Baylor University has teamed up with the Ford Foundation in researching Clergy Sexual Misconduct (CSM).  This new term, “Clergy Sexual Misconduct” is become the official terminology in describing the violent sexual abuse by pastors against women and children that happens way too often in way too many of our churches, temples and other places of worship. 

If you have any interest in clergy sexual misconduct (CSM), you MUST check out this website:

http://www.baylor.edu/clergysexualmisconduct/

In searching for my own answers many years ago as to the why, and how, and how could God allow ”this” to happen to me, at my church, at any church, at a time when we are so “advanced” in our thinking about violence against women and children in this country, the Lord gave me Psalm 27:13,14:

“I am still confident of this:  I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

I believe the Lord is taking action through this research study.  The “goodness of the Lord” for all victims of clergy sexual misconduct is upon us in the land of the living.  For all those nay-sayers who told me I would have to wait until I died to see any justice in my case, I can only say, watch for the goodness of the Lord. 

One of the goals of this study is to make CSM a household term, and to change the terrible misconception that CSM is an “affair” to the reality that it is “abuse of power”…and should be deemed criminal.

Thank you Diana Garland for your courage and determination with this project, and for all who participated to make it happen.  Thanks especially to the Ford Foundation for their funds in making it come to fruition.  Praise God.

Yesterday my husband took a surfing expedition to his favorite surfing spot.  After a few hours riding the waves, he stopped in at his favorite breakfast place.  Being alone, he sat at the bar and ordered breakfast.  He noticed the lady next to him was reading a Bible.  He asked her what book she was reading from, and from there the two struck up a conversation.

Somehow, the conversation turned to clergy sexual abuse.  The woman told of how her husband had run off with the pastor of their church, and divorced her.  My husband relayed to her how his wife had been sexually assaulted by the pastor of our church.   My husband encouraged the woman, and the woman encouraged my husband.  Both agreed to be praying for each other.  Then they parted ways.

As my husband was telling me about this chance meeting with this woman, several things raced through my thoughts.   First, the woman’s husband was a victim of clergy sexual abuse.  He had run off with a woman pastor.  It’s hard to think that a woman pastor would take advantage of a married man in her congregation.  Usually, it’s the other way around.  But this does happen.  This is the second case that I’ve personally been made aware of.  Women pastors can, and do, abuse their power as pastor.  And the harm is just as great.

But another thought occurred to me.  Was this meeting that my own husband had with this woman just a chance meeting, a miracle, of sorts?  I mean, what are the odds?  My husband walks into a breakfast dive, sits at the counter, and unbelievably runs into a woman whose ex-husband was a victim of clergy sexual abuse!  Was it a miracle meeting? 

Then another thought ran across my mind.  Could it be that clergy sexual abuse is so widespread, it’s not hard to find people who’ve been affected by it.  I’ve thought for a long time we only know the tip of the CSA iceberg.

I think if we knew how widespread clergy sexual abuse really is, we would all stand up to do something about it. 

Last week I was listening to the local Christian radio station as I was driving in my car.  I try to be careful when listening to Christian radio as sometimes I get triggered by something said.  But last week, I ventured to listen, thinking I could handle any triggers that occurred. 

There was a “talk show” with Chuck Smith, the founder of the Calvary Chapel movement.  Callers were calling in to ask Chuck questions about the Bible, their faith, their walk, etc.  One lady called in and had a question.  Apparently, she had gone to the grocery store a few days before, and a male employee of the grocery store attempted to sexually assault her in the parking lot as she made her way to her car.  She was able to escape him, but as she drove off, she was so flustered by the incident, she ran into a post, damaging the side of her car. 

Her question for Chuck was, “What should I do?  Should I let the grocery store know what happened?  Should I turn the guy in?”  She said she had several Christian friends who told her not to tell because she wasn’t harmed, and was able to get away from her would-be assailant.  She also had other Christian friends, she explained, who told her to report him.  She was confused.  She wanted to know what a good Christian woman should do.

