UNITED STATES
Our Stories Untold
by BARBRA GRABER on Aug 18, 2016
“It is very tempting to take the side of the perpetrator. All the perpetrator asks is that the bystander do nothing. [The perpetrator] appeals to the universal desire to see, hear and speak no evil. The victim, on the contrary, asks the bystander to share the burden of pain. The victim demands action, engagement and remembering.”
— Judith Herman
Sometime in the early 90’s, associate editor of the Mennonite Brethren Herald, James Coggins, was commissioned by a consortium of Mennonite and Brethren in Christ editors to write an article entitled “Should we report scandal in the Mennonite press?” It was printed in the April 1991 issue of MBH. Coggins answers the question with a resounding yes. His reasons for reporting scandal and naming names include these positive outcomes:
* Warn potential victims
* Discourage charlatans
* Enhance the credibility of the church press and the church
* Demonstrate commitment to the truth
* Help us remember who we are
* Coogins goes on to say:
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