Opinion by Russell D. Moore, special to CNN

(CNN) - The country collectively winced as we watched an NFL running back punch his fiancee in the face on an elevator, captured by security video.

The horror in the country crossed all the usual ideological and political divisions. Consciences intuitively knew this was wrong and shocking.

The video brought to light for many Americans what every church and religious institution in America must deal with on an ongoing basis: violence against women.

As a Christian, I believe it’s important to see this issue through the dual lenses of both the responsibility of the state and of the church.

The state, and the larger culture, has a responsibility to work against such violence. The Scripture says that the state is delegated a “sword” of justice to be used against “evildoers” (Roman 13:4). That clearly applies in these horrifying cases.

Often, men who abuse their wives or girlfriends will seek to hide under the cover of therapeutic language, as they seek to “deal” with their “issues.”

There is no question that a man who would abuse a woman is socially and psychologically twisted, but we should not allow this to in any way ameliorate the moral and public evil involved in these cases.

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