A Word from Bob
This (brief) blog post deserves a book-length response. So, please consider this post just introductory.
A Summary
Here’s my main point today, stated a couple of different ways:
As biblical counselors, pastors, and Christian leaders, we must avoid misapplying biblical passages and principles. Not every biblical principle applies to every unique life situation. We should not apply situationally-applicable principles universally to every situation. In abusive relationships, misapplying biblical principles can endanger the abuse victim and can enable the abuser. Examples
Here are some examples of the issues I’m addressing:
Domestic Abuse/Physical Abuse: A wife is a victim of domestic abuse, and a pastor applies part of Ephesians 5 to the wife and communicates, “Be submissive.” Or, the wife is told, “A soft answer turns away wrath. Have you been responding in a submissive way with soft answers?” Or, “Before you take this to others, have you followed the Matthew 18 principle of directly talking to your (abusive) husband about this?” Sexual Abuse: A sexual abuse victim is first addressed with, “Have you forgiven them?” Or with, “Whatever else happens, we need to be sure that you ‘suffer well.’” Or, “Let’s consider
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