Evangelical Churches in Denial About Sex Abuse

[Frodo]

It's not just Catholics anymore who have to deal with this:

The sin of silence
The epidemic of denial about sexual abuse in the evangelical church

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[DC Al Fine]

I've been following this story for a couple days and was wondering when this was going to pop up here. Some quick thoughts.

1) We were due for something like this. Anyone who thought this was a Catholic problem, secular or religious, was kidding themselves.

2) I'm pleased that the SBTS has taken a lesson from the Catholic Church's response to the issue and canned Patterson... Although I can't say they were 100% on the ball on this, they at least made the right call, however belatedly.

3) There's an interesting factional aspect to this. The two major leaders going down (and their defenders) were leaders of the the conservative resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention of the 70's and 80's. That wing of the denomination tends to be more "traditionalist" (anti-Calvinist in Baptist parlance), more attached to moral majority politics, and more Silent/Boomer. Their opponents tend more Calvinist, more attached to religious minority politics, and more Gen X/Millennial.

[Chunk Yogurt for President!]

It is unfortunate that so many people hide behind a pulpit to obscure their own moral failings.  I'd like to point out that most preachers are not like this, and blaming organized religion (as some do) is not the answer.

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I fall into the second camp but I really hope this doesn't become an old v. young thing.

[7,052,770]

It was pretty well documented 15-20 years ago that this stuff was more common among Protestant ministers than Catholic ministers. Or at least that's what they told us in Sunday School.

[PragmaticPopulist]

Suddenly, the Evangelical Church is turning into the Catholic Church. Blasphemy!

[KingSweden]

Utterly unsurprising

[Tartarus Sauce]

Utterly unsurprising

[pbrower2a]

I've been following this story for a couple days and was wondering when this was going to pop up here. Some quick thoughts.

1) We were due for something like this. Anyone who thought this was a Catholic problem, secular or religious, was kidding themselves.

from the article:

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(bolding mine)

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Eventually most people make the right call once they are convinced that the alternative is to accept a pattern of implausible denial.

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Generation X and the Millennial Generation are less trusting of powerful institutions in contests with persons. Younger adults are more likely to see themselves as victims of economic exploitation, institutional abuse, and political neglect than older adults who have gotten more out of public institutions and the political process at some time in their lives. Current Boom leadership in politics and industry (the Silent born from the late 1920s to about the start of American involvement in World War II are rapidly fading from public life) has developed an almost-feudal disdain for people with few connections... and such disdain leads to exploitative behavior by elites. It's "Draw and discard, draw and discard" with respect to employees and... concubines?

Anyone exposing abuse becomes the one accused of disloyalty.  After all, only misguided and treacherous people would accuse the rich-and-powerful of misconduct .. right?

[Politician]

Utterly unsurprising

[ProudModerate2]

Utterly unsurprising

[Progressive Pessimist]

Conservatives and anyone who associates with them are in denial about this issue in general.

[Associate Justice PiT]

It was pretty well documented 15-20 years ago that this stuff was more common among Protestant ministers than Catholic ministers. Or at least that's what they told us in Sunday School.

     May well be true, though Sunday School isn't the most unbiased party here.

[TJ in Oregon]

It was pretty well documented 15-20 years ago that this stuff was more common among Protestant ministers than Catholic ministers. Or at least that's what they told us in Sunday School.

     May well be true, though Sunday School isn't the most unbiased party here.

It's hard to imagine we'll ever have reliable statistics on something of this sort. Of course it happens within just about every religious group/public institution that deals with children.

[I’m not Stu]

IFB churches also deal with this.