EAST LANSING (MI)
Baptist News

February 1, 2018

By Bob Allen

The first woman to go public with allegations of sexual abuse by Larry Nassar, the former sports medicine doctor at Michigan State University, says the laudatory public reaction to her story would have been different if it had happened at church.

Rachael Denhollander, star witness in the sentencing phase of the former USA Gymnastics director’s trial for criminal sexual misconduct, gained widespread attention in national and Christian media when she invoked her faith in her impact statement.

“I pray you experience the soul-crushing weight of guilt so you may someday experience true repentance and true forgiveness from God, which you need far more than forgiveness from me — though I extend that to you as well,” she said to her abuser.

But Denhollander, whose husband has a master of divinity degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is…