Sandusky's Church Deals With His Criminal Conviction

Until Jerry Sandusky was arrested in February on charges of sexually molesting eight young boys, he and his wife Dottie had been regular attendees at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in State College, Pennsylvania, rarely missing a Sunday service. For his fellow church members, the charges against Sandusky seemed out of character with the man they thought they knew. From that time through Sandusky's conviction this week on 45 counts related to predatory sexual crimes against boys, the congregation has had to come to terms not only with the moral disconnect between Sandusky's public and private life, but also with how to respond as a community of faith.

Glimpses of two Sunday services at St. Paul's this year show that the congregation is not ducking the issue.

In February, three weeks after Sandusky's arrest, Dana Garrett, a senior producer at CNN, showed up for a Sunday service at the church. When she identified herself as a CNN producer, a man greeting people at the door told her the media was not invited but, after some conversation, said that, yes, she was welcome to worship with them.

During a ritual called "passing the peace," in which attendees extend wishes of God's peace to one another, the man who'd initially met Garrett at the church door greeted her again, warmly, and brought the pastor, Ed Zeiders, to meet her. Zeiders greeted her as well and told the man to "make sure she gets mugged." Garrett didn't know what to make of that, especially because CNN and other network satellite trucks had been vandalized on the Penn State campus while covering the emerging scandal. She was relieved, however, when the man presented her with a coffee mug bearing the church's name. Inside it, she found a card with the church's service schedule and a message reading, "Do you know that God's love can and does achieve great things, even amid the turmoil of today's world?"

In his sermon that day, Zeiders did not mention Sandusky by name, but he clearly told that congregation that the only way to respond to the tumult swirling around the community was by being "authentic" Christians, with love and without judgment, for the victims and for the accused. "We are entrusted with the light of the world," Zeiders told his congregation. "We are the bearer of each other's burdens ... [called to] care for each other as deeply as we can."

After the service, Garrett spoke with Zeiders and learned that he was in regular pastoral contact with Sandusky and his wife. She asked if, assuming the charges were true, Sandusky should be forgiven. Zeiders immediately said yes, but added that forgiving did not mean forgetting and that people should be held accountable.

Garrett also talked with some parishioners, some of whom admitted to being in a state of shock regarding Sandusky. He had not been back to church since the charges, but as the allegations were still unproven, Garrett asked if they would welcome him back in the meantime. She was told that perhaps half the congregation would.

Garrett concluded her report of her visit saying, "... despite the upheaval and torment in this parish family, they were still willing to welcome a stranger who they may have at first viewed with suspicion. I came as just a member of the intruding media. I left there having received peace, the body and blood, a warm embrace, a mug and a better appreciation for the anguish that is being felt in every fiber of this community."

Last Sunday, with Sandusky now convicted and incarcerated, Garrett visited St. Paul's again. She heard Zeiders address the conviction, asking the congregation to "pray for all those who are victims and for all of those who are predators."

Zeiders began his sermon with a question: "In light of the misery, sorrow and suffering we see, affecting every aspect of our life, within us, in the midst of us and around us -- what are we to do? The world needs an answer, our community deserves an answer, and we need to answer together what is the most efficacious way to move forward from here."

He went on to say that in the midst of this "storm," the church had an opportunity: "If ever a local congregation has been given a moment to ... reveal what it means to be Christian," Zeiders said, "this is that congregation in this moment in history."

Zeiders then spoke about the transformative power and saving grace of God, making a connection between faith and ethical behavior. "If we are to claim Jesus as Savior, we must, without fail, come face-to-face with our own morality." He said that Christians must not succumb to the idea that "my faith and my morality are solely my business."

The congregation is still working to mesh the Sandusky they saw in church with the Sandusky revealed in the courtroom. Garrett reported that one member said, "We are like a family, and the allegations were stunning. I didn't want to believe them, but there was too much evidence not to."

The service last Sunday included a baptism. Afterward, Zeiders asked his congregants to vow to "guard and protect" children, reminding them they were stewards of their safety.

There is no indication that Sandusky ever abused a child within the church. The United Methodist denomination has a well-regarded child-protection program called Safe Sanctuaries with proactive protocols to ensure that children are kept from harm while under the care of the church.

