{"id":38224,"date":"2018-08-01T08:54:09","date_gmt":"2018-08-01T12:54:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/lovejoyfeminism\/?p=38224"},"modified":"2018-08-01T08:54:09","modified_gmt":"2018-08-01T12:54:09","slug":"are-more-churches-taking-abuse-seriously","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lovejoyfeminism\/2018\/08\/are-more-churches-taking-abuse-seriously.html","title":{"rendered":"Are More Churches Taking Abuse Seriously?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Earlier this week I came upon an article about domestic abuse in the church, published on the right-wing site the Blaze<\/a>. I read it looking for the moment where things would go downhill\u2014where the article would start in on women for doing doing something wrong, or on how rates of domestic violence (they would claim) are lower in the church, etc. But that never happened.<\/p>\n

The entire article was solid.<\/p>\n

I found this combination of an outstanding article on domestic abuse with a right-wing site strange enough that I texted my husband with a link.\u00a0\u201cWeird venue for that,\u201d I wrote. \u201cTimes are changing,\u201d he replied. He\u2019s right. Times are<\/em> changing. #metoo is having an impact, but some changes were underway even before that.<\/p>\n

Back in 2013, I wrote about<\/a> an article in which World Magazine\u2019s\u00a0Andr\u00e9e Seu Peterson<\/a> expressed dismay at her church\u2019s new child protection policies\u2014she was upset that she could not take a child to the bathroom alone. Taking a second child\u2014presumably to ensure that anything that happened would have a witness\u2014cramped her style, apparently. But what struck me most, even at the time, was that the church had changed its policy. <\/em><\/p>\n

I learned recently that my parents\u2019 church now requires background checks for all Sunday school workers. The church website explains that this is done \u201cfor the safety of our children.\u201d Running background checks on Sunday school workers, who work directly with children, makes perfect sense, but it is also new\u2014my parents\u2019 church did not require any sort of background check when I attended in the \u201990s and early \u201900s.<\/p>\n

A quick google search suggests that many churches\u2014a growing number, presumably\u2014now require background checks, and many have other policies in place to ensure accountability and children\u2019s safety.<\/p>\n

And then there are articles like the one above, posted on the Blaze, which positively profile (and normalize) women working to improve the church\u2019s response and ministry to women who are victims of domestic violence within the church. Christianity Today<\/em> has put out a number of solid articles on the topic as well. The church appears to be paying more attention to various forms of abuse.<\/p>\n

To be sure, there is still work to be done. Many churches, especially the most conservative among them, still treat abusive marriages as something to be fixed, rather than ended, and assign blame to each partner. And there are those, like Peterson, who balk at church policies designed to protect children\u2019s safety.<\/p>\n

But times are<\/em> changing.<\/p>\n

I ultimately left the church entirely, but when I blog against domestic abuse in the church\u2014and against theological interpretations that make it easy for abusers to be restored and isolate victims\u2014my primary goal is for others to be safe, not for them to follow my specific path. If the church can change to make others safe\u2014or safer\u2014I am all for that. I\u2019ll continue to call out bad responses and dangerous theology where I see it, but I recognize (and appreciate) that the terrain is not static.<\/p>\n

The times are changing. We can only hope that that change is sustained and enduring. It\u2019s about time.<\/p>\n

I have a <\/b>Patreon<\/b><\/a>! Please support my writing!<\/b><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I learned recently that my parents’ church now requires background checks for all Sunday school workers. The church website explains that this is done “for the safety of our children.” Running background checks on Sunday school workers, who work directly with children, makes perfect sense, but it is also new—my parents’ church did not require any sort of background check when I attended in the ’90s and early ’00s.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Click through to read more!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":845,"featured_media":38236,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[701,181],"class_list":["post-38224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-evangelicalism-fundamentalism","tag-domestic-violence","tag-sexual-abuse"],"yoast_head":"\nAre More Churches Taking Abuse Seriously?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The times are changing. We can only hope that that change is sustained and enduring. 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