S14 Ep. 3 / Is My Church Actually Safe?
Just because we can’t always see abuse in the Church doesn’t mean it isn’t happening among people in the congregation or within the church building itself.
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For those who enjoy behind-the-scenes videos, watch the unedited cut of Season 14 Episode 3:
For the full unedited transcript from this episode, click here.
In the Church, we may not often recognize physical manifestations of abuse out in the public. But that doesn’t mean abuse isn’t happening among the people of our congregations or even within the four walls of the church building.
In this episode, we’re joined by Chris Moles of PeaceWorks, who is a pastor, speaker and biblical counselor. Chris breaks down the root causes of abuse — and why abuse doesn’t always look like physical violence. He explores different expressions of abuse and where previous biblical counseling movements have shifted blame to substance abuse, stress, or even victims.
As Christians, Chris reminds us, we shouldn’t rely only on the legal code to guide our definitions of abuse. We should explore how God tells us to treat His image bearers.
We also emphasize that men can be safe. Trauma, addiction, neurodiversity and other factors can contribute to abuse, but they don’t cause it. And that should bring hope! Jesus died for the vulnerable and the perpetrators. He died to save everyone from their sinful hearts!
It’s the job of the Church and people of faith to advocate for the weak and vulnerable and not to excuse behaviors that dismiss agency, safety and security.
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Our theme music is by As Isaac.
This podcast is made possible by producer Shane Selby, executive producer Meleah Smith, and generous donors.
Conversational Counseling is Alex Kocher and Brenda Payne.