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| Photo credit below |
Jonathan
Merritt (Washington
Post, 2018, April 30) poses a challenge to Southern Baptists—the largest
group of American Evangelical Christians: “In a #Metoo moment, will Southern
Baptists hold powerful men accountable?” Merritt wonders about the views of
Paige Patterson, president of the influential Southern Baptist Theological
Seminary. Essentially, Southern Baptist leaders believe in a traditional
marriage in which women are to be submissive to men in the church and marriage.
Merritt wrote:
Last week, an audio recording surfaced on which Paige
Patterson, a high-profile Southern Baptist leader, says abused wives should
avoid divorce, pray for their violent husbands, and “be submissive in every way
that you can.”
How much
violence should a woman take before she sues for divorce? If you take the Bible
at face value, which Southern Baptists and many evangelicals do, then there is
no biblical justification for divorce aside from adultery. Another quote helps
understand Patterson’s view on abuse:
“It depends on the level of abuse to some degree,” Patterson
is heard saying on the 2000 tape. “I have never in my ministry counseled
anybody to seek a divorce, and I do think that is always wrong counsel.” He
adds, “On an occasion or two when the level of abuse was serious enough,” he
has suggested a temporary separation.
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| Domestic violence image from Bing/ free to share and use |
Patterson is
on solid ground with the Bible. But he’s on sinking sand with the host
culture—that is American culture in general, and many Christian subcultures. At
best, evangelical clinicians can suggest a separation and counseling without
violating the biblical text.
PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANS and WOMEN
Progressive
Christians interpret biblical texts drawing on principles rather than relying
on explicit statements. Evangelicals in transition to progressive views often
struggle with moral matters such as sex-linked gender roles in the church and
marriage. Progressive views draw on Jesus’ reference to principles that avoid
strict adherence to a rule such as breaking the rule of the Sabbath to do good
works, like healing. I discuss these issues and more in A House Divided:
Sexuality, Morality, and Christian Cultures (2016).
When it
comes to women in society and the church, progressive views consider women and
men as equals. One example of a text supporting equality is the “no male or
female in the kingdom of God reference” (Galatians 3:28). There’s much more to
the argument favoring women and men as equals rather than the traditional
teaching that women are helpers or the “equal but different” doctrine.
Supporting women
as clergy rests on several arguments pointing to a few examples of women as
leaders in the early days of the Christian era and evidence that women have many
gifts such as teaching and administration. Progressives attribute these gifts to
God (See chapter
10 for more).
A progressive
view on divorce allows additional exceptions to the adultery clause. Sexual and
other forms of physical violence are justified in several ways but the primary
basis is the lack of love and respect mandated by the second greatest
commandment—loving your neighbor as yourself (See chapter 8
for more on marriage and divorce).
SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND VIOLENCE
Merritt
refers to accusations of a “morally inappropriate relationship” toward a woman by
a Southern Baptist leader. The phrase is vague. No one is accused of sexual
violence. But the accusations raised in the article paint the leadership with a
brush of disrespect for women, but that might not be fair.
There is no
reason to believe that either male evangelical or progressive Christians would
treat women as sexual objects. There is no reason to think that women would be
the victims of harassment, abuse, or violence simply because an evangelical
believes women ought to be submissive to her husband or be excluded from church
leadership. After all, evangelicals do believe a husband ought to love his wife
as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25).
The lack of
escape from an abusive or violent relationship via divorce is a difference from
those taking a fundamentalist view of the text in contrast to a progressive
view. This difference can mean the difference between life and death or between
a life or misery and a life of happiness. Is it reasonable to say that marriage is made for people?
We may
reasonably ask if the lack of women in church leadership leads to a higher risk
of sexual harassment, abuse, and violence than would be true if women also held
leadership positions. Research documents moral foundations of loyalty and
respect for authority are highly important to conservatives. These moral
foundations help bind people together and support a strong community.
Unfortunately, these moral virtues can cause people to cover up abuse and
violence when under attack from those outside their faith group. We’ve seen too
many cover-ups. Conservative Christians (fundamentalists, evangelicals) may need
to ask if their loyalty and respect for authority have been misplaced when
leaders fail to love others as Christ does.
CHRISTIAN COUNSELING & PASTORAL
CARE
A person (woman
or man) seeking counseling following experiences of harassment, abuse, or
violence has much to consider. In addition to the troubling experience, which
may have resulted in physical harm, there are feelings and thoughts that can produce
a wide range of distress symptoms depending on the nature of the experience,
the offender, and one’s own history of experiences and personality. In severe
cases, diagnoses such as Depression, Anxiety Disorders, Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder can be present and require intensive treatment. Although many Christian clinicians are qualified to provide treatment for the aforementioned mental health conditions, they may approach the spiritual issues differently.
Evangelical Christian
clergy and counselors really have no biblical grounds to support a divorce
except in the case of adultery. This has been the traditional teaching of the
Church for some 2,000 years. A woman may get a reprieve from violence if
their counselor encourages separating for a while. But there is no guarantee the
woman would be safe even after a year’s worth of separation. How far will the clinician go in moving beyond tradition when a client experiences severe emotional distress in a relationship? Will the clinician set aside traditional teachings when a victim is in danger of ongoing harassment, abuse, or violence?
And for clients, we may ask how comfortable they feel if a pastor or Christian counselor holds quite flexible views that are not a part of the victim's faith tradition? After all, progressive views hold that women and men are equal in society and the church. Women and men may be clergy and hold other leadership positions based on their abilities and not their biological sex. Progressive views endorse equality for women and men in marriage and parenting, which call for mutual love and respect. A challenge for progressive clinicians is to respect the struggle in clients who may not easily set aside the teachings that have governed their lives for decades.
Photo credit
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson poses near a portrait of B.H. Carroll, the seminary’s first president, at the B.H. Carroll Memorial Complex in Fort Worth in 2010. (AP Photo/Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Paul Moseley)
READ MORE
Sutton, G. W. (2016). A house divided: Sexuality, morality, and
Christian cultures. Eugene, OR: Pickwick. ISBN:
9781498224888
Sutton, G.
W., Arnzen, C., & Kelly, H. (2016). Christian counseling and psychotherapy:
Components of clinician spirituality that predict type of Christian
intervention. Journal of Psychology and
Christianity, 35, 204-214. Academia
Link ResearchGate
Link
Sutton, G.
W., Kelly, H., Worthington, E. L. Jr., Griffin, B. J., & Dinwiddie, C. (2018)
Satisfaction with Christian Psychotherapy and
Well-being: Contributions of Hope, Personality, and Spirituality. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 5
(1), 8-24, doi: 10.1037/scp0000145 Academia
Link ResearchGate Link
Relevant Chapters
in A House Divided
Chapter 8: Marriage, Divorce, and Sexual Relationships 149
Chapter 10: Sex and Gender Roles 195
Chapter 11: Sexual Violence and Christianity 209
CONNECTIONS
Facebook Page Geoff
W. Sutton
Website: Geoff W.
Sutton www.suttong.com
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