Name: Sharon Ellis Davis
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Occupation: Affiliate Professor, McCormick Theological Seminary (Chicago, IL)
Church Affiliation: United Church of Christ
What course(s) do you teach about sexual and domestic violence?
I’ve taught related courses such as Sexual and Domestic Violence; Pastoral Care in Times of Crisis; and Pastoral Care in African-American Communities.
Why do you think it’s important for theological schools to offer this kind of training or teaching?
It’s important to teach courses that relates to doing pastoral ministry in the real world. Sexual and domestic violence (aka, intimate partner violence) is a very important aspect of "real world" ministry. Statistics show that 1 in 3 women are victims of domestic violence, and sexual assault is on the rise—especially within college campuses. The church, more than any faith institution, is the place where people gather regularly for care, empowerment, and guidance. Yet the church has historically been silent in naming, advocating against, providing care for victims, and maintaining accountability for the abusers of sexual and domestic violence. Providing a specific course that addresses this issue within the seminary environment provides pastors and faith leaders with the necessary tools to address this issue in ways that will provide an environment of trust, healing, and care to help break the cycle of violence.
What has surprised or challenged you as you teach this material?
What has surprised me over the years is how many men are now registering to take the Sexual and Domestic Violence course and are taking violence against women seriously and have contributed greatly to the conversation. Because the class has a balance of men and women, we have been able to embrace the presence of violence against men while still emphasizing the social, systemic, and historical context that gives rise to violence against women and why the course is necessary. Out of these rich conversations, I have been able to incorporate issues of race, class, gender, culture, and the criminal justice system as it intersects with sexual and domestic violence. It has been a joy teaching this course over the past 15 or so years and hearing students tell me how much the course has helped enhance their ministry. On the evaluation, they often declare that this course should be a requirement.
What gives you hope as you do this work?
What gives me hope is the ways in which lives are being transformed by offering this course. Pastors have developed faith-based domestic violence ministries. They preach and teach more about violence against women and are more sensitized to their own contributions to the disempowerment of women and have made great steps to change attitudes as well as organizational structures within the church that have been sources of roadblocks to the empowerment of women. And I am most hopeful because seminaries are adding this course to the electives students can choose to take, rather than thinking this course could just be a portion of a general introductory pastoral care and counseling course.
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