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> Beating Up My Spouse
By Paul Petersen, Field Secretary, SPD

> Church supports UN plan to promote women's peace in Pacific
By Brenton Stacey, Adventist News Network

> Prostitution, Trafficking, and Women
By Mindi Rahn, Adventist Review

Beating Up My Spouse
By Paul Petersen, Field Secretary, SPD

In my home country Greenland, we share the classical joke question, "Have you stopped beating your wife?" There is no right answer to that in my culture, either "Yes" or "No" you are in trouble. I remember as a boy it was not fun when were told not to hit a girl. Girls could scratch with their nails, or even bite and I was a poor defenseless male.

Later we received strange news from Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, the world's largest and very icy island, where one of my friends was working. A number of house disagreements ended up with the wife being brought in for violent assault on the husband. How funny. Women beating men!

Unfortunately reality is no joke. Violence and abuse in the home is a horrible thing. Once love ruled, now only fear may be left. Originally drawn to each other by sentiments of love, man and woman are now emotionally entangled by a common emotional history of violence, retribution and increasingly more futile attempts at reconciliation. Children grow up with violence as the predominant model of response to any crisis.

It is part of my nature as a selfish human being that I try to justify my actions after the fact. Various cultures may use what is perceived as acceptable excuses for aberrant behaviour. It is also very much a part of the nature of any religious person within a Christian culture to attempt to excuse selfish actions by appealing to the Bible, the accepted authority. Therefore, people at times justify abuse and violence by use of biblical texts. My wife is to submit, it is claimed with reference to Ephesians 5:22. And does not submission indicate that I as a male am to educate, teach, and even correct my submissive wife? To put her in the right place? And do we not throughout the Bible observe the fact that man is in charge? Just look at the divine laws given to Moses.

Does the Bible address the issue of violence and abuse in the home? Is it anywhere in the Holy Writings implied whether a spouse is allowed to beat the spouse or not? The fact is that neither the Old nor the New Testament is silent on this issue, and their teachings are coherent and consistent.

Old Testament Culture and Laws

There is no question that the cultures in which the Bible was produced was male dominated, and that women at times had very little if any legal rights and very often were abused. But let us get it right. Historical fact is not ethical necessity. Historical description does not imply divine prescription.

The divine laws shared through Moses were in many ways protective of the weaker groups in society, trying to safeguard the widow, the orphan, and the poor against the consequence of evils that were already practised. God never condoned slavery, yet knowing that it was a fact, He gave laws that would give some protection against even wider abuse (such as Exodus 21:7-11 and Deut 21:10-14). Ideally God never wanted divorce, but as men sent the wives away anyway, God sought to protect the women against extreme abuse and secure their right to remarriage and social safety by providing the law of a divorce certificate (Deut 24:1-4). Compared with all laws known from the cultures of the Ancient Near East, this law was unique in its attempt to protect the women. God recognised reality, and He spoke into the particular culture of the day to establish the best possible laws under the circumstances.

Furthermore, it is necessary to be aware of the fact that the Old Testament laws were customary laws. Most of them were orally transmitted. Those written down were either unique examples in conflict with tradition, or they were extreme cases that would serve as examples for similar, less extreme situations.

This background helps us to realise the scope and consequences of some of the laws that are otherwise less understood. If, for instance, a man hurt his slave, whether male or female, by striking the slave, that slave was to be set free (Exodus 21:26-27). This was an extreme situation. The slave was the socially lowest ranking person in the household. The Jews naturally understood the law to imply that the man certainly was not allowed to beat his wife either. Or look at the law in Exodus 21:8-11. It protects a slave wife who may end up even being the second wife in a household. The man is required to supply her with the three basics of food, clothing, and conjugal rights/nuptial bliss. If that is the case for someone standing in the lowest position, certainly it applies to every spouse.

In the Jewish culture, this law became part of the basis for decisions regarding marriages. At the time of Jesus, all Rabbinical courts agreed that any man was obliged to share these three basics with his spouse. The woman was not allowed by law to seek divorce (that was the prerogative of the man), yet if the man did not provide these needs, she could go to the courts which would order the husband to comply and fine him if he did not. The fines were of a size that would force the man either to treat the wife decently or to divorce her so that she had the freedom to remarry.

New Testament Culture and Law

Jesus never addressed some of these laws mentioned previously, but He was asked to take side in another legal battle fought between the various Rabbinical schools of his day. He took the stand (cf. Matt 19:3-10) that man was not allowed to send his wife away for just any reason. Moreover, he emphasised the original ideal. God never intended marriages to break up.

Yet, in reality it happens. Did Jesus ever say how to live with each other in such a way that the marriage will survive life's challenges? He certainly did. The injunction of Jesus to love the enemy provides a basis. This is another example of an extreme case. If we are to turn the other cheek (Matt 5:39), certainly it is implied that we are not to beat our spouse, the one who is closest to us. Jesus does not by His saying require you to hit your spouse at least twice, that is, on both cheeks; rather he demands you not to use violence at all. Living together in mutual love will keep the marriage intact.

Or look at the fruit of Spirit as described by Paul in Galatians 5:22-23. It consists of love, joy, peace, and also kindness, gentleness and self-control. To beat up my spouse is not compatible with these values.

Let no one fool himself. The Bible nowhere justifies abuse and violence towards other people. It does not when it comes to my enemies. It does not when it comes to those who are closest to us. Don't abuse the Bible that way.

