Defining clergy sexual abuse | Restored Hope

A question: Someone points a gun at you and politely asks for your money and jewellery. You hand them over and they take them. 

They have not hurt you. 

Have you been robbed or did you give them a gift?

Or perhaps they do not even have a gun. 

You are alone at night and they are bigger than you. They ask for your money and jewellery. Terrified, you give both items to them. 

Have you been robbed?

Or maybe the person is your boss. It is daytime and they look at you and say, “I like your watch. Please give it to me.”

You have been robbed again, have you not?

This article is not about robbery.  It is about rape.  We will look at the subject in some detail, and it would be wise for you to read it in a place where you feel safe, and near people whom you trust.

Almost exactly 1,600 years ago, the theologian Augustine declared: “Violation of chastity, without the will’s consent, cannot pollute the character.” 

Simply put, what this means is that those who have been sexually assaulted have not committed adultery. Augustine was in agreement with the Lord’s clear directive in Deuteronomy 22 regarding a woman who had been raped: “Do nothing to the woman, she has committed no sin…” 

According to both the Holy Bible and Augustine, it is impossible to say that someone committed adultery while they were raped. To suggest so would be as foolish as saying that that someone had given away their wallet when they were being mugged, or that they committed suicide as they were being murdered. 

It cannot be both.

When we talk about sexual assault, it is important for us to understand, as Augustine insists – that if there is no consent, then there is no adultery – only rapist and victim.  Sometimes we can see very clearly that consent has not been given and at other times consent is actually impossible:

  • Any sexual activity with a child is assault, because a child cannot give consent.
  • Any sexual activity with an unconscious person is assault, as they cannot give consent.
  • And so any sexual activity with someone who, for whatever reason, cannot say “no”, is, by definition, assault. 

And Augustine states that the victim is not guilty of anything.

Augustine did anticipate that some victims of sexual assault would have trouble seeing that they were victims when he wrote: “whenever [rape] has been committed, although it does not destroy purity… it does engender a sense of shame because it may be believed that an act which perhaps could not have taken place without some physical pleasure, was accompanied also by consent of the mind.” 

Augustine in this case was not talking about a violent assault the likes of which might be seen in war. Instead, he was speaking of a sexual act which, despite being non-consensual, might have given some physical pleasure at the time – and the knowledge that it gave some pleasure may cause the victim to doubt themselves and to think that perhaps it was consensual. 

Always be reminded, however, that the vast majority of assaults contain no pleasure – temporary or otherwise.

The difference between assault and adultery is decided by consent, not by pleasure. If someone added vodka to my morning cup of coffee without me noticing, I would not be guilty of drunkenness – regardless of whether I had a good time or just a bad headache in the end!

“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” – Matthew 18:6

Joe Kapolyo, the Zambian Baptist minister, offers a clarification on this verse, saying: “We tend to apply this verse only to how we treat children, but in 18:6a, the ‘little ones’ means all disciples, not just literal children.”

If a man or woman demanded sexual activity from, or coerced someone whom they have significant power over into sexual activity (for example, a university lecturer with a student), then it must be acknowledged as sexual assault because freely given consent was not possible in this scenario (even if both parties were adults).

The same is true of pastors and their flocks. The shepherd has tremendous power over his sheep. If the pastor demands secrecy or attempts to use blackmail or use violence – these acts just make the sexual assault even more wicked.

In the end, a victim of sexual assault must always understand that they are not the guilty party, and that the Lord offers comfort. Similarly, the perpetrator must too understand that it would be better for them to have a large millstone placed around their necks and flung into the sea than to face the Lord’s judgement (Matt 18), especially as leaders in the Church will face the harshest judgement (James 3).

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