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Can child molesters go to church?

10/16/2013

6 Comments

 
Picture
The first generation Christians were brought out of evil.  The power of Jesus radically changed these individuals.  Look at the list of sins from which the first generation Christians were delivered:  1) sexual immorality, 2) idolatry, 3) adultery,                 4) homosexuality, 5) greed, 6) drunkenness and 7) swindling.       I Cor 6:9-10

Did you catch that?  The church treasurer who cooks the books is among the list of individuals who do things that the church vehemently speaks out against. Yet…

“…that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”  I Cor 6:11

Did you also catch “that is what some of you were”?  These individuals were brought out of their lifestyle and were justified.  Justified is a term that means “just as if I’d not sinned.”  

So what did the early church do about individuals who committed the sexually immoral behavior of molesting children?

On this blog you will find a post written by a man who did just that and now can’t find a church that will accept him.  I know another Christian man who 20+ years past his crime, paid for his crime, and has set up boundaries to not be around children, who is searching for a church that will accept him into their fellowship.

What is the church’s response to these individuals?  We will accept the greedy person (“God I want you to bless me with a Cadillac”) and in fact will have opulent church potlucks where people that don’t need the rich foods pile it on.  We forgive the church board member who cheats on his wife.  

But what do we as a church do about individuals who committed the sexually immoral behavior of molesting children?

This is not an easy answer…  There are three complicating but very important points to make before answering that question:

1.     As a church we have a responsibility to protect those who cannot protect themselves.  Children are very vulnerable.

2.     Statistically, people who commit sexual crimes are rarely truly rehabilitated.

3.     People who commit sexual crimes are very good at making you think that they are rehabilitated when they really aren’t.  

Knowing these three facts, as a church what should be our response to someone who is a sexual offender?  Especially to those who have repented, become a sincere Christian; have turned away from their sinfulness and desire to have fellowship with other Christians?  Tomorrow we will make some recommendations.


BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.


6 Comments
Larry Jones
10/16/2013 03:02:55

This is a good post, and we could add a few other "socially unacceptable" categories in there as well! I especially liked the juxtaposition of more acceptable sins, one of my pet peeves too!

I have two daughters, but I would say Welcome the people of the earth with open arms. There's no ONE out there that can't be redeemed, and everyone needs a friend, no matter what their past (including "us" in the church). Thanks for a brave topic.

Reply
drwayman link
10/16/2013 06:08:30

Larry - Thanks for the encouragement. I'm surprised at times the pressure I get from good Christian folks to not blog about topics such as this.

I'm hopeful that tomorrow's post has some helpful suggestions.

Reply
Bradley Buhro link
10/17/2013 03:55:36

You make three claims, yet provide no supporting evidence for any of them. What, specifically, is your justification for the very strong statement, "Statistically, people who commit sexual crimes are rarely truly rehabilitated"? What statistics, published where, support that claim, especially in light of the statistical evidence that shows "Sex offenders were less likely than non-sex offenders to be rearrested for any offense—43 percent of sex offenders versus 68 percent of non-sex offenders. But sex offenders were about four times more likely than non-sex offenders to be arrested for another sex crime after their discharge from prison—5.3 percent of sex offenders versus 1.3 percent of non-sex offenders." (Bureau of Justice Statistics: http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/press/rsorp94pr.cfm) It's a complex issue, but the real truth of the matter is, sex offenders are less likely to reoffend than other criminals, suggesting that your fact isn't as straightforward as you lead us to believe.

Reply
drwayman link
10/17/2013 09:40:40

Bradley - thanks for writing. Yes, I did make three strong claims. I think you would agree with #1 that the church has a responsibility to protect children.

#3 shows a link between sexual offense and Narcissistic Personality Disorder. (American Journal of Forensic Psychology, Vol 28, 3) Diagnostically, those with Narcissistic PD are quite charming until you realize that they have a sense of entitlement and are just grooming you to get what they want from you. (see APA, DSM-IV-TR).

Yes, I am aware of the Bureau of Justice statistics. You are right this is a very complex issue. And those of us in the rehabilitation field have noticed that many strides have been made in helping those who have offended and are grateful that changes are occurring in these men's lives.

Regarding #2 is the fact is that the 265,000 convicted sex offenders under the authority of corrections represents only 10% of sex offenders. (Greenfield, 1997, US Dept of Justice, Bureau of Justice Stats). This means that 90% are not getting the help that they need.

One complicating factor in rehabilitation is honesty. For example, Robert Prentky, PhD, who is the director of research for Justice Resource Institute in Bridgewater, MA, reminds us that "if you reveal in the course of treatment that you've done all sorts of things that the criminal justice system is unaware of, you place yourself at substantially increased risk of not being released or facing stricter regulation after release." (See APA Monitor, July/August 2003, Vol 34, No. 7) So, that means, that stats on the offender population are highly suspect.

Reply
Bradley Buhro link
10/17/2013 10:41:00

Thanks for your quick response. I was interested what statistics supported the statistical claim you made. If your argument is based on the fact that the vast majority of offenders are not charged, much less convicted, wouldn't that suggest that it's far more important to prevent abuse by the nine offenders that you don't recognize than to conspicuously ostracize the one you do? For example, if your child safety policies ensure no child goes to the restroom without supervision, is it necessary to follow the offender when he goes to the restroom? While I see value in most of your guidelines, don't policies that ostracize (e.g. sit over here where you can't see the congregation but they can see you) perpetuate rather than prevent anti-social behavior?

Reply
drwayman link
10/17/2013 11:10:13

Bradley - You said, "don't policies that ostracize (e.g. sit over here where you can't see the congregation but they can see you) perpetuate rather than prevent anti-social behavior?"

Actually, the research shows that Anti-social personality disorder is higher in those sex offenders that are violent (like rapists) than those that abuse children (see the AJFP article referenced above).

Now if you are using "anti-social" behavior as meaning "not social" then that is a different story. These individuals who are truly repentant, in fact anyone who is truly repentant (not just sexual offenders), don't care who knows about their sins and wants help from the church to be holy. If you look at the 7 sins listed above, sexual immorality is only one. Greedy Christians need to repent as well. Those Christians who cheat on their taxes need to repent too.

I would hope that a community of caring Christians wouldn't ostracize him but rather protect him by speaking with him, praying for him and spending time with him, knowing that he desires to be more like Christ. If a church has people in it that ostracize individuals who are honest about their sins, then they are not a true church. Remember, Jesus was accused of being a glutton and a drunkard because he spent time with all those sinful people...

I refer you to a blog post that our pastor recently wrote: http://www.ironstrikes.com/2/post/2013/09/the-truth-about-my-church-and-others.html

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