http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org daily 1 2010-02-13T01:04:25Z http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/blog/marie-fortune/82 Last Sunday I preached at my local church, and I am attaching a summary version of my sermon here. I am speaking as a Christian pastor to my fellow Christians. During this season of Ramadan, a primary holiday for Muslims, and with “Islamophobia” being stoked by demagogues, Christians must speak up. These are dangerous times. No publisher MMukai Current Events 2010-08-27T17:43:48Z Blog Entry http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/blog/marie-fortune/81 Pastors Daniel and Laura McCluskey from the Church on the Word in Phoenix have been arrested. The pastors were both arrested Tuesday and booked on one count each of failure to report sexual abuse. One victim of incestuous abuse disclosed to them in 2008. The pastors confronted the abusive father who admitted his abuse of his daughter but was “repentant.” The pastors counseled the victim to “forgive” her father and restore the relationship. The father allegedly stopped abusing this daughter (who then moved out) but continued to molest her younger sister. No publisher MMukai Current Events Child Abuse 2010-08-18T22:40:03Z Blog Entry http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/blog/marie-fortune/80 While I was on vacation, the Vatican came out with a significant doctrinal statement condemning the sexual abuse of children and the ordination of women. One could not help but conclude that these were somehow related. So I was worried that you intended to send the message that the crime of sexual abuse of a child was equivalent to the doctrinal violation of ordaining women. No publisher MMukai Current Events Sexual Abuse by Clergy 2010-08-02T21:28:26Z Blog Entry http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/blog/marie-fortune/79 A baseball game is a place where boys are socialized to become men. And in a world where men’s violence against women is rampant, it is worth considering as a place to work on changing the norm of violence against women. Help the Seattle Mariners win a $200,000 Pepsi Refresh Project grant to support domestic violence work! No publisher MMukai Current Events Domestic Violence 2010-08-12T17:23:03Z Blog Entry http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/blog/marie-fortune/78 I realize it has been a bad week for you and the Vatican. First, the Belgian police raid the offices of the Belgian Council of Bishops and remove records of sexual abuse investigations. You condemn this action by the police, expressing concern for the confidentiality of victims’ records. With all due respect, is it really the victims’ records you are worried about or the accused priests’ records? No publisher MMukai Current Events Sexual Abuse by Clergy 2010-06-29T22:13:16Z Blog Entry http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/blog/marie-fortune/77 That’s right. In 1997, a fifteen-year-old girl was raped (allegedly) by Ernest Willis, an adult church member. As a result, she became pregnant. She was instructed by her pastor, Chuck Phelps, to come before the church, confess, and apologize for getting pregnant, and then she was kicked out of Trinity Baptist Church in Concord, NH. No publisher MMukai Current Events Sexual Violence 2010-06-28T22:07:15Z Blog Entry http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/blog/marie-fortune/76 This story caught my attention last week. This is how the defense attorney described his client’s murder of his former girlfriend. No publisher MMukai Current Events 2010-05-21T23:18:27Z Blog Entry http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/blog/marie-fortune/75 I’m so glad you seem to be finding my advice helpful as you move to respond to the growing crisis over sexual abuse in the church. Your comments this week suggest that your understanding has deepened and your analysis is more on target. No publisher MMukai Current Events Sexual Violence Sexual Abuse by Clergy 2010-06-30T22:45:50Z Blog Entry http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/blog/marie-fortune/74 I don’t know if you follow the National Football League in the U.S., but I think you will be interested in this. No publisher MMukai Current Events Sexual Violence 2010-06-18T19:33:46Z Blog Entry http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/blog/marie-fortune/73 I’m still waiting for your call, but in the meantime, I’m quite happy to provide you with a free consultation because it’s so important that you get this right. So let me suggest some fine tuning to your efforts this past week. Please pass this memo on to your PR people. No publisher MMukai Current Events Child Abuse Sexual Abuse by Clergy 2010-06-18T19:34:50Z Blog Entry http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/blog/marie-fortune/72 As the crisis erupts again in Europe and the U.S. with serious questions being raised about the Pope himself, one has to wonder if the men in charge have learned anything in the past 20 years. It would appear not. If the Vatican were to ask me for advice on how to handle this situation (which they will not), here are my ten steps to justice and healing. No publisher MMukai Current Events Child Abuse Sexual Abuse by Clergy 2010-06-18T19:35:43Z Blog Entry http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/blog/marie-fortune/71 Last week, Charles Parsons murdered his wife during a couples’ counseling session at Calvary Lutheran Church south of Seattle. He turned himself in and has been charged with first-degree murder and assault. No publisher MMukai Current Events Domestic Violence 2010-03-24T00:23:21Z Blog Entry http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/blog/marie-fortune/68 Why did I watch Tiger Woods statement to the press today? I guess because I continue to be intrigued by how high profile public figures address their misconduct publicly. No publisher MMukai Current Events 2010-03-17T20:11:13Z Blog Entry http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/blog/marie-fortune/67 Much has already been said about the sheer stupidity of Pat Robertson’s “pastoral” response to the tragedy of the Haiti earthquake and I will not bother to repeat. No publisher MMukai Current Events 2010-03-12T22:20:45Z Blog Entry http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/blog/marie-fortune/66 I grew up a white Christian girl in the segregated South. I remember the beginning of integration of our schools in junior high and of my local United Methodist Church. No publisher MMukai Current Events 2010-03-12T22:21:27Z Blog Entry