Catharine Caroline

Beloved daughter of God! Mom of 4. DV survivor and thriver. Using my voice for those who have none - as He has given me, I must also give to others.

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

Abuse silences victims and renders them powerless. Listening makes room for their voice and honors their dignity. As a church leader, never forget that they have honored you by coming to you.

You have been seen as safe—be safe.

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

The body of Christ is called to be a sacred place for the vulnerable. We have often chosen to be a safe place for the powerful and have deceived ourselves into believing that God would call that good.

[Henri Nouwen (1932–1996) @nofearinlove77]

“The story of the lost sheep reminds us that the value of one soul in God's eyes outweighs the security and comfort of the ninety-nine, calling us to a similar attentiveness to those who are lost or marginalized.”

— The Wounded Healer

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

If you want the trauma survivor to understand that God is a refuge, then be one.

[BozLaw P.A. @bozlawpa]

Clergy sexual abuse is not a “hoax,” a “snipe hunt,” or a partisan issue.

554 survivors, advocates, pastors, clinicians and supporters have signed this open letter calling on SBC President Willy Rice and Pastor Jack Graham to apologize.

Read it: https://t.co/okIPrzMKsv

[Julie Roys @reachjulieroys]

.@wheatoncollege President Phil Ryken is teaching a course on “Leading in Tumultuous Times.” You can’t make this stuff up. Maybe he’ll do an advanced class on how to protect sexual predators and cover up a scandal!

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

You cannot talk people out of suffering, trauma, or great grief. You must go to them, sit with them, listen, and understand; then, little by little, you can begin to walk with them toward a new and different place.

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

So often, rather than suffer involvement with messy injustices and corrupt systems, we choose the quiet/easy way and sin against Justice Himself rather than allow the suffering of others and the injustices they live with daily to alter our schedules, comfort level, & tidy lives.

[ClergySexualAbuseSurvivor @AbuseClergy]

The open letter asking the new Southern Baptist Convention President Willy Rice and SBC megachurch Senior Pastor Jack Graham to apologize for minimizing and politicizing clergy sexual abuse started with 86 signatures and it is now at 431 and counting!

https://t.co/Ngc4Vgg8BH

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

When you enter a life in crisis, you will not help if you swoop in, tell people what to do, and take over. You need to leave your comfort and convenience and enter in, little by little, so you can listen, understand, and be touched by their infirmities. It is about them, not you.

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

It is always the responsibility of the person with power to maintain the integrity of the relationship.
Always.

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

We know we love our systems over God when victims of abuse who come forward to speak truth are seen as the enemy—and removing, silencing, or crushing them is labeled good because we have protected what WE say is good & God’s—blind to the fact that doing so looks nothing like Him.

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

Christendom has used Scripture to sanction slavery, racism, domestic violence, sexual abuse, and other cruelties our God hates. Some corners of Christendom today have become less interested in truth and more interested in power.

[Henri Nouwen (1932–1996) @nofearinlove77]

"God didn’t take me out of the storm, but God went with me into the storm and that made all the difference."

— The Essential Henri Nouwen

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

Any discarding or trampling of the vulnerable is an assault on God Himself—no matter the spiritual or good-sounding words used as an excuse.

[Jason Kovacs @jasonkovacs]

The story of the Prodigal Son isn’t about one lost son, but two.

One lost in rebellion.
One lost in religion.

The one who experiences grace is the one who stops trying to earn it.

[Beth Moore @BethMooreLPM]

Those in the SBC who think I no longer should have anything to say about the SBC profoundly underestimate the power of love. I’d served southern Baptist women for 40 years by the time I left. And when I left, I left directly on their behalf because it became disturbingly clear to me that the SBC as an entity was more interested in protecting shepherds than the sheep entrusted to their care. When protecting the pulpit from women becomes a far greater priority than protecting women (& children) from an abusive pulpit, something is wrong. Which has been the greater problem: women trying to become your senior pastors or pastors misusing or abusing women?

My biggest concern is that what happened with the CRT witch-hunt will happen now in regard to women. The overreach resulted in numerous pastors, teachers and professors dropping the immensely important biblical teachings against racism rather than risk being accused of CRT. I heard from pastors at that time who preached against racism and already had emails Monday morning from people in their congregation accusing them of CRT. Because the difference wasn’t clarified, they lumped all of it into the one category. The aim became: shut every mouth to shut some mouths.

I pled for SBC seminary presidents and leaders to please clarify to pastors and teachers and, thereby, to congregations & students what qualified as CRT and what indeed was the proper and deeply rooted and needed biblical approach to anti-gospel racism.

Crickets.

I see the same potential here. I have never once fought for SBC women to take over church pulpits. I have esteemed and supported the role of male senior pastors. My own pastors would tell you that. If you think I was in the SBC trying to lead a revolution against men, you are clearly not familiar with my materials. What I believed then and believe now is that God has called both men and women to serve their churches and communities and proclaim the gospel. He has poured out his Holy Spirit on men AND on women, calling them to broadcast the good news.

You have beaten the drum loudly about what women in SBC churches cannot do. So, what CAN they do? Clarity here is essential. What is a woman to do who has been gifted BY GOD to teach the Bible, especially if her church has moved to the community group model and there is no Sunday school to teach?

Here is what I see on the horizon. If you leave these matters involving women so vague that it becomes about pastoral roles/actions rather than the title of pastor, it will shift to the subjective rather than objective. I wish I was naïve enough to think that wasn’t the point to some of these leaders but, sadly, I’m not.

What if that senior pastor doesn’t allow a woman on the prayer team to pray over people at the end of the service because he deems she is acting pastorally? What if the pastor sees that a woman’s Sunday school class of WOMEN is getting, in his estimation, a little too big? Can he just decide she acting pastorally and remove her from the role? Can she counsel people with her God-given wisdom and knowledge or would she be acting pastorally? The examples could go on and on. And, of course, I realize many would not use their positions to disesteem women but surely you and I both know countless others would. God only knows how many unqualified, unloving, mean-spirited men are in pastoral positions but the obsession remains the women.

I have no desire to see SBC women leave the denomination. I loved and flourished in that denomination. I want them to be able to flourish in their spiritual gifts. I want them to be esteemed in their serving inside and outside their homes. I want them to be able to serve Jesus and proclaim his glorious gospel.

I know I’m going to get hit here. That’s fine. But you should know I will fight for them to the death. Because I love them. And, yes, whether they love me or not.

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

If voices are not heard or are ignored, they often fall silent, either under duress or due to hopelessness. The silence of leadership and the denial of the abuse further silences victims, damages faith, and destroys hope.

[Henri Nouwen (1932–1996) @nofearinlove77]

“You are the beloved child of God. This is the truth of who you are, and no human rejection, criticism, or even praise can change that.”

— Life of the Beloved

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

If you doubt that God understands trauma, you need only look to the Cross.