Podcast Episode #444
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Sexual abuse in the Church has become a major issue for pastors and church leaders. Today, we discuss why this is an important moment for the Church to get right in the way things are handled.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
- Because of so many sexual abuse coverups in the past, the Church has lost respect and trust of many.
- Every church is vulnerable to a potential sexual abuse case. Don’t think it can’t happen in your church.
- Churches should stand with victims of sexual abuse, not against them.
- Churches have a responsibility to do everything within their power to prevent sexual abuse, harassment, and assault.
Six ways #MeToo has affected churches are:
- Local church leaders are often the first line of communication on issues of abuse.
- Leaders must not hesitate in responding with urgency.
- The unchurched world trusts church leaders less.
- Greater awareness is healthier for local churches.
- Local church leaders need female input.
- The issues will only grow, creating greater time and resource demands for churches.
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Feedback
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We don’t just need female input we need more female pastors and leaders in the church. Continuing to believe women are less than men when it comes to leading the church as pastor only contributes to the problem of abuse.
I, and the Word of God, have no problem with women in certain leadership positions but when it comes to pastors God said, through the inspiration of His Holy Spirit to the apostle Paul –
“A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; ” 1 Timothy 3:2 NKJV
As for me I will not argue with the one who created me.
Women not being pastors has nothing to do with them being less than men, which they are not. We are all equal in Christ, but the Bible is clear that leadership in the church is the responsibility of men clearly teaching that a woman is not to teach nor usurp authority over the man. If you don’t follow the Bible, particularly the Lord’s instructions to the church through the apostle Paul, then you are no longer a church, but a religious social organization.
When it comes to victims of sexual abuse in the church – a harrowing number of victims stand ALONE.-like the thread here on this “forbidden” topic.
I’m surprised there aren’t more comments at this time of the morning. I guess no one wants to get near this. I’m glad Dr. Rainer bright it up. Some of this is the result of self-perpetuating, permanently-appointed leadership which is seen frequently in evangelicalism. When one puts his good friends into leadership, he is less likely to believe that his friends could do anything that some have been accused/convicted of doing. When one gender is completely left out of leadership, it means that any complaint by a woman has to go to men who then have to decide if they want to believe the woman. This is not a good situation because it results in silence by women because they don’t think they will be believed. It’s past time for things to change.
Mark, how many churches have “no women” in any leadership capacity? Maybe they lead Sunday School groups, or a small group. Someone has to lead the women’s ministry! Is that a man? Now, women may not be elders, but that does not mean their is no voice.
Also, what kinds of incidents are you talking about? If a Christian wife is being abused by her Christian husband, she can always call the police and the church is out of the loop! I am uncertain about all of the claims of “coverups” in churches. You can ALWAYS go to the police, unless you think they are corrupt too? Sounds like a movie or too I have seen. My point is, is there some hysteria creeping in?
Most evangelical churches have no women in the top levels of leadership. Leading a Sunday school group is not leadership. Elders, deacons, trustees, vestry, etc. is what I call the leadership. There are too many reports of children and women being told to tell no one and forgive.
Mark, you are absolutely correct. Women DO NOT come forward because they are not believed-and worse yet, are accused of being the one “who started it.” Therefore, they suffer in silence. Most do not go to the authorities because of this same issue. There is a glimmer of hope with the secular society beause the Weinstein issue blew a big hole in that door- but the #metooCHURCH has a very long, and LONELY road to travel-expecially for the victims-
This reply is for the “Mark” (who listed no last name) in his comment.
Are you talking about incidents that happen in an official capacity, or things outside of church?
If person A abuses person B, person B has only ONE recourse, go to the police. Plain and simple. Church discipline can only happen after that,
It seems to me that Thom mostly talked about a Christian coming to the pastor, or other ministry leader in the local church, and talking about something that happened outside of church. For example, a 50 year old telling the pastor about something that happened when they were young. Or maybe a wife talking her husband at home. He didn’t touch “current” sexual assaults. For example, a child says that a worker in their church did something last Sunday. But many comments on blogs, and perhaps the two above, deal with “cover ups” of incidents in the local church involving people while serving.
It seems to me there are at least three separate categories of incidents, and they all involve different responses:
1- an active problem or accusation about a ministry leader in their official capacity.
2- a Christian or ministry leader is accused but the incident is outside of their work at church (maybe home for example).
3- dealing with people claiming things that happened in the past.
Great listen Thom. It is a sobering topic and an important one. In too many colleges and seminaries female students’ complaints about and reports of assaults and harassment are “swept under the rug.” Too many pastors have taken liberties with women. The Bible is indeed inspired and infallible, and I read over and over again in the Old Testament that God stands with the powerless and oppressed (all the references to “widows, orphans, and aliens in your midst” means just that.) I read in James that those who teach and preach will be judged more harshly. Let us in all our churches of whatever denomination take this seriously. For those of us who are men, if it was our wife or daughter, would we want the church and or school to take it seriously?
As a former Child Protective Investigator who dealt with many cases and as a Pastor for over 30 years there are two suggestions that MUST be added. First and foremost is that this is a possible criminal action and the church cannot handle it. Churches are not set up to handle criminal cases of any kind (especially child abuse). Any type of investigation by the church could do irreparable harm to the victim and in some cases the innocent accused. Second, It is rare that church leadership has any professional training to understand the dynamics of a #MeToo. All leadership in the church should be trained in DV, Sexual Abuse, and Child abuse (not just certified) so that they will be aware of why these cases cannot be handled within the church and fully understand the support needed to the victims and their families.
This is happening in the Mormon community too. The LDS church is dangerous. They take children and adults alone behind closed doors to ask explicit sexual questions. Please see http://protectldschildren.org/
https://invisiblescubit.wordpress.com/