Put victims’ needs first

Put victims’ needs first

I recently came across the editorial by Angela Reitsma Bick called “The Problem with Powerful Men” (CC, March 6) that discusses the harm of being too loose on our standards for men in powerful positions, particularly within the church. The article begins an extremely important and relevant conversation on power imbalances, sexual misconduct and sexism…

The problem with powerful men
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The problem with powerful men

A few years ago, I was on Council as an elder at our church. This was before the pandemic; our congregation at the time was fairly large, around 700 professing members. I am not a numbers person but I would get a copy of the budget, like everyone else. We would vote on a few…

The porn connection
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The porn connection

During the Christian Reformed Church’s Synod, I was surprised when an overture asking that clergy “curtail pornography use” didn’t pass – especially because “curtail” already sounds toothless in this context. Surely “halt all pornography use immediately” would be better? So I called the Director of Safe Church Ministry, Amanda Benckhuysen, for an explanation. The overture…

The walking wounded
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The walking wounded

“This church had a profound and positive impact on me for decades,” a former Meeting House member reflected. “I’m trying to figure out what to do with the revelations about what was going on behind the scenes. Flashes of Bruxy’s teaching will come back to me at various times and I’ll remember how positively it…

10 months of turmoil
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10 months of turmoil

On May 31, 2022, ex-Pastor Bruxy Cavey of The Meeting House (TMH) in Oakville, Ontario was charged with sexual assault by Hamilton Police and required to appear in court the end of June. He was released on conditions and a publication ban was put in place. On June 8, TMH board of directors (called “Overseers”)…

The Abuse of Words
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The Abuse of Words

There are at least three different characterizations of the wrongdoing that has left The Meeting House megachurch without its Teaching Pastors. A three-month third-party investigation into the allegations of sexual misconduct against pastor Bruxy Cavey has determined that he is guilty of abusing his pastoral power and authority and this misconduct amounted to sexual harassment….