Is the church failing to help victims?

A testimony from Rachael Denhollander is claiming that the church is failing to help

Denhollander was the first woman to publicly accuse Dr. Larry Nassar of sexual assault. The former team USA Gymnastics doctor pleaded guilty in November 2017 to 10 counts of first-degree criminal sexual contact.

Evangelical church on sexual abuse victims

Before coming out to tell her story, she turned to the church. As an evangelical Christian, she hoped that her community would be able to provide the much-needed support required during this trying time.

Denhollander says she was disappointed by what she got. She shares her experience while speaking with Christianity Today’s Morgan Lee.

In her words, “Church is one of the least safe places to acknowledge abuse because the way it is counseled is, more often than not, damaging to the victim.

“There is an abhorrent lack of knowledge for the damage and devastation that sexual assault brings. It is with deep regret that I say the church is one of the worst places to go for help.”

She goes on to say that the church lacks the proper tools to treat sexual abuse victims, adding that church teachings are sometimes used to “mitigate and to minimize” victims’ suffering.

″[Christians] can tend to gloss over the devastation of any kind of suffering but especially sexual assault, with Christian platitudes like God, works all things together for good or God is sovereign,” she told Christianity Today.

“Those are very good and glorious biblical truths, but when they are misapplied in a way to dampen the horror of evil, they ultimately dampen the goodness of God.”

Her interview was titled: “My Larry Nassar Testimony Went Viral. But There’s More to the Gospel Than Forgiveness.”

ALSO READ: Would you still support your pastor if he was accused of sexually assaulting a church member?

Her sexual abuse story

Denhollander initially went public with her accusations against Nassar in The Indianapolis Star in September 2016.

Over time, about 150 people have also come out with their own allegations of sexual abuse against the former USA Gymnastics doctor.

Based on these charges of abusing young athletes while claiming to give medical treatment, he has been sentenced to at least 175 years in jail.

She currently works as a lawyer in Kentucky, helping out other sexual abuse victims.

Is the church failing to help victims?

A testimony from Rachael Denhollander is claiming that the church is failing to help

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