“Moral Failure”

“Pastor Robert has been open and forthright about a moral failure he had over 35 years ago when he was in his twenties and prior to him starting Gateway Church. He has shared publicly from the pulpit the proper biblical steps he took in his lengthy restoration process.”

This is the response that the elders of Gateway Church provided in a statement that was released after allegations of past sexual abuse of a minor were exposed on June 14th. More information here.

Pastor Robert Morris has since resigned from his position.

The order of events when a Christian leader or church member is accused of sexual, emotional, or spiritual abuse is usually as follows:

• Accusations are levied/made public
• Christian organization, the accused, or church at large minimizes accusation by calling it an affair (if sexual) or framing the accuser in a negative light
• Christian leader/church member, after significant backlash, admits to some “bad behavior,” usually without naming the misconduct, action, or crime
• Christian influencers and (if we’re being honest) fans of the accused publicly throw their support behind those who committed the “moral failure”
• Christian leader resigns or steps away from the spotlight and is either “restored” to their leadership position or passes away
• Christian organization(s) distance themselves from the offender/accused until it’s “safe” to affiliate with them again
• Above events repeat for next offender that ends up being exposed

As this happens, victims of abuse of any kind, especially in the church, may go through repeated instances of mental and emotional distress. Think about it victims have to experience:

• the anguish of the initial abuse
• the anguish of (likely) being manipulated into forgiving and choosing silence by church members, leaders, and possibly their own family members (especially if they were a minor at the time of the abuse)
• the anguish of holding the truth for an extended period of time and,
• the anguish of speaking up and the private and public response to doing so.

As I mentioned in the podcast episode I did about Mike Bickle and his discretions while being the leader at IHOP-KC, mental health professionals and proponents of the law understand how serious these issues are, yet the church at large continues to mishandle victims of abuse within the four walls.

This isn’t just a “moral failure,” it’s criminal and causes a significant amount of physical, psychological, and spiritual damage to victims. Sometimes this damage is irreparable.

What does restoration look like for victims?
Do we care?
Do we only care when allegations are made public?

These are questions that we as Christians need to be asking ourselves as allegations of “inappropriate behavior” seem to come out more frequently as time progresses. Behavior that God hates, by the way. Behavior that will, if the accused does not repent, keeps the accused out of the Kingdom of God.

It’s past the time where the church begins to take allegations seriously and follow the law of the land (Romans 13:1-7) when the allegations are proven to be true or when the accused admits to them.

More on this specific case will be revealed as time progresses, but until then, those who love justice and truth will need to stand with victims publicly until it prevails and abuse doesn’t take place within the church ever again.

If you need additional resources for mental health, addiction, and suicide prevention, head over to the “get help” section. If you want to share your experience or tell your story or journey as someone with a diagnosed mental health or mood disorder in order to connect with & encourage others, & you’re OK with that being shared here on the YNF website, shoot an email to brittany@yourenotfinished.com or contact me through the site.

Anonymous submissions are welcome.