Thread by @tisaiahcho

Victims of spiritual abuse and racism are often told to "trust the process" of church accountability to deal with the perpetrators.

Many go through years of painstaking, drawn out, and retraumatizing formalities and procedural steps only to end up with no justice.

Not only that, but even worse, on this long road, they have lost support from friends and church family. They have had their names dragged through the mud as a "troublemaker" and "divisive." They have had to use their own time and money to get the healing they need.

The perpetrators, however, have often been able to continue in their positions uninterrupted. They have received more support and assistance. Many of them likely are still engaging in spiritual abuse and racism while "the process" is underway. Then, by the time "the

process" has reached the stage of real movement, the urgency of dealing with the sin has mostly passed. Too much time has gone by, and corporate amnesia begins to settle in. If anything, they'll get a slap on the wrist, but nothing substantive will be done to fix the sin

and prevent it from happening in the future. The seriousness of the sin has faded from the memory of most.

"The process" is not a neutral set of cogs. It is set up by, operated by, and concluded by sinners, even if in principle it is biblical. "The process" can either be

just or unjust, and when no proactive movement is made toward justice, it will always fall toward injustice like gravity.

This is why so many people have given up on "the process" of church structures of accountability for its leaders. In many cases, it just looks like punting

the problem downfield, creating time and space to aid the perpetrators from immediate consequences, and ultimately a process that ends up vindicating the unvindicateable.

If churches and denominations want to address what they consider as "outside of the process"

ways of bringing to light spiritual abuse and racism, then they first must deal with the reasons why people are going outside of the "the process." "The process" has blood on its hands and is often a second dagger in the back of the victim.

Lastly, "the process" often

deals at interpersonal levels only and fails to address systemic issues. When I brought up a systemic and repeated pattern of spiritual abuse, I was told that I should go through the process of one-on-one reconciliation with the perpetrator. I've heard of victims of domestic

abuse or sexual abuse by pastors being compelled to meet one-on-one with their abusers, and even making that a requirement of "the process!" The problem is that the issue is systemic. Not only the interpersonal, but the systemic sins of complicity must also be addressed.

Why do other church leaders know about the abuse and then have done nothing about it? Why has no one ever acted when they saw red flags? Why are certain leaders protected simply because of their giftedness when they engage in horrendous acts? Why are the victims

treated with disrespect and disbelief, and why are leaders allowing slander against their name continue unchallenged?

These are the questions that need to be addressed before we can "trust in the process." "The process" becomes trustworthy when the people operating "the

process" prove their trustworthiness and fidelity to justice, truth, and the light.