The Truth Will Set You Free
A small news story hidden deep in the paper caught my eye. A middle school teacher has been arrested and charged with child rape. She has been placed on leave. The boy decided to come forward and disclose after hearing a church sermon which urged victims of sexual abuse to speak up because “the truth will set you free.”
A small news story hidden deep in the paper caught my eye. A middle school teacher has been arrested and charged with child rape. She has been placed on leave. The boy decided to come forward and disclose after hearing a church sermon which urged victims of sexual abuse to speak up because “the truth will set you free.”
Indeed it will. This is one of those occasional moments when I am proud to be a person of faith and a preacher. I am reminded of Vaclav Havel’s assertion: “Hope isn’t about believing we can change things; hope is about believing that what we do matters.” As people of faith, what we do matters. As preachers, what we say matters. It especially matters to the one in three females and one in seven males listening to us who were sexually abused before the age of eighteen. Whether it is the middle school child currently being abused by his teacher or the eighty year old who has never told anyone what her uncle did to her, the voice from the pulpit announcing that “the truth will set you free” may make all the difference in their lives.
It is the job of the faith leader to name the unmentionable sins and then to listen to the story that has been waiting to be told. We have an opportunity to lighten the burden of guilt, shame and confusion that so many survivors of sexual abuse and assault carry. We can’t undo what was done to this person, but we can contribute to the healing process for them.
So kudos to all of you faith leaders out there who, when you preach or teach, open the door for survivors to disclose their experiences in a place that will honor that experience and walk alongside them. You can rest assured that whenever you preach about sexual or domestic violence, there are people listening who needed to hear your message.
If this is a new area for you to consider, check out some of the sermons on our website for ideas how to wade into these waters.
Rev. Dr. Marie M. Fortune
FaithTrust Institute
www.faithtrustinstitute.org
