Feature
1 April 2024
Introduction
Some months back, I attended the book launch of Assault on the Body: Sexual Violence and the Gospel Community (https://graceworks.com.sg/store/category/pastoral-resources/assault-on-the-body-sexual-violence-gospel-community/). This collation of articles aims to present a Christ-centred response to sexual violence. Amongst the contributors were victims of sexual abuse that happened in ministry contexts, social workers, counselors, academics, lawyers, and pastors of well-known churches all courageously explaining how the church can avoid certain common mistakes when responding to sexual assault victims.
As I listened to the stories told on stage or documented in the book’s chapters, I heard many troubling words. There were accounts of the church’s apathy and inaction—either by blaming the victims for the assault, gaslighting the victims and whistle-blowers over what actually happened, or simply believing the perpetrators’ denial. There were also accounts of the great lengths churches had undertaken to limit the reputational damage of guilty leaders—either by asking victims to forgive and forget, or by the closing of ranks by church leaders in order to save face.
The general sense coming out of that packed gathering was that victims who experienced sexual abuse either in the church or on the mission field generally do not find the support they need. Instead, they are often silenced, vilified, blamed, stigmatized, and attacked. In being denied healing and justice, many victims continue to suffer haunting memories and persistent mental anguish.
I was deeply grieved by the consequences of the church’s failure to deal with ministerial misconduct seriously. I remember thinking then that the same fingers that Singaporean Christians had used to point at the failure of Roman Catholic and Western evangelical leaders were now pointing back at ourselves. Then the news of ministerial misconduct within the government broke. That highlighted two things to me. The first was the reality of human failure, even within the ranks of handpicked political leaders; the second was that the Singapore government held its ministers to higher standards than what some churches and Christian institutions do for their leaders.
Practical measures to address abuse in our churches and Christian organizations
The Singapore church has often prided itself on its excellence, integrity, and mission-mindedness. However, it does have a dark underbelly that has not been readily faced. Given that this cat is now out of the bag and that the elephant in the room has been named, how can Christians respond to the reality of different forms of abuse in the Singapore church? Let me offer five practical measures for consideration and action.
- Naming the beast against the backdrop of Asian Christian culture
Abuse is the exploitation of others (whether physical, emotional, psychological, or sexual) for one’s own gain. Conversations about abuse within the church are difficult to initiate. They are often viewed as unnecessary, as many deem these occurrences improbable. Unlike public places where stranger danger is cautioned against, churches and Christian organizations are assumed to be noble, virtuous, and caring communities in pursuit of righteousness, truth, and holiness.
While many church communities do strive to be Christlike, it does not mean we never fail. But when one of our own falls short of standards of righteousness, truth, and holiness, Singaporean churches and Christian organizations often do not handle this well. This is especially so when there is “no smoking gun” or when evidence is highly ambiguous, leaving room for various interpretations.
These situations can be poorly handled as a result of inexperience, excessive reverence for persons in ministry, respect for elders, the need to save face, the desire to maintain the status quo, the push to preserve harmony, the tendency to close ranks, the disapproval of dissenting voices in leadership teams, and the failure to recognize symptoms and actions as abuse. Whether these reactions stem from misunderstanding church teachings, misapplying Scripture, or prioritising cultural values or a certain leadership style over theological beliefs, they all contradict the Christian call to pursue righteousness, truth, and holiness.
It is precisely because talking about and flagging abuse within Christian communities is difficult to do that it is critical we begin conversations about it. Remaining ignorant about and indifferent to these issues only cover up the problem, create conditions for perpetrators to continue unchecked, and promote a culture of suffering in silence amongst the victims.
- Mustering the courage to call out abuse in churches and Christian organizations
The “bystander effect” and “normalization of misconduct” are unfortunate human responses to crises or wrongdoing that happen right in front of us. Unfortunately, this behaviour does carry over into the church. As a result, abuse is flagged but church leaders and congregational members do not do anything to remedy the wrong. This often leaves victims and whistle-blowers uneasy about reporting abuse for fear of scepticism, distrust, reprisal, and stigmatization.
