"Faith communities and institutions should be a place of safety and refuge, but oftentimes for survivors of sexual abuse the church has been a negative turning point in their recovery and their faith journey – a setback that can create a turning away from the faith and a stunting of spiritual growth and emotional healing. When a survivor of sexual abuse by a faith-based community member comes forward to leaders, the survivor believes that the leaders are in a position to help them and will be a source of help, spiritual guidance, and emotional healing. However, what they often receive are negative social reactions to disclosures which can result in worsening symptoms of shame, depression, posttraumatic stress syndrome, disengagement from the faith community, and even suicide." (Guidepost report, 135)

Six months ago, I wrote "Sheep and Wolves: a Parable", about this very subject and the way the church often responds to it. The main job of ministers is to protect the sheep. But often, too often, the wolves get promoted over the sheep, regardless of the likelihood they will harm the sheep again. And the sheep who already got hurt, well, they're the collateral damage - those wolves are too important to the "brand."

The church is supposed to be true community - the family in which every member is treated as fully human. The "least of these" take on supreme importance and are to be treated with deference and respect.

The operations of the church ought to reflect a complete trust in the supremacy of the truth of God's word. Let God's word be true, and every man a liar. No argument raised by men can withstand scrutiny under the eye of the Almighty.

No one in the church should be concerned about the church's reputation. 1 John makes it clear that truth will out, and that truth is of much higher importance than we the people being comfortable in the pews we inhabit on a weekly basis.

Far too many of God's children have had their lives shredded in the church, by church leaders. Just as the reckoning came for the Roman Catholic Church a quarter century ago, so it has arrived for the Southern Baptist Convention. Or has it?

The rumblings have been there, under the surface. They've been there for decades, for those who have had ears to hear. The response (or lack thereof) has been unconscionable. The report shows it clearly: time after time, survivors were either outright ignored or publicly put down. I'm not sure which is worse - being treated as having so little value as to not deserve a response at all? Or being treated as so dangerous to a "mission" by virtue of being a victim of trauma, to deserver to be traumatized again in a public forum?

Time after time, survivors were brushed aside because the legal possibilities of engagement were too scary. Self-serving men thought their highest duty was to protect the brand. That never ends well, but actually, it was worse than that - survivor's stories got actively twisted and misrepresented in order to drive PR narratives.

And these same leaders have wanted to dismiss survivors because they've been critical of the SBC (for good reason). Because they haven't followed Matthew 18 to the letter (it went so well every time they tried that). These leaders give survivors a problem they cannot solve. The report shows that these leaders were fueled by the attitude that survivors are never satisfied.

Well, the survivors felt the same way about these leaders, and in addition, they felt powerless to move the needle on meaningful change. In that very place where survivors of trauma should receive grace, rest, restoration, and healing - that same place is where they have experienced a much more perilous trial of their souls.

Many have claimed ignorance that all of this was going on. Some probably were. But if a lowly layman like me has been aware of these things for over a decade, what should we make of this naivete on the part of those driving convention policy?

The church is without excuse. As much energy as they expended to preserve the brand by sweeping human beings aside, seven times the effort will be required to restore basic credibility. Whether the will is present within the convention to enact meaningful change and really turn over a new leaf for the treatment of survivors moving forward - that remains to be seen.

Any changes will be decades too late. But you know what they say - better late than never.

References:

• Teal is a color used in support of survivors of sexual trauma

• Guidepost SBC report: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6108172d83d55d3c9db4dd67/t/628a9326312a4216a3c0679d/1653248810253/Guidepost+Solutions+Independent+Investigation+Report.pdf

• Sheep and Wolves: https://blog.foglife.net/blog/sheep-and-wolves-a-parable