMW have not made any changes as a result of my critique. I believe they doing a great disservice to victims with their Statement on Abuse. The lack of mention of legal protection is only one of the deficits in their Statement. Please read my critique and see what other deficits I believe are in it.

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    5. Just making another comment here to ensure I get notified about further comments on this post.

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    6. Good idea, Barbara. I appreciate your efforts. Let's hope the powers that be do, too. Not only that, let's hope they actively adhere to the reivsed standards.

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  6. Seeing as how Russell Moore doesn't care about child sexual abuse, I wonder if he really cares about spousal abuse:

    http://thewartburgwatch.com/2012/11/07/phillip-gunn-sbts-al-mohler-legal-rightmoral-right/

    Russell Moore and his boss, Al Mohler, know how to say the right thing, but they do not do the right thing.

    Moore endorsed a man (Philip Gunn) who deliberately told people not to cooperate with the police or the district attorney.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, then having SGM headquarters move down to KY sounds like the perfect marriage, doesn't it? Wowowowow!!!

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    2. PS Nicholas - - I got notification of the comment you posted on TGC site (same as above). I'm counting down to see how long it will remain on the site. I predict less than 20 minutes.

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    3. I just hope more people wake up and realize what Mohler and Moore's game is. Their job is to make the SBC look good, but they don't even act any better than the rest of the SBC leaders. And Mohler plays the spin doctor for SGM as well.

      If their hypocrisy was exposed in a national news documentary on the SBC or SGM, these men would lose their standing as "great evangelical leaders."

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    4. I'm new to learning of all these connections and as much as I want to give them the benefit of the doubt, when hearing of the abuse stories connected with so many of these groups, they can't possibly all have their heads in the sand. Specifically when you look at Mohler's connection with SGM. It baffles my brain how he could come out publicly so quickly after Mahaney's leave of absence to defend him. All I have got to say is that the SGM lawsuit may completely pull the rug out from the complacency in these groups/organizations. Leaders who fail their responsibility to protect those entrusted to them do not deserve to be leaders.

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    5. They just deleted my comment, Julie Anne. There were other critical comments, but only mine criticized Russell Moore and linked to the Wartburg Watch. It shows that Justin Taylor does not really care either. It is about image and appearance to them, not about what is right. Just defend "our guy" to the bitter end. This is not Christianity. This is the same way the IFB behave.

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    6. Mohler's behavior is put into proper perspective when considering the behavior of his esteemed colleagues: http://stopbaptistpredators.org/collusion_individuals.html

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    7. It figures, Nicholas. They staunchly defend their TGC brothers - even brothers who overlook abuse and failure to report - even when the subject of their article is on abuse. Isn't that insane? Gentlemen: REMOVE THE BIG HONKIN' LOG!! Unreal!

      You're right - it wasn't identical, my mistake. If you need an exact copy of it, I have it in my e-mail. I think you should post it on the deleted post area on TWW. People need to see the way these guys work. It's freedom of speech only if they agree with you and if you do not say anything negative/truthful about their buddies.

      MARY KASSIAN: I hope you're reading this!



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    8. Funny thing, Nicholas - if you look at the deleted post area at TWW, you can see an old comment of mine where I said they deleted a comment and then later posted that it was there. I think they actually did remove it for a time and then put it back up. haha.

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    9. Thanks. I posted it on TWW.

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  7. Nicholas:

    You said:"I just hope more people wake up and realize what Mohler and Moore's game is. Their job is to make the SBC look good, but they don't even act any better than the rest of the SBC leaders. And Mohler plays the spin doctor for SGM as well.

    If their hypocrisy was exposed in a national news documentary on the SBC or SGM, these men would lose their standing as "great evangelical leaders." "

    Sadly, I think these guys and the Southern Baptist Convention would spin it and many of the folks in the Southern Baptist convention would continue to think of them as "great evangelical leaders." These guys can do no wrong and they stick together.

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  8. I've got to leave a comment here - I know a woman at church who has been separated from her abuser for *6 years*. It's been so long that the legal separation agreement has expired!
    She's living in absolute hell for more than half a decade in this situation.
    Yet her abuser continues to have prayer vigils that his wife will let him move back home. He has not changed one bit. He abuses their children, breaks into her house, terrorizes all of them.
    And the church certainly will not help her get a lawyer and a divorce -- interesting isn't it?? It's almost as if THE CHURCH DOES NOT CARE.
    (This not a Southern Baptist church either!)

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    Replies
    1. That makes me sick. And does the church "allow" her to divorce her husband?

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    2. The Bible allows for divorce in cases of abuse. She needs to divorce him, sue for sole custody of the children, and find a new church!

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    3. K, you might like to suggest to that woman that she visits the blog A Cry For Justice cryingoutforjustice.wordpress.com
      She will find a safe and supportive place there.
      Her suffering is what many many others have experienced too. And she might also like to read my book Not Under Bondage which explains that divorce and remarriage is totally biblically acceptable for domestic abuse.

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  9. Julie Anne

    Don’t know if you noticed - But - At Justin Taylors blog at TGC...

    They closed the comments yesterday - after only 26....

    Lots of excellent comments and questions on that thread.
    Hmmm? Why close the comments?

    Were the majority of comments NOT going their way? Do they really care?

    This was the last one allowed - Yesterday at 8 am.
    A referral to a TGC blog article. Some comments there are - ehhh - NOT so nice...
    Bringing the statistics - for abuse - into question. :-(

    ----------------

    Remember the Victims—Like Me – The Gospel Coalition Blog
    November 28, 2012 at 8:00 am

    ...] Sunday was the U.N. International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The web was streaming with articles in support of women experiencing abuse, highlighting God's love for women and hatred for abuse and [...]

    Comments are closed.

    ---------------------

    ReplyDelete
  10. Justin Taylor Blog

    http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2012/11/25/the-church-the-gospel-and-violence-against-women/?comments#comment-104655


    Remember the victims

    http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2012/11/27/remember-the-victims-like-me/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I was reading and commenting just as the comments were closed. I have a hunch it was closed because there were more positive egalitarian comments. I don't think they don't want that kind of talk on their complementarian blogs.

      Delete

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