Broken by the Church: A Lament

It is neither bitter nor spiteful to say “enough is enough.”

Photo by John Price on Unsplash

Though I don’t always like it, I’m the kind of person that internalizes everything. Because of this, I have to be careful about the kind of visuals and information I expose myself to and let inside my heart and mind.

I avoid watching violent movies, I never watch cable news, and I’m pretty stringent about what I read on the Internet. It doesn’t take much to upset me, and to impact my focus on what I need to get done. However, I have been deeply affected by the #metoo, #wetoo, #churchtoo, and #timesup movements, along with the recent attention on women’s roles in the church.

These issues are deeply personal to me. I’ve experienced some of them myself, and what’s more, they have impacted a majority of women I know in one way or another. The percentages of women who have suffered abuses within the church–whether they are sexual, spiritual, or power-based–are staggering.

And a growing number of people are crying, “enough.”

Power structures within the church are being dismantled. Judgement is coming, and Jesus is beginning to overturn tables in his house.

I don’t feel joyful satisfaction when I hear reports of it in the news. I’m glad, to be sure, that justice is…