Zeiders continues to be in pastoral contact with both Jerry and Dottie Sandusky.
 
More on this story can be found at these links:

Sandusky's Pastor Addresses Conviction From Pulpit. CNN
Can God's Love Be Enough? Inside Sandusky's Church. HLN
Safe Sanctuaries. General Board of Discipleship (UMC)
 
The Big Questions

1. How is it possible for someone to sit weekly under the teaching of the church and continue to commit acts that are directly opposite those teachings? While in Sandusky's case, the wrongdoing was criminal, in what less extreme ways do we behave in opposition to what our Sunday worship teaches? Why? Are there times when the sermon or service makes you uncomfortable with your own failings? Should it?

2. How should a church respond to a member who is revealed to have sinned in a stomach-turning and/or criminal way? Is your answer different if the person has not admitted the wrongdoing (as Sandusky has not)? How should a church respond to members of that person's family? Is it better to address families affected by such circumstances in private or in public? Is it better to leave such issues unaddressed in order to prevent discomfort or conflict?

3. What does it mean to be an "authentic" Christian in such circumstances?

4. What measures help a congregation heal after its "family" nature has been fractured by the significant sin of a member?

5. What proactive protocols are in place in your church to protect children from predators?

Confronting the News with Scripture
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

2 Samuel 13:20
"Her brother Absalom said to her, 'Has Amnon your brother been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister; he is your brother; do not take this to heart.' So Tamar remained, a desolate woman, in her brother Absalom's house." (For context, read 13:1-29.)

King David's son Amnon raped his half-sister Tamar, which, of course, left her devastated. Tamar's full-brother, Absalom, made plans to avenge his sister, but only told her to "Be quiet for now ... do not take this to heart," which was terrible advice for a victim of a sex-offender. It left her "a desolate woman." Even David, upon learning of the wrongdoing of one of his children against another of his children, did not bring any penalty upon Amnon.

All of this festered, and it led to Absalom murdering Amnon and to other problems in David's family and in the kingdom.

In times past, even the church has sometimes treated sexual offenses within its sphere by looking the other way or by asking victims to "be quiet." Thankfully, most church groups no longer do this, but congregations still have great difficulty facing the fact that sexual predators or doers of other great wrongs could be among them.

Questions: In what ways does your congregation guard against asking victims of sexual offenders within the church to "be quiet" about the harm done to them? Is there a forum or place within the life of your church where there is a time for lamentation? How comfortable are you or your congregation with deep expressions of emotion?

Ezekiel 33:6
"But if the sentinel sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any of them, they are taken away in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at the sentinel's hand." (For context, read 33:1-9.)

God called the prophet Ezekiel to be Israel's spiritual "sentinel" to warn the people of judgment to come. As long the sentry did his job and faithfully warned the people, there was no blame on the sentry, even if the people did not heed his warnings. But if the sentry did not issue the warnings, then God would hold him responsible for the fate of the people.

In a sense, congregations need to be "sentinels" for the well-being of their members and attendees when they are in the sphere of the church's responsibility.

Questions: In what ways is your congregation a sentinel for its children? its youth? its adults? its senior members? Do you publish a notice about the policies for child-protection in your church? If these things are left unsaid or just assumed, should that be changed?

Matthew 13:29-30
"But he replied, 'No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'" (For context, read 13:24-30.)

These are the concluding lines from Jesus' parable of the weeds among the wheat. Jesus told this parable to reveal something about the kingdom of heaven as it exists on earth. Its membership is a mix of wheat and weeds -- genuine Christians and those who only seem to be so. For our purposes, we note that the parable accepts that such is the way it is, that the "sorting" will have to wait until harvest time, the final judgment.

That's helpful news, for it relieves us of the task of trying to figure out who is a "wheat" person and who is a "weed" person -- except when actual behavior reveals that a person is other than who that person appears to be. In the meantime, we should put the "sentinel" protocols into place.

Questions: In what ways can premature judgments cause harm to a community of believers? In what ways can deferred judgments allow bad situations to continue? How do we decide when to act? What does it mean to leave judgment to God, yet be proactive and faithful in protecting members of the congregation? Is it possible to allow individuals such as predators in some worship settings, yet maintain boundaries of safety? (For one answer, see "Further Discussion #1 below.)

