Juanita Bynum Launches Foundation for Domestic Violence

Less than two weeks after becoming a victim of domestic violence, global evangelist and conference speaker Prophetess Juanita Bynum has launched a new foundation geared towards domestic violence. The Love Don't Hit Foundation which will be based in Waycross, GA with her ministry office and center, will be in response to her recent attack at the hands of her husband, Bishop Thomas Wesley Weeks, Jr.

The international preacher and teacher has captivated audiences for the last fifteen years as an empowering voice for women who have overcome less than ideal situations and circumstances to become emboldened champions of strength and victory. A woman who once was diagnosed with having a nervous breakdown and suicidal, Juanita Bynum fought off bulimia and other maladies to push herself to national prominence when she preached No More Sheets at an international conference held by Bishop T.D. Jakes.

Since then she has crusaded across the US as well as other continents including Africa and Europe shining a glowing light on holiness and character, preaching a chaste message that helped her develop a reputation as not only a charismatic orator but an insightful and spirited woman of worship and connection with Jesus. So when it was shown on television recently, the scars she had at the hands of her husband, Bishop Weeks, mouths of Christians across the globe dropped with a collective thud.

Domestic violence was not something Christians were prepared for when it came to one of the most recognized couples in the Church. Since their nuptials, Bishop Weeks and Prophetess Bynum had been the poster-couple as they launched a conference driven in large part about unfolding a relationship into health. Their Teach Me How to Love You conference, books, and other accessories were widely received and acclaimed at helping marriages. Countless hundreds of attendees had left the conference to put into practice the lessons they had received from this power couple. Which makes the startling development between them so disturbing.

While some of the details of the foundation are still unfolding, her intent is to become the face and brand of domestic violence especially in America with the Love Don't Hit Foundation. According to Laura James, a domestic violence advocate through the YWCA affiliate in Memphis, TN, domestic violence is an under-reported, often-occurring event that is symptomatic of deeper issues in our culture. Ms. James who counsels survivors of domestic violence and serves as a coach and guide for women trying to escape the grasp of such torment sees no room for toleration nor grandstanding by people looking to push an agenda other than helping victims of domestic violence find the strength and courage to move out and past any relationship that would cause them physical, emotional or mental injury.

What society would term as domestic violence is but a slim account of authentic domestic violence. Typically, domestic violence is thought of as a physical altercation between two parties where one injures or causes harm to another. However, domestic violence transcends physical activities. A woman can be beaten psychologically by being told she will never become anything. A man can be abused by having his manhood challenged and made to feel inept or insignificant. These activities are done by people whose objective is to demean and devalue a person to such an extent that they begin to believe the evaluation of the perpetrator.

It is the hope of many that Juanita Bynum's foundation will become an extension of existing efforts to push a real conversation about quailing domestic violence as a whole. With so much attention placed on violence done by men against women, abuse committed against men has been overlooked and thrown up under the rug but it happens every day in our world. And unless we are willing to be real and transparent about what goes on inside of relationships today we will continue to be victimized and abused as a society, taking the stance that while it might not be alright, what happens between a man and a woman stays between that man and that woman.

Now who is the victim?