Paul's Passing Thoughts

Too many haven’t heard about the tragic scandal concerning ABWE (Association Of Baptist For World Evangelism). On a much, much larger scale, it reveals what I already knew about ABWE—they don’t care about the truth; specifically, biblical truth. In June of 2010, I wrote ABWE regarding one of their missionaries and false doctrine; a copy of the letter can be obtained by request: pmd@inbox.com . My letter was first ignored by the missionary in question, then totally ignored by Loftis and the ABWE board. In regard to a family that the particular doctrine harmed, a prominent leader within ABWE offered to get involved until he discovered that the sending church of the missionary was at fault—he then disassociated himself with the situation. This is the way the game is played at ABWE.

The victims of the scandal (not to be confused with my concerns in June of 2010) had to construct a website / blog to confront what ABWE has covered up for years. Trust me, Al Gore didn’t invent the World Wide Web, God did, and we thank Him for it. Here is a copy of the press release:

Press release concerning ABWE’s mishandling Abuse by Mission Doctor in Bangladesh

Does your church support a mission’s organization that protects a known pedophile? It just might…

Put yourself in her 14-year-old shoes. A 59-year-old physician and missionary, whom you trusted, emotionally manipulated you, then sexually abused you repeatedly. This man serves alongside your parents on the mission field in a remote jungle in Bangladesh. He controlled you, used you and abused you and has been doing so since you were 12. Once you finally found the courage to speak up, those you confided in, those from whom you sought help, isolated you and kept you away from your parents. Then, those two grown men –one a counselor and the other in a position of authority over you and your parents – forced you to sign a confession. You sought their help and now, humiliated and filled with shame, they force you to accept that pain as a sign of your guilt.

http://bangladeshmksspeak.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/victimminorconfession1.pdf

These are not the words of a 14-year-old-girl. These are the words of someone forced to bear the blame of her abuser’s sins.

Today, 22 years after the signing of that document, ABWE (Association of Baptists for World Evangelism), continues to handle the situation inappropriately.

ABWE still refuses to fully acknowledge their role in allowing Dr. Donn Ketcham, former Bangladesh missionary and known pedophile, to return to work in Allendale, Michigan as a family physician. Since returning he has seen countless patients, all unaware of the danger they were placed in.

What’s worse is this 14-year-old-girl was not the only girl abused by Dr. Donn Ketcham. This blog was created by another one of Ketcham’s victims. Yet her own story is held in comparison with the story of the unnamed 14-year-old-girl.

http://bangladeshmksspeak.com/

While ABWE has publicly responded to the blog, they have yet to fully assume responsibility for their gross mishandling and subsequent cover up. They admit to decades of awareness and complacency, yet continue to hide behind closed doors and a wall of anonymity after confessing decades of sexual abuse suffered by young daughters of missionaries in Bangladesh.

http://www.abwe.org/news/article/abwe-board-decision-regarding-independent-investigation/

As an ABWE supporting church, we urge you to contact ABWE and demand a deadline be given.  The MKs involved have not been given the names of those on the commission or a deadline for the commission’s decision, continuing ABWE’s history of secrecy. For all they know, the commission is made up of the same individuals who contributed to the cover up over the years.   Ask them to let the moderators of the blog choose who will be the MKs on this “commission.”  ABWE must be transparent in this matter!

Ask ABWE to hire GRACE. (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment) GRACE has been contacted by ABWE but has still not been retained. GRACE has offered multiple times to be this third party for ABWE, but as of yet ABWE has not taken them up on this offer.

http://www.netgrace.org/index.asp?str_string=About%20Us~The%20Need%20for%20GRACE~none

The victims, their families, and fellow missionaries want more than a confession. The enormity of the situation calls for a more thorough investigation.

ABWE must be held accountable for the knowledge of sexual abuse dating as far back as 1975 and the secrecy and cover up that continues to this day. Many innocent girls have been victimized and ABWE has repeatedly turned a deaf ear to their cries for help.

Write: board@abwe.org and address it to the ABWE Board of Directors [End of press release].

_______________________________________________________________________________

Of course, there is much need to focus on the victims here, but this all begins with ABWE’s indifference towards biblical truth / wisdom. In addition, all of the scrambling about regarding damage control is also unbiblical. The Scriptures are very clear; when such an act is substantiated (and it certainly was because of the written statement by the 14 year-old girl), God’s people are to gather in His name and excommunicate the individual:

“ ¹ It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. ² And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? ³ Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. ⁴ When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, ⁵ hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful  nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.

⁶ Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? ⁷ Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. ⁸ Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.

⁹ I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— ¹⁰ not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. ¹¹ But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

¹² What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? ¹³ God will judge those outside. ‘Expel the wicked man from among you’” (2Cor 5:1-12).

To begin with, ABWE’s effort to love the perpetrator was totally misguided and unbiblical. In demanding that his sending church join them in following 2Cor 5:1-12, they could have accomplished the following: “….hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful naturemay be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.” Also, they obviously don’t believe what Christ said about millstones and those who cause children to stumble.

Furthermore, this story now remains viable fodder for the likes of 20/20 and others to drag the name of Christ through the mud. But, “Oh ya, him: we excommunicated his sorry %@#& and reported him to the proper authorities whom God has not given the sword in vain,” is not much of a story—unless 20/20 wants to make the church look good.

Also, with all of the discussion concerning “prevention,” they could have taken 1Tim 5:19,20 seriously:

“Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning.”

How many children wouldn’t have been molested if ABWE had constructed a website / blog instead of the victims? How many sexual predators are going to signup with your organization if they know they could become the topic of a page on the WWW or a nationally publicized newsletter? Contrast that with having a reputation for covering up such behavior to supposedly salvage the reputation of the organization for monetary reasons.

And what shall we say of God’s people? For whatever reasons, we love these organizations way more than we love our children. Somehow, it is unthinkable that an organization like ABWE would be allowed to crash and burn even though the directors thereof think they’re smarter than the Holy Spirit. Why? Again, this is not biblical thinking. Even the apostle Paul recognized that he could disqualify himself from ministry because of misdeeds:

”No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1Cor 9:27).

Apparently, like GM, ABWE is just too big to fail; I protest, if the apostle Paul was not too big to fail, you can be sure ABWE isn’t either. And besides, I bet a whole bunch of missionary boards take a hard look in the mirror if ABWE burns. That’s a good thing. No, that’s a VERY good thing. But what about those 400 other “innocent” missionaries connected with ABWE who “didn’t know.”? Are we not past praying for the victims and saving the organizations? Let’s take care of the victims this time. And oh, those 400 missionaries? Well, let’s pray for them. At any rate, in their next association with a mission board, I would bet anything that this time around they will make it their business to know.

This isn’t rocket science. The unrepentant board members and Loftin need to resign. Their correspondence with the public and the victims refer to the child victims as “MK’s” (missionary KIDS). Last time I checked, that’s slang.  Can’t you just hear Jesus referring to the “little children” as kids ? Where is the fear of God that really believes that their angels stand before God daily? Yes, they all need to resign so the others may fear.

I know, I know, the victims. But let us not forget that the victims are a symptom of unbelief on the part of the leaders that they trusted, and no thinking Christian should contribute one red penny to anybody who thinks they are smarter than God. If they do—they partake in their sin.

paul