Counselling Christian Women
From the author:
“Speak for those who cannot speak for themselves: ensure justice for those who are perishing” (Proverbs 31:8).
This Scripture highlights the ethical and moral obligations of the Christian to champion the cause of those who would otherwise be overlooked. After a lifelong connection with the Christian faith, first through Sunday School and youth activities, followed by ongoing engagement in church life, this Scripture appealed strongly to my sense of justice.
Counselling Christian Women on How to Deal with Domestic Violence provides the means by which attention can be drawn to issues that have often been silenced within both the church and the community. Presenting domestic violence in a more open forum fosters an increased awareness of the needs of Christian women and further promotes their well-being by informing both counsellors and members of the clergy of the specific areas in need of consideration. As such this book has enabled me, in part, to “speak for those who cannot speak for themselves, and ensure justice for those who are perishing”, thereby in some small way fulfilling the obligations of my faith.
Reviews:
COUNSELLING CHRISTIAN WOMEN
Dr Lynne M Baker
Australian Academic Press
Counselling Christian Women is an extremely well researched and documented book that deals with domestic abuse in its many forms. It presents a series of vignettes of the varied domestic experiences of twenty Christian women who suffered years of abuse in Christian married relationships. These violations are coupled with reports of widely different pastoral responses. In many cases, these added to the wounds of an already hurting person. To be fair to the church, it appeared this additional pain was caused more by the individual leader’s belief than a denominational viewpoint. The women came from a wide range of denominations ranging from quite liberal to fundamentalist.
An excellent training resource, Baker’s book should appeal to and be a useful tool for anyone who counsels in a Christian ministry or church-related setting. DS
COUNSELLING CHRISTIAN WOMEN ON HOW TO DEAL WITH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Lynne M Baker
Australian Academic Press
The reader could first wonder, somewhat superficially, whether sales might be affected by using the term ‘Christian’ in the title of a book that deals with helping people who are the victims of domestic abuse. The reader could also surmise, after a cursory glance, that it is an academic thesis. Indeed, it is a chunky book with footnotes, definitions, citations, graphs, references and tightly written text. But Baker quickly directs those initial presuppositions to other issues that are far more important. She offers a book that is well thought out and helpful, and aimed at a broad target audience - not just counsellors.
She maintains that Christian women, when faced with the usual issues of abusive relationships, are a unique group who may encounter complications because of their belief system. But they also have the advantage of an extra tool to help them cope. She is forthright in dealing, in detail, with the Scriptural principles of forgiveness, the sacred union of marriage, and female submission to male leadership.
There are stories of twenty women, many of whom want to practise their faith, but find conflicts with the teachings of the church. The author considers that ‘much can be gained by listening and learning from the experiences of others’. In the telling of the stories, she provides some extremely practical pointers for a wide audience, not just the abused. Each chapter ends with some useful reflections for counsellors, and questions for clients. Also listed are succinct coping strategies for maintaining faith in God, seeking assistance, opting for separation, refusing to accept abuse, being intolerant of fault-finding and blame, having freedom of choice, being able to develop plans, accepting reassurance and living in a supportive environment. And overall is the importance of listening without judgement.
This book is an extremely worthwhile contribution to a topic which the average person has difficulty in handling. NS