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Conflict in Families

The Bible can teach us something
about conflict. Beginning with Adam
and Eve (Genesis 3), we see classic
examples of marital conflict. Adam and
Eve argued with one another about who
was to blame for the first sin. Later, Sarah
was upset that Abraham fathered a son
by another woman, even though she
engineered the situation (Genesis 16–
22). Rebekah misled her husband so her
second-born son would receive his
father’s inheritance (Genesis 27).
These marriages were blessed by God,
but certainly contained much strife and
conflict. Marital infidelity, deception, and
conflict mark page after page of the Old
and New Testaments. These examples
point to our flawed, sinful natures. There
is also much wisdom about marriage and
family life in the Bible. For example,
Proverbs is full of advice to parents. It is a
tribute to marriage when Jesus Christ is
referred to as a bridegroom (John 3:29)
and the Church as His bride (Revelation
21:2; 22:17).

A Christian Response to Spousal Abuse

The ideal Christian marriage is a
covenant, reflecting God’s covenant love
for us. Still, sometimes things go wrong
and the marriage ends. In the next
chapter, we will examine divorce and
remarriage. In the case of marital abuse,

some Christians believe it is sinful to

break up a marriage for any reason. They

believe the abused spouse must tolerate

the abuse because it will identify her with

Christ, the Suffering Servant.

Thankfully, these Christians are rare.

Most religious leaders today agree God

does not intend for anyone to be put in

danger by remaining in an abusive

situation. A good resource for church

leaders seeking to advocate for a

Christian approach to family violence

is the Faith Trust Institute

(www.faithtrustinstitute.org {accessed

June 23, 2009}). Christians are called to

respect the sanctity of human life, not to

abuse anyone for any reason, nor even to

stand by and tolerate such. God wants to

deliver abusers from their sins of

violence. Separating the abusers from

their victims is an important first step.

Often, the separation is a way to

proactively identify the problem and

cause the abuser to seek help. In some

cases, the abuser may repent and through

therapy be changed. It is possible the

family can then be reunited.

A Christian Response to Family Violence

Family violence continues to be a

problem for families who are ill-equipped

to handle conflicts constructively.

Christians can serve as role models for

constructive conflict resolution. At the

A Christian Perspective