GRACE Report on BJU Sexual Abuse Cases Released

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AmazedbyGrace

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The GRACE report about BJU and sexual abuse has been released:

"The prophet Jeremiah warned that altars used to kill children had provoked the anger of the Lord and that such cruelties were particularly offensive because they were cloaked in religious observance. In describing Amnon’s sexual abuse of his sister, scripture notes the significant deception and planning of the offender, the brute force of the rapist, and the devastating emotional impact on the victim. Countless psalms echo the lament of the suffering who “looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none.”

http://netgrace.org/wp-content/uploads/Final-Report.pdf
 
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/local/2014/12/11/report-suggests-personnel-action-former-bju-president/20245969/

“”Dr. Jones, III has also repeatedly demonstrated a significant
lack of understanding regarding the many painful dynamics associated with sexual abuse,” the report states. “Due to the central role Dr. Jones, III played in the many issues outlined within this report, it is recommended that the university impose personnel action upon Dr. Jones, III.”

“The report also says James Berg, a professor who handled much of the counseling of abuse victims, was largely responsible for failing the
respond adequately to reports of sexual abuse and recommends that he no longer be allowed to teach on any issue related to sexual abuse and that he no longer be allowed to counsel students.

The BJU website lists Berg as teaching crisis counseling and says he has been teaching Christian counselors for 30 years.

The report also recommends that Berg’s books and other materials no longer be sold by BJU, both online or in its bookstore.

Sermons that are hurtful should be removed as well.”
 
I have just about read the entire 300 page report.

1.  Pleading ignorant to reporting laws seems to be a huge BJU cover up.

2. I don't see BJU taking action against Dr. Bob III as GRACE recommends.

3.  This is not just a BJU problem but points to fundamentalism as a whole.

4.  Steve Pettit's apology yesterday in light of the GRACE report is self serving and hollow.


My heart goes out to the victims and I hope BJU has deep pockets since they have admitted knowing and doing nothing.
 
page 142 

"Dr. Berg’s lack of formal training and professional supervision was evident in several judgment errors in the counseling he offered.
These errors are documented in this report and include:

1) conflating disciplinary and counseling roles

2) employing a one session counseling model for complex cases of sexual trauma

3) the use of intrusive, hurtful questioning, sometimes in the initial session and

4) referral of cases of sexual trauma and victimization to untrained, minimally supervised Dorm Counselors."



[My commentary: Their lead counselor did not know what he was doing. Yet he wrote books and taught classes for 30 years, spreading his ignorance and harming countless others. And since some victims were told not to report their abuse to the police so as to protect the ministry of their attacker, many dangerous men are in pulpits and churches.]
 
Wow! We shall see if the current leadership plays politician or fixes this mess.

The idea that Berg would hush some victims has eggregious malpractice written all over it. I'm shocked.
 
FSSL said:
Wow! We shall see if the current leadership plays politician or fixes this mess.

The idea that Berg would hush some victims has eggregious malpractice written all over it. I'm shocked.
Click to expand...

I had put the report's wording in quotes, but changed my post to further clarify which comments were mine. I read the part about them telling victims not to report sexual abuse to the police in another part of the report. I will post that direct quote later when I have time to locate it again.
 
Ignorance of reporting requirements?  You can't make believe that BoJo doesn't have herd of lawyers at their beck and call.

ChuckBob
 
page 29:

“Approximately 7.6 percent of abuse victims described BJU personnel as encouraging a police report, while 25.8 percent reported that BJU directed them not to make a
police report. Another 21.2 percent said BJU discouraged them from reporting their abuse to the police. Thus, nearly 47.0 percent or 31 survey takers described BJU personnel as either directing them not to make a police report or discouraging them from doing so."
 
Page 32:

"The following are viewpoints from individual survey takers and their comments related to BJU teachings and practices that inhibit abuse victims from disclosing their abuse:

That a woman who was raped or sexually abused somehow brought it on herself. That it is not acceptable to talk about sexual abuse. The cause of Christ will somehow suffer if news of abuse gets out to “the world.”

Abuse victims are considered “Second - rate Christians.

”Women and girls are taught they must “confess ”the part of sexual abuse they enjoyed, that they probably enticed the abuser. I was abused from the ages of 6 - 14 by my grandfather. When I went for counseling I was told, “Did you repent for your part of the abuse? Did your body respond favorably? If it did, then you need  to repent. You’re bitter and care more about your pain than the salvation of your family. You should have never gone to the police because it tore your family apart and that’s your fault. You love yourself more than you love God and that’s why you’re struggling.” [emphasis mine]

And, on and on it goes. I would like to add that the vast majority of those who reported sexual abuse of any kind were immediately disbelieved until it was proven, and many times even then, they were viewed as having suspicious motives for seeking justice."'
 
