Labeling a victim as "powerless" and a survivor as someone who has more “power from within” is a way to pit victims and survivors against each other so that the church can control the narrative about sexual violence.
Tag: church
Godly men, be quiet.
The vast majority of church leaders have absolutely no business trying to lead in the movement to end sexual abuse.
God is not an abuser: Responding to Daughters of Promise
Rosemarie and Stephanie discuss a devotional essay written by the wife of a sexual predator.
Why Abuse Survivors Still Think Twice Before Telling their Stories: Retaliation At Goshen College
When college officials decry survivors’ use of social media, it’s time to pay extra attention to the content of what has been posted.
Who defines celibacy?: Why Mennonite Central Committee’s “Lifestyle” policy enables sexual harassment
These inconsistent, ambiguous, and coded rules are made to be broken. And so really, the question is, who gets away with breaking them, and who doesn’t?
Let’s Have a Locker Room Talk
At Into Account, we work with athletes from departments at small, religious liberal arts schools who tell us versions of the same story: secrecy, insularity, and complaints of serious abuse being handled, or simply minimized and ignored, by unqualified athletic department personnel.
Responding to reports of abuse: Who’s getting it right? And where does theology come in?
by Hilary Jerome Scarsella, Director of Theological Integrity The other day, my colleagues and I were reflecting on the sense of angst we have when folks in communities of faith ask us for examples of people getting it right when it comes to responding to abuse. It’s a perfectly fantastic question. Who is not making … Continue reading Responding to reports of abuse: Who’s getting it right? And where does theology come in?
Committing Sexual Violence No Impediment to EMU Social Work Degree
"Launch Your Future," EMU's website shouts in bold capital letters, as they prepare to hand a social work degree to a student who has - by EMU's own finding - committed sexual violence.
To social justice Christians who think that sexualized violence in your church is a trivial thing to focus on because there are “more urgent issues right now”
You’re wrong. Let’s talk about why. by Stephanie Krehbiel Because there is an abusive sexual predator in the White House, and when it comes to the skills we need to resist and survive the social tyrannies of his regime, the abuse survivors in your congregation are probably some of the most knowledgeable people in the … Continue reading To social justice Christians who think that sexualized violence in your church is a trivial thing to focus on because there are “more urgent issues right now”
6 things to consider if you’re asked to meet with a church official
It can be tempting to believe that all it takes to enact change is a heartfelt conversation or two with the right person.
