If Gold Rusts

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"If Gold Rusts . . . "
By Joe E. Trull

That, if gold rust, what shall poor iron do?
For if the priest be foul, in whom we trust,
What wonder if a layman yield to lust?

Chaucer, in his Canterbury Tales, raises the question of ministerial ethics. Moral failures in the ministry are all too common today. Recently I learned that two of my best students in Christian ethics had resigned their churches and were divorcing their spouses—both due to moral failures.

In my first three full-time pastorates, covering a period of twenty years, I was forced to deal with sexual misconduct by ministerial staff—three cases in one of them. As I talk to other ministers, I find my experience is not out of the ordinary.

The present crisis in ministerial ethics, particularly sexual misconduct, is both a reflection of our age, as well as an influence on our society. Teaching a course in ministerial ethics since 1986, as well as co-authoring a textbook on the subject, has made me acutely aware of the large numbers of ministers guilty of sexual abuse. Many are immediately terminated. Others are protected and defended by well meaning but naïve parishioners, who often enforce a "code of silence" which allows the abuse to continue.

About the time I began a sabbatical in 1998, the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission (CLC) began an extensive study of the problem. I was asked to serve as a consultant for a large and competent convention committee, who investigated the issue of Clergy Sexual Abuse (CSA) to determine how the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) should assist churches, victims, perpetrators, and their families.

Our task was monumental. We listened to victims share their stories. We discovered the depth and breadth of the problem. Lay leaders and churches told of the aftermath in their congregations and communities. Counselors explained the damage done by CSA and the complexity of therapy. Legal questions frightened the convention lawyers.

After nearly two years, the CLC is ready to report to the BGCT annual meeting this month. Response teams will be available to churches needing help. The BGCT will subsidize counseling for survivors, perpetrators, and family members. A packet of educational materials and other resources are also available.

The first articles in this issue present two of the four pamphlets produced, as well as a sexual code of ethics presented to the BGCT in 1999. I hope this trilogy will help ministers, churches, lay leaders, perpetrators, and survivors to understand the problem and to realize that help is available.

Clergy sexual abuse is a serious problem in all churches. Most other denominations are far ahead of Baptists in facing the issue. It is time for us to act also.

Cries from the Grandstand

Many of you are writing, calling, and e-mailing good suggestions. I am listening and will do my best to respond. Please remember, however, that this is a one-person operation: no secretary and no staff. Without the wonderful assistance of Audra and Marilyn (who type and proof-read), Randy the layout man in Des Moines, Etheridge Printing in Dallas, and James Kim (our mailer in Dallas), the Journal would never be.

A common request is for more diversity. This issue has Bill Moyer`s recent commencement address to the University of Texas grads (a monumental statement on American society), excellent sermons by two women (one an African-American), and a preview of Foy Valentine`s dream taking shape (told by a Kentuckian turned Texan now living in Waco). How`s that for diversity?

Some of our readers are still confused about the future. As the last issue and the back cover seek to explain, CET is no longer a part of the Center now located at Baylor. Dr. Kruschwitz defines the role of the Center in his article and the new journal he will publish next year-it will be different from CET. God willing, and finances permitting, we plan to continue publishing CET as a unique voice for Christian ethics today.

Some have called or written asking, "What can I do to help during the transition?"

Spread the word. Tell your friends and acquaintances about CET-our mission is to promote the cause of Christian ethics as widely as possible. I will be at the Texas Baptist Convention in Corpus Christi October 30-31 at the CLC Booth-come by and visit, bring a friend, and pick up some of our past issues.

Help us keep the costs down. I know this sounds mundane, but as the bookkeeper I am acutely aware of the various expenses of the Journal. If you move, please send a change of address. The post office charges $1.50 each for returns-we will spend about $100 this month just for address changes.

If you can help us financially, please do. For our 2500 subscribers, the Journal costs about $10,000-$12,000 per issue-about $4-5 per copy, or $24-30 per year. Every gift is deeply appreciated. More than ever before, your financial support is "greatly needed, urgently solicited, and genuinely appreciated."

Coming in December