The Bible Doesn’t Tell Me So: Why You Don’t Have to Submit to Domestic Abuse and Coercive Control
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
This book is addressed directly to women experiencing domestic abuse, and to those who seek to support them, including pastoral leaders, friends and support organisations. It debunks the myths - perpetuated by some abusers and, unwittingly, by many churches - which prevent women from getting out of harm’s way. It helps them realise that the Bible does not belong to their abuser but is a text of liberation. Written with careful attention to pastoral issues, it closely examines and clearly explains the relevant scriptural texts.
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- Addresses directly to women experiencing domestic abuse.
- Addresses to those who seek to support women experiencing domestic abuse.
- Helps to realise that the Bible does not belong to their abuser but is a text of liberation.
- I THE WEAPONISATION OF SCRIPTURE
- 1 A wife’s proper place
- 2 The subordination of women
- 3 Divorce
- 4 Forgiveness and suffering
- 5 When pastor turns predator
- II THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE
- 6 God is for the oppressed
- 7 Jesus: fellow sufferer and non-toxic man
- 8 You are of immense value
- 9 Silenced and hidden no more
- III THREE PERSONAL ADDRESSES
- 10 To those trapped by an abuser
- 11 To church leaders
- 12 To the perpetrator
- Taking it further
This book is important. Helen Paynter’s expertise with scripture, her approachability and her engagement with the reality of abuse ensure The Bible Doesn’t Tell Me So is extremely helpful, both for Christians who have been subjected to abuse and for those wanting a strong biblical approach to addressing domestic abuse issues. It is both theological and practical and offers an authoritative and ultimately healing approach to scripture for women who have been abused. I know it will make a positive difference to women’s lives!
—Natalie Collins, author of Out of Control: Couples, conflict and the capacity for change
I have all too often seen the Bible I love weaponised by men to control and subordinate their wives. The sad truth is that domestic abuse is as prevalent in the church as it is in the world outside. I am deeply grateful for this book and Helen’s detailed study and balanced explanation of the texts that have been used throughout the centuries to “bash” women. It is an academically excellent book, which sheds light on the complex scriptures it covers, yet remains immensely readable. It is thorough and profound and enables the reader to not just wrestle with these verses, but also to consider God’s original plan for the relationship between men and women. This book shows the Bible is liberating for women and challenging for some men, and I pray The Bible Doesn’t Tell Me So will become a core text for leaders as they learn to recognise and respond to domestic abuse within their churches.
—Bekah Legg, director of Restored
- Title: The Bible Doesn’t Tell Me So: Why You Don’t Have to Submit to Domestic Abuse and Coercive Control
- Author: Helen Paynter
- Publisher: Bible Reading Fellowship
- Print Publication Date: 2020
- Pages: 144
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
- ISBNs: 9780857469892, 0857469894
- Resource ID: LLS:BBLDSNTCRCCNTRL
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-10-04T19:02:53Z
Helen Paynter is a Baptist minister in Bristol, England, and works at Bristol Baptist College as Founding Director of the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence, and Tutor in Biblical Studies, www.csbvbristol.org.uk.