Why the Institutional Church Cannot Stop Rape in its Midst: The Wrong Gospel
Many years now has the outcry come forth for a stop to spiritual/physical abuse in the church. The institutional church will neither stop it nor bring justice to the victims. Why?
First, let’s establish the fact that abuse in the church could be stopped. If a handful of notable leaders would come together and say, “Enough is enough,” it could be stopped. Right now, the only hint that a dent is being made in the problem is via civil authorities. What is more obvious? the church is helpless in doing anything about this problem.
Penn State dealt with it; Steubenville, Ohio dealt with it; what’s up with the church?
Simply stated, it’s the wrong gospel. The secular realm doesn’t buy into the whole total depravity of humanity routine, and is often fustigated accordingly by the church: “The world is full of human pride and arrogance—they can’t see the sin in their goodness. Their best acts are as filthy rags before the Lord.” How many of us would be rich if we received a dollar for every time we heard a notable church leader describe humanity, Christians included, as a “train wreck”? By the way, the often heard “filthy rags” mantra is from the Old Testament and the Hebrew word pertains to menstrual cloth.
Problem: justice is a good work, unless you are a Protestant; now justice is just another discarded menstrual rag on the pile of sinful good works. Do I really think it boils down to this logic? Yes I do. If you are standing before a judge for drunk driving, your best hope is that he is also a drunkard. All of us good Protestants call that “grace,” and “forgiving the way we were forgiven.” Better yet is a judge who thinks he is the “chief of all sinners” and therefore guilty of the same thing everyone is guilty of because, “for the grace of God—there go I.”
Almost every aspect of the Reformed gospel contributes to this problem, but one that I will focus on here is the fusion of justification and sanctification. Clearly, in the Bible, there are separate judgments: eternal and present for unbelievers, and present consequences for Christians who behave badly. The Bible clearly advocates present consequences for believers so that sin is discouraged. In fact, leaders are to be publically humiliated so that other church leaders will “fear.” To say that guideline is ignored in our day is a steroidal understatement. But hey, do we not constantly hear that the Bible is not a book of practical applications and a mere “book of rules”?
Then what is it? I am glad you asked. Instead of life being interpreted in a multifaceted way, Protestants see all of humanity being in the same big lump moving towards the end of God’s prewritten metaphysical novel penned for His own glory and self-love. Rape victims are merely characters written into the plot for God’s glory. This is the very premise of Redemptive Historical hermeneutics. Listen to the words of supposed defenders of the spiritually abused like Boz Tchividjian carefully; the goal is not justice and instilling fear of judgment in others, the goal is what? Right, “God’s glory.” Or, a “godly response.” Real-life commonsense application can only be found in the secular realm, but the results are for “man’s glory story,” not the “cross story.” Hence, that wouldn’t be a “godly response.”
Folks know what my answer is: come out from among them and be separate. Salvation by institutional church did not come along until the fourth century. Can abuse happen in the home fellowship movement? Certainly, but we are not at the mercy of religious bureaucrats to do something about it, and we are not paying for the privilege. Also, if there is an option for people, the institutional church will be forced to deal with the problem or go bankrupt. And that wouldn’t take much as the institutional church is VERY top heavy. So, am I saying that a rejection of salvation by institution is the answer to spiritual abuse in the church? YES
And it wouldn’t necessarily be the end of the institutional church, it would simply force them to deal with rape in the church or go bankrupt because they are not the only game in town. Notable leaders would finally come together and say, “Enough is enough,” or else go out and get real jobs.
Indeed, those who are disillusioned with the institutional church and make that synonymous with “losing their faith” are an incredibly sad testimony. This loss of hope is completely unnecessary and unbiblical.
paul
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
Reblogged this on Clearcreek Chapel Watch.
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“If you are standing before a judge for drunk driving, your best hope is that he is also a drunkard. All of us good Protestants call that “grace,” and “forgiving the way we were forgiven.” Better yet is a judge who thinks he is the “chief of all sinners” and therefore guilty of the same thing everyone is guilty of because, “for the grace of God—there go I.””
This is a great illustration. And it gets into all areas of why people think this way from atonement theories, on. Protestantism has become “People of the Lie”.
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Paul,
I posted a link to “Why Christians Can’t See The Total Absurdity Of Total Depravity” to A Cry For Justice’s Facebook page this morning. It was removed. Barbara Roberts ( of the ACFJ) had posted “The idea of total depravity has completely desensitized Christians from recognizing actual depravity.”
Jeff Crippen ( who started A Cry For Justice and is a reformed baptist pastor) posted this after my link was removed: “The doctrine of total depravity does not teach that all human beings are as bad as they could be. Indeed, it acknowledges that some people are in practice more wicked than others–even among the unregenerate. Total depravity is simply the biblical doctrine that all human beings are completely fallen in sin, and that the fall has affected every part of man—mind, spirit and body. That there is, in other words, no “island of goodness” left in the sinner. This means that our salvation must be of the Lord because we have no ability in us to fix ourselves.
Now, I say all of that to emphasis that of ALL human beings in this world, CHRISTIANS should know more than anyone else that evil exists in man! We should be experts in evil, not innocent of it. We should be the least naive of anyone and we should be the most equipped to spot that evil as it tries to creep into our midst in secret—just like the abuser does when he uses Christianity as his facade. This is what the doctrine of total depravity should effect in its application. So why isn’t it? Why is it that when it comes to abuse, the secular world often gets it better than Christians do? Let me suggest that part of the reason is that we are getting sugar-coated niceties fed us from our pulpits, and frankly, we have liked it. We have been getting our ears tickled by men using flattery for personal gain. We are like the Corinthians who reject the Apostle Paul and embrace the “super-apostles” who are emissaries of the enemy. One result is that evil is enabled to exist in our churches and its victims suffer gross injustice. Jesus had it right—John 2:23-24″
I left a comment: “We are just all sinners saved by grace” and both the regenerate and the unregenerate are totally depraved. Throw in a good dose of “suffering as Christ suffered” and there’s a reason the secular world sees clearer in regards to this issue.”
Crippen became a Calvinist because he wanted to leave behind dispensationism. Paul, decode what he wrote. “Some people are more wicked than others—even among the unregenerate”? “No island of goodness”? “Sugar-coated niceties fed us from our pulpits”? That’s not happening in reformed pulpits. Crippen goes after John Piper….but would defend Calvinism to the death, and would be one of those who would say. “Calvin didn’t teach that.” He preached thru the book of Galatians using Luther’s commentary.
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Not as sinful as they could be but their is no island of goodness within? Really?
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Your report does not make me happy. Someone holding to Reformed theology seeking justice for the Spiritually abused is like putting Colonel Sanders in charge of a chicken sanctuary. It’s a joke. I might hvae to address his absurd statement.
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A Cry For Justice: Awakening The Evangelical Church To Domestic Violence and Abuse In Its Midst.
This includes physical, verbal, emotional, financial, sexual and spiritual abuse.
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Ya, wait till folks hear Susan’s sessions on the Puritan Calvinists. Right, Puritans who seek justice for the abused. Really? Is the church really that brain-dead?
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Crippen is not aware of what Calvinism truly teaches. One commenter asked him a question about “the golden chain of salvation”, and he was totally unaware of what it is. Never heard of it.
http://cryingoutforjustice.com/2014/02/14/john-pipers-works-righteousness-gospel-part-3/
Crippen argues “The Doctrines Of The Reformation Compared To Piper”.
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I followed your link; too rich, he is clueless in regard to where Piper is coming from.
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I used to be clueless, too. I’m the same Carmen S. whose comment was quoted in the post. God has been good to me.
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