The Metropolitan Primate of the Anglican Diocese, Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, says any couple who display violent conduct won’t meet Jesus.
The Primate spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria on the sidelines of the church’s Joshua Generation International Youth Conference.
The conference, on Thursday in Abuja, was with the theme: “Manifestation of the Sons of God.”
The Primate was reacting to question on the recent reoccurring reports of deaths in marriages as a result of domestic violence by spouses, especially that involving prominent gospel singer, Osinachi Nwachukwu, who was allegedly goaded to death by her husband, Peter Nwachukwu.
Ndukuba said: “This is a very serious issue.
“It borders on sometimes unresolved childhood and upbringing matters.
“It is not just a man waking up and starting to beat his wife.
“He himself might have suffered some violence and often times it might have started as a transferred aggression.
“And because we are human beings and because it is not only men that beat their wives, there are wives that beat their husbands.
“In any family where there is violence against the spouse whether from the man or from the woman, whether verbal or physical, spiritual or anyhow, has an unresolved relationship with God.
“It is the manifestation of hardness of heart, anger, untransformed lives and you can never meet with Jesus.”
Ndukuba however said that such persons need repentance.
He said: “The scripture says in 2nd Corinthians 5:17 that if any man be in Christ, is a new creature, the old things have passed away and all things have become new.
“And what are those old things, the baggage that we carry, the guilt that we carry, the sufferings that we carry, the oppression that we have suffered.
“It is left for you to abandon them and let them be crucified with Christ or you carry it and you think it is part of your nature.”
According to him, if a couple have no Jesus in their home, they won’t have peace and cannot give peace.
Ndukuba said: “It is an unfortunate situation, we do not pray that such should continue, but any man that raises his hand to beat his wife has that day lost his inheritance as a child of God and as a Christian.
“And you have reduced that woman to nothing but a slave.”
The Primate said at times the woman might not want to leave an abusive marriage because of the conviction of faith and the children.
He noted that many husbands tend to act out of jealousy, anger and bitterness.
He added: “Maybe it is the woman that is earning and carrying the load of the financial burden of the family and in order to make her feel you are still the head of the family you still suppress her.
“It is an issue that should be mentioned even in the Christian sectors and I pray that God will touch the heart of men and women, husbands and wives.”
Ndukuba said that couples “are gift to each other and gender- based violence is a demonstration of cowardice and satanic tendency.”
NAN.