Introduction to Marriage and Abusive Relationships

In many marriage environments, abuse takes the form of domestic violence that comes with control or posing threats to the partner. It takes more specific formats like physical violence, which features violence such as beating and hitting and gradually becoming a frequent behavior.[footnoteRef:1] Secondly, sexual abuse is equally common where one partner forces themself to the other. Psychological abuse is also predominant in marriages. One partner adopts intimidating behavior, makes wrong demands, victimizes the partner through acts of guilt, and even isolates them from their loved ones. This ties closely with emotional abuses there an individual suffers constant criticism, low self-esteem, and other acts of humiliation.[footnoteRef:2] Lastly, the abuse can be economical where one partner's access to income is limited, suppressing their ability to work or even forcing them to work. Besides, destruction of property can occur together with influencing vital financial decisions. The abuse can be both men and women, but the effects are more pronounced on the latter.[footnoteRef:3] [1: Domestic Violence, For Your Marriage, accessed April 27, 2021] [2: Domestic Violence] [3: Domestic Violence]

Religious environments like churches are known to offer consolation and rescue to the victims.[footnoteRef:4] But, unfortunately, being in such contexts does not shield incidences of abuse. Instead, the victims suffer in silence or take a prolonged period to open up or seek help. Thus, people are discriminated as seen during the birth of the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.). However, with persistence, abuse and social injustices can be fought to create an environment that is fair to everyone. Through the leadership of Allen, A.M.E. attained this milestone through persistence and advocating for fairness for everyone in the church.[footnoteRef:5] At this point, it is critical to highlight that the more significant part of A.M.E.'s composition was by illiterate people of the community who were not enlightened about the aspects of social justice, fairness, and abuse. More precisely, the Blacks were exposed to abuse, but the church was dedicated to making them lead a pious life. Still, the process was going to be challenging for women who had not been fully integrated into the church, especially in the preaching roles. Jarena Lee's contribution came at such a phase.[footnoteRef:6] Allen was against female ordination, and this impacted Jarena's journey towards evangelism. The effect was even worse considering that he was from an impoverished black family.[footnoteRef:7] [4: Jeronia Mcclish says: et al., African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church, Social Welfare History Project, last modified August 12, 2020] [5: Jeronia Mcclish says: et al.,2020] [6: Jeronia Mcclish says: et al.,2020] [7: Jeronia Mcclish says: et al.,2020]

Women have consistently been the subject of abusive relationships, especially in the patriarchal society, where women's opinions are significantly disregarded. The pro-family movement coerces women to comply with conventional ways of living, which stipulates that women should strictly be submissive to their husbands, contrary to which God would not be happy. Further, the trampling of feminism movements in some societies also contributes immensely to this subject matter as it finds it "unorthodox" for women to be anything but domestic managers. To this end, many women globally have often been subjected to mental and physical abuse in their relationships to "put them in their place" and prevent them from voicing concerns that would be contrary to what their male partners ascribe.[footnoteRef:8] [8: Alisha Ali and Brenda B. Toner, A Cross-Cultural Investigation of Emotional Abuse in Caribbean Women and Caribbean-Canadian Women, Journal of Emotional Abuse 5, no. 1 (2005): 125-140.]

Brief Introduction about Jarena Lee

Jarena Lee was born in 1783 in a black family when slavery was a predominant culture. Segregation and inequality were common, but Jarena Lee desired to overcome the gender and racial challenges. In her upbringing, the family faced social and economic difficulties that prompted her to work seven years. The hardships were to play an essential role in her desire to join Christianity to contain the hardships. As she continued working and through a transformation in both age and mindset, Jarena Lee began to develop a religious ideal that even her parents had not offered. Going by the Christian teachings, Jarena Lee considered herself a sinner, and on several occasions, she contemplated suicide, but with prayer, she began a sanctification journey. She demonstrated a different path was not common among women of her time.

She joined A.M.E., where she was only allowed to lead prayer sessions in her house despite her constant desire to preach. She was married to Pastor Joseph Lee, who equally opposed her preaching mission. She remained submissive and suffered emotional abuse because she had to suspend her spiritual objectives. The abuse and discontent prompted her illness. Six years into marriage, her husband died, leading to even more pain.

