ETBU prof says pulpits mute on sin of domestic abuse

Domestic violence is a sin, and more preachers should be saying so from the pulpit, says East Texas Baptist University professor Elijah Brown.

Elijah BrownBased on the small number of sermons and Bible studies devoted to the subject, one might conclude the Bible does not specifically address domestic violence, Brown, assistant professor of missions and a Bible study teacher at First Baptist Church in Marshall, wrote in a blog posting.

A recent survey by LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention revealed 42 percent of Protestant pastors rarely or never speak about domestic or sexual violence in sermons or other messages to large groups in their church. Another 22 percent say the topic comes up about once a year. Just one in four believes it is a problem that affects someone in their church.

The recent release of security video from February showing Baltimore Ravens player Ray Rice punching his wife and knocking her unconscious prompted a national discussion about the frequency of spouse abuse and the tendency of organizations like the NFL—and the church—to keep it quiet.

Photo: Elijah Brown / TheIntersection Blog, Credit: Erminig Gwenn via Compfight ccSome women used Twitter hashtags of #WhyIStayed and #WhyILeft to share stories of their own abuse and the difficult decision of whether or not to leave an abusive partner. Brown quoted Beverly Gooden, who tweeted: “I stayed because my pastor told me God hates divorce. It didn’t cross my mind that God might hate abuse, too.”

“Does God hate abuse as well?” Brown asked. “By the standard of church awareness, teaching and response to the reality of domestic violence one might be tempted to answer in the negative.”

Malachi 2:16 states: “‘I hate divorce,’ says the Lord God of Israel, ‘and I hate a man’s covering himself with violence as well as with his garment,’ says the Lord Almighty.”

While some disagree about how best to translate the verse, Brown said, the message there and in other Bible passages is “a person engaging in verbal, sexual or physical violence against an intimate partner or family members is committing sin.”

“Domestic violence is sin,” he said. “When a person engages in verbal, sexual or domestic violence, he or she has broken faith with his or her husband or wife. Domestic violence is far too often a dirty secret happening behind closed doors and weekly filling church pews in suffering silence. We have a responsibility to name this sin and to be grieved over its prevalence in the world.

“If are to be God’s people, then we must publicly teach that domestic violence is sin, acknowledge our complicit silence in this area, provide safe havens for those seeking freedom, regularly pray for those trapped in abusive situations, and model healthy and life-affirming relationships.”

Brown, a graduate of the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, earned a Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He recently was appointed to the nominations committee of the Baptist World Alliance for the 2014-19 term.