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Addressing Intimate Partner Violence in White Evangelical and Fundamentalist Churches

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Religion and Men's Violence Against Women

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a common but often overlooked aspect of life within Evangelical and Fundamentalist families and congregations. Within this chapter, the distinct characteristics of both Evangelical and Fundamentalist traditions are outlined, along with descriptions of key leaders and influences. The values of the group are identified, especially as they relate to relational health. The interaction of religious beliefs with IPV perpetration is discussed, including beliefs regarding submission, the sanctity of marriage, and the “happy” nature of Christian marriages. Spiritual coping and resources are identified as helpful for IPV survivors, especially having a personal relationship with God, utilizing positive coping methods, processing feelings of guilt, and reinterpreting certain religious beliefs. Finally, the role of churches in providing IPV awareness and education is discussed, and areas for future research and clinical work are identified.

As long as the church is quiet in a world which resonates with the cries of abused women, it is failing in its ministry of reconciliation. It is simply functioning as a sounding brass, and a clanging cymbal…. The church is called to bind up the bruises of women who have suffered not only from the violence of their spouses, but from all the passive violence of a church which has failed to recognize their situation and intervene on their behalf.

Battered into Submission: The Tragedy of Wife Abuse in the Christian Home (Alsdurf and Alsdurf 1998, p. 224).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA, USA

    Rachel L. Stephens

  2. Child Trauma Institute, Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA, USA

    Donald F. Walker Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Rachel L. Stephens
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  2. Donald F. Walker Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Rachel L. Stephens .

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Editors and Affiliations

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

    Andy J. Johnson

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Stephens, R., Walker, D. (2015). Addressing Intimate Partner Violence in White Evangelical and Fundamentalist Churches. 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_13

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