UNITED STATES
jconline
Written by
MICHAEL DAVIS
Clergy misconduct expert Diana Garland is dean of the School of Social Work at Baylor University and an expert in congregational life. The Journal & Courier asked her to overlay what she has learned, during 30 years of research, on the challenge facing Sunrise Christian Reformed Church in south Lafayette.
Question: What do you make of voyeurism in a church?
A: We’ve done the first national study of the prevalence of clergy sexual misconduct. And this is not within the realm of what we typically would call clergy sexual misconduct, which is sexual harassment or a sexual relationship between a religious leader and a congregant. It does fall in the realm of clergy sexual misconduct in that this presumed voyeurism is sexual in nature and is an offense. All clergy sexual misconduct is devastating. It’s devastating to those who have been offended, the primary victims and to the whole congregation.
It is clearly abuse of the community’s trust. It is not a private matter between a religious leader and one or more victims.
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