Abuse is serious; we need facts not polemic to fight it

The news from Australia made it all the way to the Church Times in the UK. And the headline was stark and clear – ‘Australia: Anglican women more likely to suffer domestic violence.’ (Church Times 18 June 2021).

Given that many people only read the headline, given that the report on which it was based was commissioned by the Anglican Church in Australia and given the ‘facts’ produced in the article – the implication was clear: those who are taught Biblical values are more likely to abuse and be abused.

When I first read of this in The Sydney Morning Herald (which ended up doing three articles showing why Biblical Christianity leads to abuse!) my first reaction was, ‘Oh that’s horrible’. My second was to ask if it was true – and so I went and read the original report and found that the Church Times article is, to be kind, somewhat economical with the truth.