Reporting sexual abuse (1): The fatal misuse of Matthew 18
Prof. Barry Gritters addresses the critical misapplication of Matthew 18 in cases of sexual abuse, arguing that victims should not be required to confront abusers privately before reporting. The article emphasizes the necessity of reporting abuse to protect victims, perpetrators, and the church community, grounding this position in both exegetical and historical analysis of Scripture's teaching on church discipline.
There exists among some a misunderstanding about the application of Matthew 18 to cases of sexual abuse so serious that it may be fatal. There, Jesus instructs one who has been sinned against to "tell him (the sinner) his fault between thee and him alone." It is a wrong, dangerous, and maybe fatal application of Matthew 18 to require one who has been abused sexually to confront the abuser privately before reporting the sin to anyone else, if at all. To address this shameful sin again on these...
Full article available on sb.rfpa.org