When evil prevails ... inside & outside the church

The unthinkable acts of violence plague my beloved nation. Supermarket shootings. School shootings. Church/Synagogue/Mosque shootings. Random shootings on highways. Kidnappings. Assaults. It’s in the big cities. It’s in the small rural towns with little more than a flashing red light at a four-way stop … and everywhere in between.

We were gripped in agonizing horror on May 24, 2022, as a lone gunman entered Robb Elementary in Uvalde, TX. An 18-year-old murdered his 66-year-old grandmother prior to entering the school and murdering over 20 people, mostly children. Children (and teachers) should be safe at school! Unfortunately, this simply isn’t the case anymore. The nation stands in solidarity against this kind of evil … as it should. Something needs to be changed. As the world watches, I am *somewhat* hopeful that changes will be put in place.

Another evil that’s gripped my soul on a personal level revolves around the federal case concerning Joshua Duggar. I’ve kept quiet on this federal CSAM case, especially on social media and my blog. The very few people with whom I’ve spoken about this case offer insight on the polar opposite points of view when it comes to the actual “boots on the ground” advocacy against the atrocities committed against children of all ages. The opposite points of view have also revealed the mentality surrounding abuse cases, in general. To “keep the peace” and because these “cases are complicated to deal with,” as the Duggar case and many others reveal, the perpetrator/abuser is cheaply forgiven with little to no accountability demanded. The victims are often bullied into silence, even with subliminal bullying. Justice is denied … and their reasoning? “Vengeance is God’s alone” … This isn’t a reason. This vengeance argument is flawed on many levels. Here are just 2 … One, justice and vengeance are NOT the same thing. Two, God Himself has established the governing authorities to be representatives of His judgment on earth. 

Although it was said that the Duggar case doesn’t affect me directly, in many ways, it does. Many of the teachings he was raised with are found enmeshed in super conservative churches (which is also how abusers are being protected). A good bit of the religious training I am trying to unlearn came from the same cult teachings the Duggars are involved with … and promote, The Institute for Basic Life Principles. When I realized the sinister side of this dark, twisting of Scripture organization established by Bill Gothard (who himself has had sex scandals and lawsuits against him for his grooming/abuse of females), I began to break away. What people don’t understand … or what they willingly choose to ignore or turn a blind eye to … is that these things directly affect - even if they do not directly involve - survivors of childhood sexual abuse and people who were “programmed” by such cults as the IBLP. To declare otherwise is to invalidate our stories … to discredit the journey to healing … to discredit what God has done … and it minimizes the trauma and the ongoing battles we face with memories and nightmares and night terrors. 

As the Robb Elementary in Uvalde, TX, tragedy unfolded, as the Duggar case approached the sentencing phase of the trial and as the sentence was handed down today (5/25/22), a scandal within the Southern Baptist Convention surfaced. Hundreds of pastors/clergy have been being protected as they have exploited, sexually abused, and raped people within their individual spheres of influence. The victims of these crimes have been silenced … FOR FAR TOO LONG! One day is too long; these people have been forced into silence for decades! As this list of names is soon to be released by the SBC (the set release date is 5/26/22), I cringe in apprehension. I fear who I may know on the list. It's made me sick, physically. And yet, there’s an overwhelming sense of relief. At least one of the clergy - who may or may not be listed because he had an adulterous relationship with an adult and didn’t abuse a child (as if adultery doesn't need to be addressed and exposed) - is a man that I had direct contact with because he was referred to me as a “biblical counselor” … Due to severe trust issues, I never saw him alone; however, that didn’t stop this individual from inviting me to his home (where he counseled people), stating his disabled wife was in the back bedroom. Having come from various abusive situations, I saw this as sketchy and dangerous. I stopped going to counseling … in spite of being told I was paranoid and needed to trust people. To this day, my anxiety is off the charts when I see a counselor ... male or female. Knowing what I know now, this particular individual was simply trying to groom me …

The same people who referred me to this counselor are the ones who introduced me heavily to Gothard and the IBLP … When I spoke to them about the scandals involving Duggar, Gothard, and the IBLP, their response was similar to the one about the counselor. “Truth is truth, no matter who says it. You don’t stop reading Psalms because David sinned.” Even then, this was such a flawed argument to my spirit. It was garbage then. It’s garbage now.

Satan masquerades as an angel of light. Paul the Apostle silenced the demon possessed slave girl in Acts 16. What she said was true; however, Satan only seeks to thwart the plan of God … and he will use any means possible, even words from the Bible, to do so.

Our Lord addressed all of this evil insanity within the pages of His sacred Script. Evil will only increase as His return gets closer. We are called to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” in Matthew 10:16. NOT everyone is trustworthy, even inside the church. Proverbs 31:9 (& others like it) show God’s heart when it comes to advocacy work. “Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.” If we, as the church, aren’t willing to get our hands dirty … if we aren’t willing to stand with abuse victims/survivors … if we aren’t willing to obey this (& other like commands), we are guilty of enabling abuse. We are complicit in the crimes being committed. We are guilty before God. And we need to be on our faces before God in a broken spirit of repentance!

Truth sets people free … Light dispels even the greatest darkness. Jesus said in John 8:12, “I Am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will NOT walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’ He, then, says in John 8:31-32, “If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 

From the Old Testament to the New, we find that God is NOT like man! On a day/week like this, I'm even more thankful! The Lord doesn’t cover sin up. God the Father sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for our sins. A sacrifice that dealt with the eternal consequences of our sins … The sacrifice of Christ did NOT eradicate the earthly consequences for our sins, though.

We see God’s heart towards those who are broken and crushed … by their own actions/words and by the actions/words of another … Psalm 34:18 says, “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” This is another truth I'm holding to because this is a lonely path ... not many will dare to walk it with me. The One who is the Rock who never shakes, never breaks is with me ... and I'm thankful.

Whether the evil is outside the four walls of the church for the whole world to see and to grieve over or the evil is inside the walls of a church building and is being swept under the rug as abusers are being protected and victims are being silenced, our HOPE is the same! His name is JESUS! The Jesus of the Bible … NOT man’s personal rendering of Him. 

The answer to protecting people from abusers is the same, inside the church and outside the church! Trauma-informed/trained counselors being made available for victims, no matter their faith/lack of faith, and accountability demanded and sought for ALL perpetrators … those inside and outside the church.

Until we, as the church, are willing to truly repent of the abuse and the enabling of abuse, I’m convinced we will NEVER see the nation-wide revival that we've been praying for. If we’re not willing to hear the victims’/survivors’ stories, we might as well stop preaching and teaching … because our words are weightless and our “gospel” is a fraud. 

Are YOU willing to stand BOLDLY in the face of all evil?
Am I willing to stand, knowing that when I do stand, memories/nightmares & night terrors are triggered?

I WILL STAND … because I love Jesus and because I love people!