Responding to the Scandal

NickImage

We used to think that the problem of child molestation belonged to other people, but not to fundamental Baptists. Now we are learning otherwise. We are hearing more and more reports of sexual predation, pedophilia, and cover-ups on the part of fundamental Baptist leaders. The resulting impression upon the public is that the clergy of Baptist fundamentalism is unusually goatish, thuggish, and corrupt.

This is not the place to evaluate the truth of individual claims. In a few instances individuals have probably been accused unfairly. Over the past five years, however, too many of these episodes have been verified for us to dismiss them all. Men have gone to prison. More should. The problem is too widespread and has affected too many of the different networks of fundamentalism to permit us to believe that it is merely anomalous or that it is limited only to one branch of fundamentalism.

What is being exposed within fundamentalism is heinous. Pastors, missionaries, and deacons have preyed upon the powerless. Even worse, Christian leaders and Christian organizations have covered up the commission of these crimes. The effect has been to protect the perpetrators. Those who have suffered most—the victims—have been denied justice and have seen their abusers keep their freedom, their livelihoods, and sometimes even their positions of leadership.

So what are we supposed to do? If we are interested in truth and right, if we want to see Christ’s name exalted and not besmirched, and if we care about people, how should we respond to these reports? I wish to provide part of the answer to that question. More needs to be said, but fundamental Baptist leaders, churches, and institutions absolutely must adopt certain core responses.

Of course, certain responses are simply wrong. First, we should not blame the secular media for their reports on these scandals, nor should we dodge their questions. We are witnessing events that are not only newsworthy but salacious. We know in advance that the reporters neither understand nor sympathize with us. We must go out of our way to avoid any appearance that we have something to hide.

Furthermore, we must reject any temptation to blame the victims. An adolescent of thirteen or fourteen is an unequal match for an adult of thirty, especially if the adult is wrapped in the mantle of authority. Yes, the adolescent ought to know what is right and wrong—but our job is to protect youngsters from having to make adult choices. They are not yet prepared for those choices, and we must not treat them as if they were.

Nor should we blame the victims for going outside the fundamentalist network to seek justice. The whole reason that they have been forced to this extreme is because they could not find justice within the structure of the churches and other institutions that were supposed to help them. Our anger (and we should be angry!) should not be directed against the victims who have appealed to other authorities, but against those spiritual authorities who abdicated their responsibility to defend the powerless.

We must also refuse to allow ourselves to be distracted by extraneous considerations. Accusers should never be dismissed just because someone thinks they seem odd or neurotic. Those are actually behaviors we might anticipate in someone who was molested as a child. On the other hand, simply because the accused has a reputation for successful ministry does not mean that he is above accountability. The same character traits that can make a man a visibly effective preacher can sometimes make him an efficient sexual predator.

Those are responses that we should never make. We do have an obligation to respond, however, and that obligation includes certain right reactions.

Our first response must be to refocus upon personal integrity. Many accusations are true, but in the present atmosphere the possibility of false accusations ought to strike fear into every minister. All it takes is one, unsupported claim to end a ministry. Consequently, we have a duty to live our lives such that no credible charge can be leveled against us. We must go out of our way to ensure that we avoid even the appearance of impropriety. How? By common sense precautions. We will install windows so that people can see into our offices. We will never be alone with any female other than our wives and daughters. We will never be alone with a child, even of the same sex, other than our own children. We will never touch a minor in any way except in full view of other adults—and we will guard those touches carefully against misunderstanding.

Just as importantly, our second response must be prevention. We cannot change what has already happened, but we can do our best to ensure that it will not happen again. Every church needs a child protection policy. The policy should define when and where adults are allowed to have contact with minors at church activities. It should prohibit adults from being alone with minors in an unsupervised environment. It should require everyone involved in ministry to minors to receive specific training aimed at avoiding abusive relationships. Very importantly, it should require a background check for every church member who works with minors. It should specify procedures for pursuing complaints and suspicions. It should be widely distributed so that every parent knows its provisions. For a good example of such a policy in a secular organization, churches might look at the Cadet Protection Policy of the Civil Air Patrol.

