Abuse in the Church Happens Because We Let It

We do not know how to talk about abuse – especially when the abuse is sexual, especially when the abuse happens to children, especially when the perpetrator is someone we know, trust, and love.

Daniel Lavery recently disclosed that his father, Menlo Church pastor John Ortberg Jr., knowingly encouraged his son and Lavery's brother, confessed pedophile John Ortberg III, to spend unsupervised time with the congregation’s children. Lavery, co-founder of erstwhile feminist darling The Toast and host of Slate’s Dear Prudence, reported his father’s negligence to Menlo Church elders in November of last year.