Baptist News Global
Sections
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Curated
  • Storytelling
    • Faith & Justice >
      • Charleston: Metanoia with Bill Stanfield
      • Charlotte: QC Family Tree with Greg and Helms Jarrell
      • Little Rock: Judge Wendell Griffen
      • North Carolina: Conetoe
    • Welcoming the Stranger >
      • Lost Boys of Sudan: St. John’s Baptist Charlotte
      • Awakening to Immigrant Justice: Myers Park Baptist Church
      • Hospitality on the corner: Gaston Christian Center
    • Signature Ministries >
      • Jake Hall: Gospel Gothic, Music and Radio
    • Singing Our Faith >
      • Hymns for a Lifetime: Ken Wilson and Knollwood Baptist Church
      • Norfolk Street Choir
    • Resilient Rural America >
      • Alabama: Perry County
      • Texas: Hidalgo County
      • Arkansas Delta
      • Southeast Kentucky
  • More
    • Contact
    • About
    • Donate
    • Planned Giving
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Advertising
    • Ministry Jobs and More
    • Transitions
    • Subscribe
    • Submissions and Permissions
Support independent, faith-based journalism. Donate
Search Search this site

Abuse, education and transformation in a culture of rape

OpinionNora Lozano  |  June 15, 2016

Lozano_WebLa versión en español está disponible aquí.

The last few weeks have been hard. First the news of the Baylor University case and the recognition, once more, of the connections between inappropriate theological/biblical interpretations and a patriarchal culture that objectifies and oppresses women. Two excellent posts about this are one by Kyndall Rae Rothaus, published right here at BNG and another by Susan Shaw. These two authors bring the issues home for those of us who are Christians and Baptists. I will not expand more on these issues; you can read them and see the clear connections yourself.

Then, the news came about the Stanford rape case. Last week was a busy one for me as I packed my office to move to a new campus, so it took me some days to read the entire painful letter that the victim presented before the court mainly addressing the perpetrator. After reading it, all the accumulated feelings of the last weeks came together. I felt so overwhelmed with what seems to be a hopeless situation.

At the same time, as in other situations where I feel this way, I remembered that at the heart of Christianity and the gospel, there is a major element of hope. Hope that things can change, and that we need to do whatever is in our hands to bring transformation to a situation. I remembered, too, as in other similar occasions, that I am not Christ. I am not the savior of the world but only his helper.

Since there have been many excellent posts and essays on these cases, I will not attempt to write more on them. Instead, I will share some of my experiences as an educator as I try to do something to combat this malady in our churches and society. My prayer is that they will inspire you to think about what you can do, affirm whatever you are already doing, and encourage you to do more. While it is true that common citizens like you and I will not generate a major worldwide change, there is always something that we can do. There are people around us, right within our circle of influence, to whom we can be a blessing.

As a professor, I agree with Brazilian educator Paulo Freire who affirms that “Education … becomes the practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.”

Therefore, education is not only about the transferring of information, but about bringing a deep sense of transformation for both the student and the professor. I experienced this sense of transformation through my education, especially in seminary. I hope that I am facilitating a similar sense of transformation to my students.

Thus, as I teach, I think not only about the subject that I am teaching, but about the overall impact of the class experience in all the areas of the student’s life. In the particular case of abuse, sexual and otherwise, I believe as an educator I have the responsibility of somehow incorporating conversations about this topic in my classes, as well as other life topics that I consider a well-formed student needs to know and deal with.

Of course, there are some classes where these difficult topics just fit in nicely and other ones where they need to be pushed. In either case, my responsibility is to open a door for these hard conversations. For instance, my recent May term course syllabus did not include a specific topic on violence and abuse, yet one morning I emailed the students the links to the two Baylor posts mentioned above. I asked them to read them and to be ready for discussion during that day’s opening statements. Once we finished the discussion, we moved to the scheduled topic for that day.