Our third response should involve prosecution. When pastors and church leaders become aware of abusive situations, they should report these situations to police and child protective agencies. In fact, they should do more than to report. They should demand that the authorities take action. Concerns over confidentiality are badly out of place here, as are concerns over 1 Corinthians 6:1-8. Paul was not writing to the Corinthians about situations in which crimes were being committed or the powerless being victimized. In most states, pastors have a legal obligation to report any situation that they even suspect of being abusive. Justice and protection for victims requires action against abusers. Christian leaders have a duty to protect the powerless. Too often have they adopted the role of shielding the abuser.

The fourth response is more systemic, but just as necessary. Baptist fundamentalists absolutely must repudiate those models of leadership that foster abusive and predatory behavior. Too many fundamentalists equate spiritual leadership with bluster, demagoguery, egotism, authoritarianism, and contemptuousness toward deacons, church members, and especially women. We must stop tolerating such attitudes.

Pastoral authority extends no further than the right to proclaim and implement the teachings of Scripture. Pastors must recognize the God-ordained authority of the congregation, and congregations must hold pastors accountable. Churches must seek pastors who focus upon the exposition of Scripture, who are gentle in their dealings with people, who are open and transparent, and who welcome criticism and accountability. Most of all, churches must reject numerical and financial growth as a measure of success and realize that the very first qualification of any minister is that he must give evidence of knowing and loving God.

Baptist fundamentalism has endured dark episodes in the past, but none has been blacker or more ugly that the present hour. We have no one else to blame. We have been too lax for too long. If the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God, then we should welcome the purifying effect that the exposure of sin will have upon us, and we should respond rightly.

The Descent From The Cross
Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)

Is this the Face that thrills with awe
Seraphs who veil their face above?
Is this the Face without a flaw,
The Face that is the Face of Love?
Yea, this defaced, a lifeless clod,
Hath all creation’s love sufficed,
Hath satisfied the love of God,
This Face the Face of Jesus Christ.

Discussion

Mike,

That’s good! Lol!

G. N. Barkman

Is there biblical support for kidnapping an adult and holding them captive until they admit their religious beliefs are wrong?

Despair does not lie in being weary of suffering, but in being weary of joy. G.K. Chesterton

[dan] Is there biblical support for kidnapping an adult and holding them captive until they admit their religious beliefs are wrong?
Only if they’re “young fundamentalists”. Then there’s probably all kinds of support that no one’s ever seen before.

/sarcasm

"Our task today is to tell people — who no longer know what sin is...no longer see themselves as sinners, and no longer have room for these categories — that Christ died for sins of which they do not think they’re guilty." - David Wells

Unless you have been snowed by certain people in the IFB to believe you were going to a good church to minister as an assistant pastor you will not understand what it feels like to be stuck in a situation where you have to live day in and day out with a pastor who dictates what you may do and not do, how to raise your children, and the list goes on and on. Yes Pittman you are right sexual abuse does hurt more but unless you have been in a spiritual and emotional abuse pastoral relationship don’t throw your wisdom around. You have no idea what it’s like to live under that pressure for a LONG THREE YEARS until God moved us away. It’s not as easy as you think to get away from the abuse. Those who think pastors don’t act like dictators explain to me how it’s right to say your above the law of the land to clearly disregard church policy concerning the will of the congregation- what about telling members touch not God’s anointed to run away from allegations that he was involved in a questionable activity with someone of the opposite sex? I could go on and on but I will not. I was not the only staff member that was hurt- there were other good people hurt.

Jim Racke

I did not confront because I was counseled by the president of the university I graduated from to leave when two brothers cannot walk in agreement. Everything in me wanted to confront the situation with the church but it would have ended up destroying a good church and good people. I don’t have the time or liberty to tell you the whole situation and I’m leaving it at that.

I’m getting tired of Christians who want to open up wounds and shoot the offended rather than offer medicine to the hurt.

I refuse to comment further anymore on this issue.

Jim Racke

I think the counsel you received from the university president is the kind of thing that helps perpetuate the environment that leads to situations like the ABWE.

Protecting the leader always seems to be the goal.

