What lessons can the clergy sex abuse crisis draw from a 4th-century church schism?

[Disir]

A string of sex abuse scandals have rocked Christian communities recently: In the Roman Catholic Church, revelations related to sex abuse by priests continue to unfold across the globe. Within the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S., media reports have brought into public view allegations of sexual abusedating back decades.

These scandals stand alongside abuses by prominent male church officials that have occurred in independent Christian communities, such as Harvest Bible Chapel, Willow Creek Community Church and Mars Hill Church.

Such scandals have led to widespread doubts about church officials and institutions. And this is not for the first time. As a scholar of early Christianity, I know that in the fourth century, Christian churches in North Africa faced a similar crisis of trust in their leaders.

Known as the Donatist controversy, it caused a schism that lasted for centuries and offers a parallel for thinking about the impact of these crises on contemporary Christian communities today.

Traitors during Christian persecution
Christians in the Roman Empire occasionally experienced periods of imperial persecution. These periods were often memorialized in Christian tradition through stories of famous martyrdoms. The stories often portrayed Christians as courageous and virtuous in the face of imperial violence.
What lessons can the clergy sex abuse crisis draw from a 4th-century church schism?

I'm familiar with the Donatist controversy.

 

[LittleNipper]

Matthew 18:6 "If anyone causes one of these little ones--those who believe in me--to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

 

[tyroneweaver]

If it wasn't for priest committing these acts, the democrats would make perping legal.

 

[DOTR]

A string of sex abuse scandals have rocked Christian communities recently: In the Roman Catholic Church, revelations related to sex abuse by priests continue to unfold across the globe. Within the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S., media reports have brought into public view allegations of sexual abusedating back decades.

These scandals stand alongside abuses by prominent male church officials that have occurred in independent Christian communities, such as Harvest Bible Chapel, Willow Creek Community Church and Mars Hill Church.

Such scandals have led to widespread doubts about church officials and institutions. And this is not for the first time. As a scholar of early Christianity, I know that in the fourth century, Christian churches in North Africa faced a similar crisis of trust in their leaders.

Known as the Donatist controversy, it caused a schism that lasted for centuries and offers a parallel for thinking about the impact of these crises on contemporary Christian communities today.

Traitors during Christian persecution
Christians in the Roman Empire occasionally experienced periods of imperial persecution. These periods were often memorialized in Christian tradition through stories of famous martyrdoms. The stories often portrayed Christians as courageous and virtuous in the face of imperial violence.
What lessons can the clergy sex abuse crisis draw from a 4th-century church schism?

I'm familiar with the Donatist controversy.

Some of these schisms were as deep and as widespread as the one bereeen Catholics and Protestants today. And now they are just historical curiosities.
What do you think of the simmering schism over Ukraine going on right now in the East? Potentially this is catastrophic if no solution is found is found.

 

[Disir]

A string of sex abuse scandals have rocked Christian communities recently: In the Roman Catholic Church, revelations related to sex abuse by priests continue to unfold across the globe. Within the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S., media reports have brought into public view allegations of sexual abusedating back decades.

These scandals stand alongside abuses by prominent male church officials that have occurred in independent Christian communities, such as Harvest Bible Chapel, Willow Creek Community Church and Mars Hill Church.

Such scandals have led to widespread doubts about church officials and institutions. And this is not for the first time. As a scholar of early Christianity, I know that in the fourth century, Christian churches in North Africa faced a similar crisis of trust in their leaders.

Known as the Donatist controversy, it caused a schism that lasted for centuries and offers a parallel for thinking about the impact of these crises on contemporary Christian communities today.

Traitors during Christian persecution
Christians in the Roman Empire occasionally experienced periods of imperial persecution. These periods were often memorialized in Christian tradition through stories of famous martyrdoms. The stories often portrayed Christians as courageous and virtuous in the face of imperial violence.
What lessons can the clergy sex abuse crisis draw from a 4th-century church schism?

I'm familiar with the Donatist controversy.

Some of these schisms were as deep and as widespread as the one bereeen Catholics and Protestants today. And now they are just historical curiosities.
What do you think of the simmering schism over Ukraine going on right now in the East? Potentially this is catastrophic if no solution is found is found.