Page 33:

3.
"The survey findings support a possible conclusion that BJU representatives may have
sometimes discouraged the reporting of sexual crimes to the proper authorities.
Specifically, 47 percent of survey takers who self-identified as abuse victims stated that BJU personnel either directed them not to make a police report or discouraged
them from doing so.

These survey comments relate to the issue of abuse victims being discouraged from making police reports: Victims heard, consistently, from chapel speakers and faculty/staff, that abusers should be forgiven, that they bore the sin of bitterness,
and that they should not report abusers.

[D]eal with your own “sin;” keep knowledge within the church.

Its [sic] best not to make a big deal out of this for the good of the
school.

A person in administration who knew that I was assaulted by one
of their preacher boys stated that I would destroy this godly man’s
education and future if I reported his crime.

I received a slip in my P.O. [Box] to report to the stage following a
specific chapel service. At that time, Drs. Bob, Jr. and III told me
that they were sorry such a thing happened but that I now had the
choice to honor God by my response and not be selfish in sharing
the experience with others and gaining inappropriate attention for
the school."
 
"Any campus that invites sexual offenders back onto its campus is a risky place for victims." --GRACE report page 109.

Page 108: "In one reported case BJU did not hold the alleged perpetrator to biblical repentance. In this instance, an adult victim reported that the alleged perpetrator, a BJU student at that time, committed a sexual offense against her while he believed she was asleep. BJU administrators confronted the alleged perpetrator who confessed to the offense but minimized the extent of what the victim reported. Though what he admitted to was still a crime, the perpetrator did not turn himself in to the civil authorities, and neither did BJU."


Page 109 "Imagine the deep pain and betrayal a victim would feel knowing their rapist prayed in front of the entire school and was honored as a missionary, all while refusing to acknowledge the reality of his crime or to turn himself in to the civil authorities? It is little wonder that BJU’s continued authorization of the perpetrator and his mission board to return to the Bob Jones campus as a missions representative during Missions Emphasis week every year feels like a “mockery.”

"Not only did this perpetrator not subject himself to the civil authorities more than 20 years ago, but he was allowed to become a missionary (with full knowledge of BJU) and he has not returned to the United States to take responsibility for the crime he committed. In addition, BJU allowed this former student who confessed to sexual assault to return to campus as a mission board representative for Missions Emphasis Week in 2011. Since that time, BJU has continued to permit his mission board back to campus, knowing that the mission board continues to employ a confessed sex offender."

[I chose to modify this post to keep all info about this incident in the same post]
 
I have not read all of the report... just the conclusion.

What prompted Steven to have GRACE conduct this audit?
 
Two years ago there was a major blow up over Chuck Phelps being added to the BJU board. You might recall Phelps blamed a 15 year old girl (Tina Anderson) for being raped and impregnated by a 39 year old deacon (Ernest Willis). Phelps made the girl apologize in front of the entire church and shipped her off to Colorado where she would later be made to apologize to her rapist's wife and give her baby up for adoption.

Phelps lied about Tina to the press and tried to keep his pastoral notes out of the trial. These notes clearly showed Willis was the aggressor.

This proved to many that BJU could not care less about sexual abuse victims. Stories of others who had been treated harshly by them started surfacing too.

IIRC that got the whole ball rolling.

 
What is IIRC?
I wondered about Phelps... now I wonder if Maranatha will be next since Phelps was their President.
 
IIRC = If I remember correctly

If any institution needs a GRACE investigation it is Hyles Anderson / FBCH.
That would truly be a way to clean house - if they followed GRACE recommendations.

Right now the question is will BJU actually follow GRACE's recommendations and truly reform, or just give it lip service.
 
I also want to point out that GRACE did a solid investigation. Contrast this will David Gibb's alleged "internal investigations".
 
The Biblical doctrine that God hardens whom He wills explains a lot of Christian conduct. Used in the Bible, it describes God hardening Pharaoh to chase Israel into the Red Sea, so that God could punish Pharaoh and the Egyptians for their sins, as well as to win people to Christ  ("that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord").

What was BJU thinking when they hired GRACE? Did they actually believe that GRACE would fail to find anything? Remember that BJU did fire GRACE when GRACE turned up the first reports, but then GRACE was rehired after a public backlash.

It appears that some higher-ups had known about the abuse and cover-ups and some did not. Did the ones who knew actually think that feigning ignorance would work? Since the leadership knew anyway, why not come clean without GRACE?

In my OPINION, which could be wrong, God hardened their hearts to hire GRACE, in order to deal with BJU's sins.
 
“I would like to sincerely and humbly apologize to those who felt they did not receive from us genuine love, compassion, understanding and support after suffering sexual abuse or assault …To them I would say—we have carefully listened to your voice. We take your testimony in this report to our hearts. We intend to thoroughly review every aspect and concern outlined in the investigation and respond appropriately.”
— Steve Pettit, BJU President

You will never find a Godly statement like that coming out of HAC.
 
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