When the Church Sides With the Abuser
The cook at my Christian co-op had a dark secret.
This story was submitted anonymously.
Warning: contains references to child sexual abuse.
In my freshman year of university I lived in a co-operative house for young Christian men.
It was like a fraternity without the parties. All 50+ of us slept in two big bunk rooms so we couldn’t invite people over for sex. We did all the chores ourselves.
There was only one position for which we hired someone from outside the house: the head cook. We assisted him in preparing meals on a rotating schedule.
I thought John (not his real name) was a pretty cool guy at first. He was a musician, in his early 40s, lighthearted and funny. I enjoyed learning how to prepare food and listening to his music while we worked.
John worked with us for a few months; then he was gone.
I didn’t know if he quit or was fired. Turns out, the reason for his departure was that he admitted to sexually abusing a foster child in his care six years earlier.
It was a 12-year-old boy. A boy who John knew had been sexually abused before coming into his care. He also abused this boy’s friend, who was under 14 as well.
