Interesting front page article in the Chicago Tribune today about a woman who was evicted after she called the police to report that her live-in boyfriend had threatened her with a gun.

The woman was trying to protect herself and her child. She did the right thing by calling police, getting an order of protection, and so on. But her landlord evicted her because of the threat of violence in the apartment complex–even though she’d gotten an order of protection, and kicked the boyfriend and his gun out of her apartment.

This did not happen in an inner-city neighborhood, but in a nice suburb where the median house price is $422,500. I used to work in Elmhurst, so I’m –it has some very affluent areas and some firmly middle-class areas. This apartment complex was not subsidized or government housing–which means it is exempt from federal laws protecting victims of domestic violence from eviction.

 My question is, how do we as Christians respond to victims of domestic violence? Are we doing anything to help? Unfortunately, abuse happens in Christian families, too, and often, the church looks the other way or even says that the woman should submit. They punish the victim, too.

What do you think of this situation? How can we extend compassion? What role, if any, do you think should the church play in confronting this kind of injustice?