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The Black church continues to be a pillar of strength to Black families and communities. However, the role of the Black church in responding to domestic violence has been inconsistent and, at times, limited. This manuscript examines the unique and important role of the Black church in addressing and alleviating domestic violence in Black families and communities, and it identifies the ways in which the Black church has responded to domestic violence at the practice and policy levels. Ways that the Black church can provide greater leadership to eradicate domestic violence include enhancing training for clergy so that they can adequately address domestic violence, creating a sustained and collective faith-based effort to respond to domestic violence, strengthening domestic violence ministries and their role in the church, continuing to use sermons and biblical interpretations that encourage survivors to become empowered and seek help, increasing public education efforts through the Black church, and partnering with social work professionals and others to address and support their work in this area.
Key Words: domestic violence, spirituality, religion, faith-based, community-based
So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever y et hated his own ßesh; but nourisheth and cherishefh it (Ephesians 5:28-29 KJV).
THE BLACK CHURCH HAS NOT BEEN PROACTIVELY INVOLVED WHEN it comes to responding to domestic violence. This is problematic because African American women are more likely to suffer serious or lethal injury as a result of domestic violence compared to all other groups of women (Rennison & Welchans, 2003). African American women are more likely to suffer from chronic illness and mental health issues as a result of domestic violence (Bent-Goodley 2007). Compared to other groups of women, African American women are more likely to turn to their faith community and extended family first before reaching out to formal providers, such as social workers, law enforcement, and health professionals (Bent-Goodley, 2004; Bent-Goodley & Williams, 2008; Hassouneh-Phillips, 2003; Nason-Clark, 2000; Watlington & Murphy, 2006; West, 1999).
African American women report experiencing forms of spiritual abuse when they are denied being able to attend church services, when Scripture is specifically utilized to disable and disempower them, and when they are punished by an abusive...