Not Punishment or Piling On
2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.
-I Timothy 3:2-3, NIV
When a secular teacher violates trust and is convicted of abusing a minor, they are FOREVER banned from a teaching license.
This secular requirement is not necessarily “punishment” or “piling on” with the teacher. It is a prudent step to protect future children from someone who has a demonstrated pattern of abuse. We are deciding to prioritize the safety of our children over wishful, naïve thinking about change by having this as a law.
I do not see the situation as dissimilar to pastors discovered as engaging in Clergy Sexual Abuse.
A position of trust was abused by the pastor in order to gratify his desires. Often this abuse comes with a whole lot of lies and manipulations designed to protect the abusive pastor from accountability. This edifice of deceit is often the hardest part of dealing with such situations.
Years of lying is a habit and lifestyle.
Such behavior demonstrates allegiance to another kingdom rather than God’s (see John 8:44). In light of this, it would be improper and unwise to have this person leading the church. Habits do not change overnight.
We need to care for God’s church in these difficult situations. Prioritizing the vulnerable needs to take place. We need to do better in seeing victims and protecting people from becoming future victims.
