I read all of this and think there is an explanation that helps us to see why otherwise seemingly “godly people” in leadership perpetrate such harm to those being victimized like this.
It is this: if your Christian worldview is one of authority and submission as God’s design for every human relationship, then this seems to be the natural outcome. “Submission to the leadership” is always the answer to the problem. Anyone not submitting is by definition the problem.
If on the other hand, your view of God is that He desires to make mankind new in His image through union with Himself, as Jesus prayed in John 17 and demonstrated in His own life as the God-man for us to follow, then when harms are perpetrated, the most important thing is actually uncovering the harm and finding where we have all gone astray so it can be set right.
The first view thinks that authority structure and our adherence to it is God’s plan for making everyone and everything righteous.
The second view knows that only as each abides in Christ can there be true transformation of each person and true life in Christ. And so, when something is out of joint, the second view appeals to God for truth and is okay with the rebuke of anyone not acting out of love—even leaders. Only the second view is actual “peacemaking”. The first one seeks to be “peace-keeping” by not rocking the authority’s boat.
“Peacemaking” seems to often lead to persecution of the one seeking for actual righteousness in the situation as a whole.
I hope I am getting across the distinctions I see on these two different Christian views of how true righteousness is achieved. I have been a part of other bad situations in missions and in churches and this seems to be the pattern that describes most of what I’ve seen.
Rebecca, I had read some of your story previously, but whew, every time I hear someone’s story, I just feel the attempts on whistleblowers’ parts to do the right thing and then be crushed time and time again. Thanks for sharing my stack on silencing.
Interestingly enough, today I also tell some of my own story and list reasons why people don’t speak up! Mine mostly focuses on those in the context of divorce, but there is definitely overlap. Strangely, I realized that I did not list shame - I think it’s because by the time I was faced with the choice, I had read enough from Diane Langberg and others to know that the shame wasn’t mine to bear and thankfully, I’ve (mostly) taken that to heart. But I recognize it is such a challenging issue.
Melissa, thank you so much for this message. I've been sitting on this post for weeks feeling pretty nervous. Your own substack on this issue has been encouraging and emboldening. Also, the substack you posted today sharing more of your own story, with very similar themes to my Part 2 feels like a providential gift to me. I'm so sorry for what you endured and so thankful for the work you are doing on many fronts.
Having been raised as an MK in Indonesia I have seen this happen too many times. I’ve had friends families kicked out of the country because they didn’t “fall in line” with what that specific organization deemed vital for the spread of the gospel. I grew up with a lot of trauma from the lack of member care and emphasis put on keeping up appearances for the mission than healing brokenness and hurt in families. Our specific mission even went as far to completely abandon their missionaries on the field and then lied to other regions about how successful that choice was, despite the fact that many ended up leaving or joining other missions. Thank you for speaking out.
Oh Kayla, I'm so very sorry that you experienced and witnessed all this. This is so not right. Thanks so much for sharing this with me. And thanks for your kind words of understanding. It means a lot.
Whoah. I'm not a Christian or anything but in some other century I was, and I was in Irian Jaya for a summer and supposed to do a two-year stint doing a medical survey as deep into the Bird's Head as we dared to go. I'd been cut from Moody's aviation program at that point. It was a little unclear who I was working for in Irian, given the low-grade war at the time. Maybe The Evangelical Alliance Mission, maybe governmental players. I didn't inquire too closely. I went awol on all of it and kind of just literally ran off through the mountains with local runners. The missionaries put in a bad word for me and [vague memories] I left. Thought I'd go back to Indonesia but somehow 45 years slipped away.
Thinking of returning to...the language next year. To Indonesian at least as much as Indonesia. To bahasa, if you see what I mean. I've been trying to not pay attention to Indonesia until I can immerse myself in the language. I want to discover things for myself. Obviously with my love for big trees and the war back then being, in my opinion, for the last of the big trees, I've had to shift something mentally to not care about the trees. But out of the corner of my eye I saw "whistleblower" and "MAF" and I thought, surely MAF never got big enough to need to get itself whistleblown? It's not like it's BlackRock or something. I'd forgotten that there are these para-Christian mini-corporations that aren't structured on the early church but on American corporations with VPs and bosses and all sorts of corporate structure.
Here's me having thought for decades, jeez, the forests in Indonesia will be gone, and sure enough here in your article the first thing I see here is the smoke. And I'm like, oh crap.
I read all of this and think there is an explanation that helps us to see why otherwise seemingly “godly people” in leadership perpetrate such harm to those being victimized like this.
