If the leadership wanted to incense their congregation to the point of disengaging from the church, this was the perfect plan. My opinion is speculation, however, either they didn’t think through the possible outcomes or they were so desperate to keep the events under wrap that they didn’t care about what their choices might cause. They put together what they said was biblical justification after-the-fact. I, and others around me, did not agree with their application of Scripture. So, the fuse was lit by the stroke of a pen onto a legal document.
“Yet, Prof. Lay continued to speak out on behalf of the victims to get them counseling, to help the church react properly to the predator in its midst, and to help protect children in the church from future threats.
“Is it Enough?” broke down the timeline and shed light on the dual nature of the church leadership. Instead of embracing the challenge to openly communicate with the authorities and the church body, the church leaders
brought a defamation lawsuit against the whistleblowers to shut them up or make them pay $25,000 in damages. They filed the suit not only in the name of the senior minister and elders but also in the name of the church membership.” (Taylor, Joy S., A View from the Pews — The Inside Story of a Broken Church, 2022, Lily of the Valley Publishing, Santa Claus IN, p. 62.)
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