A Most Urgent Task

As abuse claims proliferate, it’s time for an entirely new ‘Modesto Manifesto.’

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Here we go again. Last week Kathryn Post of the Religion News Service reported that yet another Christian leader has failed to respond adequately to sexual abuse:

Bishop Stewart Ruch III of the Anglican Church in North America’s Upper Midwest Diocese had known since 2019 that former lay minister Mark Rivera had been charged with felony child sexual abuse. But he did not tell people in his diocese about the abuse allegations until last month — which Ruch has called a “regrettable error.” 

The ACNA was founded in 2009 by former Episcopalians who disagreed with the Episcopal Church’s teachings on sexuality. The ACNA adopts the traditional, orthodox Christian view that sex is reserved for a marriage between a man and a woman. Yet sadly, the Rivera scandal is not the only recent sex abuse incident in the ACNA:

Bishop James Hobby of Pittsburgh resigned in November 2020 for mishandling abuse allegations about a priest in his diocese. Bishop Ron Jackson of the Great Lakes diocese was defrocked in 2020 after pleading guilty to sexual immorality due to a longstanding use of pornography.

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  1. Laurel Robinson

    Pity the man who is innocent and has a false allegation made against him in this environment of backlash against coverup.

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  2. David Clark

    David, a question regarding the Kanakuk situation. We have been long-time supporters of Kids across America. They have often noted they are a separate operation from Kanakuk—do you have any data regarding KAK. We obviously don’t wish to continue to support KAK if they are associated with this this abuse and cover-up.

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    Jason Gibson

    well done David

    Thank you especially for the quote from the atheist. I think Christians would do better to be honest in that way. We should be willing to acknowledge the darkness inside of us (with guard-rails) because Jesus didn't suggest that we don't have darkness. Rather that His goal was to take it away from us.

    Too often Christians feel ashamed if they are not perfect or worse are shamed by their fellow Christians.

    As always thank you for your witness David. You are a truly loving man and a brave example

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    Ben Connelly

    David, do you think sexual abuse is more prevalent in the church right now than in other organizations (corporations, media, sports, etc.)? Or is it probably about the same and this is where the spotlight is right now?

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    Judy Hill

    We’ve had news about a similar situation here in NE Wisconsin at St. Norbert College. A leader was removed after years of allegations that he didn’t take serious action in instances of sexual misconduct. A student overheard a board member stat that they would reinstate him after a couple of years. This has now happened. It’s so sad that the patriarchic leadership STILL IN 2021 won’t act to protect its students.

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  6. Mathew A

    Overall good article. One note though, pornography use is not the same thing at all as abuse. Not sure why it's included in this article.

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    Xsearnold

    It looks like most of the comments are discussing the merits of the Graham Rule, so I'd like to comment on the lead-in to this column, which was about the mishandling accusation made against Bishop Ruch. As full disclosure, I am a member of Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton which is the "home base" of the Midwest Diocese headed up by Bishop Ruch. I have my own questions regarding this situation, which I will ask using the channels provided by the 3rd party investigator, GRS. However, I found the RNS article to be a bit inaccurate in its wording about the "regrettable errors" Bishop Stewart "confessed" to. According to his letter, the key error made was in not creating space for other potential victims to come forward at the time of the first accusation, assuming that the criminal investigation would be completed quickly and that its findings would be the best method for communicating facts to others about the situation. It is not accurate to infer that no one in the diocese was told about the accusations since, immediately upon learning of the first accusation, the accusers were told to contact the authorities. Mr. Rivera was subsequently arrested within a few weeks - and the families that were part of this church plant were all informed of the arrest when it occurred. A second accuser came forward about 18 months later, and diocesan leadership was consulted immediately, authorities notified, including contacts made to DCFS by Bishop Stewart himself.

    I followed the links in the article, including the link to the Twitter feed of one of the accusers. The article indicates that this person was interviewed, but the bulk of the article appears to have simply been lifted from the various tweets posted. It seems likely that this accuser is not the original accuser but one of those who contacted leaders in late 2020. I also understand that this church plant was closed down immediately after the first accusation was made.

    Obviously, we'll have to see how the investigation plays out and what the impacts are to Bishop Ruch and any others who may have been involved. Mr. Rivera is out on bail is still awaiting trial. I am not in possession of enough facts to judge this situation at this moment. I can only say that my own experience with Bishop Ruch and the other leaders within my church has led me to believe they are men and women of integrity who truly care for the people they shepherd and want the truth to be revealed and shared transparently. We continue to pray for the victims of abuse that justice will be done and broken lives made whole.

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  8. Very Old Grumpy Guy

    In full disclosure, I am a none or non-affiliated in the religious surveys. However, I do believe that religion, and the devotion of the faithful, is a net positive for our country no matter how much I may disagree with them on specific issues. Thinking about the declines in the numbers of the devout from a purely analytical perspective, it appears that many in Christendom, (in the use defined by David French) are pursuing a strategy that could have been designed by Satan. 1) Make the face of the doctrine of humility, love for our fellow sinners, and compassion a political leader who personifies the opposite. (Does this not make the entire community look like fanatics?) 2) Pursue legal/political remedies to compel new followers, rather than pursuing strategies to turn hearts and minds. 3) Refuse to address bad actors within their own ranks in the interest of a "united front" against the "other". I cannot think of a recipe for disaster that is more potent. The "Woke" left fanatics are also pursuing items 2 and 3. I am sure they would pursue 1 if there was a suitable candidate. The ideological wing nuts on both sides appear to have lost all interest in persuading anyone of anything. They just want to keep telling their untruthful stories to each other.

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      rlritt

      "The "Woke" left fanatics are also pursuing items 2 and 3. "

      Except for the fact that they don't have a congrgation. They may call out a writer or journalist but most people don't care at all. The "left fanatics" are not a governing force. They have no control over the lives of every day people people.

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  9. Paul K

    David, I love it. But just to point out something about the web the evangelical industrial complex weaves in our current culture, Steven Furtick has a writing credit on “Old Town Basement” according to CCLI SongSelect. That means that your very well-reasoned yawp for a new manifesto puts money into the pocket of Furtick every time someone plays that song. Furtick’s a guy who stages baptisms, lives in a mansion, requires staff to stand when he walks in the room, and has a coloring page devoted to him for the children of Elevation Church to entertain themselves. It is my understanding he has absolutely no accountability within his organizations. I am not calling you out - there’s lots of Elevation songs I love, too. It’s just the irony of it that is so profound.

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    Narwhal

    My hunch is that part of the turn away from organized religion in the US is because of abuse. And it may be a big part of it. NDAs may keep people from talking to reporters or writing a book, but it doesn’t keep people from talking to family, friends, or peers in twelve step groups and the like.

    Just as many of the people of Boston knew about the abuse being perpetrated by Catholic priests for decades, many in smaller communities know when abuse is being perpetrated there.

    Online I have regularly and repeatedly come across some strident and uncompromising critics of religion. I doubt I’m alone in this. I wonder how many of those people were abused or know someone who was abused.

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