The simple answer is obvious: the church should let in even convicted murders and sex offenders, as God is the god of all people. But we are told to be "innocent as doves, but wily as snakes" in scripture, and thus need to find ways of allowing them in without exposing the church to danger. How do we do that? I am not sure. I am interested to hear the opinions of other Mod-Bloggers on this, especially those who have served as pastors.I don't get it. Why is this an issue? If a church is true to its mission, then the sins of those who choose to sit in the pews should not matter. Murders, prostitutes, sex offenders even, it's all good. The real question is how do you protect children from sexual abuse at church. Adequate safeguards include background checks for all all people working in the church in any capacity. They also include making sure no adult is ever alone with a child. Even the pastor should be held to this standard. there are many more things that can be done. I'll have to make another post on this subject.
Sexual abuse at church does not come from the men and woman sitting in the pews. It comes from the leadership. Pastors, deacons, music directors, and Sunday School teachers, my blog is a rouges gallery of abusers. All are in leadership roles. To be successful, you must remove the opportunity.
The best way to solve a problem is to start by framing the problem correctly. Mod blogger Nomad frames the problem as one of how to protect the church. I choose to frame the problem as one of how to protect the children. The difference is obvious.
Technorati Tags: Child Molesters, Pedophiles, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Sex Abuse
3 comments:
"Mod blogger Nomad frames the problem as one of how to protect the church. I choose to frame the problem as one of how to protect the children."
I am involved with an organization working to stop the ongoing abuse of Christian missionary children (MKs) in Christian mission schools. Your contrast here describes precisely the obstacle we face in dealing with mission agencies and denominational mission boards. We want guidelines in place to protect the children in these schools, and the survivors who are struggling with the effects; they want ways to keep this under cover, so as not to "hinder the work of the Gospel".
(I can provide links, etc., if you are interested.)
Sex offenders and church go together a little to easily. The career of pastor/priest seems to historically been the safe haven of pedophiles, where they can pretty much conduct their private fantasies under the protection of the faith. My bigger concern is that they seen to understand this problem now, yet are more concerned about protecting their reputation and collection plates.
Weeta - I would love a few links. Send them my way.
btw - I think you are right on with your focus on protecting the children. Way to go.
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