Changed by Christ

Call it Anything but Love

An open conversation of clergy sexual abuse needs to find its way to the forefront of church discussions. All too often we ask years later “what happened to that person” just to find out they left the church or their Christian faith because of something that happened to them in the church. We hear about children being abused by clergy and none of us can logically or morally excuse a child being abused by an adult. However, there is a whole other group of people that sadly often end up impacted by clergy sexual abuse, adult women. Some of these women, as we have seen, are just barely 18 years old but others are married. The women stuck in this trap do not have the same universal compassionate public opinion as the children do. They are often labeled adulterers, consenting adults, lovers, friends who became lovers, etc. but the end result is the same, a woman is taken advantage of by a pastor in whom she most often was going to for advice and help or spiritual guidance. These adult women are often scared into silence to save and protect the ministry and the pastor/perpetrator. Because of the power of the leadership, often the story that comes out is one-sided and always blaming the woman. The pastor slipped into sin or was led astray by the “jezebel” is often how the story goes (I’ve even heard this as a response to a 13 year old victim).

This video was created by a loving couple who have gone through the trauma of clergy sexual abuse. It needs to be seen in every woman’s group or even in main service during August which has been designated as Clergy Sexual Abuse Awareness Month. Please look at this preview and see if you can get this video to be played in your church or small group.

-Matt