I have recently had a few commenters suggest I have written too much about child sexual abuse. I tend to disagree because I think religious institutions, churches, and those that lead them have yet to come to grips with the both seriousness and frequency of this crime. But you be the judge. Here are a few recent posts that you might find helpful:
• Jack Schaap: It’s Not Adultery. It’s Abuse.
• Sandusky, Sexual Abuse, and Security in Your Church
• Protecting Children, Penn State, and Police Involvement
This past week, Christianity Today reported on yet another case :
A Pennsylvania Bible college has halted plans to name a student recreational facility in honor of a past athletic director and trustee after concerns surfaced surrounding the honoree’s handling of sexual abuse allegations more than two decades old.
Baptist Bible College and Seminary (BBCS) in Clarks Summit announced yesterday (September 5) that it had “suspended indefinitely” the dedication ceremony for a $5.6 million expansion project named after Wendell Kempton, a past athletic director and trustee who died in 2008, following “fresh concerns about the responses of Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE) leaders during [Kempton’s presidency] to disturbing matters of sexual abuse of missionary children by missionaries overseas in the 1980s.”
I spoke at ABWE once, about five years ago, before these allegations were public. The ABWE place a picture of me on their website from that seminar. As a result, a few people have asked me about the organization and the controversy.
Since I don’t know those involved, I did three things when I first heard about the abuse and subsequent investigation:
1. Checked to see if there were any allegations of children being in danger right now.
2. Verified that there was a legitimate investigation going on (I also confirmed on multiple occasions that it was still proceeding).
3. Talked to the ABWE leadership to ensure they were cooperating with the investigation.
As the investigation progresses, it is important to note that there WAS abuse– no question. There was heinous abuse from a mission doctor, targeting the children of missionaries. Our hearts should be grieved. This subsequent investigation is about the response response to that abuse and another case that has now come into question.
Like many others, I am watching and waiting, but this situation is another reminder of the pain of child abuse, the importance of honest disclosure of the situation, and the need for outside help (the police if it is a current crime or a credible investigation if it is a past allegation). I do have confidence in the organization doing the investigation, G.R.A.C.E., and I recognize that justice and investigations take time. But for now, we wait on the completion of the investigation.
I am watching this investigation because children matter, transparency is essential, and the pain many have felt is very real.
Yes, I know that this took place in another era. And yes, people unfortunately did not always handle things well in those days. However, we have a responsibility to handle them well today. Truth must be known, victims must be acknowledged, and protections must be in place.
Christianity Today has a helpful story on missionary kids speaking up. The children of missionaries deserve protection and, when wrongs have been committed and/or covered up, they deserve justice.
Please pray with me for those children who have been victimized, the ongoing investigation, and for the ABWE. There are many fine missionaries serving with the ABWE who are not being investigated, but everyone is impacted when children are victimized.
