As I’ve read the Houston Chronicle’s expose, I’ve been heartbroken over the horrible abuses that have taken place within Southern Baptist churches and institutions over the past decades. There is simply no excuse. None. Although one person commented (in response to a Together For the Gospel article by Trevin Wax) that given the magnitude of the SBC as the largest Protestant denomination (more than 47,000 churches and 15 million members), the numbers cited by the Houston Chronicle are relatively small (“more than 700 victims”). This kind of perspective is important to a degree, but the fact is that the numbers we have are simply those that have been reported. It is without doubt that the actual numbers are considerably higher.
For me, though, the relative number of abuses that have happened isn’t the concern: It’s that they happened at all–the fact that even one has suffered and to “some victims as young as 3…molested or raped inside pastors’ studies and Sunday school classes” is too overwhelming to consider! There simply are no words for this or for the apparent cavalier attitude and cover-up of the leadership.
Autonomous But Accountable
I value the autonomy of the local church. It is important. It is the Church that Christ established as His Body, not denominations. Even so, it is important that we, as Christians, be resolved that we will not offer mere platitudes and lip-service to this problem and excuses that autonomy breeds impotence, but we will actually do something. We will work together to end this. Perhaps, this is a start.
Small Voice, Big Responsibility
I am one pastor of a small church in Chattanooga. I don’t have national influence or prestige. I don’t have a loud voice within the convention, but I am a shepherd of Christ’s flock. I am stunned at the arrogance and ignorance that has been displayed by those who have been prominent and do have a loud voice and influence yet did nothing to protect the victims but did much to protect their own interests. I echo current SBC President, J.D. Greear, who, in response to this report stated, “The safety of the victims matters more than the reputation of Southern Baptists.” What matters is the care of people and the integrity of the Gospel. We may not be able to do much, but we can do something. This something starts with living our own lives with integrity and Spirit-empowered holiness. Scripture is clear that in Christ, not on our own, we can overcome (1 Peter 1:13-16, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Romans 8:37, Ephesians 6:10-11)
On Walls and Hedges
Not long after Karen and I were married over 25 years ago now, we laid out some ground rules to protect our marriage. One was that we would never be alone with a person of the opposite sex besides each other, nor meet in public alone with a person of the opposite sex. When I came to what is now The Gathering, I established this as a rule of professional practice for myself and other leaders–for the safety and integrity of the church and those ministered to by the church.
This rule has been questioned more than once by some pastors and non-ministers alike. I’ll be so bold as to say that I think every man and woman who loves their spouse and wants to protect their marriage should consider something similar. Is it easy? Not one bit. Does this make ministry harder? Yes. It means I cannot counsel or meet with a female without someone else with direct and visible access to our meeting space. If that can’t happen, neither can counseling or meetings. Sadly, I have now adopted the same rule for men I do not know well, since accusations are no longer limited to the opposite sex.
Before I had a male Office Manager, my work environment was very difficult to manage, since I could not work in the building with only one other female employee. This was extremely hard, and I had to work around her schedule, but it was completely worth it! Why? Well, it’s the same rationale for all of the safety measures Karen and I have put in place.
There are four reasons:
First, I want to avoid any temptation to sin. I love my family and have no desire to be with any other person other than my wife. However, I’m not naïve. I am a sinner, and the only sure way to avoid sin is to avoid sin; run away from it! Paul told Timothy, a fellow minister and his son in the faith, to flee youthful lusts (2 Timothy 2:22). Why would he say this unless he realized that even someone like Timothy had the potential to fall into sin if he entertained it or was put in a position where it was at least possible? I am no better than Timothy and don’t want this to happen. It is likely that many of the situations referred to in the article would have been avoided had there been safeguards in place.
Secondly, in 1 Thessalonians 5:22, Paul said to avoid all appearances of evil. Though a meeting with someone might be perfectly innocuous and (as I was told a number of times) everyone will understand the necessity of working with a female secretary, doing so puts myself and the other person in a dangerous position. This is a situation where misinterpretations and fodder for accusation can occur, which is all it takes to ruin a life. That’s the world we live in, and I have to try to think through every situation and be proactive.
Thirdly, with the exception of leadership as described in the SBC, the world in which we live includes times when anyone can falsely accuse another of inappropriate actions, and the accuser is nearly always given the benefit of the doubt, even when there is no supporting evidence. I value my family and church too much to risk that, even if it seems unlikely based on how well I know the person with whom I’m meeting. If the rule isn’t administered across the board, there is left the possibility of it being exploited. Satan is good at working with chinks in the armor!
Finally, as I’ve already alluded to, the Church and the Gospel are too important to risk tarnishing it even further. I love our local church, The Gathering, and desire to protect her at all costs as I am able. It is worth any inconvenience for all of these reasons.
There Is Always an Alternative
My overall point is this: if there is a will to battle against even the possibility of this kind of sin, there is a way. Though we cannot avoid every possible opportunity for problems for ourselves or protect everyone at all times (and, admittedly, there are times we are called to take risks for the sake of the ministry, though I believe that this is the exception rather than the rule), we must be constantly vigilant. We must also determine not only to avoid dangerous situations ourselves, but also to never gloss over or fail to take seriously even the hint of criminal misconduct. No, every accuser isn’t a victim, but every victim must be protected and that cannot happen if we fail to take every accusation seriously.
Ignorance Is No Defense
There is much about this subject that I don’t yet know. I don’t know all of the laws in place or all of the best practices for protecting victims. I’m quite sure my knowledge is not exhaustive on the subject, but not knowing is no excuse. We must educate ourselves and seek out information where it is available. We must do what we know to do and act in good faith for those we oversee and serve alongside. We must fight for victims. This starts with fighting for purity in all areas of our own lives. There is far too much at stake.
I never want to be in a situation where it can be said of me as it was in the article, “You left this little sheep to get hurt and then you protected yourself.” May it never be.