To prepare a safe conversation environment, I require a covenant of confidentiality in most of my classes, so that both the students and I feel free to speak about hard topics. The results of these efforts are that throughout my years of teaching, I have heard many stories of abuse (sexual, physical, verbal, emotional and financial). I am blessed to teach diverse students who range in age from the traditional college student to grandparents, and everything in between. So, some of these stories are old ones, but still in need to come out and find resolution and healing.

As I cleaned my office last week, I had the opportunity to look at old student papers and exams, and in light of these recent abuses I remembered different groups and classes. There was this particular class where four of the five enrolled women acknowledged that they had been sexually abused at one point in their lives. In similar classes, male students have also acknowledged being abused. For some of these students, this was their first time publicly acknowledging the abuse. Some of them have come back later to tell me that this was the beginning of their journey to recovery and finding a better way of life.

Now, I am very clear that I am a theology professor, not a therapist. So my task is to create an open and safe environment to teach and deal with these topics. After an acknowledgement is made, I listen carefully and then point the student to a place where she/he can receive further help.

In the same way, as much as possible, I try to incorporate some of these difficult topics in other speaking engagements with women, church leaders, pastors and their families. The results are similar: acknowledging experiences of abuse and starting a liberation process.

I recognize that thankfully not all persons have experienced these traumatic events. But listening to these hard stories is beneficial for these persons, too, as they realize that these experiences are real, and understand the need to join forces in preventing abuse and making this world a better place.

My other primary role in life is as a mother. For those of us who are parents, we have the responsibility of educating our kids about these hard topics. I join the voices that have suggested reading and discussing the Stanford victim’s letter with your teenage children who are at least 15 years old (both boys and girls). I just did it. It is not easy, but this letter is a great document that not only addresses rape, its consequences, its connection with alcohol, and consensual sex, but also solidarity, support, family, community, and interestingly, goodness and hope.

This is my trench as a mother and professor. Where is yours? What can you do about this?

If you are a pastor, Kyndall Rae Rothaus suggests 10 things that your church can do to combat abuse.

May God help us in this task of sharing God’s healing among those who are hurting and yearning to find a way to recovery and liberation. Amen!


OPINION: Views expressed in Baptist News Global columns and commentaries are solely those of the authors.
Nora Lozano
More by
Nora Lozano
  • Get BNG headlines in your inbox

  • Featured

    • Next BNG free webinar will survey global religious issues and human rights

      News

    • Insurrection postscript: The church’s one foundation isn’t the USA

      Opinion

    • Three signposts for American Christians in a changing world

      Opinion

    • It’s still rare for a Baptist minister to serve in Congress

      Analysis


    Curated

    • Lawsuit: NRA’s rhetoric spurred deadly synagogue shooting

      Lawsuit: NRA’s rhetoric spurred deadly synagogue shooting

      January 25, 2021
    • SBC president JD Greear’s church launches inquiry into past actions of Bryan Loritts

      SBC president JD Greear’s church launches inquiry into past actions of Bryan Loritts

      January 25, 2021
    • Accreditation Body Schedules Visit to Investigate Complaint Against SBU

      Accreditation Body Schedules Visit to Investigate Complaint Against SBU

      January 25, 2021
    • UN approves global conference on protecting religious sites

      UN approves global conference on protecting religious sites

      January 25, 2021
    Read Next:

    ‘How can I talk to my parent who has been consumed by Trumpism and QAnon?’

    OpinionMark Wingfield

    More Articles

    • All
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Curated
    • Voices of freedom continue to speak from Colonial Williamsburg church

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Despite COVID, ‘worst-case scenario’ did not emerge for church finances

      NewsJeff Hampton

    • How Dave Ramsey responded to a story about being a bully by bullying the reporter who wrote it

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Finding resilience in the midst of COVID fatigue

      OpinionBill Wilson

    • SBC pastor calls Vice President Kamala Harris a ‘Jezebel’ two days after inauguration

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Can you really be ‘evangelical’ if you don’t bring good news to the poor?

