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	Churches Are 'Target-Rich Environments' Because of Trust in Superiors By Lawrence Buser Commercial Appeal April 7, 2010 http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/apr/07/all-faiths-must-fight-scourge-churches-are-rich/ While sexual abuse in the Catholic Church has been well documented over the past four decades, it is hardly the only religious denomination with such a problem, counselors and educators say. Churches of every faith can be "target-rich environments" where the faithful are often nonbelievers when considering whether child sex abuse could happen in their congregation, according to experts. In church, they say, sex offenders who may act as youth counselors or nursery volunteers have access to children and the ill-placed trust of adults. Sex offenders always lead double lives. The more conservative the church and the more emphasis placed on authority, the more likely that sex abuse will occur, said Rev. Tim Alexander, a Church of Christ minister from Nashville. Child victims will submit to that authority and adult church members are less inclined to believe that a church leader could commit such an act, said Alexander, who spoke at a workshop in Germantown on sex abuse in the church community. "Silence and secrets are the fuel of sexual abuse," Alexander said, adding that abusers can be forgiven but also should be dealt with sternly by their church. "Forgiveness and consequences are not enemies. Don't let anyone sell you that soap. Most people just want it to go away." More than 100 preachers, counselors, youth ministers, day care providers and others turned out in January for the workshop at Kingsway Christian Church in Germantown. The workshop's title was "Protecting the Flock: Preventing Child Sexual Abuse in the Faith Community." In an introductory film titled "The Sacred Secret," participants were told that typically 3perecnt to 10 percent of congregants in any church are touched by sex abuse and that a common response by church leaders is to forgive the offender and act as if nothing happened. "This is such a difficult topic," Verna Wyatt, executive director of Nashville-based You Have the Power, told the audience. "People don't want to talk about it. I'm really proud of the (Kingsway) church for stepping up on this. Thank you for wanting to be a solution to this horrible problem." Indeed, the program was both informative and disturbing. A series of short documentaries featured interviews with a woman who was abused by her churchgoing father in her early teen years; a man who was raped by a priest he admired and trusted; an imprisoned former priest, Ed McKeown; and an imprisoned youth pastor whose adolescent victims numbered more than 100. "Church people are gullible," said the youth minister, whose name was not given. "They want to believe in good and that these things don't happen." David Brown of Memphis, who was featured in one documentary, also was a member on the workshop's discussion panel. The paralegal and private investigator recounted how a Catholic priest he admired had "groomed" him with special attention before making him a sexual conquest as a teenager in 1961 near Nashville. Brown said the experience filled him with guilt, caused his grades to drop, changed his plan about becoming a priest and left him unable to let others get close to him. "I used to have nightmares where I'd feel his whiskers against my cheek and smell his smoky breath (from cigarettes) as he raped me," Brown said, pausing several times as he spoke. "I still have nightmares once in awhile, but not as often as I used to." He told the audience he was unable to talk about it or to seek counseling until 1996, after three marriages. Church officials in Nashville, he said, offered him little sympathy when he finally told them about the priest, who has since died. "My perp died in 1979 so I never got to confront him," Brown said. "I had to sign a confidentiality agreement (for the church) to pay for counseling. "If anyone here tonight has been abused and hasn't told anyone, please come see one of us (on the panel) tonight after the program. It's so important not to keep it locked up inside." Abuse in school School settings also are fertile grounds for sex offenders, according to national studies. A 2006 study by Hofstra University education professor Charol Shakeshaft found that nearly 10 percent of public school students have been targeted with unwanted sexual attention by school employees. Shakeshaft said her research shows that some 290,000 students were subjected to sexual abuse -- ranging from unwanted sexual comments to rape -- by a public school employee between 1991 and 2000. By comparison, the Jay Report released by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops found 10,667 youths were sexually mistreated by priests from 1950 to 2002.
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