She ran and ended up on the other end of the phone with me.
I walked her through calling the police and following the appropriate steps to gaining safety for herself and her children.
But, sadly that pastor’s reaction isn’t unusual.
Again, I don’t like writing this, because I love pastors. I love churches. But, this….this is something that is killing us.
And it’s breaking our Father’s heart.
The thing is, these pastors and churches, sincerely believe they are doing the right thing. They believe God hates divorce. And he does. But, they value the marriage as a greater priority than the people inside of the marriage.
And when domestic violence is involved, it is so dangerous.
I love you church.
I love you men and women.
But we can do better.
I once read a book called, Refuge A Pathway Out of Domestic Violence by Donald Stewart. He’s a veteran police officer and a Jesus lover. (FANTASTIC book btw) He shares countless accounts of domestic violence in the church and exposes a great need for understanding and protection for these women.
He challenges the idea that many pastors hold to which is: divorce is only biblical when there has been marital unfaithfulness or abandonment.
He takes a strong biblical stance that domestic violence is biblical abandonment.
I agree with him.
But, this isn’t an invitation for a theological debate. That is not the purpose of this blog. The purpose is to open your eyes to the women around you who may be living in a cycle of domestic violence.
HE HIT ME
Anna McCarthy