Nevertheless, she committed herself to religious missions, and through them, she won the favor of Allen, who acknowledged that Jarena was indeed called to preach. However, she continued to face gender and racial discrimination. The preaching environment was filled with humiliation and different forms of attacks, but her faith in Jesus and His protection kept her strong. To her, Christianity and church had aided in overcoming abuse.

How Jarena Lee Faced Abusive Relationships

Various significant women back in the day faced tremendous discrimination and abuse while they attempted to instigate change from the primitive societal mindset that demeaned women. For example, Jarena Lee was a Christian African-American missionary who was consolidated into a country that legalized slavery and dismissed racial discrimination woes.[footnoteRef:9] From her young age, Jarena witnessed different forms of abuse primarily because of her race and gender. In marriage, she persevered and suspended her goals despite the ideal nature of marriage where partners should show support. It was not different in the church where Allen and the A.M.E. congregation continuously opposed her evangelistic mission.[footnoteRef:10] While the church is supposed to depict neutrality, this was not to be, at least in the initial stages of Jarena's mission. The process of overcoming the abusive relationship required a combination of personal attributes like perseverance and faith.[footnoteRef:11] Besides, outstanding performance in her assigned duties was essential in fighting the opposition. Her excellence during her first sermon impacted change both to herself and the role of women in the church. Waiting for the Lord was bearing fruits, but it took her eight years since the first day she requested Allen. The opinion of the slaveholders against the people of color was firm, and it was going to take Jarena a lot of effort to transform how they viewed black women.[footnoteRef:12] [9: Peterson, More Mystics: Jarena Lee.] [10: Jeronia Mcclish says: et al.,2020] [11: Esti Palant, A Shelter for Orthodox Jewish Women in Israel.] [12: Jeronia Mcclish says: et al.,2020]

Despite dedicating her life to servitude, Jarena Lee was still treated as an ordinary Black who said more than she was supposed to.[footnoteRef:13] Expectedly, the racial discrimination she faced was the most notable abuse and violence that she met while ministering the gospel,besides her female gender identity that attracted more discrimination. [13: Peterson.]

Ostensibly, being a religious figure, she was more exposed to ridicule and discrimination because back then, Blacks were expected to only engage in manual labor encompassed in slavery. Thus, anything beyond that was treated as overstepping boundaries; hence, more discrimination was directed to such individuals. Moreover, being a woman, the situation became complex when gender and race were put into consideration.[footnoteRef:14] Jarena condemned slavery, the very foundation on which her society was placed. However, Jarena Lee remained assertive in her gospel and is celebrated today as a woman who remained courageous in the face of adversity and an inspiration to women undergoing the same fate. [14: Julija VOLFA, Ministry And Domestic Violence Against Women: Perspectives On Domestic Violence Against Women In Russia And The USA]

Description about D. Min Project and the intent

The central intention of the project is to assist women in an abusive relationship find a solution to their challenges by equipping them with the necessary tools. It draws on the journey of Jarena Lee in attaining freedom from abusive relationships both in marriage and interaction with the church. However, proposed solutions keep into account the dynamics in present society, and so some of the challenges faced by Jarena, especially on racial discrimination, are not as pronounced. During her time, the Methodist Church failed to appreciate the role of women in spiritual transformations. Still, these challenges have been reduced, and women today have a remarkable contribution to the church. However, the changes have not been due to the church itself advocating for equality but acts of activism that have seen a global transformation. It is vital to highlight that women's marginalization is still pronounced due to the fear of disclosure. The silence makes them psychologically traumatized as they endeavor to persevere the abusive relationships with the hope of a positive change in their partner's life or even the leadership of their society. Jarena depicted a similar analogy during her marriage. Some scholars argue that the presence of Joseph in her life would have killed the global vision that she had for the world, particularly women.

According to Suzanne C Swan et al., most domestic violence victims in the U.S. are women.[footnoteRef:15] Many of them seek court services as a solution to the physical abuse committed by their spouses. For example, in 2005, Tennesse experienced 16 percent of domestic violence cases. The cases were from people from all walks of life, including the military that registered 23 percent of domestic violence cases.[footnoteRef:16] Formulating a solution to such and many more growing cases of abuse requires an understanding of the root causes and the spheres of life where these cases are prevalent. In doing so, it is worth appreciating that abuse does not have to be directly executed by the partner. Still, the partner's behavior can lead to women harming themselves based on their degree of aggression. Most of these cases are attributed to historical inequality of power where men portrayed dominion against women, leading to more...

