In the early days of my biblical counseling experience (nearly 40 years ago) concern for protecting marriage sometimes kept us from doing enough to protect spouses (usually women) who were being oppressed. I firmly believe that abuse remains a significant problem, even among professing Christians, and that churches and counselors need to prioritize safety of […]
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The Abuse Pendulum, Part 4: Can Sexual Consent take Place when there is a Power Differential? (Revised)
Introduction – Shameful abuses of power There have been many highly publicized cases of powerful people (usually men) who have pressured subordinates into inappropriate sexual relationships. The heinousness of those […]
Podcast: Truth In Love: The Abuse Pendulum, Part 2
In this podcast, Dale Johnson interviews me about spousal abuse. For the blogs under discussion, see my Abuse Counseling page.
Podcast: Truth In Love: The Abuse Pendulum, Part 1
In this podcast, Dale Johnson interviews me about spousal abuse. For the blogs under discussion, see my Abuse Counseling page.
Interview with Kevin Deyoung: Thinking Biblically About Abuse, with Jim Newheiser
The Abuse Pendulum, Part Three: Weaponizing Scripture and Weaponizing Victimhood (Eph. 6:17)
A few years ago, I wrote two blogs expressing concern that biblical counselors need to approach the very sensitive and important issue of abuse in a scripturally balanced way. You can find Part One here and Part Two here. I began the previous blogs with an acknowledgment that the church and biblical counselors have often […]
Truth in Love Podcast, Episode 292: A Kind Critique of the Five Love Languages
Dale Johnson interviewed me on Gary Chapman’s highly popular The 5 Love Languages, in which I give a “Kind Critique”.
Lessons Learned from a Fallen Pastor
Introduction (by Jim Newheiser) Recently, the BCC presented a blog about “Helping Adult Victims of Clergy Sexual Abuse,” authored by Caroline Newheiser along with an anonymous victim. A fallen pastor who read Caroline’s blog contacted me and wanted to tell his story as a warning to church leaders, so we have written this blog together. […]
A Phased Reopening of a Formerly Abusive Marriage
During the COVID crisis, restrictions have been put in place which have sometimes kept people apart for the purpose of safety. For counseling cases in which there has been marital abuse the victim often must be separated from the abuser for the sake of safety. During this time, we counsel the abuser separate from the […]
The Battleship of Abuse
Do you remember playing the game Battleship when you were a kid? You would try to discover where your opponent had stationed his ships on a grid representing the ocean so you could shoot and sink them. One shot, however, wouldn’t sink a battleship. Some ships could be sunk with as few as two hits […]