Christa Brown has written a new book entitled This Little Light: Beyond a Baptist Preacher Predator and His Gang. Since I haven't had a chance to read it, I can't yet offer a review; however, Christa introduces it here and here.
Associated Baptist Press > Book says SBC lacks system of preventing sexual abuse
Some of the responses have been interesting (albeit predictable) as illustrated in this subsequent blog article.
I said this article would have little to do with BBC, and that's true. It seems the PW story was one of so many that it was mentioned only in a footnote on page 165.
Christa says, "I think I've finally figured out how this all works. It's pretty simple really: Once you say that you were sexually abused by a Baptist minister, it doesn't really matter WHAT you do because, if you've opened your mouth, there will be plenty of stone-throwing no matter what. (I wish Baptist leaders would just post a sign somewhere and say this up-front. That would be easier -- at least we would know what to expect. You know... sort of like a no trespass sign: 'WARNING: No talking clergy abuse survivors allowed in Baptist-land.')"
Congratulations on your new book, Christa, and thank you for all you do to keep the spotlight on the problem of clergy sexual abuse and your support of the victims.
14 comments:
"We're in uncharted waters here!"
Oh, sorry, that was for the previous post... or was it?
Junk is right!
My book should be in tomorrow!!!
Is it awful to admit I really don't have any faith that any of this will change. It seems to me way to many church leaders are a lot like politicians. They are willing to take the gamble and it almost always works out for them.
Oh and before anyone makes a comment about my loss of faith. I am NOT saying we should do nothing. I am just saying I find it impossible for me to believe that the church or the so called Christians who go to those churches actually give a hoot in hades about victims of clergy. I almost never speak about my abuse - after all what is the point, I will be told to forgive and put it behind me. Thanks folks, cause I never would have thought on that on my own! I just feel most church people don't care about anyone but themselves.
bkwormgrl,
Let's not forget Ellie " he only did it once" Markham...
Just a yawn and a shrug of the shoulders..no big deal..get over it.
That is the prevelant attitude that I get from church folks.
( with the exceptions that I mentioned earlier)
BkWormGrl,
I 100% agree with you. That has been my experience. It saddens me, but it is the truth. The exception, of course, have been the wonderful people on this blog, who have truly felt the pain of victims.
sotl and BkWormGirl, I have not felt your exact pain, but I still hurt with you.
We've been studying Job in our home church. A couple of truths jump out at me:
Job 1:6-8
One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?"
Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."
Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant ________? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."
NONE of us would choose to have our name in that blank space. But consider that God used Job to preach to Satan... for our benefit.
Job 2:11,13
...Job's three friends... began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.
Our cultural response is different these days, but your friends here are willing to weep and sit and mourn with you any time you need us.
Job 19:23-27
"Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll, that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock forever!
I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!
Despite all that happened in the first 18 chapters, Job knows that his Redeemer lives! I wanna be more like Job!
Job 42:10, 12-13
After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before...
The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first...
I pray that God will restore to you the years that the locusts have eaten, that He will bless you with so much more than what has been taken from you.
You, like Job, have lost much. But God has so much for you. Can you pray those who have "not spoken of [God] what is right" and let God deal with them as He sees best?
((((((HUGS)))))) to all those for whom Christa has spoken.
