Sunday, January 7, 2007
Hush-it-up and Cover-it-up
Reports show hush-it-up and cover-it-up pattern among Baptist churches. Bellevue is just the most visible tip of the Baptist clergy abuse iceberg. Comments?
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4 comments:
Hush-it-up and cover-it-up was definitely what happened in my case when I was told to "lay your grievances out on the table". Ministers asked my husband, "Could she have dreamed it or imagined it?" I have not heard any of the staff respond in truth to this day, almost five years later. I now know that hush-it-up and cover-it-up seems to be the routine behavior and response in clergy sexual abuse and misconduct cases. It's very sad that men who are trained to nurture souls, guide and teach biblical principles and sheperd in the way God would want us to live have used their trust to destroy for their own personal pleasure and protection of salaries and positions in the church. They forget it is God's church and God's people and one day they will answer to Him.
I just saw in the news that a U.S. District Court Judge has approved that Catholic clergy sex abuse cases can serve lawsuit papers to the Vatican. The court said the Vatican should have responded when they found out about clergy sex abuse victims by informing the public and did not act. Do you think this will have any effect with the SBC Baptist leadership and their non response in notifying the people in the pews about clergy abusers and allowing ministers to stay in ministry, moving from church to church?
SBC leadership stands behind the wall of autonomy. Because of that, it may be even harder to reach them than to reach the Vatican. But even if it's difficult to reach the SBC with a lawsuit, they cannot evade the moral obligation to protect children against clergy predators. People in the pews must rise up and demand it. Either that, or they should take themselves and their children to denominations that are at least working at ridding their ranks of clergy predators. The Baptist Standard itself said that the autonomous structure of Baptist churches "indirectly shields perpetrators." Baptist leaders KNOW that this is a weakness of their structure, and yet they refuse to take effective action. Legal obligation or not, there can be not moral excuse for failing to protect kids.
Christa, I have been around the SBC all my life. yes, churches are autonomous but the convention can still take leadership and promote this cause. They cannot force churches to participate but what pulpit committee would not love to have a place to call and check on a prospective pastor?
So, a clearinghouse of sorts to report abuse and keep records of abusers is not a lot to ask.
What they are worried about are false reports. People abusing the system and bad publicity?
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