Abstract
It was almost 5 years since they were married. Ryan was a church-going woman. She had been so ever since she was a child. Having grown up in the Black Church, she valued the importance of supporting her community, being a faithful wife and mother, and honoring her commitments. Accepting that the man is the spiritual leader of the home, she humbled herself to his direction and vision and attempted to support her husband—this black man who was highly regarded and well respected in the community. They had a beautiful home, a wonderful child, and belonged to numerous social and professional organizations. Fundamental to all of this was her belief in the word of God and her religious values. That was why she found herself confused and perplexed. How could God love me and let me go through so much pain? Didn’t “He” see the bruises, the blood, the torn skin or the scabs from previous abuse? Couldn’t “He” see the broken spirit, the phony smiles and make-up used to hide the residue of violence? She had prayed. She was anchored in the Word. She was saved. She didn’t wish bad things against her husband. She stayed the course, took the faith walk, and continued to support this man who said he loved her, yet was emotionally, physically, and psychologically abusive. So, where was God? Had “He” forgotten me? Doesn’t it matter that I’m one of the faithful? Or has God turned “His” back on me because my husband is the Chair of the Deacon’s Board?
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Adams, C. J., & Fortune, M. M. (Eds.). (1995). Violence against women and children: A Christian theological sourcebook. New York: Continuum Publishing Company.
Ammons, L. L. (1999). What’s God go to do with it? Church and state collaboration in the subordination of women and domestic violence. Tutgers Law Review, 51, 1207–1288.
Bent-Goodley, T. B. (1998). A poor African American community’s response towards domestic violence (Doctoral dissertation, Columbia University, 1998). Dissertation Abstracts International, 58, 4808.
Bent-Goodley, T. B. (2001). Eradicating domestic violence in the African American community: A literature review, analysis and action agenda. Trauma, Violence, and Abuse, 2, 316–330.
Bent-Goodley, T. B. (2004a). Perceptions of domestic violence: A dialogue with African American women. Health and Social Work, 29(4), 307–316.
Bent-Goodley, T. B. (2004b). Policy implications of domestic violence for people of color. In K. E. Davis & T. B. Bent-Goodley (Eds.), The color of social policy (pp. 65–80). Alexandria, VA: Council on Social Work Education.
Bent-Goodley, T. B. (2005). Culture and domestic violence: Transforming knowledge development. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 20, 195–203.
Bent-Goodley, T. B. (in press). Spiritual and religious abuse.
Gondolf, E. W., & Williams, O. J. (2001). Culturally focused batterer counseling for African American men. Trauma, Violence, and Abuse: A Review Journal, 2, 283–295.
Hampton, R. L., Senatore, V., & Gullotta, T. P. (1998). Substance abuse, family violence, and child welfare: Bridging perspectives. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Hampton, R. L., & Yung, B. R. (1996). Violence in communities of color: Where we were, where we are, and where we need to be. In R. L. Hampton, P. Jenkins, & T. Gullotta (Eds.), Preventing violence in America (pp. 53–86). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Hassouneh-Phillips, D. (2003). Strength and vulnerability: Spirituality in abused American Muslim women’s lives. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 24, 681–694.
Joseph, J. (1997). Woman battering: A comparative analysis of black and white women. In G. K. Kantor, & J. L. Jasinski (Eds.), Out of darkness: Contemporary perspectives on family violence (pp. 161–169). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Kalichman, S. C., Williams, E. A., Cherry, C., Belcher, L., & Nachimson, D. (1998). Sexual coercion, domestic violence, and negotiating condom use among low-income African American women. Journal of Women’s Health, 7, 371–378.
Love, A. (1998). If it had not been for God on our side. In J. S. McClure & N. J. Ramsay (Eds.), Preaching about sexual and domestic violence: Telling the truth (pp. 144–148). Cleveland, OH: Nited Church Press.
Martin, E. P., & Martin, J. M. (2002). Spirituality and the black helping tradition in social work. Washington, DC: NASW Press.
McClure, J. S., & Ramsay, N. J. (Eds.). (1998). Preaching about sexual and domestic violence: Telling the truth. Cleveland, OH: United Church Press.
Mills, L. G. (1998). Mandatory arrest and prosecution policies for domestic violence: A critical literature review and the case for more research to test victim empowerment approaches. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 25, 306–318.
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. (2003). Costs of intimate partner violence against women in the United States. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Rennison, C. M. (2003, February). Intimate partner violence, 1993–2001 (NCJ Publication No. 197838). Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Rennison, C. M., & Welchans, S. (2000, May). Intimate partner violence. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Richie, B. (1996). Compelled to crime: The gender entrapment of batttered black women. New York: Routledge.
Rodriguez, M. A., Quiroga, S. S., & Bauer, H. M. (1996). Breaking the silence: Battered women’s perspectives on medical care. Archives of Family Medicine, 5, 153–158.
Senter, K. E., & Caldwell, K. (2002). Spirituality and the maintenance of change: A phenomenological study of women who leave abusive relationships. Contemporary Family Therapy, 24, 543–564.
Tjaden, P., & Thoennes, N. (2000). Extent, nature, and consequences of intimate partner violence (NIJ Publication No. 181867). Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice.
West, T. C. (1999). Wounds of the spirit: Black women, violence, and resistance ethics. New York: New York University Press.
White, E. (1994). Chain, chain, change: For black women in abusive relationships. Seattle, WA: Seal Press.
Williams, O. J. (1999). Working in groups with African American men who batter. In L. E. Davis (Ed.), Working with African American males: A guide to practice (pp. 229–242). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Wolff, D. A., Burleigh, D., Tripp, M., & Gadomski, A. (2001). Training clergy: The role of the faith community in domestic violence prevention. Journal of Religion and Abuse, 2, 47–62.
Wyatt, G. E., Axelrod, J., Chin, D., Carmona, J. W., & Loeb, T. B. (2000). Examining patterns of vulnerability to domestic violence among African American women. Violence Against Women, 6, 495–514.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2006 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Bent-Goodley, T.B. (2006). Domestic Violence and the Black Church: Challenging Abuse One Soul at a Time. In: Interpersonal Violence in the African-American Community. Issues in Children’s and Families’ Lives. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-29598-5_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-29598-5_5
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-29597-8
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-29598-5
eBook Packages: Behavioral ScienceBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)