      OpinionMichael P. L. Friday

    • In memoriam: BNG columnist Doyle Sager

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • What would happen if immigration policies were based on majority opinion in the U.S.?

      AnalysisMark Wingfield

    • Today, I’ve got nothing to say

      OpinionRuss Dean

    • Two words, two virtues, to help America move forward

      OpinionH. Stephen Shoemaker

    • Effort to end death penalty in Virginia gaining momentum; prayer vigils planned

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Trying to make sense of January 6: Jesus wept

      OpinionAlan Bean

    • Religious liberty groups praise Biden’s repeal of Muslim travel ban

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • These churches will resume in-person gatherings only when it’s safe for all

      NewsHelen Jerman

    • This church was online before online was essential, and they’ve got some lessons to share

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • A wish list for the common good in a new era

      OpinionMarv Knox

    • How the Ebola experience helped the African continent’s fight against COVID-19

      NewsAnthony Akaeze

    • The end of Trump’s presidency does not end America’s root problem

      OpinionWendell Griffen

    • Transitions for the week of 1-22-21

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • D.C.-area churches seek to offer calm amid a tumultuous January

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • ‘How can I talk to my parent who has been consumed by Trumpism and QAnon?’

      OpinionMark Wingfield

    • Insurrection postscript: The church’s one foundation isn’t the USA

      OpinionBill Leonard, Senior Columnist

    • Anticipating a new day in immigration policy, a pastor, pilot and bricklayer keep an eye on Biden’s next move

      NewsRay Mwareya and Nyasha Bhobo

    • Three signposts for American Christians in a changing world

      OpinionChris Conley

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Voices of freedom continue to speak from Colonial Williamsburg church

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Despite COVID, ‘worst-case scenario’ did not emerge for church finances

      NewsJeff Hampton

    • How Dave Ramsey responded to a story about being a bully by bullying the reporter who wrote it

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • SBC pastor calls Vice President Kamala Harris a ‘Jezebel’ two days after inauguration

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • In memoriam: BNG columnist Doyle Sager

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Effort to end death penalty in Virginia gaining momentum; prayer vigils planned

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Religious liberty groups praise Biden’s repeal of Muslim travel ban

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • These churches will resume in-person gatherings only when it’s safe for all

      NewsHelen Jerman

    • This church was online before online was essential, and they’ve got some lessons to share

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • How the Ebola experience helped the African continent’s fight against COVID-19

      NewsAnthony Akaeze

    • Transitions for the week of 1-22-21

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • D.C.-area churches seek to offer calm amid a tumultuous January

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Anticipating a new day in immigration policy, a pastor, pilot and bricklayer keep an eye on Biden’s next move

      NewsRay Mwareya and Nyasha Bhobo

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Denver is sweeping away homeless encampments; two churches help open their own

      NewsLiam Adams

    • Fellowship Southwest becomes independent, ecumenical ministry

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • In New York City, serving the homeless offered a clue for how to serve trauma victims during the pandemic

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • At Central Seminary, Durso inauguration moves to virtual platform

      NewsBNG staff

    • Kentucky seminary receives Baugh Foundation grant to start Institute for Black Church Studies

      NewsPat Cole

    • American Protestants less open to sermons on race in 2020, survey finds

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • 3 current trends youth leaders need to know

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Seminarian, CBF and Georgia church find fellowship together

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • New effort to repeal federal death penalty is beginning

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Barna advice to pastors: Talk honestly about emotions and relationships

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Trump administration pushes evangelical agenda through last-minute actions

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Finding resilience in the midst of COVID fatigue

      OpinionBill Wilson

    • Can you really be ‘evangelical’ if you don’t bring good news to the poor?