The problem of violence in the home is a tragic reality. We need to recognise it for what it is and avoid any attempt to use the Bible to justify evil. God wants to help anyone who is entangled in such a situation. God does not want the love to die and marriages to crumple. Many good Christian counsellors are educated to help couples who are victims of such a situation. What the Bible teaches on the topic is clear and self evident.

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Church supports UN plan to promote women's peace in Pacific
10th March 2004 ,Wahroonga, New South Wales Australia
By Brenton Stacey, Adventist News Network

The Seventh-day Adventist Church is supporting a plan by the United Nations (UN) to promote women's peace and security in the Pacific islands.

Joy Butler, Rose Howson and Bronwyn Mison, all departmental directors or managers at the church in the South Pacific's head office, attended a breakfast organised by the UN's Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) in Sydney on March 8 to raise money for the plan.

"I believe it is our responsibility as women to be peacemakers, both from a political and Christian point of view," says Mrs Butler, the director of women's ministries for the church. "If women could stop men going to war, there would be fewer wars."

Dr Elsina Wainwright, strategy and program director for the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, spoke at the breakfast of the critical role women have played in bringing peace to the Pacific Islands. She told stories of women in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, and in the Solomon Islands taking guns off men and standing between opposing forces during times of civil war and ethnic tension. However, she noted this has not translated into leadership roles.

"The church needs to work more with organisations such as UNIFEM because the needs of Adventist women are similar to the needs of others in the Pacific," says Mrs Butler. "They want to pray for husbands and children who've turned away from the church. They want to free themselves from abusive relationships. They want an education. They want their children to have an education. And they want good health but need money to buy medicine or to see the doctor."

The husband of this woman has cut off her fingers because she has been paying her brother's university fees. The church is supporting a UN plan to promote women's peace and security in the Pacific islands.

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Prostitution, Trafficking, and Women: It's a worldwide problem. What can we do?
By Mindi Rahn, Adventist Review

GIRL FALLS IN LOVE WITH a boy. She is Pakistani, only 16 years old. He, a bit older, is originally from India. One day the boy asks the girl to accompany him to his native land. She happily consents, leaving her family and friends behind, desiring only to be with her beloved. After their long journey is complete, the boy takes the girl to a large house, hands her over to complete strangers, and promises to return soon. He never does. Shocked, betrayed, heartbroken--the girl realizes that she has been sold to a brothel and must perform sexual services to pay off her debt. She staunchly refuses to participate in such acts and is beaten and tortured until she ultimately complies. A few months later, the girl is taken to a doctor for a health exam. She tests HIV positive.

The tragic case of the Pakistani girl is not an isolated incident. Prostitution, trafficking, violence...these are the daily realities for many women all over the world. From the streets of India to the highways of the United States, women and girls are bought, sold, taken far away from their native lands, and forced to perform sexual services for complete strangers. Their human dignity and right to a safe and happy life, free from sexually transmitted diseases, physical abuse, and unwanted pregnancy, is stripped away. Instead these women are forced to become sexual slaves, caught in a system that perpetuates injustice and reinforces the perception that women are second-class citizens.

During March 2003 I had the opportunity to attend the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. Delegates and non governmental organisations from all over the world have joined together to discuss the status of women and how to combat such endemic problems as prostitution, trafficking, and physical abuse. The commission has specifically targeted the Netherlands and Sweden as topics of discussion.

In the Netherlands prostitution is legal, much to the intense dismay of many women around the world. In recent years the country has become a popular destination for sex tourists who frequent the 2,000 available brothels and escort services. Studies indicate that approximately 30,000 women are employed in the Netherlands to meet the growing sex tourist population. Of these 30,000 women, up to 70 percent have been imported to the Nether-lands from countries outside of the European Union, and 40 percent are illegal immigrants. Because prostitution is legal, sex outside of marriage has been commercialized and condoned, and a clear tie between the trafficking of persons and prostitution has been forged.

In a contrasting scenario, owing to intense lobbying of non governmental organisations around the European Union, prostitution has been banned in Sweden. In 1999 the Swedish government passed the sex tourist law, which states that, anyone who is found to be involved in trafficking or prostitution of persons will be arrested and dealt with accordingly. The ban in Sweden has been a huge victory for the battle against prostitution, a battle that is steadily picking up steam. While the statistics concerning prostitution have been rising steadily in countries around the world, the statistics in Sweden have remained constant. Because of the ban prostitution has been deemed unacceptable, a tool of degradation against women. Clearly, the Swedish people are working to preserve the dignity of women.

In comparing the Netherlands and Sweden, what can we, as the Adventist Church, learn from the two scenarios? How can we work toward the elimination of trafficking and prostitution around the world? One means is to instil in girls at a young age that they are valuable creations, worthy of love, respect, and, if needed, forgiveness. A second means is to contact governments and non governmental organisations around the world and urge our fellow human beings that prostitution and trafficking are violations of human rights and God's laws for humankind.

The situation of the Pakistani girl is deeply saddening and intolerable. The legalisation of prostitution in the Netherlands is a blow to human dignity. We, as the Adventist Church, need to work toward the elimination of such scenarios and spread God's love to those who are especially in need.
_________________________
Mindi Rahn writes from Walland, Tennessee.
Used by permission from Adventist Review, the global magazine for the Seventh-day Adventist Church - www.adventistreview.org

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