Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Is There Peace Within Our Walls? Intimate Partner Violence and White Mainline Protestant Churches in North America

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Religion and Men's Violence Against Women

  • 3154 Accesses

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an issue facing many churches today. Research indicates that clergy are the most sought out resource by victims for help, counseling, and advice. Unfortunately, the research also suggests that faith community leaders are not equipped to provide safe environments for victims and accountability for abusers. The presence of misogyny in our society has permeated the faith community causing difficulty in protecting victims, holding abusers accountable, and encouraging healthy relationships. This has also affected the theology and ministry of churches and prevented them from providing healing and justice in our communities. However, the sacred texts offer hope to our faith communities and provide a powerful tool to enhance relationships and men’s attitudes toward women and vulnerable others.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. 1.

    Anderson-Minshall (2008, p. 33) also indicates that misogyny exists even in female to male transpeople. Those becoming “male” find power in oppressing their female partners, even though as “trans” they once identified as female.

  2. 2.

    There is an alternate translation of this verse suggested by other language versions of the Hebrew text. Some versions read, “If you hate her, divorce her.” For more information on the validity of this translation one can consult Berlin and Brettler (2004, p. 1272).

  3. 3.

    For texts that suggest God as mother/wife/female see Isaiah 42:14; 46:3; 66:9–13. While John 4 suggests that God is spirit, female imagery is used of God as well as male imagery (Smith 2001b, p. 90).

  4. 4.

    Mal 2:11 states, “Judah has married the daughter of a foreign god.” This can have two interpretations. First, the text can suggest that the Jewish men were married to foreign women. Second, the text can mean that the Jewish nation is again involved in idolatry. Biblical scholars support both interpretations.

  5. 5.

    For further discussion on this debate see: Glazier-McDonald (1987, pp. 603−611); Hill (1998, pp. 422−443); Jones (1990, pp. 683−685); Peterson (1995, pp. 195−206). Against this interpretation, see Hugenberger (1998, pp. 27−47).

  6. 6.

    In some cases, Yahweh is referred to as the female partner. See Peterson (1995, p. 203); and Smith (2001a, pp. 97–103). In Proverbs, wisdom is seen as feminine and is also the first creation of God (Prov 8–9).

  7. 7.

    In Jer 44, the Jews who were left after the third Babylonian captivity turned from God to worship the Queen of Heaven (Asherah). It seems that the Jews in Malachi’s day are again returning to this deity (Keel and Uehlinger 1998, pp. 294−295; Smith 2001a, pp. 109−110). O’Brien (2004, pp. 300−302) also believes that the Jews have again been involved in idolatry to Asherah.

References

  • Adams, C. J. (1994). Woman-Battering. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson-Minshall, J. (2008). The enemy within: On becoming a straight white guy. In S. Tarrant (Ed.), Men speak out: Views on gender, sex, and power. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bancroft, L. (2004). When dad hurts mom: Helping your children heal the wounds of witnessing abuse. New York: Putnam’s Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Battaglia, L. J. (2001). Conservative protestant ideology and wife abuse: Reflections on the discrepancy between theory and data. Journal of Religion and Abuse, 2(4), 31–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berlin, A., & Brettler, M. Z. (Eds.). (2004).The jewish study Bible: Tanakh translation. New York: Oxford University press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, R. (2005). Setting the captives free: A Christian theology for domestic violence. Eugene, OR: Cascade.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, R. (2010a). Am I sleeping with the enemy? Eugene, OR: Cascade.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, R. (2010b). Freeing the oppressed: A call to Christians concerning domestic violence. Eugene, OR: Cascade.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, R. (2010c). Submit or else: Biblical texts used by batterers in intimate partner violence. In D. Daschke & A. Kille (Eds.), A cry instead of justice: The Bible and cultures of violence in psychological perspective. New York: T and T Clark International.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, R. (2012). The God of second chances: Finding hope through the prophets of exile. Eugene, OR: Cascade.

