Spousal Violence among World Christians

This book takes a global approach to violence between husbands and wives in faith contexts. It focuses primarily on Christians, and uses anthropological, theological and historical methods which intersect with and are challenged by lay and ordained women and men from eighteen countries. Focusing on marital violence, the book explores how to understand how various churches, their priests, preachers and members, approach the topic, interpret the texts, and, with the almost relentless collusion of theologians, hide from the sin. Drawing on ethnographic research over several decades from around the world, Elizabeth Koepping presents testimonies from abused women, as well as theological justification for spousal abuse from the perpetrators. She argues that violence against the (female) spouse can be understood as proper behaviour by manly men towards unruly wives, rather than an insult to the Image of God in all persons. The book shows that spousal abuse is an ecumenical phenomenon, in the sense that is present all over the inhabited world, and it is present in all Christian churches.