One Abuser: Countless Wounded.

How much damage can one man do?

One serial abuser can do a lot of damage.  By the time a local church is aware of the abuse and moved the person out many persons have been wounded.

Most organizations cannot expose the abuser (Ephesians 5:11) and must settle for deactivating their influence in the setting they can control.  A local church sometimes can remove a minister from their position of authority but often cannot, or choose not to, expose the abuse and the abuser.

Not exposing the abuser has several benefits to a congregation.  You avoid damaging publicity.  You avoid alienating many church members and possibly losing membership.  You protect the victims who may not want any exposure.  You keep the peace.

Ralph Rutledge was blocked from the Pentecostal Assemblies (PAOC) of Canada.  At the time of his discipline his involvement appeared to be in one homosexual relationship.

In Chapter 20 of Demons in the Sanctuary an insider gives the fuller story.  “He was fired by his last church for his involvement with a young man in his congregation.  Our organization offered to pay all expenses if he would enter serious counseling but instead he chose to try and split the church with a telephone campaign.”

The insider was the speaker at a woman’s ministry meeting at Good Shepherd Church.  She prayed with Mira (Marion Bellamy) and then it turns out this woman know a lot about Rutherford: “I know that he was asked if that was the only incident that had occurred and he assured them it was, but later, it was learned that many such incidents had occurred.  He has left countless broken, wounded people in his wake from one end of the country to the other.”  (Demons in the Sanctuary, page 253).

Unless an abuser is exposed other congregations and other Christians are vulnerable.  There are many reasons why full disclosure and full exposure of an abuser is not practiced.  However, until that exposure happens the abuser is free to continue to abuse and to add to the many wounded people whose future in ministry, in intimate relationships, in relationship with God and the church will be deeply hindered.

It is on behalf of the wounded and their families, on behalf of the Bride of Christ and to protect other ‘victims’ that this blog is written.  My wish is that healing of the wounded may begin.  But first the lion must be caged.

I intend no ill toward Ralph Rutledge.  Both he and I will answer to God and give an account one day.  As a shepherd of God’s flock I have sounded a warning to protect the sheep.  My hope, is that in God’s eyes that will be good.  I care enough about Ralph Rutledge refuse to treat him as a 'Golden Boy' who can do no wrong and I respect him enough as a man to hold him accountable and to invite him to make peace with God. 

I believe he is big enough to hear what I am saying, take a look at himself and then turn to God.  I believe God loves Rutledge enough to provide the grace of godly repentance needed  if and when Ralph is ready.  

It is all part of being a man of God.  It is all about acting under the anointing of the Spirit and with courage, wisdom and love - 2 Timothy 1:7.

(By the way, Demons in the Sanctuary, is based very precisely on a particular time that Ralph Rutledge was facing down the church board at the Good Shepherd Church.  The story is told by the secretary of the board.  It is a story of their gradual learning about his character, attitude and behaviour and then dealing with him.  To fulfill my duty to verify the story, I met with many of the board that are in the story.  In these meetings each one confirmed the accuracy of the accounts in the book.  They affirmed that the book accurately captures the interactions of the board with Ralph Rutledge.)