34 min listen
Reissue: What Does Reconciliation Mean for Sexual Abuse Survivors? (Rachael and Jacob Denhollander)
Reissue: What Does Reconciliation Mean for Sexual Abuse Survivors? (Rachael and Jacob Denhollander)
ratings:
Length:
40 minutes
Released:
May 27, 2022
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
This episode was originally published on February 4, 2022. In light of the Southern Baptist Convention's release of a report on sexual abuse within the denomination, we thought this episode was worth reissuing for our newer listeners.
This week, Rachael and Jacob Denhollander joined the podcast to discuss what reconciliation and restoration can look like following horrific abuse. Rachael Denhollander, a lawyer and former gymnast, rose to international prominence in 2016 when she became the first woman to publicly denounce and pursue criminal charges against former USA Gymnastics’ team doctor Larry Nassar, who sexually abused more than 500 girls and women. Rachael authored What Is a Girl Worth?, which explores her story in depth.
In cases of abuse and sexual misconduct within the church, Christians can become fixated on forgiving and forgetting, and fear what will happen if the church gets bad press. But God will continue preserving His church, hence our job is not to protect the church from critique; it is to pursue justice. Failure to do so systemically enables sexual abuse. Justice and reconciliation must go hand in hand.
Show Notes:
0:26 Is forgiveness necessary for reconciliation?
6:41 Returning to a proper understanding of God's justice
11:49 There's a cost to caring
17:32 The spirit of humility
20:25 Sexual violence and the church
27:04 God's justice
31:40 How do we restore what was broken?
34:11 Complicit organizations—can you forgive an organization?
Tweetable: "The church has an obligation to pursue justice because that's who God is."
Resources: https://erlc.com/resource-library/articles/6-ways-pastors-can-care-for-victims-of-sexual-abuse/
https://churchcares.com/
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix
Credits for the music used in TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits.
This week, Rachael and Jacob Denhollander joined the podcast to discuss what reconciliation and restoration can look like following horrific abuse. Rachael Denhollander, a lawyer and former gymnast, rose to international prominence in 2016 when she became the first woman to publicly denounce and pursue criminal charges against former USA Gymnastics’ team doctor Larry Nassar, who sexually abused more than 500 girls and women. Rachael authored What Is a Girl Worth?, which explores her story in depth.
In cases of abuse and sexual misconduct within the church, Christians can become fixated on forgiving and forgetting, and fear what will happen if the church gets bad press. But God will continue preserving His church, hence our job is not to protect the church from critique; it is to pursue justice. Failure to do so systemically enables sexual abuse. Justice and reconciliation must go hand in hand.
Show Notes:
0:26 Is forgiveness necessary for reconciliation?
6:41 Returning to a proper understanding of God's justice
11:49 There's a cost to caring
17:32 The spirit of humility
20:25 Sexual violence and the church
27:04 God's justice
31:40 How do we restore what was broken?
34:11 Complicit organizations—can you forgive an organization?
Tweetable: "The church has an obligation to pursue justice because that's who God is."
Resources: https://erlc.com/resource-library/articles/6-ways-pastors-can-care-for-victims-of-sexual-abuse/
https://churchcares.com/
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix
Credits for the music used in TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits.
Released:
May 27, 2022
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (90)
Crying for Justice: Why We Should Pray the ‘Angry‘ Psalms (Trevor Laurence): Pleas for justice in the book of Psalms—the imprecatory psalms—can make some Christians uncomfortable. They're often passed over in the psalter during worship. How do petitions for justice map onto the mission of Jesus? How are imprecatory prayers compat... by The Biblical Mind