The previous post introduced what I believe is a stain on the beauty of the church —sexual abuse. I characterized sexual abuse as present and prevalent in the church. Understanding how that assertion is, at the very least, debatable and for many unacceptable disinformation; this post provides some information to support my conclusion.
Both my critique and Stunbo’s, are swimming upstream against an abstract and idealistic image of the church that prevails in western Christianity. An image disconnected from the Body of Christ but none the less sacred; highly resistant to question or critique, and protected at all costs. Understanding how those images differ is critical to addressing tsexual abuse in the church and will be examined in future posts.
I am aware exposing the presence of sexual abuse will not in itself create positive change… change requires examination of the theological and cultural reasons that enable abuse to thrive and victims to be ignored and/or diminished in churches. To begin that process, a painful look at factual information is necessary. That being said, what follows is an attempt to provide some credible evidence that sexual abuse has been and continues to be present and prevalent in the church—all churches.
Oh yeah, that’s the Catholic Church.
Non-Catholic Christians hearing stories of sexual abuse in the church are often inclined to respond with with sympathy assuming sexual abuse is a Catholic Church problem, offering thanks that their church is not like that. Echoing the rich man’s prayer, “Thank God, I’m not like…” we discount the possibility of a beam in our own eye.
I am of the opinion the Catholic Church scandal should have been a red flag for all churches. At the very least, their experience should be an opportunity for understanding the nature of sexual abuse in the church.
The depth an breath of sexual abuse as well as the coverup and corruption that accompanied is staggering.
In 2021, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) reported 4,228 child sexual abuse allegations. These allegations were filed by 3,924 abuse survivors from July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020. The incidents involved more than 2,700 individual clergy members from across the country.
https://www.abuselawsuit.com/church-sex-abuse/
The Boston Globe’s series on Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church was the subject of an award winning film, “Spotlight.” If you have not seen the film, I highly recommend it.
Wikipedia provides an in-depth article that is more comprehensive and reaches worldwide. The information is difficult to read and produces an impulse to say— “that couldn’t happen in our church.”
Some critics have stated that the oversaturation of Church sex abuse stories has led to the perception that the Catholic Church is more rife with pedophilia than in reality. A The Wall Street Journal-NBC News poll found that 64 percent of those queried thought Catholic priests “frequently” abused children; however, there is no data that indicates that priests commit abuse more often than the general population of males.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_sexual_abuse_cases
That fact is not particularly comforting, but the following is more disturbing:
A report which Christian Ministry Resources (CMR) released in 2002 stated that contrary to popular opinion, there are more allegations of child sexual abuse in Protestant congregations than there are in Catholic ones, and that sexual violence is most often committed by volunteers rather than by priests.
OH, NO! It’s not just the Catholic Church!
Church of Christ
My personal experience with sexual abuse in the church predates the Catholic Church scandal. In the early 90’s I learned a former preacher at our congregation was a sexual predator. In wake of that revelation and some coincidental events, the subject of sexual abuse in Churches of Christ became public. See: https://michaelhanegan.com/blog/silentcofc-its-past-time-to-have-this-conversation?format=amp
Southern Baptist
20 years, 700 victims- Southern Baptist sexual abuse spreads as leaders resist reforms – Houston Chronicle
…since 1998, roughly 380 Southern Baptist church leaders and volunteers have faced allegations of sexual misconduct, the newspapers found. That includes those who were convicted, credibly accused and successfully sued, and those who confessed or resigned. More of them worked in Texas than in any other state.
They left behind more than 700 victims, many of them shunned by their churches, left to themselves to rebuild their lives. Some were urged to forgive their abusers or to get abortions.
About 220 offenders have been convicted or took plea deals, and dozens of cases are pending. They were pastors. Ministers. Youth pastors. Sunday school teachers. Deacons. Church volunteers.
Read the entire Houston Chronicle Series HERE
Christian and Missionary Alliance
Ravi Zacharias was best known for the apologetics ministry that bears his name, but he spent his 46-year career licensed as a national evangelist with the Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA). The denomination has now revoked the ordination of its highest-profile minister after its own limited investigation confirmed a “pattern of predatory behavior.” https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2021/february/ravi-zacharias-cma-investigation-revoke-ordination.html
Lori Anne Thompson, a victim of Zacharias has a website devoted to the problem of sexual abuse in the church and is a helpful resource.
ET AL –
So many Christian churches in the United States do so much good — nourishing the soul, comforting the sick, providing services, counseling congregants, teaching Jesus’s example, and even working to fight sexual abuse and harassment. But like in any community of faith, there is also sin — often silenced, ignored and denied — and it is much more common than many want to believe. It has often led to failures by evangelicals to report sexual abuse, respond appropriately to victims and change the institutional cultures that enabled the abuse in the first place.
The Epidemic of denial about sexual abuse in the evangelical Church- The Washington Post
I am not aware of any church exempt from the problem of sexual abuse. What is presented is only a small sample of information available about sexual abuse in the church. If you have taken the time to dive deeper, I am sure it has been overwhelming and discouraging, all the more reason the problem must be acknowledged and addressed. What is needed is individual and institutional courage, a courage Lori Anne Thompson describes as as rare as sexual abuse is ubiquitous. Clergy Sexual Abuse as a Betrayal Trauma: Institutional Betrayal & a Call for Courageous Response
“It is isolating and heartbreaking to sit in a church service where sexual abuse is being minimized,” Denhollander says. “The damage done [by abuse] is so deep and so devastating, and a survivor so desperately needs refuge and security. The question an abuse survivor is asking is ‘Am I safe?’ and ‘Do I matter?’ And when those in authority mishandle this conversation, it sends a message of no to both questions.”
The Epidemic of denial about sexual abuse in the evangelical Church- The Washington Post
Yes, there is an epidemic. (No masks required, just remove the blinders)
STILL ON THE JOURNEY