Contrary to this posture, the Scriptures are replete with teachings and examples of calling out the wrongdoing of persons in power. This requirement to “keep our house in order” is seen particularly in the ministries of the Old Testament prophets.
Nathan, Elijah, and Amos are but a few examples of prophets raised by God to publicly expose abuse and exploitation by persons of power. Nathan called out King David for raping Bathsheba and engineering the death of her husband (2 Sam. 11:1–12:23); Elijah called out King Ahab and his wife for murdering Naboth in order to seize ownership of his vineyard (1 Kings 21; 2 Kings 9:30–37); Amos called out powerful men and women in Israelite society who ignored the cries of the needy and were complicit in oppressing the vulnerable (Amos 2:6–8; 4:1-3).
In similar vein, Paul called out wrongdoing in New Testament churches too. Particularly instructive and relevant to the issue of abuse in the church, he not only called out blatant sexual immorality (1 Cor 5:1–5; 6:18) but also “normalized misconduct” manifested in the treatment of the less well-off participants during the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor 11:17–22).
Given these clear examples of how to address sin, the Christian community must not be blind to instances of abuse and wrongdoing “within our house”.
Significantly, this task is not limited to the leaders of established churches or Christian organizations to initiate or undertake. Amos was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamore figs (Amos 1:1; 7:14–15) and Jeremiah a young man (Jer 1:4–10) when they were called to take on their respective prophetic tasks. It does take nerve and great courage to call out wrongdoing. It is also often undertaken at great personal cost. But we can have faith that the Lord will give us grace to do what is right in his eyes.
- Establishing and communicating safe church / organization policies and protocols
Churches, mission organizations, and parachurch groups commonly spell out expectations for those serving in ministry in their church policies and ministry manuals. Tagged together with expectations for appropriate behaviour are disciplinary consequences for misconduct. This is a huge step up from a previous era where there was precious little to guide inquiry and disciplinary processes except unwritten and often arbitrary procedures.
Despite the presence of documented guidelines, church and Christian organizations still lag behind in developing well-thought-through safe church policies and protocols. The presence of safe-guarding, zero-tolerance mechanisms cannot be underestimated. They promote accountability, protect the vulnerable, reduce exposure to lawsuits, and minimize reputational risks.
Communicating safeguarding mechanisms alongside the readiness to take action goes a long way in establishing a safe organizational culture. In addition, it would be helpful to have the policies stress-tested to uncover bugs and loopholes, determine efficacy, streamline protocols, and determine leadership preparedness to handle situations well.
Conveying policies and educating for preparedness could take the form of sermons, seminars, workshops, and discussions. In addition, the use of case studies, role plays, simulations, and community theatre provide memorable learning experiences that allow participants to become familiar with the issues involved and discern conditions that fuel abusive behaviour. They can help develop empathy for victims, deepen understanding of impact on different stakeholders, and foster readiness when abuse is encountered in actual situations.
- Creating redemptive pathways in the wake of abuse
Abuse has a devastating impact not only on victims but also on families and the larger church community. Each group is affected differently. First, victims often suffer from lingering psychological trauma, depression, suicide ideation, trust issues, low self-worth, etc. Second, some of the local congregation may lose their trust in the church or, worse, be stumbled in their faith. Third, the church community may lose credibility amongst those they are trying to reach out to. Fourth, the perpetrator’s family may have to cope with feeling shame and being ostracised for something they did not do. Finally, the perpetrator has to live with the consequences of his or her actions.
Abuse shatters communities and its impact can be felt widely and deeply. As both recipients and instruments of grace from the cross, the church carries the responsibility not just to ensure safe churches, but also to create pathways of restoration for victims, affected persons, and even perpetrators.
Creating pathways for restoration of victims and affected persons should be of primary concern and also take high priority. Scripture is replete with examples of God’s special attention to victims and the vulnerable in society (Ps 10:14; Ps. 82:3–4; Prov 31:8–9; Isa 1:17; James 1:27). Consequently, God’s people must follow suit and not ignore their cries for abuse to cease or be restrained. This can take the form of administering trauma-informed care to victims, not condoning abusive behaviour, protecting other members from being subjected to repeated, similar, or new forms of abusive ordeals, and even demanding restitution for the abuse committed.
