The Christian understanding of God as Father and Lord, held by all Christians until the beginning of the incursions of feminist thought, the report called “misguided" and said it is a distorted version of Christian belief. This distortion, the report said, specifically includes the understanding of God as it is derived from the Bible.

The report, titled “Responding to Domestic Abuse, Guidelines for Pastoral Responsibility,” condemned the Christian spirituality of self-denial, calling it a factor in discouraging victims of spousal abuse from seeking help. It signatories included the titular head of the Church of England and the Worldwide Anglican Communion, Dr. Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, appointed in 2002 by Prime Minister Tony Blair.

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The Daily Mail quotes Graham James, the Anglican Bishop of Norwich, who said that abuse victims “can be locked into a belief that they deserve the punishment that they receive and they link that with the theology that they hear in church where Christ is victim.”

“Maybe even that they think their suffering has redemptive quality to it which justifies it in some way,” James said.

# posted by Squach : 8:04 PM   |