Several years ago we took some friends who were visiting with us to Six Flags, an amusement park just north of Chicago. Things were going well until, in a moment of insanity, I agreed to ride the Iron Wolf with them. I was strapped in and off we went. I can now truly say that it is far worse than it looks! Around and around I spun, totally out of control, hardly able to breathe, and convinced I would die. I remember frantically praying to God to get me off and promising that if He did get me off, I would never be so stupid as to get on again!
I just counted up the number of visitors to this site and as of this moment we stand at a little over 3,000 since August 17th. I feel like I am on the Iron Wolf again! However, this time I know that Someone is in control and I will trust Him. I wish that the ride would go smoothly but this kind never does. I wish that we could all come together to take an honest look at the problem of Clergy Sexual Abuse, but that seems to be harder than I first thought. I wish we already had a Trauma Team in place for the western provinces, but that will take time.
Wishes will not get the job done. Truth will be the catalyst for change - if enough people are committed to the truth. John Piper has written, "Not to care about truth is not to care about God. To love God passionately is to love truth passionately...Indifference to the truth is a mark of spiritual death." So what do we know that is TRUE?
1. The issue of Clergy Sexual Abuse or Misconduct is not going to disappear. In spite of our efforts to ignore it or cover it up, it has been around for a long time and will remain as long as there are flawed humans on earth.
2. Churches need to familiarize themselves with legal issues including Fiduciary Responsibility. The legal system in Canada "recognizes a multitude of special relationships in which one party is required to look after the best interests of the other in an exemplary manner. These relationships, which include solicitor/client, physician/patient, priest/parishioner, parent/child, partner/partner, director/corporation and principle/agent, are called fiduciary relationships." Canadian courts have articulated a set of guidelines to determine whether fiduciary obligations arise from specific relationships. Churches would do well to become familiar with them.
3. Seminaries and Christian Colleges must begin to include teaching on this issue in their Ethics classes.
4. Denominations must follow the lead of some who insist that newly-installed pastors receive training in how to establish and maintain healthy ministry boundaries. This will mean the creation of forums where open dialogue and honest questions can be addressed.
But most important of all is the TRUTH that shame and secrecy are not the final word. The One who said, "I have come that (you) may have LIFE, and have it in abundance," is God's final Word of redemption and healing and life! And on that I believe we all agree.
I just counted up the number of visitors to this site and as of this moment we stand at a little over 3,000 since August 17th. I feel like I am on the Iron Wolf again! However, this time I know that Someone is in control and I will trust Him. I wish that the ride would go smoothly but this kind never does. I wish that we could all come together to take an honest look at the problem of Clergy Sexual Abuse, but that seems to be harder than I first thought. I wish we already had a Trauma Team in place for the western provinces, but that will take time.
Wishes will not get the job done. Truth will be the catalyst for change - if enough people are committed to the truth. John Piper has written, "Not to care about truth is not to care about God. To love God passionately is to love truth passionately...Indifference to the truth is a mark of spiritual death." So what do we know that is TRUE?
1. The issue of Clergy Sexual Abuse or Misconduct is not going to disappear. In spite of our efforts to ignore it or cover it up, it has been around for a long time and will remain as long as there are flawed humans on earth.
2. Churches need to familiarize themselves with legal issues including Fiduciary Responsibility. The legal system in Canada "recognizes a multitude of special relationships in which one party is required to look after the best interests of the other in an exemplary manner. These relationships, which include solicitor/client, physician/patient, priest/parishioner, parent/child, partner/partner, director/corporation and principle/agent, are called fiduciary relationships." Canadian courts have articulated a set of guidelines to determine whether fiduciary obligations arise from specific relationships. Churches would do well to become familiar with them.
3. Seminaries and Christian Colleges must begin to include teaching on this issue in their Ethics classes.
4. Denominations must follow the lead of some who insist that newly-installed pastors receive training in how to establish and maintain healthy ministry boundaries. This will mean the creation of forums where open dialogue and honest questions can be addressed.
But most important of all is the TRUTH that shame and secrecy are not the final word. The One who said, "I have come that (you) may have LIFE, and have it in abundance," is God's final Word of redemption and healing and life! And on that I believe we all agree.
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