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Domestic Violence

And What About the Good Samaritan?

And What About the Good Samaritan?

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A woman recently shared with me her experience of being assaulted and stabbed by her abusive husband. As she recovered from her injuries, she turned to her church, expecting pastoral care and support.

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“Where Are We?”

“Where Are We?”

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As I was presenting a workshop recently on how we should challenge the roadblocks which the church can present to battered women and affirm the resources, I noticed one participant was very quiet and reserved.

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Guest Blog: “An Ode to Rihanna and Chris Brown”

Guest Blog: “An Ode to Rihanna and Chris Brown”

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On February 8, 2009, 19-year-old Chris Brown and 20-year-old Rihanna, music icons scheduled to perform that evening at the Grammys, engaged in an argument while inside a vehicle that escalated into a fight. Rihanna suffered visible injuries and was treated at a hospital. The next day Chris Brown surrendered himself to authorities.

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Jimmy Carter Challenges His Church

Jimmy Carter Challenges His Church

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“The turning point in every social justice movement occurs when the authentic leadership of survivors is met with the genuine commitments of our most power social institutions.” So said my colleague, Judith Beals, in 2002 in the midst of the disclosure of extensive sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests.

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Before “Yes, We Can” . . .

Before “Yes, We Can” . . .

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Before “Yes, We Can,” there was “WE CAN.” Women Empowered Committed Against Negativity (WE CAN) is an organization whose office is in a house on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa. The leader of WE CAN is Loretta Joseph. She is a Roman Catholic laywoman who has organized Catholic and Protestant women outside the church in order to get the work done—i.e. the work of supporting and empowering women in their real lives.

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“Love-All That and More” Debuts in Cape Town!

“Love-All That and More” Debuts in Cape Town!

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Since my visit to South Africa is supported by the U.S. Department of State Speakers’ Program, the Consulate staff has arranged some of my meetings. They asked me to go to a YMCA afterschool program and meet with the youth workers and the youth. It has been many years since I worked specifically in youth ministry, but I pressed ahead—and I am so glad I did.

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Women’s Work Is Never Done

Women’s Work Is Never Done

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March 8 is International Women’s Day. So I was pleased this past week to be in New York City for events surrounding the 54th Annual meeting of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. Not only is women’s work never done, our agenda continues to expand.

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Santa Targets His Own Family

Santa Targets His Own Family

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An ex-husband took advantage of the annual family gathering at his in-laws’ house to inflict his violence on his ex-wife and her family. He appeared at the door dressed as Santa, and one of the children let him in. He opened fire on the 25 people there and then set fire to the house.

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Is the Gospel of “More Sex” Really Good News for All?

Is the Gospel of “More Sex” Really Good News for All?

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So Pastor Ed Young of the Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas, got the attention of the media. And his church members. He called for a week of “congregational copulation” to take people’s minds off the economy. Pastor Young has added his blessing to our already highly sexualized culture.

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"Déjà vu All Over Again"

"Déjà vu All Over Again"

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Another murder in a church; another domestic terror homicide. On Nov. 23, Joseph Pallipurath entered the St. Thomas Syarian Orthodox Kananaya Church in Clifton, NJ and killed his wife.

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The Fight to End Terrorism

The Fight to End Terrorism

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“Compare the raw numbers. In the same seven-year period [2000-2006] when 4,588 U.S. soldiers [in combat] and police officers [on duty] were killed by hostiles or by accident, more than 8,000 women – nearly twice as many – were shot, stabbed, strangled, or beaten to death by the intimate males in their lives."

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The Invisibility of Domestic Violence in Faith Communities

The Invisibility of Domestic Violence in Faith Communities

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Last week, Charles Parsons murdered his wife during a couples’ counseling session at Calvary Lutheran Church south of Seattle. He turned himself in and has been charged with first-degree murder and assault.

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A Spiritual Battle between Good and Evil?

A Spiritual Battle between Good and Evil?

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Is addressing domestic violence a spiritual battle between good and evil? This is the question I received last week from a colleague. As I pondered this question, I sent a note to several other colleagues for their input. I think the answer we all agreed to is “yes and no.” Or as one Muslim colleague said, “Essential and not sufficient.”

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It’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the Color Is Purple

It’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the Color Is Purple

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October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Did you know that? It’s also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I’m sure you knew that because you can’t help but see the pink all around. On my flight last week, the airline was selling pink lemonade and martinis as well as collecting donations--all to go to breast cancer research. Football players in NFL games this month are wearing pink! Pink?! How cool is that? So why aren’t the airlines selling grape soda and football players wearing purple in support of ending domestic violence?

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Boys to Men

Boys to Men

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A baseball game is a place where boys are socialized to become men. And in a world where men’s violence against women is rampant, it is worth considering as a place to work on changing the norm of violence against women. Help the Seattle Mariners win a $200,000 Pepsi Refresh Project grant to support domestic violence work!

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“Another Hate Crime . . . with a Backstory”

“Another Hate Crime . . . with a Backstory”

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On a Sunday in late July, Jim David Adkisson entered the Tennesse Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville and opened fire. He said he hated gays and liberals and “all liberals should be killed.” He murdered two people and seriously injured 6 others before being subdued by other church members.

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“My Heart Is So Sore . . .”

“My Heart Is So Sore . . .”

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We sat together with the Religious Leaders Forum of Cape Town. Clergy and lay, men and women who have come together to address gender violence in their communities. Twenty people met in a room in a Dutch Reformed Church. The women began to share their stories.

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Guest Blog: Bishop Weeks Assaults His Evangelist Wife in Atlanta

Guest Blog: Bishop Weeks Assaults His Evangelist Wife in Atlanta

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The recent violent assault of Evangelist Juanita Bynum by her husband, Bishop Thomas Weeks, in a parking lot in Atlanta is tragic and almost unbelievable. Two highly respected faith leaders, Bishop and Evangelist, are now also abuser and victim. This assault reminds us that domestic violence crosses all racial, social, economic, and religious lines.

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Domestic Terror: A State of Intense Fear Related to Household or Family

Domestic Terror: A State of Intense Fear Related to Household or Family

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Here are two current events that, when juxtaposed, caught my interest. Changing social norms is getting harder, not easier. “In revealing the decision points that led him to choose waterboarding as an interrogation technique, Bush says, ‘CIA experts drew up a list of interrogation techniques . . . At my direction, Department of Justice and CIA lawyers conducted a careful legal review. The enhanced interrogation program complied with the Constitution and all applicable laws, including those that ban torture.’”

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“The Bible Says . . .”

“The Bible Says . . .”

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“The Bible says I can have sex with my 8-year-old child . . .” “The Bible says I can beat my wife because she is to be subject to me . . .” These and other biblical justifications haunt my consciousness.

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