On Easter Saturday I shared a post about the women at the tomb who were the first to preach the good news of the risen Christ. I noted that the disciples’ initial reaction to them was disbelief and pointed out that 2000 years later some Christian men are still refusing to listen to women who preach the good news.
Refreshingly much of the reaction to that post was positive, but there were some who pushed back, some who still argue that women should be silent, should not preach the good news, should not teach men or lead churches. There were others who asked why this bothers me so much.
My main reason for being here is to advocate for women who are Christian survivors of domestic abuse, to provide support for those women and to play my part in creating a church where Domestic Abuse is a thing of the past. Those who have been following for a while will know that I don’t write exclusively about domestic abuse. I write about all kinds of things; love, sex, sexuality, theology and in this case, women’s role within the church. Why do I do this? Why don’t I just focus on Domestic Abuse? Why does this matter?
It matters because Domestic Abuse doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Domestic Abuse is a societal problem, it’s the result of our culture, and for Christians this culture includes our doctrines, our traditions and our theology. They all feed into our attitudes towards men and women and these in turn feed into our propensity to commit or tolerate abuse.
In the case of women in leadership, there is a proven connection between male led hierarchies and domestic abuse. Gender inequality is the key social context in which abuse and sexual violence occurs. Several studies have identified factors within faith communities that contribute to, or reinforce those drivers of abuse. One of those factors has been found to be gendered hierarchies within religious communities. This is why it matters, this is why I write about it.
It’s not that male led hierarchies overtly condone abuse: Research shows us that most Christians say that their faith does not condone abuse (phew!) But what male led hierarchies do is provide hiding places for abusers, build a theology that is easier for abusers to pervert to justify their abuse, make it harder for victims to recognise abuse and make it harder for victims to seek help.
A study conducted in 2021 by University of Chester in partnership with Restored and Broken Rites found that when Christians experience abuse 71% of their abusers use Christian teachings to support or excuse their abuse. One of the Christian teachings found to contribute to abuse was that of male headship.
Another study examining the influence of religious beliefs and values, on attitudes and beliefs that lead to family and domestic violence, also found that participants reported that while their faith did not condone violence, cultural faith structures, such as a dominance of male leadership, meant that violence against them was often condoned or ignored.
So whilst male dominated leadership structures do not explicitly condone male violence, they do contribute to reinforcing attitudes that lead to abuse, as well as creating a culture that makes it more difficult for victims to find help and support.
Of course abuse happens in egalitarian churches too, this is because male headship is not the only driver of domestic abuse. But it is one of them and God’s good commandments are not, and cannot ever be, proven drivers of domestic abuse.
