No one should be making political hay out of the seemingly
endless stream of sexual misconduct scandals. Harvey Weinstein and Tim Murphy
are recent examples of this coming from the left and the right. Republicans and
Democrats are both vulnerable. Religious identification is no protection
either. While not limited to power people, I strongly suspect that power and
prominence increase the propensity for such behavior. I also suspect that
Donald Trump was at least partly right when he said that when you are a star
they let you do it. Or at least those who think they are stars want to believe
their victims let them do it. All of this is not new. Donald Trump is hardly
the first serial adulterer in the White House. Because of my pastoral career, I
have seen several unfortunate experiences of serious sexual misconduct by a
number of clergy colleagues: some good friends, some prominent and highly
respected. Since my “retirement” I have been writing fiction to work through
how many of my pastoral experiences and relationships have shaped me. I am
currently working on a novel built around the profound impacts of clergy sexual
misconduct. Please, please never use these tragic moral failures as political
or ecclesiastical weapons. Mourn and be vigilant. Pray diligently for all in
positions of leadership: business, political, religious.
No comments:
Post a Comment