The SBC Life Special Report section consists of seven stories, including a heartbreaking testimony from a woman who was sexually abused as a child, a testimony from a former social worker who worked on child abuse cases and an article from the co-founder of a ministry that seeks to educate churches about the problem.Marie's correspondences to the the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (SBU's accrediting agency), Missouri Baptist Convention, the Southwest Baptist University Trustees and the First Baptist Church of Bolivar -- which will be posted shortly -- make extensive reference to this SBC Life Special Report ... and its implications for Southwest Baptist University and the Missouri Baptist Convention.NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Baptist Press) --The June/July issue of SBC (Southern Baptist Convention) Life features an eight-page pull-out special report on child sexual abuse aimed at urging churches -- and assisting them in doing so -- to take steps in protecting children from sexual predators.
From, "Distorting the Grace of God: Reflection on Jude 4," (one of the seven articles in the SBC LIFE Special Report) by Dale Ingraham:Therefore, we are faced with this question: “How do we as believers deal with this sin?”And, from "God’s Passion Compassion for the Abused Observations from Isaiah 1:17" by John Revell:
Here are five essentials steps we must take if we are to ever succeed in confronting and removing this cancer from our churches.
We must stop:
- denying the sin,
- excusing the sin,
- minimizing the sin,
- breaking the law,
- and hurting the victims. ...
Relieve the Oppressed, Correct the Oppressor
In the opening of his famous declaration in Isaiah 1:17, the fiery prophet demanded that God’s people embrace His standards of justice, but then he continued with three commands that naturally flowed out of God’s standards of justice.
First, he commanded the leaders and people of Judah to: encourage the oppressed (relieve, kjv) or correct the oppressor (hcsb).
There is some debate among scholars as to the correct translation of this phrase. Actually, there is good support for either translation, and in fact, both ideas may be satisfied in this command.
To relieve the oppressed requires a proper legal response to the oppressor. And, to correct the oppressor is to relieve the oppressed.
When Isaiah presented this mandate, he could have had at least two different groups of oppressed people in mind. The first group was the poor who had been abused by the rich. He rebuked the leaders of Judah for plundering and crushing the poor (3:14, 15).
In their day, the rich were illegally seizing the land of the poor, and when they attempted to respond by taking the rich landowners to court, the corrupt courts and civil leaders sided with the wealthy, leaving the poor with no legal recourse.
Consequently, God in His concern and compassion for these victims stood as their advocate and boldly demanded relief from their oppressors.
In addition to the needs of the poor, God also showed a special concern for those who were victims of violent crimes. In verse 15, He accused the worshippers of raising bloodstained hands in prayer and accused some of shedding innocent blood.1
These references, and others, seem to picture a general condition of widespread violence in the land. Victims suffered at the hands of the ruthless, but because money could buy acquittal, the victims had no legal recourse.
However, God was deeply concerned for those who suffered unjustly, so He stood in their defense and demanded relief.
Beyond the picture of general violence was the very specific travesty of child sacrifice to the pagan deity Molech, which had not only become acceptable in the land, but was practiced by their very own King Ahaz.
The atrocious act defiled the very heart of God’s direct commands, and in His response we see a glimpse of God’s deep compassion for those who suffered mercilessly at the hands of adults who chose to ignore God’s timeless commands and principles.
Through Isaiah, He boldly and passionately demanded relief for these innocent victims of violence, and appropriate action toward those who were guilty of oppressing them.
Defend the Helpless
The final two commands of verse 17 further illustrate God’s loving concern for those who were supposed to be served by justice.
Here, Isaiah commanded the people of Judah to defend the rights of the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.
God’s focus on these two groups (orphans and widows) demonstrates both His concern for them and their particular plight during the time of Isaiah.
According to the standards God instituted when He established the nation of Israel, each individual in Judah was due fair treatment and protection, regardless of sex or age.
Sadly, that protection broke down in the cases of orphans and widows. For generations, neighboring cultures had restricted the focus of their respect and protection to the men of the land.
In these male- dominated societies, women and children were dependent upon the men for both food and protection. Apart from the security of a husband and father, widows and orphans were defenseless against the ravages of brutal human predators. In essence, they had no legal voice and were denied individual human rights.
But God knew of this potential neglect and abuse. As He prepared His people for life in Canaan, He was careful to specifically and intentionally address the needs of all who could be victimized, including aliens, women and children, and especially orphans and widows. He commanded the nation to provide for their needs and protect them from injustices.2
God’s loving design transcended the male- dominated cultures of the day and granted these helpless ones a legal voice when faced with injustices.
Tragically, when Judah rejected God’s design and embraced practices of neighboring cultures, God’s concern for orphans and widows was ignored. What God warned against had become reality in Judah, and this unprotected group no longer had a legal voice— they were no longer protected and were defenseless under the attacks of the ruthless.
They were no longer treated as precious and protected individuals as God viewed them, but rather viewed as disposable objects available to the wicked for personal exploitation.
And so God came to the aid of the victim, demanding protection for these orphans and widows. He called for the leaders and courts of the land to stand in defense of the helpless. And as they did, they would once more reflect the true nature of justice as God intended it to be.
These verses from Isaiah provide a glimpse into the heart and passion of a loving God who cares deeply for the helpless and oppressed. He called His people to return to the principles and application of true justice. He called on the leaders of Judah to relieve those who had been oppressed and to defend those who were legally helpless.
