It is only right and good to honor the strength and courage of Rachael Denhollander and her fellow survivors who disclosed all they suffered at the hands of Larry Nassar. He was sentenced to 175 years in prison, which sends a clear message of the heinous nature of his crimes. However, his is not the only reckoning. If you listen to the victim impact statements, there were repeated calls for Michigan State University and the US Gymnastics Association to be held accountable for their inaction and creating a climate where an abuser could have easy access to his victims. There have been calls for the resignation of the president of Michigan State University with resultant wagon circling. But as of last night, Lou Anna Simon resigned.
I truly hope the church-at-large is taking notes because we don't have a spotless reputation when it comes to dealing with child abuse or abuse of any sort nor when it comes to standing with the victims. It would be hypocritical to applaud Nassar's survivors and then turn around and silence victims when a person in your church, Christian organization, or political party is the perpetrator. Supporting a culture where abuse can flourish is its own form of evil.
This is from Rachael Denhollander's impact statement:
From the news coverage, Nassar's wife has filed for divorce. Given the degree of atrocities he perpetrated, is there anyone who would tell her she cannot divorce him and that she must continue to submit to him? If he was in an evangelical church, would he be put under church discipline? Or would his wife be disciplined for severing the marriage to a convicted child abuser? If he was disciplined and put out of the church for its protection (per 1 Cor. 5), are his wife and children not worthy of the same protection? To quote Jennifer Greenberg, a child abuse survivor:
"Demanding that an abuse victim live with and thereby minister to their abuser is about as ridiculous as expecting beer to minister to an alcoholic by populating his or her fridge."
Of course the fall back is that it is okay to separate for "a season" if the victim is in physical danger. Go listen to the victim statements. These young women are still dealing with the trauma from past abuse. Who in their right mind would tell them that even though they don't have to see Nassar any longer, the physician/patient relationship must remain? Then why do we do that to the wives and children of abusers? Yes the Bible talks about wives submitting to husbands and children honoring their parents. But it also commands husbands to love their wives and for parents to not provoke their children. How hard is it to comprehend that abuse is not love and the worst of all provocations? When is the line crossed where the verses about delivering the oppressed and aiding widows and orphans take precedence?
Many have shared the excerpt from Rachael Denhollander's statement where she calls her abuser to repentance with an offer of the gospel. It was moving and beautiful. But are there not areas where the church-at-large needs to repent? How do we handle abuse? How do we treat its victims? Do we brush them off, blame them, and throw our support behind the abuser? Is our time of reckoning coming?
Judgment begins with the house of God. He will not be mocked.
I truly hope the church-at-large is taking notes because we don't have a spotless reputation when it comes to dealing with child abuse or abuse of any sort nor when it comes to standing with the victims. It would be hypocritical to applaud Nassar's survivors and then turn around and silence victims when a person in your church, Christian organization, or political party is the perpetrator. Supporting a culture where abuse can flourish is its own form of evil.
This is from Rachael Denhollander's impact statement:
Even my status as a sexual assault victim has impacted or did impact my ability to advocate for sexual assault victims because once it became known that I too had experienced sexual assault, people close to me used it as an excuse to brush off my concerns when I advocated for others who had been abused, saying I was just obsessed because of what I had gone through, that I was imposing my own experience upon other institutions who had massive failures and much worse.
My advocacy for sexual assault victims, something I cherished, cost me my church and our closest friends three weeks before I filed my police report. I was left alone and isolated. And far worse, it was impacted because when I came out, my sexual assault was wielded like a weapon against me.
Just stop and consider this. Thank God, she persevered or else how many more victims would there have been? How much longer would Nassar have preyed on children? Yet how many victims in Christian environments are discounted? How many advocates are told to mind their own business? Has Rachael received apologies from her former church or the officials who wanted to discredit her?
From the news coverage, Nassar's wife has filed for divorce. Given the degree of atrocities he perpetrated, is there anyone who would tell her she cannot divorce him and that she must continue to submit to him? If he was in an evangelical church, would he be put under church discipline? Or would his wife be disciplined for severing the marriage to a convicted child abuser? If he was disciplined and put out of the church for its protection (per 1 Cor. 5), are his wife and children not worthy of the same protection? To quote Jennifer Greenberg, a child abuse survivor:
"Demanding that an abuse victim live with and thereby minister to their abuser is about as ridiculous as expecting beer to minister to an alcoholic by populating his or her fridge."
Of course the fall back is that it is okay to separate for "a season" if the victim is in physical danger. Go listen to the victim statements. These young women are still dealing with the trauma from past abuse. Who in their right mind would tell them that even though they don't have to see Nassar any longer, the physician/patient relationship must remain? Then why do we do that to the wives and children of abusers? Yes the Bible talks about wives submitting to husbands and children honoring their parents. But it also commands husbands to love their wives and for parents to not provoke their children. How hard is it to comprehend that abuse is not love and the worst of all provocations? When is the line crossed where the verses about delivering the oppressed and aiding widows and orphans take precedence?
Many have shared the excerpt from Rachael Denhollander's statement where she calls her abuser to repentance with an offer of the gospel. It was moving and beautiful. But are there not areas where the church-at-large needs to repent? How do we handle abuse? How do we treat its victims? Do we brush them off, blame them, and throw our support behind the abuser? Is our time of reckoning coming?
Judgment begins with the house of God. He will not be mocked.
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