It's a wrap. If you have a priest in the Ukraine that is telling you to pray for Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and Russian soldiers instead of your own son in a war then it's not going to work.

Besides it's only been about 300 years.

 

[DOTR]

A string of sex abuse scandals have rocked Christian communities recently: In the Roman Catholic Church, revelations related to sex abuse by priests continue to unfold across the globe. Within the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S., media reports have brought into public view allegations of sexual abusedating back decades.

These scandals stand alongside abuses by prominent male church officials that have occurred in independent Christian communities, such as Harvest Bible Chapel, Willow Creek Community Church and Mars Hill Church.

Such scandals have led to widespread doubts about church officials and institutions. And this is not for the first time. As a scholar of early Christianity, I know that in the fourth century, Christian churches in North Africa faced a similar crisis of trust in their leaders.

Known as the Donatist controversy, it caused a schism that lasted for centuries and offers a parallel for thinking about the impact of these crises on contemporary Christian communities today.

Traitors during Christian persecution
Christians in the Roman Empire occasionally experienced periods of imperial persecution. These periods were often memorialized in Christian tradition through stories of famous martyrdoms. The stories often portrayed Christians as courageous and virtuous in the face of imperial violence.
What lessons can the clergy sex abuse crisis draw from a 4th-century church schism?

I'm familiar with the Donatist controversy.

Some of these schisms were as deep and as widespread as the one bereeen Catholics and Protestants today. And now they are just historical curiosities.
What do you think of the simmering schism over Ukraine going on right now in the East? Potentially this is catastrophic if no solution is found is found.

It's a wrap. If you have a priest in the Ukraine that is telling you to pray for Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and Russian soldiers instead of your own son in a war then it's not going to work.

Besides it's only been about 300 years.

Its not good. Now the Montenegrin and Macedonian Churches will want the same thing. A Pan-Orthodox Council would seem the only solution but the Russians say they will never attend one called by Bartholomew and Bartholomew has ruled it out anyhow...if he even still has that power.
Maybe we are in for a sort pf "Avigon Patriarchy" in the "third Rome".

 

[Disir]

A string of sex abuse scandals have rocked Christian communities recently: In the Roman Catholic Church, revelations related to sex abuse by priests continue to unfold across the globe. Within the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S., media reports have brought into public view allegations of sexual abusedating back decades.

These scandals stand alongside abuses by prominent male church officials that have occurred in independent Christian communities, such as Harvest Bible Chapel, Willow Creek Community Church and Mars Hill Church.

Such scandals have led to widespread doubts about church officials and institutions. And this is not for the first time. As a scholar of early Christianity, I know that in the fourth century, Christian churches in North Africa faced a similar crisis of trust in their leaders.

Known as the Donatist controversy, it caused a schism that lasted for centuries and offers a parallel for thinking about the impact of these crises on contemporary Christian communities today.

Traitors during Christian persecution
Christians in the Roman Empire occasionally experienced periods of imperial persecution. These periods were often memorialized in Christian tradition through stories of famous martyrdoms. The stories often portrayed Christians as courageous and virtuous in the face of imperial violence.
What lessons can the clergy sex abuse crisis draw from a 4th-century church schism?

I'm familiar with the Donatist controversy.

Some of these schisms were as deep and as widespread as the one bereeen Catholics and Protestants today. And now they are just historical curiosities.
What do you think of the simmering schism over Ukraine going on right now in the East? Potentially this is catastrophic if no solution is found is found.

It's a wrap. If you have a priest in the Ukraine that is telling you to pray for Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and Russian soldiers instead of your own son in a war then it's not going to work.

Besides it's only been about 300 years.

Its not good. Now the Montenegrin and Macedonian Churches will want the same thing. A Pan-Orthodox Council would seem the only solution but the Russians say they will never attend one called by Bartholomew and Bartholomew has ruled it out anyhow...if he even still has that power.
Maybe we are in for a sort pf "Avigon Patriarchy" in the "third Rome".

It's so obviously political at this point, that it almost doesn't matter.