Romans 7:22-23
"For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members." (For context, read 7:14-25.)

Paul here speaks of an inner conflict -- what we might call a "divided self," a person at war with himself. Part of him wants and wills that which is God-pleasing. Part of him wants what is self-pleasing even if that flies in face of what is God-pleasing.

When someone who is living in great wrongdoing, even criminal wrongdoing, also attends church, it's possible that such a person is merely using their church connection as "cover" for their sin/crime. We recall, for example, that the BTK killer was an active member of a Lutheran church and had been elected president of the church board. It's always possible, however, that such a person is genuinely drawn both to Christianity and to his or her evil practice. Paul found the solution to his divided self in what he called "walking according to the Spirit" (Romans 8:4-5). He was, of course, referring to the Holy Spirit, the indwelling power of God. The biggest difference that makes is that the overriding motivation and guidance the person in the Spirit receives is not from his or her human nature but from God. Thus, walking in the Spirit, we can live in a way that is pleasing to God, and life-giving to ourselves and others.

Sometimes, when we speak of being "converted" or "born again" or "deciding to follow Jesus," we are thinking only of a moment in which we change direction, but of course, that is but a beginning. Paul here talks about walking in the Spirit as allowing that moment of change to blossom into a way of life. Walking in the Spirit means that we listen to God's direction within us, and that's like having an internal sentinel.

It's always possible that a person's divided self is pathological, which may preclude any real inner struggle, but many wrongdoers also feel the pull of righteousness.

Questions: When we feel pulled both ways, how can we give "walking according to the Spirit" the edge over "walking according to the flesh"? Should understanding our own sinful nature shape the way we treat or prejudge others? Is safety of those for whom we are stewards more important than inclusion?

Ephesians 6:18
"Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints." (No additional context needed.)

"Saints" as used by Paul in this verse refers not to especially holy people, but to believers in Christ -- in effect, church members. Most of us are good about praying for our fellow members when they are sick or have some obvious calamity, but Paul is here talking about praying for them in general, which would include supplications for their spiritual well-being. He was aware that simply being part of the church was no guarantee of spiritual health.

Question: What spiritual matter might you want others to pray about on your behalf?

For Further Discussion

1. We know of a church where an adult member admitted to the pastor that he felt sexually drawn toward children. He said he had never acted on that impulse, so there was nothing for the pastor to report to authorities, but the man also said that he wanted to continue to attend the church. The pastor agreed that he could, but only if the man would agree to having a small support group of men informed about his predilection toward children and allow a volunteer from that group to stay with him in church each Sunday -- including when the man used the restroom. Also, he was to consider the children's-ministry parts of the building off limits. The man agreed, and the arrangement has worked successfully, with the volunteers considering their time with this man as part of their personal ministries. What do you think of this arrangement? Should something different have been done? Why?

2. Tell why you agree or disagree with this statement (summarized from various sources): When a church member is a sexual predator, the wrongdoing itself is his or her own sin. But if other church members learn of it and do nothing, it becomes an institutional sin as well. It is also an institutional sin when the church has put no safeguards in place.

Responding to the News

This is a good time to review what proactive child-protection protocols your congregation has in place.  

Other News This Week

Mob Mentality on a School Bus, and on a Donor Website

In a 10-minute video posted on YouTube by a middle schooler, entitled "Making the Bus Monitor Cry," four 7th graders taunt 23-year-veteran-school bus monitor Karen Klein, saying, "You don't have a family because they all killed themselves because they didn't want to be near you." (Klein's son committed suicide 10 years ago.) One boy pokes Klein's arm with a book, saying if he were to stab her, his knife would go through her "like butter."

Reaction to the video, which has gone viral, was immediate and overwhelming. Overnight, written apologies were issued by the boys, who have received death threats and face possible suspension from school for the coming school year.

Over $650,000 poured in to an online website from 29,000 individual donors across the globe to fund vacation trips and an early retirement for the 68-year-old grandmother of eight, who refused to press charges. "I feel kinda bad for them and their families because of what's going on," she said. "They're being harassed terribly, and I don't like that. I don't want any harm to come to them."

