Warhorn Conferences

This message, "Exposing Sexual Abuse," was given by Tim Bayly on February 18, 2016, at the 2016 Shepherd’s Conference. Titled "The Enemy Within: Sexual Abuse in the Church," the conference was sponsored by Warhorn (at the time Clearnote) Media, and held at Trinity Reformed Church in Bloomington, Indiana.

Dealing with sexual abuse in your church starts long before you ever uncover an actual case of abuse. It begins with cultivating a culture of pastoral care in your church—a culture where pastors and elders deal with and expose sins of all sorts, and church members expect their pastors and elders to care for them, no matter how deep and shameful their sin or how terribly they’ve been harmed.

The thunderheads are gathering. Unless God works a miracle, living in these United States will grow increasingly dangerous for Christians. We fear for our young ones, but our job is not to retreat and batten down the hatches. Jesus loved us when we were still His enemies, and this is His example for us. We must be salt and light. We must do our work cheerfully and openly. And we must provide hope. How do we do this when it feels like the darkness is closing in?

We live in a post-Obergefell world that increasingly hates God’s created order. And God’s people have real enemies. What are the practical, legal, and financial implications? Church leaders must be informed and they must be wise as we walk these thorny paths.

Scripture doesn’t condemn homosexuality just to condemn homosexuality. God made each of us a man or woman, and He means for us to live as men and women. As a pastor or church leader, how do you encourage and exhort your flock to take on the duties of their sex? What are some practical ways we can teach our flocks to embrace biblical sexuality—not just in theory, but in all of life?’

Sexuality is much bigger than body parts and where they fit. Any discussion of homosexuality must begin with a robust and comprehensive theology of sexuality. So just what exactly does the Bible say about sexuality in general, and homosexuality in particular?

In 1962 every state in our country had felony laws against sodomy. Today the sin of homosexuality is celebrated with parades, advocated by the media and arts, and approved by many of the leaders in the church and the nation at large. What happened? How did we get here? How did it happen so fast? Who dropped the ball and why?