Even in such scenarios, emotional support is expected in family relationships where partners hope for safety and love when in despair. Often, physical abuse comes with psychological.[footnoteRef:17] [15: Suzanne C Swan et al., A Review of Research on Women's Use of Violence with Male Intimate Partners, Violence and Victims (U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2008.] [16: Suzanne C Swan et al] [17: Suzanne C Swan et al]

For Jarena Lee, the abuse was predominantly psychological and emotional. However, the effects were felt in her health, creating the impression of indirect physical abuse.[footnoteRef:18] It implies that continuous perseverance in an abusive relationship harms the health of women. Thus, the process of encouraging them to quit before abuse causes more pain to them is imperative. Equally, the process of seeking help should be initiated at the right time to avoid the irreversible effects of abuse.[footnoteRef:19] For Jarena, even after gaining the freedom to preach and expand her transformative goals of empowering the people of color, she remained ill because of the intensity of the damage caused by abuse during her earlier years.[footnoteRef:20] Unfortunately, when abuse takes the psychological or emotional trajectory, many women fail to realize it until it conspicuously hurts their health.[footnoteRef:21] The reason for the undesired incidences is the lack of sensitization to make them realize the effects of abuse. That said, and reflecting on Jarena's life, there should be smooth programs that educate women about identifying abuse in relationships, be it in marriage or a religious setup. But before discussing the possible solutions, explaining the factors that catalyze the abuse is crucial because most of the answers lie in avoiding instances that expose women to abuse.[footnoteRef:22] [18: MARTA ANCZEWSKA et al., EMPOWERING WOMEN WITH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE EXPERIENCE, Higher Education, Lifelong Learning and Social Inclusion, accessed April 27, 2021, ] [19: Suzanne C Swan et al] [20: MARTA ANCZEWSKA et al.] [21: MARTA ANCZEWSKA et al.,] [22: Suzanne C Swan et al]

Women who spend most of their time together with their spouses are at a high risk of abuse. Before Jarena moved from Philadelphia, the instances of abuse were anchored on the church environment and discrimination that women faced.[footnoteRef:23] However, after relocation, she met a more severe form of abuse because she lacked a social life. Most of the interactions emanated from her husband. The more time she spent with him, the more she suffered emotional and psychological abuse. His husband shared the same mission in preaching, but she, due to gender, was denied the opportunity to pursue her goals. It implies that the traditional perspective towards women, especially on their role in the family and their career goals, needs transformation. That is, equality with men is essential in countering abuse because it gives them equal opportunities, reducing spending a lot of time with their spouses. [23: MARTA ANCZEWSKA et al.,]

Culture and conflicts dues to sex differences are another root cause of abuse towards women. The effects of this disposition were felt during Jarena's apostolic journey. Despite her eloquence and understanding of the religious work, she still faced discrimination. The culture saw womenas inferior, which discouraged women from taking part in evangelism. Allen, the leader of the A.M.E., displayed a similar male-dominated culture. In light of such circumstances, women should fight for their space to demonstrate that they can execute different mandates just like their male counterparts.[footnoteRef:24] Jarena illustrates a perfect example of how women should persistently demand equality in the church. She spent eight years seeking to be heard, and the journey became fruitful. Her influence became more influential in the Methodist church across the globe. [24: MARTA ANCZEWSKA et al.,]

The implicit right that people have towards other's behavior is another cause of abuse in women. Allen in the church leadership controlled who contributed to the mission of A.M.E.[footnoteRef:25] Here, the abuse is seen in the power bestowed on leaders when executing their mandate where they discriminate a section of the congregation. Unfortunately, most of the beliefs against women and people of color are unfounded but run to impress most of the population. The A.M.E. displayed major division between black and white, not because their mission differed but due to wrong impressions and pre-formed opinions about black women. Within the same context, Joseph Lee depicted a controlling behavior by denying his wife the opportunity to preach.[footnoteRef:26] [25: MARTA ANCZEWSKA et al.,] [26: MARTA ANCZEWSKA et al.,]

Competencies in executing the assigned mandates have a significant influence on abuse towards women. Most A.M.E. members were illiterate, implying that the humiliation that comes with ignorance exposed them to abuse. Jarena Lee lived in a community that suffered economic depression and rarely advanced their career goals. She went against all the odds to become one of the most informed black women to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. However, going by advancement in education, the modern woman can easily overcome this barrier because of the simplicity in accessing information through technology. It means that among the leading causes of abuse is lack of education, and women must be empowered to access it. Besides, education comes with the understanding of human rights, and this counters abuse. A reflection on the sermon by Jarena that illustrated how Jonah in the Bible was sent to preach but was hesitant was informed by Allen's teachings. The understanding became a significant pillar in convincing Allen that Jaren Lee was fit to preach in the A.M.E.

