Ruth Everhart - The #MeToo Reckoning: Facing the Churchs Complicity in Sexual Abuse and Misconduct

If youre a victim whose life is still colored by the abuse you suffered, Im grateful you would dare to read these pages. This act affirms how courageous you are, how determined to find wholeness. Not only does Jesus love you, but I also held you in my mind and heart as I wrote.

If youre a survivormeaning that youve reclaimed a sense of wholeness and largely moved on from abuse youve suffered I hope these pages remind you that you are not alone and inspire you to raise your voice within your relationships, especially within your church. Let us together become a chorus that cannot be silenced.

If you seek to be an ally, a special welcome. It takes effort to view the world through the lens of a victim or survivor, an effort that pays off. I hope the stories told here, and the uniquely female lens on Scripture, will enlarge your vision and inspire action.

If youre a pastor, I hope you find inspiration as you minister to the abusedand the abuserswho fill church pews. I hope these pages provide fodder for preaching, resources for discussion, encouragement to prosecute abusers, and the means to make your congregation a safer and braver space.

If youre a lay leader, I would like to shake your hand. When people who love the churchbut are not paid to do soare willing to spend their time and energy listening to survivors and confronting abusers, that gives me optimism for the future of the church. My hopes for you are identical to those for pastors since clergy and lay lead as partners.

If youre not a Christian, my sincere thanks for picking up this book. I hope you hear the call to justice that underlies the gospel messagea call too often obscured by the churchs complacent merger with American culture. Jesus is not a mild-natured fella who blesses the power brokers. Jesus passionately supports all those who are treated as less than, including women.

I encourage all of you to reach out with stories, reactions, and next steps. The About the Author page at the end lists ways to be in touch.

WARNING

This book contains graphic descriptions of sexual harassment and sexual violence, which may be triggering to survivors.

O LORD, how long shall I cry for help,

and you will not listen?

Or cry to you Violence!

and you will not save?

I didnt choose to spend years of my life pondering sexual abuse and faith. As painful topics so often do, this topic chose me. Many of the stories in these pages are connected to my own life. The recurring motif of sexual assault began in 1978 when I was a senior at a conservative Christian college in Michigan. Two armed intruders broke into the off-campus house I shared with four housemates. The criminals held us hostage at gunpoint for six hours. They robbed us, then raped us. Those hours of point-blank brutality and terror stopped my lifenot only the end of a sentence but the close of a paragraph, a chapter.

Because my conservative religious upbringing taught that women should guard their sexual purity above all else, I believed that being raped had damaged me beyond repair. I struggled with feelings of shame and worthlessness. It took a decade to recover my sense of self and rebuild a new sort of faith, one that took evil into account.

The circumstances of our case were unusual because they were so clear-cut: the criminals broke in while we were asleep; they were armed; they were serial offenders. In addition, they were African American men who targeted white women. While its painful to realize that the assailants race was likely a factor, I will forever be grateful that the investigation and prosecution were vigorous and successful. For me, testifying before a jury was a healing balm, an experience of empowerment. Im an advocate for survivors because the world needs to hear our voices. Our stories are powerful. I told mine because so many of you cannot tell yours, at least not yet.