Thread by @SandmanGrant

Anglicans should be commended for being the first denomination to do such a prevalence study.

Anglicans should grieve deeply over even one case of domestic violence in our churches, let alone any attempt to justify it by Scripture. theaustralian.com.au/nation/scriptu…

I speak as someone who has been campaigning for a better response to domestic violence in our @SydAnglicans churches for almost a decade, and as chair of our DV Task Force, which produced the first policy for any of 20+ #Anglican dioceses in Australia. sds.asn.au/sites/default/…

I wrote about this publicly in 2015... "So let's be clear for any Christians who missed the memo. The Bible says any abuse or aggression from one spouse to another, whether physical or verbal, is wrong."
smh.com.au/opinion/for-ch…

For example, Colossians 3:19 says, "Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them".

St Peter says we're never to exploit those with less power.

Here is our @SydAnglicans domestic abuse response flow chart from our Policy...

Conservative Christians have special reason to be attentive to the issue. We know sin is generally an ‘equal opportunity employer’. But the Scriptures themselves do seem to give a few gendered warnings in regards to some sin.

In particular, they seem to suggest that men may be particularly prone to certain sins associated with aggression and violence, which need to be identified and rebuked. E.g. as mentioned above, Colossians 3:19, 1 Peter 3:7. (1 Timothy 2:8 may also offer such evidence.)

Clearly, the Apostles must warn against these possibilities because the temptation for men to so mistreat wives was a clear and present danger. Also note that St Peter warns that we must expect ignorant & unstable people among our churches to twist the Scriptures (2 Peter 3:16).

Here are 10 Statements about Domestic Abuse from our @SydAnglicans DV Policy 'Thinking Theologically' section.

Continuing the 10 Theological Thought Statements about DV...

And here is our @SydAnglicans Doctrine Commission Report in plain English on "The Use and Misuse of Scripture with Regard toDomestic Abuse" sds.asn.au/sites/default/…

By way of further information, @SydAnglicans have also set up a pioneering Ministry Spouse Support Fund to provide substantial transitional funding assistance when a spouse of a clergy person or ministry worker is a victim of domestic violence.

And @ANGLICARESydney has employed an excellent Family and Domestic Violence Advisor who helps advise our clergy and provides training in the area of domestic violence prevention and response.

Developed jointly between @ANGLICARESydney and our @SydAnglicans Professional Standards Unit, we also have an online training course aimed at clergy and church workers courses.safeministry.training/know-domestic-…

Here are some key contacts:
• The Police: dial 000
– 24/7 in emergencies.
• 1800 Respect national helpline: 1800 737 732 or 1800respect.org.au
– 24/7 for DV counselling & advice.

• Child Protection Helpline: 132 111
• Lifeline: 131 114 or lifeline.org.au/get-help

Lastly, for @SydAnglicans, our Professional Standards Unit: 02 9265 1604 or safeministry.org.au for advice about policies, training, screening and reporting, especially regarding abuse involving Anglican clergy, church workers and volunteers.

Thanks for your report, @lunns, the above thread is my initial response, as the Chair of the @SydAnglicans Domestic Violence Task Force, that produced our policy, guidelines, training, resources, somewhat ahead of the National Anglican curve. (Also a member of national FVWG.)