How Should The Church Handle Allegations Of Sex Abuse?

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Sexual abuse and coverup is not just an issue in the Catholic Church, as recent news of rampant sex abuse in Southern Baptist churches has shown. But how should churches and Christian organizations respond to allegations of abuse? And what should victims do if they want to report abuse, but are afraid? This week on The Roys Report, Boz Tchividjian joins Julie Roys to discuss this critical issue. Boz is the executive director of Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (G.R.A.C.E.) and has more than a decade of experience investigating abuse and working toward redemptive solutions. 

This Weeks Guests

Boz Tchivdjian

An experienced litigator who has handled hundreds of civil and criminal cases, Boz Tchividjian has dedicated his career to empowering survivors of sexual abuse, sexual assault and sexual harassment to seek justice against perpetrators, as well as employers and other institutions who fail to protect people from abuse.  Boz is the Founder of GRACE, an internationally recognized nonprofit organization that is equipping Christian communities to recognize, prevent, and respond to abuse.  Boz is Of Counsel with the Florida law firm of Landis Graham French and represents abuse victims from around the country.

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Note: This transcript has been edited slightly for continuity.

Segment 1: 

ANNOUNCER:  In the midst of all of today’s noise and confusion, we need a voice that cuts through the chaos to bring wisdom and clarity. Welcome to The Roys Report with Julie Roys—an hour-long show exploring critical issues related to faith and culture from a uniquely Christian perspective. Now, here’s your host, Julie Roys.

JULIE ROYS:  It once was thought to be only a Catholic problem. But not anymore. Sexual abuse and cover up is ravaging the Protestant church, too. But what’s the solution? And how should the church handle allegations of abuse? Welcome to The Roys Report brought to you in part by Judson University. I’m Julie Roys. And today I’m going to be discussing this important yet difficult issue. And joining me to do that is Boz Tchividjian, and founder of G.R.A.C.E., an internationally recognized organization that equips religious organizations to deal with sexual abuse. Boz also is an experienced litigator and a former Assistant State Attorney at the Seventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida. While there, Boz created the first sex-crimes division at the Office of the State Attorney. And he personally prosecuted hundreds of sexual victimization cases. So, I’m extremely excited to have Boz on my program. And I’m really looking forward to drawing on his wealth of experience in this area. But before I bring him on, let’s just take a minute to talk about the scope of the problem of sex abuse in the church. According to the Houston Chronicle and The San Antonio Express News, nearly 400 Southern Baptist leaders have pleaded guilty or been convicted of sex crimes against more than 700 victims since 1998. In the past couple of years, mega-church pastors, like Bill Hybels and Andy Savage, have had to resign over allegations of sexual misconduct. And in the Catholic Church, the revelations have been absolutely staggering. Last year, news media revealed a systemic cover up of sex abuse by more than 300 priests in Pennsylvania. And this year in Illinois, nearly 400 Catholic clergy members were accused of sexual misconduct spanning decades. It’s disheartening. And it’s shocking. Pastors, priests, lay leaders should be the first to defend children. And the thought that clergy and other Christian leaders would use their positions to actually prey on their sheep is so incredibly evil. But it is happening. And we have to be prepared to respond correctly if, God forbid, the unthinkable h