    Google Scholar 

  • Conway, C. M. (2008). Behold the man: Jesus and Greco-Roman masculinity. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Dykstra, R. C., Cole, A. H., & Capps, D. (2007). Losers, loners, and rebels: The spiritual struggles of boys. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eldredge, J. (2001). Wild at heart: Discovering the secret of a man’s soul. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gill-Austern, B. L. (1996). Love understood as self-sacrifice and self-denial: What does it do to women? In J. Stevenson Moessner (Ed.), Through the eyes of women: Insights for pastoral care. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glazier-McDonald, B. (1987). Intermarriage, divorce, and the Bat-‘el Nekar: Insights into Mal 2:10–16. Journal of Biblical Literature, 106, 603–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harris, W. V. (2001). Restraining rage:The ideology of anger control in classical antiquity. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill, A. E. (1998). Malachi: A new translation with introduction and commentary. New York: Doubleday.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hugenberger, G. P. (1998). Marriage as a covenant: Biblical law and ethics as developed from Malachi. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, D. C. (1990). A note on the LXX of Malachi 2:16. Journal of Biblical Literature, 109(4), 683–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Katz, J. (2006). The macho paradox: Why some men hurt women and how all men can help. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaufman, C. G. (2003). Sins of omission: The Jewish community’s reaction to domestic violence. Boulder, CO: Westview.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keel, O., & Uehlinger, C. (1998). Gods, Goddesses, and images of God in ancient Israel. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress.

    Google Scholar 

  • Köhler, E. M. (1988). Hur mycket ska egentligen ett barn behöva tåla: För att tillfredsställa de vuxnas behov? Stockholm: Carlsson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Köhler, L. (1990). Barn och Barnfamiljer I Norden. Lund: Studentlitteratur.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krattenmaker, T. (2010). Onward Christian athletes: Turning ballparks into pulpits and players into preachers. New York: Rowman & Littlefield.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ladd, T, & Mathisen, J. A. (1999). Muscular Christianity: Evangelical Protestants and the development of American sport. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lassbo, G. (1988). Mamma-(pappa)-barn: En utvecklingsekologisk studie av socialisation i olika familjetyper. Göteborg. Sweden: Acta Universitatis Gothoburgensis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murrow, D. (2005). Why men hate going to church. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nason-Clark, N. (1997). The battered wife: How Christians confront family violence. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Brien, J. M. (2004). Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi. Nashville, TN: Abingdon.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Brien, B. (2008, April). A Jesus for real men. Christianity Today. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/april/27.48.html/. Accessed 21 July 2013.

  • Office of Disease Prevention and Epidemiology. (2004). Intimate partner violence in Oregon: Findings from the Oregon Women’s health and safety survey. Salem, OR: Oregon Department of Human Services.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, D. (1995). Zechariah 9–14 and Malachi: A commentary. Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. (2008). U.S. religious landscape survey religious affiliation: Diverse and dynamic. http://religions.pewforum.org/pdf/report-religious-landscape-study-full.pdf. Accessed 21 July 2013.

  • Podles, L. J. (1999). The church impotent: The feminization of Christianity. Dallas: Spence.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, M. (2001a). The early history of God . Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, M. (2001b). The origins of biblical monotheism: Israel’s polytheistic background and the Ugaritic texts. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Vedral, J., & Esworthy, E. (2014, June). Broken silence: A call for churches to speak out: Protestant pastors survey on sexual and domestic violence. http://www.imaworldhealth.org/images/stories/technical-publications/PastorsSurveyReport_final.pdf. Accessed 21 July 2013.

  • Weitzman, S. (2000). Not to people like us: Hidden abuse in upscale marriage. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Winter, B. (2003). Roman wives, Roman widows: The appearance of new women and the Pauline communities. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

    Google Scholar 

  • Woodward, J. R. (2012). Creating a missional culture: Equipping the church for the sake of the world. Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agape Church of Christ, Portland, OR, USA

    Ron Clark D.Min.

  2. George Fox Evangelical Seminary, Portland, OR, USA

    Ron Clark D.Min.

Authors
  1. Ron Clark D.Min.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ron Clark D.Min. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Bethel University, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA

    Andy J. Johnson

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Clark, R. (2015). Is There Peace Within Our Walls? Intimate Partner Violence and White Mainline Protestant Churches in North America. In: Johnson, A. (eds) Religion and Men's Violence Against Women. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2266-6_12

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation