Excellent4.8 out of 5On Trustpilot
  1. The Church/
  2. Pastoral

The Bible Doesn't Tell Me So

Why you don't have to submit to domestic abuse and coercive control

by Helen Paynter

  • Paperback
  • 144 pages
  • Publisher: Bible Reading Fellowship
  • 13 x 19.7 x 1.8 cm

£8.01

Save 11%

Available - Order before 2:30pm for same day dispatch

Buying for a school or church? Upgrade to a FREE Eden Advance Account

For anybody affected by domestic abuse

This book debunks the myths and texts used to justify abuse

You'll find real responses to combating and refuting abuse at home and in the Church

Debunking the myths and refuting the ways Biblical text have been used against women, Helen Paynter offers a way to refute and escape abuse at home and Church.
Anna Hockley

Anna Hockley

Eden Christian Books Specialist

Free delivery on orders over £10

This book is addressed directly to women experiencing domestic abuse, and to those who seek to support them, including pastoral leaders, friends and support organisations.

It debunks the myths – perpetuated by some abusers and, unwittingly, by many churches – which prevent women from getting out of harm’s way. It helps them realise that the Bible does not belong to their abuser but is a text of liberation. Written with careful attention to pastoral issues, it closely examines and clearly explains the relevant scriptural texts.

The Bible Doesn't Tell Me So and Forgiving What You Can't Forget
Forgiving What You Can't ForgetThe Bible Doesn't Tell Me So

  • Author

    Helen Paynter

  • Book Format

    Paperback / softback

  • Publisher

    Bible Reading Fellowship

  • Published

    October 2020

  • Weight

    182g

  • Page Count

    144

  • Dimensions

    13 x 19.7 x 1.8 cm

  • ISBN

    9780857469892

  • ISBN-10

    0857469894

  • Eden Code

    5131010

Featured in

Preface

Introduction

PART 1: THE WEAPONISATION OF SCRIPTURE

1 A wife’s proper place

‘Wives, submit to your husbands.’ An abuser’s charter?

‘Ideal’ wives in the Bible

‘The wife has to consent to sex whenever the husband wants it’

2 Subordination of women

‘Women were created to help men’

‘The curse of women is to be dominated by men’

‘Women menstruate and are regularly unclean’

‘Women should be silent in church’

‘Women were deceived and are inherently unreliable’

3 Divorce

Malachi

Jesus and the rabbis

4 Forgiveness and suffering

What is forgiveness and what isn’t it?

Suffering and the Christian vocation

A lament

5 When pastor turns predator

PART 2: THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE

6 God is for the oppressed

The Old Testament law

The psalmist

The prophets

The rage of the Saviour

But what about… all that abuse against women in the Old Testament?

7 Jesus: fellow sufferer and non-toxic man

The incarnation of God

Honoured women

8 You are of immense value

You are made in the image of God

God’s heart is to bind your wounds and restore your dignity

But what about…sin?

9 Silenced and hidden no more

Confronting the power of vested interest

There is nothing hidden that will not be made known

PART 3: THREE PERSONAL ADDRESSES

10 To those trapped by an abuser

11 To church leaders

Believe the woman!

Exercise church discipline

Call out sin

Establish cultures where women can truly flourish

12 To the perpetrator

Taking it further

General further reading

Helplines and support organisations for victims and those who support them

National Domestic Violence Helpline

Women’s Aid

Refuge

Local domestic abuse services

Resources for churches

Resource for abusers

Respect

Blogs

Safety plan

Endnotes

Helen Paynter is Director of the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence. A Baptist minister and biblical specialist, she has published at popular and scholarly levels, including God of Violence Yesterday, God of Love Today? (2019) for BRF. She speaks nationally and internationally about the interpretation of biblical violence and the abuse of the Bible to promote violence.

Over 14,000 churches and schools have upgraded to an Advance Account and we‘d love to welcome you into this free program. We know that church volunteers and school teachers often use their own money, then have claim it back on on an expense form. We can take all of that hassle away by invoicing your church or school directly and delivering your order straight away.

Opening an account is quick and easy, with most accounts being approved and setup within a few hours of filling in the form below (on weekdays, not weekends). As soon as we‘ve approved the application we‘ll send you an email to let you know that its done.

Upgrade to a FREE Eden Advance Account
Write a review
      Ask a question