D031 Addressing the Ongoing Harm of Coercive and Abusive Christian Ministries
Our Church, like many manifestations of Christian faith, has regretfully been complicit in coercive and abusive ministries, such as Indigenous boarding schools, homes for unwed mothers, and crisis pregnancy centers. While we have begun the work of reckoning with some of these harms, we need to recognize that there are distinct harms caused by the participation of the Church, as opposed to a secular entity. Rather than respecting the dignity of every human being, the moral authority of the Church has been used to coerce, abuse, and stigmatize people.
At the 80th General Convention, we resolved to acknowledge the intergenerational trauma caused by the “operation of Indigenous boarding schools, and other systems of white supremacy that have oppressed Indigenous peoples” and identified steps towards reconciliation (2022-A127). We also recognized the pain of forced adoptions and resolved to investigate the Church’s role further (2022-D074). However, the Church has not lamented its past support for crisis pregnancy centers (1994-D105) in the face of more recent evidence of harm, including that they provide incorrect information and pressure women to keep unplanned pregnancies. Nor has the General Convention directed OGR to speak about the harms of abusive Christian ministries and work against the normalization of these organizations. The use of charity as a coercive tool, restricting access to necessary care and support for those in need, violates the most fundamental tenets of our shared baptismal promises and Christian faith.
As a Church, we must commit to continuing the work of reconciliation and to holding ourselves accountable for that which has been done in our name.
Explanation
Our Church, like many manifestations of Christian faith, has regretfully been complicit in coercive and abusive ministries, such as Indigenous boarding schools, homes for unwed mothers, and crisis pregnancy centers. While we have begun the work of reckoning with some of these harms, we need to recognize that there are distinct harms caused by the participation of the Church, as opposed to a secular entity. Rather than respecting the dignity of every human being, the moral authority of the Church has been used to coerce, abuse, and stigmatize people.
At the 80th General Convention, we resolved to acknowledge the intergenerational trauma caused by the “operation of Indigenous boarding schools, and other systems of white supremacy that have oppressed Indigenous peoples” and identified steps towards reconciliation (2022-A127). We also recognized the pain of forced adoptions and resolved to investigate the Church’s role further (2022-D074). However, the Church has not lamented its past support for crisis pregnancy centers (1994-D105) in the face of more recent evidence of harm, including that they provide incorrect information and pressure women to keep unplanned pregnancies. Nor has the General Convention directed OGR to speak about the harms of abusive Christian ministries and work against the normalization of these organizations. The use of charity as a coercive tool, restricting access to necessary care and support for those in need, violates the most fundamental tenets of our shared baptismal promises and Christian faith.
As a Church, we must commit to continuing the work of reconciliation and to holding ourselves accountable for that which has been done in our name.