With Joe away in Mexico we have an interview with Bekah Legg. She talks about the work of Restored with the victims of domestic abuse, and shares a little of her own story of loss and grief.
The statistics are sobering: in the UK, 1 in 4 women will be subjected to domestic abuse. And, shockingly, that stat is exactly the same within the church. And we need to reflects within the church, on how our theology actually reinforces this behaviour.
If you have a theology of submission and headship, that will surely only serve, if not to justify the behaviour, then at the very least to force a certain kind of response. If you view your leaders as above reproach, then how difficult does that make it for victims to speak out? The church rightly sees marriage as sacred, but I wonder how often that is used to force people to endure what should not be endured.
There’s been a kind of theme of the past few episodes about power: about the powerful not only looking out for, but actively giving power and agency to the less powerful. The more I hear about these real-life power imbalances, the more I think the church needs to think again about Jesus' words on the subject. Jesus is continually looking out for the powerless, and reminding us of our responsibility. “Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 18:10)
I need to think about this a lot more, but power, it seems to me, is like money or possessions. We hoard it and guard it, but we really need to donate it to others, to be charitable with it and give it away.