TN Lizzie -
I too have spent a lot of time studying Job. And have done my best to cling to Job 19:25 too. I think what makes abuse by a clergy so hideous is that it messes with so much of who a person is. A pretty common response for victims of sexual abuse is to assume they are the problem. Add to that the mix of clergy abuse and I think it attacks the spiritual core of a person. Not only am I the problem, but I am a bad Christian because I can't make my personal distress go away. I can't pray it away, I can't forgive it away, I can't cling to God's word enough. I am quite certain that you did not write your posting out of a spirit of judgment. If I thought you did - I would probably have a very different response. However, Satan knows how to use my history to work in his plan. I have had to keep reminding myself that it is Satan who is the author of confusion. That it is Satan who desires to defeat. That it is Satan who offerers condemnation. (And to be 100% clear - I am NOT saying you are Satan nor do I believe you are working with or for Satan.) When I read your comments all that stood out to me was can't you just pray for them and trust God that He will do the right thing. I am quite certain that is not how you meant it. For me personally - it is something I struggle with all the time. For me, I have had to cling to Romans 8:1. (There is no condemnation in Christ.) I have had to filter everything through that verse. God convicts me when I do wrong (He draws me to Himself and in doing so, I see my sin and turn from it) however when I feel judged or smacked with Scripture - I have learned to take a step back and remind myself that God is not the author of condemnation. I say all of that to be able to say this, I heard what you are saying, I have done that long ago and continue to do that on a regular basis. (For me, I am one of those people who has to go back to God over and over with the same thing.) I was just commenting on how I feel a very significant disconnect from most church people because of the way they do not honestly look at clergy abuse. I understand there are a few who weep for those who weep - and who hurt for those who hurt. However, I also know that not everyone cares at all. I have been told so many times to "just forgive" or "let go and let God" or "pray for those who hurt you" or "by His stripes you were healed - so if you are still in pain it is because you want to be." Or "forgive so that your Father in heaven can forgive you" that I am truly just nauseated by the entire fiasco. For me it is just easier to say nothing and go home and cry about it, followed by withdrawing from the situation for good than it is to fight it. The Christian community frankly stinks at handling the fiasco of sexual abuse by clergy.
Got some very sad news today. A teacher took an interest in a talented young man from another country. The teacher took this boy to church..."brought him to the Lord", eventually brought him into his home to live (with his wife and daughter) so he could pursue his talent. This boy was afraid of being sent back to his country.
This young man is now 30 years old. He doesn't want any part of God because this teacher used God to win his trust and bond with him. He is trying to grasp that he was a victim of sexual abuse by this man in a position of trust and authority. He never thought he was gay so the lies this predator fed to him were very confusing. When he objected the teacher/predator threatened to send him back to his country and only God knows what else he threatened him with.
This teacher has been at a Christian school now for at least 5 years. I so remember the day I met him and thought he lingered on my son too long. My stomach hurt when my son told me how nice he was to him one day when they ran into each other.
These devils know exactly what they are doing....and exactly what they can get away with.
That's why Tommy Gilmore didn't rush to get out of the ministry the first time Christa told what he did to her.
I really hope there is more than just hell for these people.
BWG,
I know you can tell that Tn Lizzie gets us and loves us.
Glad you are able to share your sorrow with us.
There are those who feel better when they tell us what we need to do with the Lord (I agree...like we didn't think of those things! Duh!).
They don't understand that instead of "getting over it" we must accept and even "hold the hands of sorrow and suffering" in order to keep it from destroying us.
One of our blog friends called that heavy burden I give to the Lord almost daily myself...my little red wagon. If we "get over it" we lose so much more of ourselves than when we embrace it...and pray that God will use us for His glory scars and all.
gmommy,
Was this a local school?
TnLizzie,
(((( TN LIZZIE))))) you are an angel and I soo appreciate your kind words.
(((((BKWORMGRL))))) my heart hurts for you. I especially connected with this statement of yours:
"For me it is just easier to say nothing and go home and cry about it, followed by withdrawing from the situation for good than it is to fight it"
I wish there was a Bible Study just for people like us. While my initial abuse was not from clergy, I felt so abused ( and continue to be) by the reaction to so-called "Christians" at BBC..watching their minimizing the horror of what PW did to his son..
case in point: my own sunday school teacher, Ellie "he only did it once" Markham. That has hurt me more than the associate pastor laughing in my face, or perusing thru my personal file from my "counseling" or any number of other horrid things that have come from these so-called Christians. And then they act so Holier-than thou..and blame my precious Dr. Rogers for not doing something about it, saying that he KNEW about it, just to justify the dirt all over SG..it's all so dysfunctional and sick. I think that people are busy protecting their jobs at BBC,( and other churches) and don't give a flyin fig about CW, or any of the rest of the victims...Christian words come from their mouths, while they are acting like Satan, making Satan dance gleefully. I can just imagine how gleeful Satan was when he heard Ellie Markham minimize what happened to CW. That is the attitude he would LOVE for us all to have..and it is the attitude that will help the "Pedofile Protection Out" get thru congress. And I wonder, will all those people who denegrated what happened to CW, blamed him..will they now stand against this bill trying to move its way thru congress? How hyprocritial is that..They did not think it was that big of a deal when it happened to a child in their own church,(after all, according to Ellie Markham, it's ok if it only happens once) by one of their own ministers...Satan is so happy, So very happy.