Why God’s People Should Be Concerned
When God delivered Israel from Egypt, He took them into the wilderness and established a covenant with them in which He would view the people of Israel as “His people” and they would view Him as “their God.” In this relationship, God would treat them as His own “treasured possessions,” pouring His affection, blessings, and love upon them (Deuteronomy 7:6-9).
They, in turn, were to focus their love and obedient faithfulness upon Him (Deuteronomy 6:1-9). In this unique and loving relationship, God identified them as His special, chosen people (Deuteronomy 7:6).
Their deliverance from slavery and very existence as a nation was a demonstration of the special relationship they shared. The nature of the Jewish people was that they had been lovingly chosen.
Furthermore, in God’s instruction to His people He indicated that because of this special and unique relationship, they were to be like Him. God identified Himself as holy, and so He called His people to be like Him in holiness (Leviticus 11:44; 19:2).
The Lord identified several areas that He viewed as “detestable,” and He expected His chosen ones to view these same things as detestable. God’s deliverance from bondage and the establishment of this special relationship should have moved God’s people to eagerly embrace His concerns and values.
Finally, God expected His people to reflect the nature of God to the neighboring nations. When God instructed His people to obey His commands, He told them that the neighboring nations would see their obedience and realize that they belonged to God (Deuteronomy 28:9-10).
He also pointed out that if they obeyed and followed Him, other nations would see and respect their wisdom (Deuteronomy 4:5-8). This pointed directly to God, for it was the Lord who gave them wise commands to follow. The people’s actions were supposed to send a message to the world about God’s greatness and love.
Because of His nature and relationship with Judah, God’s people were supposed to reflect His concern in these areas of relief for the oppressed and defense of the helpless. When the world looked at their behavior, it should have viewed a living illustration of God’s love and compassion in each of these areas.
So, how does this apply to our responsibilities as Christians in today’s world? Does God expect us to reflect His priorities in the same manner?
When we look to the New Testament, we find some striking similarities and expectations. It teaches that through the blood of Christ, God has delivered us from cruel bondage to sin (Romans 6:15-18) and established a “new covenant” with us (Luke 22:20).
Those who have been miraculously delivered from this slavery to sin are also called a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God (1 Peter 2:9, NIV).
Also, in the same way that Judah was to embrace God’s priorities, we, too, are to embrace His priorities. He instructed us to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16) and to love each other because He loved us and because He is love (1 John 4:7-8).
God calls His chosen ones to hate what is evil, cling to what is good (Romans 12:9), and to seek first His Kingdom (Matthew 6:33).
God still expects His chosen people to share His concerns and embrace His priorities.
Finally, in addition to our status as His chosen people and our responsibility to embrace His priorities, we too are to reflect His nature to the world around us. When the lost observe our behavior, they should see an accurate picture of God’s glorious character (1 Peter 2:12).
When they watch us relate to each other, they should learn of the Lord’s love (John 13:34–35; 17:23). When the world views our marriages, it should see a picture of the relationship that exists between Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:22-33).
As God’s people, our priorities, actions, and affections should serve as a consistent reflection to the lost of Who He is and what He is like.
God has indeed delivered us from bitter slavery and brought us into a loving relationship with Him.
Because of this incomparable love and grace, we should respond by eagerly embracing His concerns and actively reflecting His nature. ...
And, from "Silence is Not Always Golden: Some Secrets Must Be Told" by Hope Graham (name changed for protection)*:
The slogan “What Would Jesus Do?” has become very popular over the past few years. Let’s apply it to this situation.
If Jesus were to visit our churches, what would He do? Would He ignore and excuse criminal behavior because He would not want the church to suffer the embarrassment of dealing with prominent church members who are involved?
Would He confront the victims and tell them that they should just forgive those who have stolen their innocence, childhood, and trust?
What would He do?
Scriptures indicate that He confronted religious abusers and expected them to face the consequences of their sinful lifestyle.
Jesus was not afraid to confront religious leaders while He walked upon the earth. In Matthew 23, Jesus repeatedly rebuked the Pharisees, calling them blind hypocrites and white-washed sepulchers.
They looked good on the outside, but inside they were filled with evil. He confronted them about their pride, selfishness, and sin. He did not ignore or excuse their ungodly behavior.
We live in a day of grace, and Jesus has paid the ultimate sacrifice so we can be forgiven of our sin. He lovingly offers forgiveness.
In 1 John 1:9, we are told If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
However, there are people in our churches today who are claiming that verse as a license to sin. In the book of Jude, we are warned about such men. For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you.
They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord (verse 4, niv). The rest of the chapter goes on to tell of God’s condemnation of such behavior.
Others have mistakenly equated God’s grace and forgiveness with the removal of all consequences. But we need to remember the examples in God’s Word of Moses and David—godly men who sinned and who had been forgiven of their sin yet still faced the consequences of their actions.
God will not bless our churches if we allow immorality and sin to reign. We sing of God’s never-changing attributes, but we expect and pray for God’s blessing when there is sin in the camp.
Can we expect to be victorious in our spiritual battles if we are harboring and protecting criminals?
The SBC Life Special Report in its entirety can be downloaded (here) in pdf format.
