Teaching on abuse and God’s heart for the abused is a pastor’s responsibility, priority and biblical duty based on God’s mandate to shepherds to protect the sheep: “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). The church must openly, culturally and theologically rebuke abuse, or risk silently inviting abuse and abusers to operate with impunity — in the church and in marriages.
What one does with the truth is beyond the control of the pastor/teacher but God will hold the pastor/teacher responsible for failing to protect His sheep and confronting predation of all kinds: “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” (James 3:1).
To teach the Gospel without without liberating the oppressed, defending the weak, and standing against abuse of any kind supports the oppressor and disobeys God’s commandment: “How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked” (Psalm 82:2-4).
If the church culture is abuser friendly, if the pastor is not persuaded by God’s commandment and the vulnerability of the flock to predation to rebuke abuse and abusers, if the teaching is silent on God’s disdain for abusive and willfully wicked/evil behavior (Psalm 11:5, 1 Corinthians 5:11, 2 Timothy 3:1-5), and if the word of God is not rightly divided concerning God’s heart towards abuse victims, the church/leadership/culture, by default, will not only neglect the abused but create a safe haven for abusers and predators as a result.
The church must lead not follow the fight against abuse, or the church will continue to be an unprotected hunting ground for predators of all kinds…and unsafe for all.
“For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17)
