Fighting the Demon of Sex Abuse
Sexual abuse within the church has made headlines around the world. Australian academic and former chaplain Arthur Patrick considers the problem.
Both the Church of England and Catholic faiths, at their administrative levels, have come under severe criticism for their policies relating to sexual abuse by their clergy. While the policies were always flawed, they appeared adequate to the times, for some leaders at least. These out-of-date policies are now seen as unacceptable (and perhaps they always were) in Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
The media is currently highlighting the weaknesses of those policies as they investigate claims being made by former and disgruntled parishioners.
In one sense, in this issue, we see a switching of roles from the church promoting standards of morality, to society reminding churches of their obligations. From the evidence, it’s a reminder that is necessary. And the reminder is important to all Christian groups.
sex gone wrong
Sex is a broad term, as used in our vocabulary, but it is about being male or female: it can refer to human physiology, the attraction of one person to another and the physical experience of intimacy or intercourse. But in all these senses, to abuse is to misuse it, to use wrongly or improperly.
Human beings were created by a loving God who created male and female, blessed them and instructed: “Be fruitful and increase in number.” With those words, God invented sex; it was a valid and beautiful part of being human , because “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good . . .” (Genesis 1:27-31).
But sin marred the harmony that God planned within every dimension of that good creation. Sin brought a chain of curses: shame, pain, the rule of woman by man, and eventually death (see Genesis 3). Among the so many good things that were corrupted by sin was sex. It soon mutated into lust, deformed and condemned in its impure forms.
The coming, doing, dying and rising of Jesus reverses every effect of sin. Its shameful guilt is removed from the sinner, by His forgiveness. He nevertheless offers an abundant life now—and eternal life hereafter (compare John 10:10; 6:39, 40, 54; Revelation 21:4). Christianity is about new attitudes and restored relationships in this life and, in the life to come, freedom from pain, the effects of sin and death.
the Christian’s struggle
In their struggle with shame and guilt, many Christians have lost sight of the goodness of God’s creation, including the body and sex. They’ve hoped they might become more acceptable to God by afflicting the body or denying it pleasure. Some came to think of women as incomplete beings, or even as defective males, or temptresses to be avoided.
So they decided that at best sexual relations were a mere necessity in order to beget children, not an experience that should to be enjoyed and affirmed.
It seemed logical, then, to conclude that the best Christians would avoid marriage and sex altogether. Hundreds of years later, other earnest Christians came to believe humans started life with a bank of vital force and that every sexual act withdrew from that limited deposit of vitality. So, because sex shortened life, it should be avoided, except as a self-sacrifice by those choosing parenthood.
in 2002 . . .
Abuse takes something good and uses it improperly, wrongly. So negative views of sex are the beginnings of sexual abuse.
During the century just concluded, the pendulum swung to an opposite extreme.
Currently one of the towering problems about the way humans use God’s gift of sexuality is by rating immediate gratification above the Creator’s design.
The Ten Commandments warn against coveting the spouse of another and committing adultery (Exodus 20:14, 17).
Jesus affirmed the sanctity of marriage (Matthew 5:27-30). The apostle Paul declares our bodies are “not meant for sexual immorality,” so we should “flee” from it (1 Corinthians 6:12-20).
Even more destructive than fornication and adultery is the forcing of sex upon another person—whether that person is male or female—or the exploiting of them with that design in mind.
Our society condemns rape, a denial of the consent or free will of another person.
The privilege of having a measure of responsibility or power over others, as in the role of a boss, teacher, priest or a minister, means that sex with an employee, student or parishioner can never be rated merely as a sexual act between consenting adults. It is the prostitution of responsibility, an abuse of power and a violation of trust. For such reasons, churches should deal firmly with clergy who abuse their sacred office.
During the past decade the age-old issue of paedophilia has become public in a new way.
The word has two parts: paed means “child” and philos means “dear” or “beloved.” To love a child is right and good; to use a child for sexual gratification is evil. These days the term paedophilia has become a euphemism for the negative sexual attraction of an adult toward children that, unrestrained, leads to the most destructive abuse of God’s gift of sexuality.
paedophilia is destructive
The essence of mature sexual expression is mutual attraction and selfgiving— the free choice to offer oneself to a special other in a unique relationship that celebrates the commitment of marriage.
That is why fornication and adultery are, in the ultimate, unsatisfying, even destructive for the participants.
Rape is far more destructive in that it violates the sanctity of another human being. Paedophilia preys on the helplessness and vulnerability of a child and, in so doing, distorts the fundamental meaning of sexuality for that person—often with lifelong effects. It is an ultimate expression of selfishness, of disregard for the wellbeing of another person.
the Bible and children
To be Christian is to follow Jesus Christ. One of His favourite ways of describing God was as a loving father.
Jesus valued women and on occassions acted in their defence. Like women, children were often devalued in the society within which Jesus lived, so it was necessary for Him to admonish even his closest followers to let children experience the blessings of His ministry.
When Jesus forgave the apostle Peter for his three denials, he commissioned Peter, “Feed my lambs” (John 21:15). With reference to paedophilia, the principled attitude of Jesus is unmistakable.
Jesus said to His disciples: “Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. So watch yourselves” (Luke 17:1-3).
Sin in the Bible is defined as the failure to reach God’s ideal as well as a deliberate act. Paedophilia disrupts a child’s life, typically causing shame, guilt, and ongoing personality and relational disorders. It causes the victim to “fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Jesus pronounces a curse upon those who set such “snares” or cause such “stumbling.”
the duty of the church
The Christian church needs to take its task of understanding and teaching the Bible and its values very seriously. Christians as individuals are responsible, too, for the wisdom God has given to humans, whether it is based on the observations of parents or the research of specialists in the human sciences. The values of the Bible absolutely preclude paedophilia.
Studies indicate it is exceedingly difficult to “cure” or “reform” a paedophile.
The duty-of-care that congregations and church leaders must understand and implement will, therefore, take account of all that Scripture and society knows about this behaviour.
For example, never should a paedophile be moved from one place to another, assuming repentance and forgiveness are sufficient to ensure the safety of other children.
In fact, deep therapy is essential, as is vigilance. On no occasion can a paedophile be allowed to be in any situation— provided by the church—where they could reoffend. There needs to be a mutual agreement between the community of faith and the paedophile that will protect every child in the church for the lifetime of the paedophile.
Sure, the repentant perpetrator is to be loved as a person and nurtured as a son or a daughter of God and invited to participate in the mission of the church, but never retained in any role or permitted to be in situations that would allow them to commit the same destructive action.
a necessary response
This means the ending of a perpetrator’s role as a priest, minister or teacher once they violate the sacred responsibility that governs the relations between an adult and a child. The model for the Christian church is Jesus and Scripture, giving unequivocal guidance. We’re to deal with others as we would have them deal with us; we are called to love others more than ourselves; we are ever to protect the weak and vulnerable.
The years of training, the commitment to ministry, the spiritual gifts of a person who is a paedophile may still be used to God’s glory if that person believes, repents and accepts the loving nurture of mature Christians. But the risks to children are so great that Christian care must preclude the possibility that church fellowship may ever permit another child’s life to be damaged by paedophilia.
The process of “justice-making” is crucial for the perpetrator, the local congregation and the broader denomination.
This one can only infer the responsibility of the local parish and those who administer clusters of congregations.
The Bible abounds with relevant insights.
In Romans, Paul expresses the good news of grace, powerfully. Then he unpacks the practical implications of the gospel: “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. . . . Love your neighbour as yourself. Love does no harm to its neighbour” (Romans 12:9, 10; 13:9, 10).
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Articles of interest:
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This is an extract from September 2002
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