Some time ago, I read (most of) Trauma and the Love of God. I didn’t finish because I couldn’t take any more of the horror in it. In one instance, a woman told of a new pastor who invited her, at age twelve, to go on an errand with him. Instead of an errand, he raped her. She said that this happened thirty times before she turned eighteen and fled from home. He told her that if she told her parents, they would not believe her. 

Her Parents Failed Her. Her Pastor Sinned Grossly Against Her

The pastor was right. Her parents said that he’s a good preacher and couldn’t be guilty of that. I’m not sure why she kept going to whatever situation enabled the pastor to do this evil—forced to attend the same church services by her parents? At eighteen, she left home and her parents didn’t understand why.

The Scandal of Sexual Abuse in the Church

This post isn’t like my usual topics, but it is on my mind a lot. When I read accounts of sexual abuse and church leaders ignoring or covering it up, I feel overwhelmed by this evil. I read of many incidents from Julie Roys, The Roys Report. I see other reports in Christianity Today and elsewhere. This problem is huge. It’s not an occasional incident.

I subscribed to the mailing list for Mary Demuth, a successful author, as I am working on a book, and always want more tips.  Yesterday, she sent out a message about sexual abuse based upon her experiences at five years old. She wrote about how badly this has scarred her, and how hard healing from it has been.

What the New Testament Says about Sexual Abuse

The New Testament authors, while not specifically using our modern phrase, “sexual abuse,” nevertheless speak of leaders who commit immoral acts.

2 Tim 2:2-8 says,

In the last days, “there will be men who are lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant…without regard for others…slanderous, without self-control…loving pleasure rather that loving God…having a form of godliness (“Hey look, I’m a pastor/priest/whatever), but denying its power…. Now turn away from these men

For from them are those who worm their way into houses and deceive/take captive impressionable women overwhelmed by sins (probably caused by these evil men), led on by various desires….These men oppose the truth, men with a depraved mind, rejected concerning the faith.”

These men worm their way into the houses of women who do not know enough to reject the man’s statements, given that they are religious leaders. These men are rejected as far as the Christian faith is concerned. They have a depraved mind. They want money and sex and don’t care who they hurt in the process.

In 2 Peter 2, Peter talks about false teachers who will arise in the church. Speaking of their future punishment, Peter wrote that,

[God knows how] “to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority. Daring, self-willed…” 2 Peter 2:9b-10a NASB).

False Shepherds

Here, Peter focuses on those who mislead others and indulge the flesh. They will experience God’s judgment. Here, a sister of an accused abuser defending him because, even if he sexually abused several females, the sin is irrelevant because it is covered by the blood of Jesus!

I don’t know how a man who sexually exploits children, teen girls, and grown women can think that God is okay with this behavior. As Peter says, “God does not show partiality” (Acts 10;34).  The word for not showing partiality s literally, “does  not receive face.” This means that God is not going to be impressed by who it is and what that man has accomplished. https://julieroys.com/podcast/most-spiritually-abusive-sermon-ever-heard-former-ihopkc-staff/

It Does not Matter What Else the Abuser Does

Maybe he does bring in large offerings. Maybe he has preached 1000 sermons. Maybe his church has grown from ten people to ten thousand. If he is sexually abusing any of the sheep he is supposed to be shepherding, nothing else the man does matters. God shows great mercy and grace, but a church leader cannot sexually abuse others and expect to experience salvation in the end, I think that’s unlikely. God is not mocked.

I don’t know, but I suspect that a minister or priest who thinks, “I can sexually assault others, and all I have to do is pray for forgiveness. God will be okay with that,” is self-deceived. Jesus, according to the gospels, and the apostles, according to Acts, call people to repent. 

The Need for Repentance

Repentance is not simply feeling bad or feeling remorse (sorry you got caught). It is turning from the sin. One cannot blatantly sin and then ask for forgiveness and expect to get it, unless that person is prepared to repent, confess, and accept the consequences.

Jesus and the “Little ones”

One of the most direct statements about such men comes from Jesus: “It is inevitable that 1stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble” (Luke 17:1-2 NASB)

In Matthew’s Gospel, the little ones are equated with Jesus’ disciples. That should be most of the people in a church. Those too young to understand  knowing Jesus could be covered by this statement too. A minister who sexually abuses any of the sheep would be better off if he were drowned than that he committed this crime.

