The latest edition of our Sydney Anglican magazine ‘Southern Cross’ carries a confronting story about spousal abuse in marriage.
This is a tragic, yet important issue that we must continue to address in our churches. Please take the time to carefully read this magazine article that is available for free from Sydney Anglican churches.
This coincides with the Bible talk I gave at Oak Flats Anglican two Sundays ago, in which I talked about submission in marriage. If you missed it, I’d encourage you to watch it here online.
Before I addressed the issue of submission in marriage, I made some important points about domestic violence, which I will now repeat in writing.
It is never right for a husband to abuse his wife emotionally or physically.
If you are in a marriage where your husband is abusing you, you should act now to remove yourself from harm.
If this is you, or you know someone in this situation who needs help, please speak to me, or a trusted Christian, immediately.
If your husband is abusing you, something must change now, and that may mean you need to separate from your husband so that he will stop the abuse.
I’m not saying you should divorce; I’m saying you might need to separate for your safety, and to bring the issue to a head. Then, God willing, your husband will stop the abuse, and you will no longer need to be separated.
Of course, the same applies to men who are abused by their wives, although this is not as common.
Please join with me in acting and praying to stop domestic violence amongst our community and our churches.