This letter and website link was forwarded to me today. I don’t know Jeff Crippen but I do like his utter honesty about the cultural influences in some conservative settings that encourage domestic and sexual abuse and that implicitly encourage injustice to victims of oppression.
I encourage you all to read this…especially if you were once a victim and your church didn’t care well for you. Maybe this will bring some healing.
Abuse and Pastors: An Open Letter from a Pastor to Pastors.
Musings on Faith and Psychology 
Thanks for passing this along. It gives me hope that pastors such as this one are listening to the Spirit of Truth, even when it means large changes to the way their church is run. Jesus was instrumental in initiating more rights for women (talking to the Samaritan woman; friendship with the Marys, Martha and other women; and even providing that the women were the first to discover the Resurrection) so the Church should be leading the way with equal rights (“nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus,” Galatians 2:28).
I am grateful to have a husband who loves me and creates an atmosphere that makes me want to submit to his leadership (though even after 27 years, I still stumble with this at times). But for those women whose husbands are displaying an abuse of their role, we need to show extreme compassion.
Prayerfully, the Church will hold men accountable for their attitudes and behaviors toward their wives–and women in general–and we will be able to shine Christ’s love in a more pure way.
GREAT site! Also the links to other sites