Who will stand with Ron Clark against sexual violence?

Ron Clark is living where Wineskins right now is calling us to live . . . he is a church planter and one who meets people in the messiness of life. For twelve years they have been ministering to those suffering quietly in houses of sexual violence and abuse.

I want to encourage you to read Ron's article on the Rape of Dinah (Genesis 34) that was published in the Swiss journal for feminist Biblical studies. He was recently asked to join the Attorney General's Sexual Assault Task Force.

Who will pray for Ron? Who will pray for the violence to end in their communities? And will we pray for the dark secrets to slowly edge out of the shadows or to be thrown out like a drunk through a window?

Beginning in September Wineskins looks unblinkingly at intimacy of God and his people, and we will not be silent where the Bible is not silent, where God is not silent. Ron says,

In my experience with ministry in abuse and sexual assault, I have noticed that people tend to blame abuse on alcohol, drug addiction, race, or economic status. Domestic violence affects all races, social groups, and sexes. My clergy trainings with Communities Against Domestic Violence (CADV); a non-profit organization committed to creating awareness in our communities, have focused on faith communities and leadership. Faith communities are viewed as being slow to respond to abuse and sexual assault. Faith communities do not teach and preach texts such as Genesis 34. Is this silence similar to Jacob’s?

I'd like to publish Ron's article in our Intimacy issue of Wineskins because we need to show more than the beautiful side of relationship with God and with one another. We need to expose and speak out against the injustices going on among us.

Read Ron Clark's article. The introduction is in German and some computers may not render the Hebrew terms correctly, but don't let those things distract you from a moving article and application to today's violence and injustices.