Creating pathways for restoring perpetrators on the other hand will challenge our human instincts profoundly. In some respects, pressing charges and pushing for harsh disciplinary measures is the easier thing to ask for. More difficult sometimes is the invitation to forgive perpetrators and offer them pathways toward repentance and restoration.
Just as the idea of holding out unconditional love to a prodigal son challenged attitudes held by the Pharisees (Luke 15), so the idea of extending inexhaustible love to hideous and hated Assyrian wrongdoers tested the compassion of Israelites (Jon 1-4). This call to hold in tension both justice and mercy will test our belief in generous divine love, especially when applied to heinous wrongdoers.
Creating redemptive pathways in the wake of abuse must thus be understood as an intricate and involved undertaking for any Christian community to work out. At the end of the day, the variety and complexity of the circumstances, impacts, and outcomes of abuse will mean that there are no simple textbook answers for Christian leadership teams to draw from as they work out restorative avenues appropriate to their situations.
- Rethinking critical ministerial qualities
Ministry preparation in training agencies and institutions of higher learning places heavy emphasis on ministers acquiring and honing leadership ability, ministerial proficiencies, communication skills, biblical knowledge, and theological acumen. These qualities are considered critical to support their future ministries.
While these “external performative” qualities are celebrated and sought after, a minister’s “inner landscape” qualities are often an afterthought. There tends to be little emphasis on nurturing and nourishing personal qualities such as self-awareness, emotional maturity, personal management, integrity, submission, accountability, boundary setting, team-spiritedness, appropriate thought-life and behaviour, etc.
Yet it is precisely this combination of elevating “external performative” qualities and inattention to “inner landscape” qualities that inappropriate behaviour and moral failure are allowed to fester insidiously. It is easy for ministerial misconduct to be hidden behind façades of eloquence, charm, and accomplishment.
It is thus important that mentors in churches, parachurch organizations, mission agencies, and theological schools impress upon their future ministers that they cannot merely play to their strengths while ignoring glaring character faults and failings. These faults and failings will eventually rear their ugly heads devastatingly—especially in seasons of stress, moments of weakness, or when gripped by unholy passions.
A straightforward way to determine if ministers under discipline are rightly focusing on “inner landscape” qualities is to check if they are asking inappropriate questions like “How soon can I return to regular ministry?” They should instead be consumed with questions like “How did I stray so far from God’s ways?”, “How much damage have I done to the victim?” and “What is the extent of dishonour I have brought to God’s name and to the church?”
Some Final Words
A missionary friend told me that she once sensed the following from the Lord: “My Church…too powerful to be useful.” This impression came to her as admonishing and cautionary words about the self-reliance and pride of the Singapore church. It put a finger on our unwillingness to be broken and our hesitancy to enter into the world of suffering experienced by so many around the world.
This impression of the Singapore church rubs against the grain of the prevailing narrative that hails the Singapore church as the “Antioch of Asia”, called for a special God-ordained purpose. The prevailing narrative invites the Singapore church to look at our strategic geographic location as well as our endowed resources and conclude that we have a divine destiny to reach the nations for the Lord. Rushing to fulfill that destiny without scrutinizing the state of our hearts, however, can lead to the sort of damage and harm this article seeks to address.
My missionary friend’s cautionary “download” from the Lord instead invites the Singapore church to look to the Cross and ask how we must die daily to self, walk the way of the Cross, and journey with those who suffer in pain. Perhaps it is in stepping back to reflect and asking the right questions that we can gain insight into the true state of our house before God. In the end, adopting a chastened perspective of the Singapore church might take us down a less comfortable road toward a different God-ordained destiny!
Dr Calvin Chong is Professor of Practical Theology at Singapore Bible College. His teaching and research interests include orality studies, hermeneutics, new educational technologies, designing learning experiences, the impact of narratives on worldview and values, conflict resolution/reconciliation, and contemporary urban missions and youth issues.