Sexual Abuse is a Crime

Make no mistake about this. It is a crime to sexually abuse others, regardless of whatever rationale the abuser offers, like “She wanted it.” That’s  garbage.

Savage Wolves amongst the Flock

Paul warned of those who come into the church, the flock, and lead it astray:

“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number some will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears” (Acts 20:28-31).

Jude has some harsh words for these false shepherds: “For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord (Jude 4).

I recommend that you read the whole letter of Jude to see what he expects God to do about these individuals.

Those Who Know are Accountable to God too

Along with this issue, there are elders and others in a church who know the minister is doing these things, but stay silent or ignore the pleas of victims. God is on the side of victims. Jesus said that he came to set free the oppressed (Luke 4:18).

Oppressing the defenseless or deceived is a huge sin in God’s eyes. All you have to do is read Ezekiel 22 to know this. James wrote that true religion is to “keep oneself spotless from the world.” The world is full of sexual abuse. Someone who claims to be a faithful Christian, yet practices sexual abuse has a worthless faith (James 1:24-25).

 

Now What?

“Fine,” you might say, “now what? How do we connect these scriptures to real life?”

1. Never ignore, cover up, or rationalize sexual sin.

Whether it is pastors in the church, like those at John MacArthur’s Grace Community Church denying that David Gray committed abuse or the leaders of the Ravi Zacharias ministry, denying, covering up, or attacking victims as though they were the people at fault, is evil and inexcusable. One woman who told RZIM leadership about Ravi was attacked for such an accusation, but later, the evidence on Ravi’s cell phone  proved that she was in the right.

• Never dismiss the allegations of the abused.

My wife told me that no female is going to report sexual abuse if it didn’t’ happen. No matter what the alleged perpetrator says, the abuse victim should be believed unless and until evidence shows the allegations are false. There is no place here for the alleged abuser to say, “She seduced me.” The many people whose lives were destroyed by abusers should be helped and protected by their church.

3. Help the victim. From what I have read, being sexually, physically, or verbally abused can have destructive effects on the victim. Come alongside the victim and help her or him to cope with the abuse. They need people to listen to them and support them.

4. Obey Scripture. Sexually abusing someone is illegal.  Romans 13:1-7 instructs believers’ to obey the laws of the government. There is no biblical justification for not doing this. At Master’s Seminary and University, if a woman reported she was raped by someone connected with these schools, she is required to face the alleged perpetrator and offer him forgiveness. After that, the school does nothing else about the situation. They should be rebuked for that. They are breaking the law and blatantly disobeying Scripture. Period.

The victim will have a chance to confront the perpetrator in court. She or he must not be put into this situation. Yes, Jesus tells us to forgive those who sin against us, but this does not mean a victim should be forced to offer forgiveness to the abuser like that. Being assaulted is going to cause a deep wound. The victim needs time to heal from the assault and pray for God’s help to forgive the perpetrator.

However, offering forgiveness in no way excludes obeying Rom 13:1-7—ever. Once the police or child protective services have been called, they will investigate the matter. An internal investigation will be in danger of severe bias, a desire to protect the alleged perpetrator, or fear retaliation. Believers need to be brave and do the right thing. If the accusation proves to be false, the investigation by the civil authorities will be dropped. Unless and until that happens, the victim should be treated as a victim.

The alleged perpetrator should not be allowed to carry out any official roles in the church. Nor should they ever be allowed to come back and be the pastor again. Once a pastor or other leader has committed this crime, there should be no going back.  That person needs to find some other place to do whatever they plan to do with their lives. That is not the responsibility of the church where the leader has assaulted or abused someone. Forgiveness is not forgetting. Someone you should have been able to trust has proved that he cannot be trusted. That’s it.

If we are going to protect people who are abused, these are steps and principles to adopt.

As an aside, the issue of sexual abuse in the church is an argument for female pastors. They are not likely to sexually abuse anyone, and I don’t think that there is valid biblical reason to not have female pastors.

If you have any comments, feel free to leave them on my blog. I would be glad to know what you think of this post.

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Blessings on those who have to deal with such issues.