We obviously need to do what we can to prevent sexual abuse, but we also need to have a plan in place for how to respond if it does occur. Once your real interests are at stake and your church\u2019s reputation is on the line, it can become far too easy to rationalize bad behavior.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut what about 1 Corinthians 6:1\u20136?\u201d some will ask. That\u2019s the passage where Paul reprimands the Corinthian believers for taking their disputes to court. I would submit that this passage\u2014like all biblical passages\u2014should be read with careful attention to the context that surrounds it, chapters 5 and 6, in which Paul is especially severe on sexual sins. They are not among the \u201ctrivial cases\u201d being taken to court that he refers to in 6:2; on the contrary, he goes so far as to instruct perpetrators to be handed over \u201cto Satan for the destruction of the flesh\u201d (5:5). It seems that certain transgressions are beyond the church\u2019s power to address adequately.<\/p>\n
That is especially true of sins of abuse. As Owen Strachan wrote in a\u00a0Christianity Today\u00a0<\/em><\/a>article<\/a>\u00a0on domestic violence, \u201cThe civic ruler, Paul says, acts as an \u2018avenger who carries out God\u2019s wrath on the wrongdoer\u2019 (Rom. 13:4, ESV). When churches teach otherwise, they not only fail to provide psychological and emotional care, they also fail theologically. Divine vengeance cries out to be exercised against evil.\u201d<\/p>\n Given all this, and given how difficult it is to evaluate our own leaders objectively, it is essential to have sexual abuse allegations investigated by an independent party that does not have a vested interest in the church. If we want the church to be a safe place of healing, we can\u2019t afford to cover up the truth. The first step, though, is finding it.<\/p>\n