      OpinionMichael P. L. Friday

    • Today, I’ve got nothing to say

      OpinionRuss Dean

    • Two words, two virtues, to help America move forward

      OpinionH. Stephen Shoemaker

    • Trying to make sense of January 6: Jesus wept

      OpinionAlan Bean

    • A wish list for the common good in a new era

      OpinionMarv Knox

    • The end of Trump’s presidency does not end America’s root problem

      OpinionWendell Griffen

    • ‘How can I talk to my parent who has been consumed by Trumpism and QAnon?’

      OpinionMark Wingfield

    • Insurrection postscript: The church’s one foundation isn’t the USA

      OpinionBill Leonard, Senior Columnist

    • Three signposts for American Christians in a changing world

      OpinionChris Conley

    • It’s hard to quit Herod, but we must worship another

      OpinionJohn Inscore Essick

    • Truth Decay: When truth stumbles in the public square

      OpinionDavid Gushee, Senior Columnist

    • Unification will happen only after repentance

      OpinionEarl Chappell

    • Inspiration from voices of American diversity

      OpinionPhawnda Moore

    • Some hard questions for reflection on this MLK Day

      OpinionSid Smith III

    • Let’s move beyond the easy answers and MLK quotes today

      OpinionCraig Nash

    • The blasphemy of Franklin Graham

      OpinionRobert P. Sellers

    • 10 prayers for 2021 (if we survive January)

      OpinionErich Bridges

    • Why ‘moderate’ churches fear telling it like it is

      OpinionEric Minton

    • 4 things you can do to counter the millions of Americans who are fully radicalized

      OpinionCorey Fields

    • Christian symbols and sedition at the Capitol: The church has work to do

      OpinionRhonda Abbott Blevins

    • Give yourself some grace during the pandemic

      OpinionBrett Younger

    • Understanding the trauma and finding hope after the siege of the nation’s Capitol

      OpinionKathy Manis Findley

    • Why I long for the church of my youth

      OpinionRichard T. Hughes

    • ‘He being dead, yet speaketh’

      OpinionHarold Ivan Smith

    • Lawsuit: NRA’s rhetoric spurred deadly synagogue shooting

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • SBC president JD Greear’s church launches inquiry into past actions of Bryan Loritts

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Accreditation Body Schedules Visit to Investigate Complaint Against SBU

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • UN approves global conference on protecting religious sites

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Jen Hatmaker apologizes for line in inaugural prayer critiqued as erasing Native Americans

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • UN approves global conference on protecting religious sites

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Sen. Ossoff was sworn in on pioneering Atlanta rabbi’s Bible – a nod to historic role of American Jews in civil rights struggle

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • US Catholic bishops divided over Biden presidency

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Baptist World Alliance Announces Racial Justice Action Group

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • 3rd Candidate Joins Race for SBC President

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • From Biden’s giant Bible to Christian flags waved by rioters, ‘religion’ means different things to different people and different eras

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • In Biden’s Cabinet, Catholics and Jews dominate

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Biden Invokes Augustine in Call for American Unity

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • St. Matthew’s Cathedral, where Biden attended pre-inauguration Mass, has long been a place where politics and faith meet

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • North Dakota lawmaker sorry for mass email of QAnon video

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Mohler Faces SBC Presidential Challenge from the Right

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Biden’s Big Bible Is Heavy with History, Symbolism

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • How the Ebenezer Baptist Church has been a seat of Black power for generations in Atlanta

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Annual March for Life goes virtual amid COVID-19, unrest at US Capitol

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • The Capitol siege recalls past acts of Christian nationalist violence

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Moms of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and James Baldwin portrayed in new book

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • ‘Christian nationalists’ accused of violating law in Georgia elections

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Joanne Rogers, widow of ‘Mr. Rogers,’ dead at age 92

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Israel hopes to vaccinate Holocaust survivors to save and repay ‘treasured’ population

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Conspiracy theories and the ‘American Madness’ that gripped the Capitol

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    Conversations that Matter.

    © 2021 Baptist News Global. All rights reserved.

    Want to share a story? We hope you will! Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here.

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • RSS