Abstract

This article demonstrates the levels of domestic abuse in the UK and USA. The author argues that it is a mistake to see this as a purely private and therefore pastoral matter but it is rather a public and systematic problem and such is the stuff of public theological and ethical debate. The article demonstrates some ways in which Christian theology has been used to devalue women and thus create a climate in which abuse and death are both possible and even acceptable. The author considers how theology can be instrumental in the creation of more mutually empowering models of masculinity and femininity.