Common Grace longs for all relationships, households, and churches to be places of nurture, safety and support, where violence against women and children is eliminated.
This November 25 to December 10, Common Grace invites you to journey with us through 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence as we reflect on what healthy relationships really look like, and why they matter.
God created every person in God’s image (Genesis 1:27) - each of us bearing divine worth, value, and dignity. This beautiful truth means that every person is inherently gifted by God to be deserving of receiving love, respect, and safety. We were made to be in relationship with God and one another that reflect the character of our loving and just God. From the beginning, we were created not to dominate or control one another, but to live in mutual care, compassion, and equality - reflecting God’s heart in how we relate to our partners, our families, our communities, and churches.
Relationships are rarely perfect—we all get tired, distracted, or impatient. We say things we regret or act too quickly out of hurt, fear, or distrust. Yet in God’s story of restoration, we see that healing and renewal are always possible. When we stop to say sorry, offer forgiveness, and rebuild trust, we reflect God’s restoring love at work in us. These moments of reconciliation are signs of healthy relationships—places where God’s common grace brings restoration, healing, and flourishing.
Yet our individual and collective experiences are far from this intended reality. Violence, coercion and control, abuse and harm perpetuate throughout our culture, our families, and even our most intimate relationships.
In Australia, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 8 men have experienced violence from an intimate partner or family member since the age of 15. Although domestic violence occurs in many types and forms of relationships, these statistics reveal a painful truth; that domestic and family violence is deeply gendered.
Women are far more likely to experience violence, more likely to be seriously harmed or killed by a partner, and more likely to experience patterns of coercive control over time. This violence is not about anger or loss of control - it is about the intentional use of power to dominate, control, and intimidate, and it reflects broader patterns of gender inequality in our society.
Gender-based violence doesn’t emerge in isolation. It is shaped by the norms, attitudes, and structures that devalue women, reinforce rigid gender roles, and excuse or minimise abuse. And tragically, this harm can be reinforced, even within Christian communities, when Scripture is misused to justify control, silence victims, or deny women’s full humanity.
And still, we believe in a better way. A way rooted in the life and teachings of Jesus.
A way where relationships reflect equality, justice, safety and love. For the flourishing of all.
Over these 16 days, we’ll explore what healthy relationships can look like across a range of areas of life, from friendships and dating, to marriage, gender roles, leadership, conflict and forgiveness. Through daily reflections, we’ll listen to survivors and advocates, pastors and theologians, and cast a new vision for relationships that reflect the heart of God.
You will hear from Young Adults Pastor and DFV Spokesperson for Common Grace, Erica Mandi Manga, Baptist Pastor and co-host of ‘With All Due Respect’ podcast Megan Powell du Toit, social worker Carolyn Cousins, Rev. Rod Bower, Sarah & Keith Condie from the Mental Health and Pastoral Care Institute, and researchers Rosie Clare Shorter and Erin Hutton, and many more.
Because healthy relationships aren’t just a private matter. They’re a public witness to the kind of world God calls us to create. And they’re central to preventing violence and building a future of healing and hope.
Together, let’s name harm, pursue justice, and reimagine what it means to love our neighbour well. Sign up now to journey with us.