NEWS FEATURE: Scholars look at church response to abused women

c. 1997 Religion News Service SAN DIEGO _ Sociologist Nancy Nason-Clark has seen both sides of the way people in churches react to reports of sexual abuse. She cites, for example, the case of an office manager in a denominational headquarters who is also a battered wife but whose husband is viewed by clergy as”a […]

c. 1997 Religion News Service

SAN DIEGO _ Sociologist Nancy Nason-Clark has seen both sides of the way people in churches react to reports of sexual abuse.

She cites, for example, the case of an office manager in a denominational headquarters who is also a battered wife but whose husband is viewed by clergy as”a fine Christian man”incapable of such acts as beating his wife’s head against a kitchen cabinet.


But the sociologist also cites the actions of some members of women’s groups in conservative churches who quietly, and without the knowledge of their pastor, support transitional housing or provide shelter in their own homes for abused women.

Still, said Nason-Clark, author of”The Battered Wife: How Christians Confront Family Violence”(Westminster/John Knox Press),”a pervasive holy hush occurs”around the issue of abuse.”The contemporary church needs to realize that although they regard the family as sacred … it is not always safe,”Nason-Clark said.

At the same time, however, she noted,”In many closets of the … church, there’s a rumbling that cannot be silenced.” Nason-Clark organized one of two sessions on abuse and religion at the joint Nov. 7-9 meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion and the Religious Research Association.

Speakers at the two sessions ranged from those trying to broaden the areas of scholarly research on topics of clergy misconduct to a representative of a center on domestic and sexual violence that has had a prominent role in helping religious communities address those issues.

According to Nason-Clark’s studies of 250 women in conservative churches in eastern Canada, two of every three had sought the counsel of another woman in their church for a family problem and the majority had helped abused women. One-fifth had offered a bed for the night for a women who was afraid to return home.

Nason-Clark said between sessions her findings demonstrate an area that has not received enough attention by some scholars.”As secular feminists, we have been partially blinded to the community of empowerment that religious congregations offer,”she said.

But, she said, there are a number of obstacles that prevent churches from getting more involved in the sensitive issue.


Pastors are often reluctant to address family abuse from the pulpit, because they fear offending men whom they are seeking to attract to worship services and other church activities, she said.

In addition, some pastors feel ill-equipped to deal with the topic, even though they spend significant amounts of time offering pastoral counseling. Seminary courses dealing with abuse, she said, are not well-attended unless they are mandatory. When seminary students graduate to pastor’s offices, they”suddenly say, `Whoa, this is a problem. What are we going to do about this?'” Some clergy are hesitant to refer women to secular counselors and others view divorce as a sign not only of failure on the part of the couple but on the part of the clergy themselves to produce reconciliation.

However, women in the pews, she said, are already intimately aware of the abuse problems in their midst.”Women’s knowledge of this issue is completely and absolutely framed by their experience with other women,”said Nason-Clark, a sociology professor at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton.”It’s not book knowledge.” At a separate session on denominational issues, some speakers cited instances where church leaders are addressing allegations of abuse aimed at church employees.

Russell Spittler, provost and New Testament professor at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif., said Assemblies of God ministers now have a toll-free number on the back of their identification cards allowing them to call 24 hours a day if they are in trouble. He sees it as a direct result of the scandals that rocked televangelists affiliated with his denomination in the 1980s.”That series of events taught us … that no matter how charismatic you are, you still are liable for personal difficulties and the like,”he said.

Likewise, Perry Cunningham, an expert on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said Mormon officials have established a toll-free number”where local church leaders can receive guidance and counsel on how to deal with such issues.” He said the existence of such a helpline does not imply difficulty with leaders being perpetrators of abuse but a desire to help handle cases brought to them.

Another forum at the convention of scholars and researchers dealt more with the reasons and possible solutions for the silence of religious institutions on the controversial topic.


Lois Gehr Livezey, a professor of Christian ethics at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, argued empathy is an important component in a Christian response to abuse.”Following Jesus is not about becoming masters of slaves, heads of households, taking charge,”Livezey said.”It’s about caring for the wounded left for dead by the side of the road _ or by the kitchen table.” (OPTIONAL TRIM _ STORY MAY END HERE)

Several of the experts urged acceptance by clergy of abuse claims, for many abused women will not ever disclose their abuse a second time if the first instance is met with disbelief.”I tell my students, don’t even say, `That’s unbelievable,'”Livezey said after her presentation.”What she hears is one more person that doesn’t believe her.” Livezey began co-teaching one of the first seminary courses on sexual violence in 1975.

Judith Applegate, a program specialist at the Center for the Prevention of Sexual and Domestic Violence, said the Seattle-based center has published books, produced educational videos and distributed brochures to more than 40,000 individuals since its founding in 1977.

It has also begun working with Asian-Americans on a program opposing the mail-order bride industry, started a project addressing black churches and domestic violence, and produced a video for abused women of the Jewish faith.”We also know we’ve only started the work,”said Applegate.”We’ve only gotten to the tip of the iceberg.” Applegate said she believed it was significant the scholars had addressed the issue of abuse at their annual meeting.”It means that it’s a problem that’s being heard,”she said.”I think that’s largely because of the courage and dedication of victims to come forward.” MJP END BANKS

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