John 3:19-21

Despair does not lie in being weary of suffering, but in being weary of joy. G.K. Chesterton

We should obviously minister to the wounded, but at some point they need to stop picking the scab.
Baptist fundamentalists absolutely must repudiate those models of leadership that foster abusive and predatory behavior. Too many fundamentalists equate spiritual leadership with bluster, demagoguery, egotism, authoritarianism, and contemptuousness toward deacons, church members, and especially women. We must stop tolerating such attitudes.
A friend of mine was telling me about attending a service in a Baptist church on Easter where the visiting preacher was talking about Peter and John at the tomb, and how Peter got a bigger blessing because he went inside (“Let’s go all the way for God!”) and John stayed outside and missed it- apparently because he was distracted by ‘the bawling woman’. (that would be Mary Magdalene for those of you in Rio Linda). Apparently lots of men are distracted from serving God by emotional women. “Can I get an ‘Amen’!” Har-dee-har-har-har. http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php] http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-confused002.gif The facts of the passage were completely ignored in order to support the outline. I think it was even said that “it ain’t in the passage but it’s in my outline!”. Uh-huh.

Is it bad form to throw hymnbooks at the speaker? ‘Cause I’d’ve been seriously tempted. But then I’m a woman and that would have proven his point! http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php] http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-sick014.gif
Pastoral authority extends no further than the right to proclaim and implement the teachings of Scripture. Pastors must recognize the God-ordained authority of the congregation, and congregations must hold pastors accountable. Churches must seek pastors who focus upon the exposition of Scripture, who are gentle in their dealings with people, who are open and transparent, and who welcome criticism and accountability. Most of all, churches must reject numerical and financial growth as a measure of success and realize that the very first qualification of any minister is that he must give evidence of knowing and loving God.
Nice formula. Would that more churches embraced it.

Roland, forgive me if I’ve misunderstood you, but are you saying the only way a pastor can abuse his authority is by physical abuse?

-------
Greg Long, Ed.D. (SBTS)

Pastor of Adult Ministries
Grace Church, Des Moines, IA

Adjunct Instructor
School of Divinity
Liberty University

Susan,

Where do you get those emoticons? The fainting woman near the end of post 49 almost made me spit out my coke when I realized what it was.

Why is it that my voice always seems to be loudest when I am saying the dumbest things?

[RPittman] Just read a couple of weeks ago Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership by McIntosh and Rima, two Biola professors. Although I don’t accept their use of Humanistic Psychology (and this is the specific theory, not just a rant because they followed Maslow, the father of Humanistic Psychology), the book brings out some pertinent points about failures in leadership. Every leader has his dark side, which harbors the very traits of successful leadership in extremity. Some leaders are better at controlling their dark side. However, the leader’s dark side is provoked by his followers. The constant emphasis on growth, expectations of new things, lack of accountability, adoration and adulation, etc. tend to bring out the dark side.
I’m emailing this to my board. They need to understand this.

This is was many posts ago now, but earlier I observed that I didn’t think IFB had more cases of sex abuse than the general population or that authoritarian leadership, etc., is unique to it.

Just to be clear, what I’m not saying: I’m not saying IFB doesn’t have a serious problem it needs to deal with. The general population is not our standard, nor are “other highly independent groups,” as I think I put it.

So I’m attempting again to reject some of the hysteria (which says IFB is special in having this problem) but, at the same time, not deny that there is a problem.

It’s also really hard to measure the problem in a loose knit group of independent congregations. Nobody’s really polled all these churches or even examined a well chosen sample to project stats from. Add to the mix that there is much more awareness and openness on the whole issue today—that in particular makes it hard to measure how “new” this problem is.

I think Kevin’s reasoning that the number of reported cases in recent years cannot be coincidence is clearly right. But that’s far from having solid numbers.

And if we suppose that there is a huge surge in cases over the last several decades and/or that they are more numerous in IFB than other places, why would that be the case? The 20/20 broadcast suggested a factor is that we believe in hierarchical family structure and some use of bodily discipline of children. This is almost funny to me now, because 200 years ago everybody in the western world believed that—going all the way back to the middle ages and beyond. (Vargas and co. acted like this was some novel new—and heinous—concept. lol)

I’m just randomly musing, I guess.

In all this analysis we need to not lose sight of the obvious: each church & ministry should do everything it can to prevent this sin and properly handle it when it happens. That part’s really not controversial and probably is 90+% of the solution.

Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.