Until September 4, Prophetess Juanita Bynum had not publicly spoken about the alleged beating she suffered at the hands of her estranged husband, Bishop Thomas Weeks, III.
The only comment she made was through her publicist, Amy Malone, who said on behalf of Bynum that she wasn't in a fight with Weeks; she was attacked.
On September 4, Bynum's spiritual father, Bishop T.D. Jakes, wrote an OpEd letter to the Atlanta Journal Constitution advising church leaders on dealing with domestic violence and urging Christians to remember the church's job is not a judicial one.
On that same day, Bynum held a press conference at the Intercontinental Hotel in Atlanta's Buckhead section where she told reporters that she represents the urban community on the issue of domestic violence. Later that night, she appeared on the Trinity Broadcasting Network's (TBN) "Praise the Lord" program at 10 p.m. EST.
On TBN Bynum initially mentioned the incident before interviewing gospel singer Tarralyn Ramsey. She said, "…Let me just say this. Let me just set the record straight 'cause I don't know what ya'll looking at … everybody looking at me like I'm supposed to be pitiful or something. You have to understand that when your worse hour comes, you're in your finest hour at the same time."
During her interview with gospel singer DeWayne Woods, she said, " … the minute when I made the decision that I was no longer a victim but an advocate … It's like before he can take you to your next level. It's like he has to kill the whole image. He has to kill the whole look … The minute I said I am going through this for somebody else … that this is not my battle. This is not my warfare. I'm in warfare for women all over the world. My mind changed … I didn't feel embarrassed anymore. I stepped in the purpose."
During the broadcast, a sometime-tearful Bynum went on to say, among other things, that she's not going to be religiously political and that she forgives her husband.
According to published reports, Bynum has said it is too early to say if she'll stay with Weeks. For now, she said she's concentrating on herself.
The video of Juanita's Press conference can be seen at this link. Copy and Paste into Browser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KglTkkrUIE
