Domestic abuse is a horror. It lurks beneath the surface of our collective existence, sometimes raising its ugly head where least expected-in the church or within families of faith. Are we-individually or collectively-ready to respond? What can, or should, congregations and their pastoral leaders do? And, as we survey the Christian landscape across the United States and Canada, are we as the community of faith stepping up to the challenge presented by violence in the family? There is no easy answer to the problems that surface when abuse impacts the Christian family. But each of the authors...

About the Contributor(s):
Nancy Nason-Clark, PhD, is the Chair of the Department of Sociology at the University of New Brunswick in Canada and Director of the RAVE Project. She is the author of The Battered Wife: How Christians Confront Family Violence.

Barbara Fisher-Townsend, PhD, works as a Contract Academic in the Department of Sociology at the University of New Brunswick and teaches family violence related courses in the Department of Sociology and for the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research certificate program in family violence.

Victoria Fahlberg, PhD, lived...

Intimate partner violence is a complex, ugly, fear-inducing reality for large numbers of women around the world. When violence exists in a relationship, safety is compromised, shame abounds, and peace evaporates. Violence is learned behavior and it flourishes most when it is ignored, minimized, or misunderstood. When it strikes the homes of deeply religious women, they are: more vulnerable; more likely to believe that their abusive partners can, and will, change; less likely to leave a violent home, temporarily or forever; often reluctant to seek outside sources of assistance; and frequently...