UNITED STATES
Associated Baptist Press
The founder of a group that investigates sexual abuse says evangelicals often discourage the reporting of abuse by telling whistle-blowers to keep quiet in order to protect the reputation of the church.
By Bob Allen
A Liberty University law professor and grandson of Billy Graham told reporters Sept. 26 that he thinks evangelicals “are worse” than Catholics when it comes to responding to sexual abuse by clergy.
“Protestants can be very arrogant when pointing to Catholics,” Boz Tchividjian, executive director of Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (GRACE), told journalists attending the Religion Newswriters Association conference in Austin, Texas.
“The Protestant culture is defined by independence,” Tchividjian said in comments reported by Religion News Service.
Evangelicals often frown upon transparency and accountability, he said, as many Protestants rely on Scripture more than religious leaders, compared to Catholics. Abusers discourage whistle-blowing by condemning gossip to try to keep people from reporting abuse, he said. Victims are also told to protect the reputation of Jesus.
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