What’s A Liberal To Do?

October 9, 2007 by djackson.

“Thou shalt not blame a female victim of domestic abuse for her plight.”

Any secular analog to the decalogue, though whittled down to a monologue, would retain the preceding commandment. In a society where postmodern mushiness makes absolute arguments against moral absolutes this stand on wife-beating remains sacrosanct. If the woman in question is African-American, the rule applies with extreme prejudice.

But if the African-American woman is also an evangelical Christian, she’s fair game. If she compounds her crimes by preaching sexual purity, all bets - and the gloves - are off.

A few years back Juanita Bynum vaulted to cable evangelist superstar status on the strength of her sermon, “No more sheets.” T. D. Jakes picked up her option and “Sheets” went platinum, selling over a million copies and filling stadiums across the country. Not only did Ms. Bynum urge women - and African-American women in particular - to practice sexual purity and commit to lifelong marriage, she spoke openly of the trials of such a program. “I find it very difficult,” she admitted, “to listen to anybody preach to me about being single when they’ve got a pair of thighs in bed every night. You’re telling me, ‘Hold on, honey, sanctify yourself,’ and you’re going home to biceps and triceps and big old muscles.” Well, I have been working out . . . .

Not long ago, Ms. Bynum married Thomas Weeks III, bishop of a franchise outfit called Global Destiny Church. Not long after that, he beat her up in a hotel parking lot.

It’s a sad story, though not a particularly new one, but what interests me is the reaction in the press. (I almost said “liberal press,” but my English teacher broke me of redundancy a long time ago.) Being on the receiving end of a husband’s fist, according to the New York Times, “has . . . raised questions about the trajectory of Ms. Bynum’s career as a woman who called herself a prophetess.” African-American talk show host Tom Joyner sneered, “If you’re a prophet, didn’t you see this coming?” Shayne Lee, a sociologist of religion at Tulane, goes so far as to speculate that getting pounded by her husband calls Ms. Bynum’s credibility into question.

So let me see if I’ve got this straight: being the victim of domestic abuse destroys a woman’s status. A strong woman, a pioneer for female leadership in a male-dominated field, loses face if a man punches her in the face. Did I miss something?

G. K. Chesterton, recalling his days as a curious young atheist, admits that answers to his questions seemed to change in accordance with the need to ridicule faith. “This,” he says, “began to be alarming. It looked not so much as if Christianity was bad enough to include any vices, but rather as if any stick was good enough to beat Christianity up with.” As Juanita Bynum’s case demonstrates, even a beaten-up woman will do.

I don’t know Ms. Bynum’s work; I’m not a big fan of neo-pentecostalism. What I do know is that men who hit their wives have done something wrong, and that the women who get hit have not. And I know that is true even if they are Christians - which means I know more than America’s liberal elite.

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