This is my real name. I am currently a member at Bellevue, sing in the choir, if anyone saw the Singing Christmas Tree this past December I was Joe the janitor.
I have read this blog almost since it started. I have no ideal who anyone is as I only joined Bellevue in 2003 when my family moved back to Memphis. I have been a senior pastor for eight years, went to Southwestern Seminary and graduated from Mid-America.
None of that is really important I guess but I just wanted to introduce myself in case anyone was wondering.
While I rarely agree with anyone on this blog my heart is crushed when reading about the horrific experiences of Christa Brown and BkwormGirl and others.
I have no words of wisdom for you other than I will be praying for you and others who suffer as you have.
I have no ideal why I am even writing this other than to say I pray that God will heal your hurt somehow and may He truly bless you.
Book review and posts of Christa's book, This Little Light:
THIS LITTLE LIGHT.
Stop Baptist Predators > This Little Light.
Stop Baptist Predators > Harsh words make my point.
Amazon.
Barnes and Noble.
ABP News > Book says SBC lacks system of preventing sexual abuse.
The above was also reposted here, and here.
GOOD HARD WORKING PEOPLE > Book Recommendation: "This Little Light".
Christian School Confidential > This Little Light by Christa Brown.
BECAUSE IT MATTERS ~ FREEDOM IN CHRISTIANITY [Dani Moss] > The Invisible Holocaust in Our Church.
BECAUSE IT MATTERS ~ FREEDOM IN CHRISTIANITY [Dani Moss] > The Church Holocaust Through One Person’s Eyes.
DEEP THOUGHTS [MOJOEY] > This Little Light, by Christa Brown.
DEEP THOUGHTS [MOJOEY] > Review: This Little Light.
The Fighting Fundamental Forums > THIS LITTLE LIGHT: Beyond a Baptist Preacher Predator and His Gang --BASS's review.
Spiritual Samurai > Christa Brown’s New Book.
Off Topic:
This Little Light - Book and Reviews.
Christa Brown said...
I'm reposting below a prior comment by Jeri:
"... You know, friends, the more people who post reviews on Amazon, the more prominently Amazon will display the book in searches for things like "Baptist Books" (believe it or not!), religion, clergy issues, etc.
Amazon does its rankings based on daily sales, so a brand new book that sells 10 copies in one day actually shoots to the top of their smaller charts (like religion). And reviews also add points to the ratings, as do comments on reviews.
If you are shy about writing in such a large venue, you can always stay simple: identify your reason for reading the book (I'm a Christian; I've been following clergy abuse stories; or I'm a survivor of clergy abuse, etc) and then a single statement of your reaction. (This book helped me understand the situation. Or, I had no idea the problem was this serious. Or, This book made me feel like I have not suffered alone, etc.
By contributing reviews and comments on reviews, you help to keep the book prominent."
Thanks to any of you who are able to post just a few sentences about my book on the Amazon or Barnes & Noble sites. It really helps!
June 22, 2009 8:10 AM.
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Christa Brown said...
Many thanks to those of you who contributed comments to the Associated Baptist Press article about my book. It's up to 93 today, and still counting. I think that's way more than ANY other ABP article has ever garnered.
To this day, the ABP is still running that article as a lead-story-slider at the top of its home page. I believe the many comments are what have helped to keep the story in a highly-visible place on the site, and particularly with the Southern Baptist Convention starting tomorrow, your comments help.
June 22, 2009 8:24 AM.
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