Comments on: A Charge for Church Leadership: Speaking Out Against Sexual Abuse and Ministering to Survivors, Part 2 https://pneumareview.com/a-charge-for-church-leadership-speaking-out-against-sexual-abuse-and-ministering-to-survivors-part-2/ Journal of Ministry Resources and Theology for Pentecostal and Charismatic Ministries & Leaders Wed, 06 Jun 2018 18:30:06 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.38 By: Andrew Schmutzer https://pneumareview.com/a-charge-for-church-leadership-speaking-out-against-sexual-abuse-and-ministering-to-survivors-part-2/#comment-35726 Wed, 24 Dec 2014 16:45:05 +0000 http://pneumareview.com/?p=8634#comment-35726 Dear R.P., thanks for your question.

In the same book (The Long Journey Home), there is a chapter entitled “Wife Rape: Personal Realities and Hope for the Future” (pp. 74-89). We must acknowledge this extreme. Historically, state law turned a blind eye to forceful sexual acts within the domestic home, but most today would admit that being legally married cannot be a cover or excuse for sexual violence within that marriage.

The violence I’m referring to can be a spectrum of acts (whether from a previous spouse or ‘intimate partner’). Because both people are no longer ‘under-age’, there is a greater emphasis on consent (morally & legally). Unwanted sexual activity that is forced on a spouse within the marriage context can include: coercion, aggression, and violence.

Unfortunately, the combination of ethnic traditions, religious beliefs, and horrific personal selfishness means that sexual manipulation and aggression continues to occur in marriages. For people of faith, 1 Cor 7 is a biblical text that must be understood and lived out correctly. Most advocacy groups will never go here. I recommend seeking marital counseling to work out any such problems. This can be messy, but any such sexual manipulation in marriage (from either spouse!) needs to be worked out. Finally, consider what other issues may actually lie deeper, making sexual aggression/manipulation a symptom, albeit, utterly unacceptable.

Strength & Courage, Andrew

]]> By: Pneuma Review https://pneumareview.com/a-charge-for-church-leadership-speaking-out-against-sexual-abuse-and-ministering-to-survivors-part-2/#comment-35715 Tue, 16 Dec 2014 23:45:06 +0000 http://pneumareview.com/?p=8634#comment-35715 Andrew Schmutzer, on the God’s Word to Women Facebook page, a woman with the initials R.P. asked, “How do we define sexual abuse within a marriage?”

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