Humanity, Twain wrote, is "governed by minorities, seldom or never by majorities. It suppresses its feelings and its beliefs and follows the handful that makes the most noise. Sometimes the noisy handful is right, sometimes wrong; but no matter, the crowd follows it."

Commentator Alexandra Petri wrote: "The Internet creates mobs just as surely as the backs of buses. It is simply that the mob can swing both ways. The test of character is not what you do when no one is watching. It is what you do when everyone is watching. It's as Twain said. For every noisy handful there are 29,000 who are kind -- or would be. If only you could remember this on the bus, at the time. If only they weren't so quiet. In the meantime, we're all sorry."

The links:

Karen Klein the Bus Monitor and the Noisy Handful. Washington Post
Bullying and the Limits of "Turn the Other Cheek." Christianity Today
Bullied Bus Monitor Thankful for Support, Pleads for Threats to Stop. Yahoo! News
Karen Klein Responds to Apologies, Says Boys "Can Do Better." Huffington Post
On Bullying: Resources and Questions for Writing or Discussion. New York Times

Some Questions and Bible Verses

1. Have you ever been the target of a bully? Describe that experience. How did you handle the situation? How did the experience change you?

2. Have you ever bullied someone? How did the experience change you?

3. Have you ever witnessed someone being cruel or mean to someone who was different? How did you react? Did you do anything about it? Why or why not? What were the consequences of your action or inaction? Have you witnessed "people being mean or cruel" online? Have you joined in? Is it easier to gossip or bully online than it would be face-to-face with the victim? How can the use of social media "echo and amplify" bullying? Do you agree with the statement "There is no such thing as an innocent bystander when it comes to bullying"?

4. How do the following Scriptures apply?

"First of all you must understand this, that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and indulging their own lusts." (2 Peter 3:3)

"Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers ..." (Psalm 1:1)

"Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. ... All of them said, 'Let him be crucified!' Then he asked, 'Why, what evil has he done?' But they shouted all the more, 'Let him be crucified!'" (Matthew 27:20-23)

4. Can a bully learn empathy? Is there hope for a bully to be transformed? What is a suitable punishment for a bully? Being required to apologize to your victim? Suspension from school? Death?

"Scoffers do not like to be rebuked; they will not go to the wise." (Proverbs 15:12)

"Condemnation is ready for scoffers, and flogging for the backs of fools." (Proverbs 19:29)

5. "Just as disturbing as these cruel taunts ... is that Klein never responds. An adult with the clear authority in the situation (ironically, bus monitors are hired precisely to stop bullies), Klein stays seated, eventually crying," Katelyn Beaty observed in Christianity Today. "I wonder ... if Klein sat passively because she had come to believe, somewhere along the way, that good people 'rise above' extreme personal offense and brush off insults. Or, in Christian parlance, that they 'turn the other cheek.' Biblical scholars understand Jesus' command as a warning against letting anger and the urge to retaliate consume a victim of mistreatment. Explicitly countering the 'eye for an eye' teaching his original listeners know well, Jesus is outlawing revenge. ... But self-defense and revenge are not the same. Unlike revenge, which lowers the victim's dignity to the level of the abuser, self-defense preserves the victim's dignity, showing the abuser that the victim won't stoop to their level or passively forbear such evil. Instead, the victim becomes a person with agency -- the kind of person God created him or her to be -- who loves herself enough to refuse such hatred." What options did Klein have that she did not exercise on the school bus that might have resulted in a different outcome?

6. What does the following Scripture mean in a situation like this?

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile." (Matthew 5:38-41)

Closing Prayer

We pray, O Lord, for all victims of sexual abuse, that they may find fullness of life beyond the abuse. We pray, O Lord, for all sexual abusers, that they might find the will and strength to desist. We pray, O Lord, for all victims of bullies, that they may not be damaged by the bullying. We pray, O Lord, for all bullies, that they may find constructive uses for their power. We pray, O Lord, for churches, that they may be safe sanctuaries of healing and hope. In Jesus' name. Amen.
 

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