Dear Church,
I hope you know how much I love you. I have served not for what I could gain from you, although I did gain much. I served out of a desire to minister to you and your needs.
This, however, is what makes the pain so great. When I needed you most, you were not there for me. And when my kids needed you most, you were not there for them.
When I finally had the courage to do what was right, hoping you'd have my back, I was left standing alone. I believed, knowing my circumstances, no one would hang me out to dry. But that’s exactly what happened.
You even blamed me. You argued that it was wrong for me to do what needed to be done. You argued that it was wrong of me to protect my kids. And you argued that it was wrong of me to protect myself.
You were fine with me serving as your pastor as long as the kids and I remained subjected to abuse. But once I did what needed to be done, once I put a stop to it, you said that I’d disqualified myself.
You even used the Bible to justify your behavior. There isn’t a specific verse, I was told, which says that divorce in the case of abuse is justifiable, as if God wants the abused to remain in ongoing suffering, and allow it to continue in the lives of their children.
You ignored the passages of Scripture which command us to provide for our family. You ignored the passages of Scripture commanding us to love and care for our spouse and children. And you ignored the fact that, through willful and ongoing abuse, the perpetrator abandoned the victim.
Although from your perspective this may have seemed sudden, news of my actions reached your ears only at the end of a long road. It reached your ears only after indescribable damage had already been done. It isn’t as if I acted impulsively. Quite the opposite.
It took long enough for me to understand what was going on. It took long enough for me to act. This, you see, was my sin. I failed to act sooner.
Perhaps you don’t believe my account. But that is equally a problem. It’s equally a problem as I provided testimony from those who have experienced the abuse, along with statements from professionals.
I understand the difficult position my circumstances placed you in. However, your unwillingness to take a stand in the face of wrong only magnified the abuse. It heaped upon us one more layer of suffering.
I want you to know that I forgive you. But I also want you to understand what you have done. And I want you to understand the message it conveys.
It tells those both inside and outside of the church that, if you are a victim, you will not be helped. It tells them that, if you are a victim, you will not be protected. It tells them that, if you are a victim, you will not be believed. It tells them that, if you are a victim, you will be condemned. And it tells them that this church is not a safe place for them.
It tells people that your love goes only so far. It tells them that your friendship goes only so far. Once it requires you to make a judgment or take a stand for what is right, you’ll turn on them.
Pastor Kent