Clergy Sexual Misconduct. John Thoburn Thoburn

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      A systems perspective is grounded in the idea that God is the God of relationship. The first name for God in Genesis is Elohim. He is the Strong One who is Many; He is in relationship with Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and He created us for the purpose of relationship with Himself and with each other. Human beings are conceived out of, born into, and develop from relationships. Ill health is related to damage or brokenness in the ecology of these relationships, resulting in a life that is unbalanced, unfocused, and disintegrated. An unbalanced life is one that is unrealistic, sheltering one’s self from real or perceived stressors through rigidity in cognitions, feelings, and behaviors (depressive or anxiety disorders), or falling into chaotic ways of relating to the world (addictive, personality, or psychotic disorders (Siegel, 2007). An unfocused life is one that is caught up in the life of the past with its regrets or wrapped up in the life of the future with wishful thinking or fears, rather than meaningfully attending to life in the here and now. Disintegration is defined by reactivity to real or perceived fears, an inability to appropriately recognize or differentiate between self and the environment (others), and concomitant attempts to control the environment (relationships with others) through manipulation and deception (the indiscriminate use of guilt, shame, and fear against self and others). Integrated health, that is balanced and focused, is born out of reconciliation with self, others, and God, forming the basis for our understanding of Christ’s work—that of reconciling the world to God, as stated in 2 Corinthians 5:19. Our understanding of Christ’s work of reconciliation is reflected in a culture of recovery that is based on the belief that redemption and restoration of relationship is possible for pastors, their families, current or former congregations served, and the denominations for whom they have worked.

      Over the years, a singular focus of working with sexual misconduct has been on treatment; however, treatment is costly, labor and time intensive, and is akin to closing the barn door after the horses have escaped. A systems paradigm moves us far beyond focusing on treatment considerations alone, to include considerations of prevention, education, spiritual formation and direction, and relationally based supportive oversight structures. More on prevention, spiritual formation, and oversight will be discussed in the next chapter. A comprehensive systems model that integrates personal and relational health, balance, and focus dynamics, imbedded in a theology of a reconciliation, is vital for addressing this complex and stubborn issue. When this holistic approach is executed effectively, it gives rise to a formidable mitigation against clergy sexual misconduct.

      Intrapersonal Context

      The story of David and Bathsheba provides a useful context for understanding the systemic nature of clergy sexual misconduct, one which recognizes the interlocking subsystems of cultural zeitgeist, personal insecurities, unrequited relationships, career burnout, and lust. The story is the quintessential cautionary tale for the Church, as the story of King David powerfully illuminates the consequences of sexual misconduct by religious leaders. (The story of David is discussed further in chapter 4). While David inhabited the role of warrior, he was paradoxically experiencing a time of peace as king. He struggled with integrating the ego-burnishing conqueror’s life with the more mundane life as head of state. The loneliness of his shepherd’s childhood and a nagging sense that he was a country rube and not royal material resulted in his inability to balance the carefully constructed theocentric life he had created with the loneliness of being king. Thus, everything David held dear disintegrated from his deep-seated insecurities and self-absorbed ambitions. Many ministers have personality factors that contribute to feelings of inadequacy. Some ministers have narcissistic features, including intense and chronic feelings of shame and rejection that manifest in low self-confidence and the need for positive input from their congregations (Francis & Baldo, 1998; Thoburn & Balswick, 1998). Insecure attachment can occur in a child when he or she lacks a sense of safety, security, and soothing in his or her life; this can lead to deregulation in the mesolimbic-cortical-dopaminergic brain system. This imbalance in brain function can motivate people to seek pleasure or self-soothing activities that involve the midbrain and limbic areas of the brain where dopamine is produced and potentially inappropriate pleasure-based activities are cultivated and reinforced (Lustyk, 2010).

      An insecure, anxious orientation to life can result in an increased need for pleasure-inducing stimulation for the release of dopamine, a feeling of misery when the dopamine-stimulating pleasurable activity is absent, and a disconnection from the prefrontal cortex and subsequent reduction in executive functions such as decision making and impulse control (Lustyk, 2010). Some ministers will go to great lengths for strokes and accolades that produce this temporal pleasure, and they may become unbalanced in their lives, devoting more time to performance-oriented ministry and less time to their marriage and СКАЧАТЬ