By the way, it is normal for anyone who undergoes what she went through to be confused by what happened.  But that’s just an aside.  Here was Chuck Smith’s answer:

Chuck Smith told her she should definitely go back to the store and turn the guy in.  His reason was because even though she had not been hurt by him, she was clearly shaken up by the incident, she damaged her car, and turning him in would prevent him from hurting anyone else in the future.  He also suggested that the grocery store pick up the tab for repairing her vehicle.

My first response was to say a hearty “Amen!” to Chuck’s answer.  Chuck got it right.  He understood that it’s important for a survivor of sexual abuse/attempted sexual assault to turn the guy in!   But then the thought occurred to me…

What if the woman had called Chuck, and asked him what to do if her pastor had tried to assault her?  And what if the pastor was on Chuck’s pastoral staff or pastoring in a Calvary Chapel church?  Would Chuck Smith’s answer be the same?  Would his church listen to the woman?  Would his church take action against the pastor?  Would his church get real help for the woman if she had been sexually assaulted by a pastor?

I don’t know the answer to my questions.  I don’t know where Chuck Smith stands on the issue of clergy sexual abuse.  I would like to believe that he, being the spiritual man he seems to be, would have the same understanding of “clergy” sexual abuse as he does for “secular” sexual abuse.  There really is no difference, except that clergy too often are able to hide behind separation of church and state laws and get away with it, leaving the victim(s) to fend for themselves.  

What if the lady who called in to ask Chuck Smith followed his advice, only to have the grocery store manager minimize what happened to her, tell her that the employee who tried to assault her was his best employee, and threatened to sue her for slandering such a decent young man?

I applaud Chuck Smith for believing the woman who called him, and for encouraging her to go to the grocery store.  But he also could have offered to have someone go with her to the grocery store, and if the grocery store manager did not believe her, encourage her to go to the police department to file a complaint against the employee.

We ask, “What should I do?”  Women who become victims and survivors of sexual assault should do everything we can to tell the authorities what happened.  Yes, we should turn sexual predators in!

Perhaps as more light is shed on sexual predators, both in secular settings and in the church, Christian leaders, such as Chuck Smith will be more proactive in helping victims and survivors of clergy sexual abuse.

The Apocrypha records the story of Antiochus Epiphanes  who plundered and ransacked the Jewish Temple leaving it (and the people) in shambles.  Not satisfied, he later returned to Jerusalem, overtook the city, ordered the people to denounce their religious practices, and completely forego Mosaic Law.  He sacrificed pigs and unclean animals to mock Israel.  It was an abomination.  (cf. I Maccabees)

This past weekend, a church allowed an errant pastor to preach in their pulpit.  This concept isn’t new to anyone familiar with clergy sexual abuse.  Pastors, priests and rabbis accused of sexually abusing women and children in their parishes are moved on to other parishes as part of cover up plans.  What makes this new case so detestable, however, is the fact that the pastor was arrested in January and again in March for leud conduct and child molestation.  He is ”out on bail” awaiting trial.  This is an abomination. 

You would think there would be an outcry in the denomination.  But there is none.  You would think the congregants would boycott the church.  But the pews are filled.  You would think someone would at least shout “Foul!”  But most voices remain silent, save for the victims and survivors.

Where are the Maccabees to save us?  Who is standing up against conservative Christian churches to denounce clergy sexual abuse?  Yes, there are a few–Christa Brown, Dee Ann Miller, Diana Garland, to mention a few–but where are the godly men who should be taking a stand against this kind of apostasy?

We need to overturn this kind of evil, and allow the pure, holy, and clean miracle of lights to shine once again in our churches and temples. 

More and more the news media is reporting cases of clergy sexual abuse.  Marie Fortune, founder of Faith Trust Institute, and Diana Garland, Chair of the Department of Social Work at Baylor University, are quoted in a USA Today article.  It is very informative.  If you’re a Protestant, or a conservative Evangelical, this article should hit home.  And after you read this article, ask yourself, “What are conservative Evangelical churches doing to address the issue of clergy sexual abuse?”

http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/04/abuse-of-faith.html