In line with the social learning theory, individuals learn from observing the behaviors of others. Jarena Lee served as a perfect example to teach women how to counter abuse and rediscover themselves.[footnoteRef:27] Through biblical inspirations, she spoke her mind and desires and proceeded to pursue her intention. Within the same social theory, the people of color had learned that their culture was inferior to others. For Jarena, she had to change the narrative and empower women to participate in various church activities. Even before her approval to be a preacher in the A.M.E., she played leadership roles in the prayer groups. Her teachings were borrowed from the Bible, but the significance was about social transformation.[footnoteRef:28] [27: Suzanne C Swan et al] [28: MARTA ANCZEWSKA et al.,]

Feminist theory depicts power imbalances that come with different genders played different roles.[footnoteRef:29] For patriarchal communities, like in Jarena's case, the set structures discouraged women from participating in public life, such as church leadership. Joseph also held similar beliefs. Such male-dominated environments call for solutions outside the prevailing beliefs. Jarena relied on Chritianianity and understanding of the Bible to develop a different belief from the patriarchs. In this context, the Bible is instrumental in empowering women to eliminate abuse in their marriage and church relationships. It depicts neutrality in the assignment of the roles. The new Testament presents Mary as the mother of Jesus, whose role led to the salvation of humankind.[footnoteRef:30] For similar reasons, the sensitization of women about the position of the Bible and faith is giving women important roles serves as an ingredient of eliminating abuse. [29: Suzanne C Swan et al] [30: Suzanne C Swan et al]

In light of these illustrations, the project examines different ways to counter the abuse of women in the church, marriages, and other social settings. It illustrates the commitment of the church and related ideologies that oppose any form of violence against women. Further, it offers guidance about how women can use the lessons from the church to impact positive change against different forms of abuse.

Role of the Church in Fighting Abuse against Women

According to The Lutheran World Federation, abuse of women portrays an ugly picture of depressed women who have been captives of abuse.[footnoteRef:31] Therefore, according to the authors, the church should play a liberal role in safeguarding women's rights against all forms of abuse. The church should comfort the disturbed members of the church, such as women in abused relationships.[footnoteRef:32] In this process, the first step in understanding abuse as a sin in the religious context. Sin incorporates actions that negatively affect human life. Thus, it is shifting from the stipulated God's guidance. However, biblical verses like "...your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you" (Genesis 3:16b) are usually misinterpreted to support incidences of abuse. In the context of Jarena, men in leadership had all the power over women, and an attempt to reverse the belief was faced with intense criticism. When analyzing the mentioned verse, it is essential to understand the context of its application. It resulted from Adam and Eve's sinful actions and cannot support abuse against women. It was a form of sentence for wrongdoing.[footnoteRef:33] It was not within the intentions of God when creating man and woman. But through salvation that came through Jesus Christ, the original sin was eliminated, meaning that the sentences emanating from sin were reduced. Thus, the application of the verse to support abuse and violence against women is misplaced, and the subjugation should be eliminated. The church can only preach this understanding to make the congregants understand the accurate interpretation of the Bible. It was unfortunate for Jarena and the women of her time that such revelations were not adequately integrated into the church, making them suffer a series of abuse. It is upon the church to confess that besides allowing mistreatment of women, it has also failed in its mandate to educate the people about the sinful act. [31: The Lutheran World Federation, Churches Say No to Violence against Women, The Lutheran World Federation (The Lutheran World Federation, n.d.), accessed April 27, 2021.] [32: The Lutheran World Federation, Churches Say No to Violence against Women, The Lutheran World Federation] [33: The Lutheran World Federation, Chrches Say No to Violence against Women, The Lutheran World Federation]

Some churches offer shelter for women in abusive relationships. According to The Lutheran World Federation, pastoral counseling plays a crucial role in the healing process of women who have suffered numerous types of abuse.[footnoteRef:34] Jarena Lee used the church to rise against all odds to become one of the most vocal women in the Methodist church. In doing so, the church acts as a…