Heath Lambert: One of the things that Christians are talking about in our world today is the problem of violence, in particular, the problem of violence against women. We want to be really honest that there are all sorts of people who experience violence. Men can be physically abused by their wives, kids can be physically abused by their parents, older parents can be abused by their younger children. There are all sorts of ways that the problem of abuse can manifest itself, but so much of the focus these days is on women who are abused by the men in their lives, specifically their husbands.
Because we are having a conference on this in Texas in October, we wanted to take some time to weigh in on this on the podcast this week and talk about some categories that we need to think through as we keep women safe in the context of physical abuse. I’m really excited to be joined this week on the podcast by the future executive director of ACBC, Dr. Dale Johnson. Dr. Johnson, we are glad that you are with us. I am thrilled about the leadership that you are going to have over our organization in the long-term and the short-term. I’m really excited about your opportunity to teach us at our Annual Conference this October and I’m glad you get to help us think through this important issue today. Thanks for being here.
The first thing I want to talk about is just the issue of caring for women in general. As Christians, we want to believe and teach and counsel the whole Bible, and the Bible has passages in it that talk about the importance of the marital union and the importance of vows. We want to honor that teaching on the vows that people would take in their marriage. The Bible has important teaching on the marital structure with regard to headship and submission, and we would want to honor every single thing the Bible has to say about that marital structure. Sometimes in this conversation though, those biblical commitments can be placed at odds with the biblical teaching on protecting the weak, which is voluminous as well. So help us think through how Christians need to have regard for all of the biblical data when it comes to this issue and when it comes to protecting women and keeping them safe in the midst of the threat of physical violence.
Dale Johnson: Yes, so when we talk about physical violence, a lot of times that challenges us. At least it is an emotional tendency for us to move in a faulty direction relative to our thinking on doctrine, particular when we talk about marriage and we think about headship in marriage. Fortunately for us as Bible-believing Christians, we have an example in Jesus in the way in which He treats His bride, and what we see from Jesus is a consistent care for the weak, for the vulnerable, for those who are not protected in any other means, and we see Him reaching out in so many tangible ways in the New Testament.
Even prophecies that talk about who He is and how He treated those who are vulnerable, as in passages like Ezekiel 34. What we see relative to His headship is His willingness to protect those who cannot protect themselves. We see that on the cross and protecting those who believe from the wrath of God. We see that in Revelation 19, Jesus protecting those who had been mistreated and abused by the kings of the earth. What we see in Jesus is a desire to protect. His headship is driven by servant leadership.
We in the church are called to reflect the character and the nature of Christ as Christians, those who follow Jesus, to demonstrate the character in the nature of Jesus to a broken and vulnerable world. What we see in marriage often is upset through the throes of sin and the effects that it has upon marriage is devastating at times, even to the point to where we see abusive situations. The body of Christ is called to protect the weak in the same way that we see Jesus protecting the weak as well. At the same time that we can uphold doctrinal views of headship, we also have to demonstrate the activity of Christ in the way in which He pursues headship, which is to serve those who are weak. We see that teaching in 1 Peter 3, so we can hold these two things with clear conscience knowing that it’s our responsibility as Bible-believing Christians to uphold the character and the nature of our God, which is protecting the weak. That is the duty and job of the church.
Heath Lambert: I think that’s really important that you’re emphasizing that, because one of the things that we want to be really, really clear on is that there’s no biblical teaching that would ever encourage us to do anything other than protect the weak. As we protect the weak and as we work to do that and think hard about how to do that, particularly in the context of the conversation we’re having right now, which would be physical violence against a wife or the threat of physical violence, help us think through what our responsibilities are as Christians to use the civil authorities like the police department in the exercise of that kind of protection.
Dale Johnson: Yes, so Romans 13 makes very clear that we as Bible-believing Christians are to submit to governing authorities. God is the one, the Scriptures tell us, that raises kings up and tears them down, and we are called to submit to them as long as they are not opposed to the particulars relative to God’s sovereign authority. So in that, I would describe that we have responsibilities in cases of abuse, when there’s been criminal activity or threats of criminal activity, to report those activities to local authorities, believing that God has given a physical sword in the hands of the government to punish those who do evil and do wrong. We are called to stand for justice, and God has granted us, in the social order, the government as a means to accomplish His justice in the world. I think we are justified, scripturally speaking, to utilize the authorities in that particular way.
Heath Lambert: You know, it’s interesting. I read online a couple of days ago a woman who was saying, “When will Christians just quit all the talk and stand up and say if women are in physical trouble, they need to call the police for help.” It sounds like that’s exactly what you’re saying.
Dale Johnson: Absolutely. I think it’s important that we utilize those means that God has given us to protect those who are vulnerable and weak.
Heath Lambert: Now after we have admitted that there’s never any reason, there’s never any biblical teaching that would undermine our care for the weak, and after we admit that part of our protection of the weak is to rely on the civil authorities like the police department, that also is not the end of our obligation as Christians. Talk to us about the responsibilities Christians have as members of a local church to care for women and protect them in the midst of the threat of physical violence.
Dale Johnson: I think so often what happens is the church thinks about this issue of abuse in an either-or situation, as if we either deal with it ourselves or we call the legal authorities, and I think that’s an unnecessary distinction. I think our responsibility is certainly to use the means that God has given us through the local authorities, but we still have a responsibility as the bride of Christ, as the local church, to minister and care for the needs of those who have been abused and those who are vulnerable. Let me give you a couple of examples that I think are very helpful. It would be really wise for churches to be able to build networks of people within their congregation who are good at hospitality so that a pastor can call on them in moments of crisis, that they may have a place for a battered woman to stay or a woman who’s been threatened. The church can minister greatly in that regard to bring her to a place of safety.
The church has to think initially about dealing with the tangibles; a woman who’s been battered or threatened is not going to immediately listen to counsel that we might want to give them. We have to help her think through particular issues, where she’s going to lay her head tonight, how is she going to take care of her kids if there are kids involved. She’s been financially dependent upon this guy who’s abusing her, how are we going to help her from a financial standpoint? There are tangibles that we need to deal with first and primarily. Once those details get sorted out, we have an obligation then to help her work through the suffering that she’s dealing with in her emotional stability and spiritual walk with Christ, in responding to this suffering appropriately.
So we can’t just pass her off to legal authorities as if we now have no jurisdiction in her life. We still have opportunity, and I would argue responsibility, to minister to her, to care for her, to keep her safe as she walks through this trial, that we would be able to help her in this very, very difficult time.
To read ACBC’s Statement on Abuse and Biblical Counseling visit our Committed to Care website.