It is this: if your Christian worldview is one of authority and submission as God’s design for every human relationship, then this seems to be the natural outcome. “Submission to the leadership” is always the answer to the problem. Anyone not submitting is by definition the problem.
If on the other hand, your view of God is that He desires to make mankind new in His image through union with Himself, as Jesus prayed in John 17 and demonstrated in His own life as the God-man for us to follow, then when harms are perpetrated, the most important thing is actually uncovering the harm and finding where we have all gone astray so it can be set right.
The first view thinks that authority structure and our adherence to it is God’s plan for making everyone and everything righteous.
The second view knows that only as each abides in Christ can there be true transformation of each person and true life in Christ. And so, when something is out of joint, the second view appeals to God for truth and is okay with the rebuke of anyone not acting out of love—even leaders. Only the second view is actual “peacemaking”. The first one seeks to be “peace-keeping” by not rocking the authority’s boat.
“Peacemaking” seems to often lead to persecution of the one seeking for actual righteousness in the situation as a whole.
I hope I am getting across the distinctions I see on these two different Christian views of how true righteousness is achieved. I have been a part of other bad situations in missions and in churches and this seems to be the pattern that describes most of what I’ve seen.
Let me know your thoughts.❤️🩹
So very well said. I really resonate with this. Thank you!
So glad your husband chose you.
Me too. 😉
Rebecca, I had read some of your story previously, but whew, every time I hear someone’s story, I just feel the attempts on whistleblowers’ parts to do the right thing and then be crushed time and time again. Thanks for sharing my stack on silencing.
Interestingly enough, today I also tell some of my own story and list reasons why people don’t speak up! Mine mostly focuses on those in the context of divorce, but there is definitely overlap. Strangely, I realized that I did not list shame - I think it’s because by the time I was faced with the choice, I had read enough from Diane Langberg and others to know that the shame wasn’t mine to bear and thankfully, I’ve (mostly) taken that to heart. But I recognize it is such a challenging issue.
Excited to keep reading your work.
Melissa, thank you so much for this message. I've been sitting on this post for weeks feeling pretty nervous. Your own substack on this issue has been encouraging and emboldening. Also, the substack you posted today sharing more of your own story, with very similar themes to my Part 2 feels like a providential gift to me. I'm so sorry for what you endured and so thankful for the work you are doing on many fronts.
Having been raised as an MK in Indonesia I have seen this happen too many times. I’ve had friends families kicked out of the country because they didn’t “fall in line” with what that specific organization deemed vital for the spread of the gospel. I grew up with a lot of trauma from the lack of member care and emphasis put on keeping up appearances for the mission than healing brokenness and hurt in families. Our specific mission even went as far to completely abandon their missionaries on the field and then lied to other regions about how successful that choice was, despite the fact that many ended up leaving or joining other missions. Thank you for speaking out.
Oh Kayla, I'm so very sorry that you experienced and witnessed all this. This is so not right. Thanks so much for sharing this with me. And thanks for your kind words of understanding. It means a lot.
Whoah. I'm not a Christian or anything but in some other century I was, and I was in Irian Jaya for a summer and supposed to do a two-year stint doing a medical survey as deep into the Bird's Head as we dared to go. I'd been cut from Moody's aviation program at that point. It was a little unclear who I was working for in Irian, given the low-grade war at the time. Maybe The Evangelical Alliance Mission, maybe governmental players. I didn't inquire too closely. I went awol on all of it and kind of just literally ran off through the mountains with local runners. The missionaries put in a bad word for me and [vague memories] I left. Thought I'd go back to Indonesia but somehow 45 years slipped away.
Thinking of returning to...the language next year. To Indonesian at least as much as Indonesia. To bahasa, if you see what I mean. I've been trying to not pay attention to Indonesia until I can immerse myself in the language. I want to discover things for myself. Obviously with my love for big trees and the war back then being, in my opinion, for the last of the big trees, I've had to shift something mentally to not care about the trees. But out of the corner of my eye I saw "whistleblower" and "MAF" and I thought, surely MAF never got big enough to need to get itself whistleblown? It's not like it's BlackRock or something. I'd forgotten that there are these para-Christian mini-corporations that aren't structured on the early church but on American corporations with VPs and bosses and all sorts of corporate structure.
Here's me having thought for decades, jeez, the forests in Indonesia will be gone, and sure enough here in your article the first thing I see here is the smoke. And I'm like, oh crap.