In yesterday's online Christianity Today, an interview with W. Bradford Wilcox, who challenges stereotypes of evangelical fathers as authoritarian and abusive.
Journalists such as Steve and Cokie Roberts and Christian feminists such as James and Phyllis Alsdurf have argued that patriarchal religion leads to domestic violence. My findings directly contradict their claims.Domestic violence is an important problem in our society, but we should not confuse the matter by blaming conservative religion. The roots of domestic violence would seem to lie elsewhere.
These stereotypes, and my rejection of them, had a role in my life. When I turned my back on Christian faith after college, I started believing people who claimed that the Christian family was an abusive institution. Don't know why I did, I just fell for it, even though no evidence was ever given to prove it. Years later, when I began to feel like I needed a new source of strength for my family, I had to confront that stereotype. When I questioned it, asking for evidence, no evidence was found. The idea that Christianity causes domestic violence is just a liberal cliche.