The Church and Sexual Abuse

2 Samuel 11:1-15; John 6:1-15

This happened at my church in Birmingham.  We were searching for a new Minister of Music.  We collected resumes from across the southeast and began to comb through them.  We narrowed the list down to a handful.  One stood out.  A man in Mississippi.  In the Delta.  We noticed he had moved frequently, but his credentials were stellar.  Our search committee drove over to the Delta to meet him and observe his worship leadership.  They were impressed.  This guy was really good. 

“If he’s so good, why’s he in the Mississippi Delta?” someone on the committee asked.  My apologies if you grew up in the Delta!

 I called him, and we talked for a long time.  It felt good.  He said he wanted to visit my church, so we invited him for a weekend of interviews.  Everything went well.  We asked for references, and he made the long drive back to the Delta.

 We began calling his references.  Glowing remarks.  Excellent with a choir.  Charismatic personality.    A people person.  A great catch. 

  One reference offhandedly suggested, “It might be helpful if you call _____________________.”  I looked and he was not listed as a reference.  I got his contact information and called.  That is when I learned why this Minister of Music moved so often.  I learned why he was out in the hinterland.  He left every church under the accusation of sexual abuse of a church member.  Not one.  Or two.  Or even three.  This man was a serial abuser.  He was hounded from church to church with charges of sexually abusing women in the choir and the congregation at large.

 And here’s what made me irate:  not one of his references warned us.  Excellent with a choir.  Charismatic personality.  No one said, “David, you need to know this man has a problem.  By all accounts, he is a serial abuser.  That is why he left so many churches.”  I wish now I had called them back and confronted them.

There were multiple guilty parties in this experience.  The Minister of Music obviously was guilty of sexual abuse.  He was in a position of authority and abused his authority.  But each of those references was guilty too.  They enabled him.  They covered for him.  If they had had a shred of integrity, they would have warned us and stopped his abuse.  But they didn’t, and that makes them just as guilty.

They’re only now admitting this is a problem in Southern Baptist churches.  It came to a head last month at the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in Nashville.  Messengers heard damning audio of a high profile Southern Baptist leader downplaying reports of the sexual abuse of women, expressing more concern for big church donors than for the victims of abuse.    He tried to obstruct an independent investigation, and all of it was captured on tape.  I’m pleased to say that the messengers to the convention finally voted overwhelmingly to create a task force to oversee an independent investigation into the denomination’s handling of sex abuse cases. 

I tread carefully today, aware that some who hear this sermon will have been sexually abused.  I want to say I believe you, and I care.  I am sorry it happened to you, especially if it was in your church, and by someone you trusted.  My hope, my prayer, is that these words will be empowering and healing.

The biblical story of David and Bathsheba is an archetypal story of sexual abuse.  Power misused.  Arrogance unchecked. And the innocent who became collateral damage. In the end, this classic story reminds us where misused power ends: lives shattered, reputations ruined, and the innocent victimized.

Long ago Abraham Lincoln summed up the life of Israel’s King David with these words: “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”

It was the time of war, we are told, “the spring of the year…when kings go out to battle.”  King David normally led his troops into battle himself, but not this time. This time he sent his nephew and trusted military aide, Joab, to fight the Ammonites.  We then read these telling words, “But David remained at Jerusalem.”

 A king.  With complete authority over his subjects. Plenty of time on his hands.  And most of the men away at war.  He rose from a nap one afternoon and from the roof of the king’s palace spied a woman bathing.  “The woman was very beautiful,” we are told.  Rooftop rooms were common in that day.  Houses had flat roofs, and rooftop rooms caught the afternoon breeze and were cooler.  Since David was king, his roof was likely taller than any others, giving him an open view of all that happened below.

 The verbs in this text carry the entire story.  He saw.  He sent.  He took.  And he lay with her.

 Her name was Bathsheba.  Her husband was Uriah, one of the king’s most dedicated soldiers, a member of an elite fighting force called “the thirty” (23:24, 39). 

In due time, Bathsheba sent word to the king, “I am pregnant.”

He saw.  He sent.  He took.  And then King David was in a predicament. 

He concocted a diabolical plan to cover his misdeed.  He had Bathsheba’s husband, a brave, loyal soldier, a man of integrity, murdered on the battlefield.  Unfortunately, the plan was flawed, and, according to some reports, eighteen other soldiers died too.  More collateral damage.

 This dramatic chapter ends with these very important words, “The thing that David had done displeased the Lord.”

 Those words set the stage for the fall of a great king.  Yes, he was powerful, a mighty and successful warrior, but he finally met his greatest enemy—his own dark side.  He became the enemy he could not defeat. We are told that the sword never left David’s house.

 The church is now confronting this problem.  Not just Baptists.  Not just the Catholics.  All of us.  Finally.  Churches must be safe places.  For women.  For children.  For all people. Interestingly, church insurance providers are becoming involved.  They are facing litigation and large payouts.  Our insurance provider has a list of “essential practices” to prevent sexual abuse.  I’ve condensed these into four.  I want you to hear them.

1.    Maintain adequate policies and procedures.  I know this is something we would rather not talk about.  But we must.  And we must do more than talk.  We have policies and procedures the ensure the safety of our people.  This is not an accusation against anyone.  The old proverb is true: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”  Madison and the children and youth committees are asking all who work with our children and youth to undergo a background check.  I will be doing it, as will all the church staff.  We will ask that you who work with our children do it too.  I know it is onerous, but it is part of being responsible today.

2.    We must hold leaders accountable.  Regardless of title.  Regardless of name.  No more enabling.  No cover ups.  People are more important than institutions.  We must hold leaders accountable.  Period.

3.    We must believe and support victims.  Too often victims report abuse, and they are told to keep quiet.  They often hear things like this: “Are you sure it happened that way?  Did you do something to cause it?  What were you wearing?  He really is a good man, you know.”  Victims must not be re-victimized.  We don’t blame them.  When they muster the courage to come forward, we must believe them and provide adequate support.

4.    We must practice openness and transparency.  No secret meetings.  No sweeping things under the carpet.  Complete openness and transparency.

I don’t know what happened to the guy in the Mississippi Delta.  I hope he was finally held accountable.  He doesn’t belong behind a pulpit.  He belongs behind bars.  The leadership of this church is committed to best practices.  Why?  Because you are important.  Because our children and youth are important.  And because we are the church, and we want to be a reflection of Jesus Christ.

Closing Prayer

            Lord, we pray for all who have been victims of sexual abuse.  Bring healing.  Bring strength.  Bring them wholeness.  Amen.