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Family violence is a domestic problem that plagues families of all races. Its presence within the family indicates that something is very wrong within the home. Family violence is prevalent among African-American families. It threatens the very existence of the African-American family.
Family violence is defined as an aggressive act displayed by one family member and directed against another member of the same family. The aggressive act can be directed by one sybling to another, a parent to a child or children, one spouse to another or a younger family member to an elderly family member.
There are seven factors which indicate a family stands a strong chance to experience family violence. Families having these seven indicating factors are more likely to experience child abuse. The seven factors that indicate a chance of experiencing family violence are:
- Low Income Status.
- An Unemployed Father.
- African-American Slums.
- Drug Connections.
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- A Large Family Size (such as seven or more children).
- A Single Parent with a Surrogate Friend.
- Little or No Church Commitment.
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There are five categories of child abuse. These categories are:
- Physical Contact.
- Physical Neglect.
- Emotional Neglect.
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- Sexual Abuse.
- Spousal Abuse.
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There are three indicators of potential wife abuse. These indicators are:
- A Couple Isolated from the Wife's Family.
- A Family History of Inadequate Conflict Resolution.
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- A Husband with an Inferority Comples.
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There are two methods of intervention to alleviate family violence. These methods are: macrolevel initiatives and microlevel initiatives. Macrolevel initiatives are governmental, community based or private organizations which sponsor programs that deal with violence in the family. Microlevel initiatives are faith-based efforts which seek to bring about a change of heart and subsequently a change of behavior among family members plagued with family violnce.
The Worth of The Human Personality
“…man is…deemed by the Almighty to be of inestimable worth….man…represents God’s highest and best, made in His image and intended for His glory….Christ…[spent] His own life for man’s redemption, an eternal insight into the worth of man….Thus…is a biblical perspective on the fundamental value of the individual, both in God’s sight and in [our] own….God has invested unmeasurable worth in each being. His quest for the redemption of…man is evidence…of His wisdom in working to retrieve [what] is of value to Him….May we learn how personal worth may be learned and recovered on God’s terms.” – Charles E. Blake2
"Then God Said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth andover every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them: 'Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over very living thing that moves on th earth." Genesis 1:29-28 New King James Version
"Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from thehand of man. From the hand of every man's brother I will require the life of man. 'Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man." Genesis 9:5-6 New King James Version
"For so greatly did God love the world that He gave His only Son, that every one who trusts in Him may not perish but may have eternal life." John 3:16 IMS3
"For already, while we were still helpless, Christ at the fitting time died for the ungodly. Why, it is scarcely conceivable that any one would die for a just man, although for a good man perhaps some one might have the courage even to die. But God gives proof of His love to us in Christ's dying for us while we were still sinners." Romans 5:6-8 IMS
Food for Thought for Families
“Married women, be submissive to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Married men, be affectionate to your wives, and do not treat them harshly. Children, be obedient to your parents in everything: for that is well-pleasing in the Lord. Fathers do not fret and harass your children, or you may make them sullen and morose.” Colossians 3:18-21 IMS
“Exhort aged men to be temperate, grave, sober-minded, and sound in their faith, their love, and their endurance. In the same way exhort aged women to be reverent in bearing [behavior], not slanderers nor enslaved to wine. As patterns of virtue they should give good advice, and school the young women to be affectionate to their husbands, and children, to be sober-minded, chaste, domesticated [keepers at home], kind, and submissive to their husbands, so that the word of God may not be exposed to reproach.” Titus 2:2-5 IMS
“Love is forbearing and kind. Love knows no jealousy. Love does not brag; is not conceited. She is not unmannerly, not selfish, nor irritable, nor mindful of wrongs. She does not rejoice in injustice, but joyfully sides with the truth. She can overlook faults. She is full of trust, full of hope, full of endurance. Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 IMS
“This I command you, to love one another.” John 15:17 IMS
“But if in your hearts you have bitter envy and rivalry, do not speak boastfully and falsely, in defiance of the truth. That is not the wisdom which comes down from above; it belongs to earth, to the unspiritual nature, and to evil spirits. For where envy and rivalry are , there also are unrest and every vile deed. The wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceful, courteous, compliant, full of compassion and kind actions, free from vacillation and from insincerity. And righteousness is the fruit of the seed that is sown in peace by the peacemakers.” James 3:14-18 IMS
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