Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohio
It is the public trials that victimize the woman a second time. Defense attorneys are permitted to expose her life before all. If she is not badly battered, the attorney says it was "consensual." None of this should happen in the church, however, and especially not at a ministry like LSM. Credible witnesses and godly mature men are all that's needed.
I would think that it is far more difficult for the victim to keep silent, knowing the perpetrator gets off scot-free, and worrying who his next victim will be. This is why Paul's words are so wise and instructive concerning leaders, "those that sin rebuke before all that the rest may be warned." All are warned about sin, and all are warned about PL. Those who know the victim are now free to comfort and encourage her without shame, and those who do not know the victim's identity, still can be warned.
This makes the LC constructs of "The Work" and the "Local Ground" all the more error prone. WL and company used both paradigms to protect his darling boys. Since WL headed up "The Work," he silenced all the brothers by saying he would "take care of it." Who would dare question WL? Since discipline was supposedly governed by the matter of the "Local Ground," only Anaheim could address the problem of WL, and who was the lead elder in Anaheim, but WL. It was widely said that Anaheim was "WL's baby, since he raised her up."
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This is a great protection against wolves. Clearly the objective of a wolf is to devour the sheep. If when they get caught doing sin they are rebuked before all it shows that the other leaders are not also wolves and it protects the sheep. Since WL covered up the sins of obvious wolves like PL, then I think it is reasonable to conclude several things:
His treatment in this case violated the word of God, He did not display a care for the sheep, and He did display a oneness with the wolves.
But I believe this event is also a window into the souls of others who were involved: JI is one, RG and BP and KR are others. The idea that KR would knowingly lie in order to do the whitewash makes him one with WL in this crime. Clearly his care and concern was not with the sheep.
Likewise I find it very egregious that RG and BP could close their eyes and ears to this.