Dr Paul Bogacs, counselling course convenor at Avondale University, is the keynote speaker at this year’s enditnow online summit on Friday night. The title of his presentation is “Headship Theology, Patriarchy and Other Dangerous Ideas”. Here he shares some thoughts on the topic.
Domestic violence in Christian families is, dare I say, a bit of an oxymoron. How can those who follow Jesus, who subscribe to the principles of His kingdom, also be perpetrators of behaviours that intimidate and terrify members of their family? As domestic violence and abuse against women is not a one-off behaviour or an occasional overreaction, but a pattern of behaviour that manifests itself in words and actions that denigrate, put down and humiliate the victims (usually all members of the family), it is hard to see how these persistent actions can co-exist with the principles of the kingdom of God.
It is significant to note that there is evidence that there is less domestic abuse in regular church-going families. That is a good thing! The fact that it happens at all, however, should concern us. Deeply. Survey data and anecdotal evidence have led some to believe that there is as much abuse happening in the church as in general society. For example, 22 per cent of perpetrators in a study of 1000 women surveyed from two well-known religious denominations in Australia, went to church regularly, and 14 per cent of these men were in church leadership.
There is no doubt that couples may have a traditional marriage relationship where the man is very much in charge and takes responsibility for the major decisions, and his wife defers to him out of preference, which does not result in the misuse of the power the male has. But there is evidence to support the claim that violence may be justified by the patriarchal family structure that tends to be the norm in fundamentalist religious groups. The Australian National Framework developed to prevent violence against women and their children, Change the Story, suggests that “Research has consistently found that men who hold traditional, hierarchical views about gender roles and relationships are more likely to perpetuate violence against women” (Change the Story, p 25).
Peter Wilson is an American pastor who would like to see the 19th Amendment of the American Constitution repealed, which gives women the right to vote. This is based on his interpretation of the Bible. Wilson is a fast-growing and powerful force in the Christian Nationalist movement with ties to the White House and with 150 churches that are part of his network, and that share his radical views. While headship theology often does not lead to these extreme views, the fact that it can, should concern us. Maybe we could say that headship theology is dangerous due to what it is associated with. It is guilty by association.
And maybe, any doctrine that can be used to justify or excuse control over other human beings should be questioned. It is important to note that a movement strongly aligned with headship theology, the Southern Baptist Convention, commenced in 1845, as they did not agree with the anti-slavery movement that the mainstream Baptists had aligned themselves with. And it was only in 1995 that the Southern Baptist Convention finally came out and stated that slavery could not be justified or defended.
Any view of Scripture or interpretation of Scripture that can be used to hurt people has to be seriously questioned. As soon as you assume that, based on gender, men are more suitable for positions of leadership (which by their very definition provide some measure of power and control), you create an inequality that seems to contradict the message of the apostle Paul: “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:38, NLT).
To hear more on this topic, tune in to the online summit this Friday, August 22 at 7:30pm (AEST) which will be live streamed on the Adventists Australia YouTube channel and the Adventist Women Australia Facebook page.
Enditnow is a global initiative of the Seventh-day Adventist Church to raise awareness and advocate for the end of violence around the world. On Sabbath, August 23, there will be enditnow rallies in Sydney, Melbourne and Bairnsdale, Victoria.
