Thread by @hlgriffin

@writer_dee Salty the Tweeting Burn Book only comes out to burn leaders like @StewartRuch who have been given opportunities to learn and do the right thing & refuse.

The Stew Crew was given endless opportunities by people who loved them & were willing to move past previous horrible mistakes

@writer_dee @StewartRuch If ever any clueless, well-intentioned knuckleheaded had a chance to come out of this looking like a hero, it was
@StewartRuch.

Instead, his sentimentality about his sincerity & his obstinate refusal to listen & repent have led to his exposure.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch The plan is to avoid having to get Salty, because I actually don't like being salty.

We want @The_ACNA to listen to people who know what they are talking about- survivors, experts on trauma-informed & survivor-sensitive care, pastors/deacons who are awesome at pastoral care...

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA We want @The_ACNA to listen to the wonderful leaders who have been talking to us about these things for a long time, like @scotmcknight & @kristenmcknight & @laurambarringer & @BpToddHunter & all the other people I don't even know about b/c I'm kinda a Bad Anglican.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter We want everyone in @The_ACNA to have godly sorrow that leads to repentance.
We don't want sentimental sincerity & complacent recognition of each other's good intentions. We can't rest easy if we are sincere b/c it is NOT evidence that we are NOT part of the problem.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter We want this to be a wake-up call for @The_ACNA .

We want our leaders to know that they don't get to make the call anymore about when it is okay to rest & say "good enough."

The people that the leaders HAVEN'T been listening to, like our @ACNAtoo survivors, get to say "when."

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter @ACNAtoo We want our leaders to know that we aren't going to trust that you are listening to Jesus on our behalf anymore if you continue to demonstrate that you aren't listening to the people who Jesus told us to love, protect, and serve.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter @ACNAtoo We want you to know that we don't think you are bad people, though we don't think it's implausible that there are bad people who have been able to stay among you because they had a great Sincere Pastor Face.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter @ACNAtoo We want you to know that most mistakes are fixable if you don't minimize them or avoid learning from them.

The mistakes that the @ACNAtoo survivors from @MidwestAnglican were willing to move on from if there was repentance and repair after months of repeated pleas were doozies.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter @ACNAtoo @MidwestAnglican We want leaders to know that we really are not interested in publicly shaming them.

We also aren't interested in letting you hide and cover each other's shame without changing things.

We want you to own your mistakes & become people who don't make those mistakes anymore.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter @ACNAtoo @MidwestAnglican That means more than "I'm sincerely grieved." It means you get training.

Some of y'all were given Maturity Badges for no particularly good reason.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter @ACNAtoo @MidwestAnglican Personally, I don't think that's only your fault. I think that's a problem with the standards of our leaders who distribute Maturity Badges.

We want @The_ACNA to raise the standards of training & character for our leaders.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter @ACNAtoo @MidwestAnglican We want it to be a normal part of @The_ACNA for people to always be growing and learning how to help.

We want to know what went wrong with pastoral care training & supervision in the @MidwestAnglican & whether that's going wrong elsewhere.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter We want @The_ACNA to know that if we here about a problem, we are going to do what the @acnatoo survivors did repeatedly: come to you first assuming your good intentions, tell you what the problem is, and tell you what it would look like for that problem to be fixed.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter @ACNAtoo We want the @The_ACNA leaders to know that we don't think you're bad people if you don't already know this stuff.

You were never asked to expected to know it.

We WOULD like to know why the people who tell you what you should know to be a leader didn't teach you these things.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter @ACNAtoo We want you to know that you are all going to get lots of chances to make things right and that there are lots of wonderful people who make mistakes because they are clueless & haven't been held to higher standards.

It doesn't mean your bad or that we don't want you.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter @ACNAtoo We just don't want to have to pretend anymore that leaders aren't causing harm just because we love them and they love us and know they mean well and didn't mean to harm us.

The congregants that you are harming shouldn't have to protect your feelings.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter @ACNAtoo We shouldn't have to pretend that everything is okay because people meant well and did the best they could.

That is not faith in Jesus. Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit so we could be empowered to grow and learn how to do well.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter @ACNAtoo We want you to know that we are just as concerned about other forms of abuse as we are about sexual abuse.

We care about systems full of nice people whose collective niceness still results in toxic systems.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter @ACNAtoo We care if you have a church in your diocese run by kind, sincere people who mean well but don't know how to do well.

We want to help you learn how to love us well because we know that most of you DO love us and DO want to do better.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter @ACNAtoo We want to know that we care about pastors who are being ground to the ground by toxic church leaders or by senior pastors.

If your diocese has a church that has a reputation for being a meat-grinder that chews up good pastors and spits them out, we want that to stop.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter @ACNAtoo We want you to know that Jesus gives us a way back from even big, shameful mistakes and that we don't reduce you to your mistakes.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter @ACNAtoo You would weep if you knew how much love and compassion our @ACNAtoo survivors have for @StewartRuch and @ChurchRez & the leaders of @MidwestAnglican.

I am in awe at how they still hold on to a compassionate & nuanced understanding of the humanity of people who have failed them

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter @ACNAtoo @ChurchRez @MidwestAnglican We just want you to live in reality.

Come into the light.

Stop pretending that things are okay.

It didn't have to be this way. It doesn't have to be this way forever.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter @ACNAtoo @ChurchRez @MidwestAnglican We want you to know that wonderful people can be deceived by predators sometimes.

It doesn't mean that the deceived people are stupid or don't know Jesus or didn't mean well.

It means we need to learn how to listen to survivors instead of protecting people that harm.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter @ACNAtoo @ChurchRez @MidwestAnglican Hold the phone, @The_ACNA bishops- You allow your parishes to abuse NDAs?

Nope.

That's gonna stop.

Include that in your policy review. We'll be waiting.

https://twitter.com/kristenmcknight/status/1413867631493488650?s=20

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter @ACNAtoo @ChurchRez @MidwestAnglican @The_ACNA members- if you know that your current or former parish uses NDAs and thinks that they are using them to provide cover for toxic leaders, just go ahead and let us know. Let us document this so we can quietly & meekly bring this to the attention of their bishops.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter @ACNAtoo @ChurchRez @MidwestAnglican Anyway, sorry about that, @kristenmcknight said something that had me feeling all Salty again.

Where was I- I was telling you all about how much Jesus loves us and gave himself for us so that we don't have to be people that cover our blemishes w/ NDA's b/c we let Jesus heal us.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter @ACNAtoo @ChurchRez @MidwestAnglican This is the start of what we want at ACNAtoo.org . There are other things, but this is the start.

We love you.

We believe Jesus knows how to help us become people that can be more like him.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter @ACNAtoo @ChurchRez @MidwestAnglican We want you to know that your bishops will be hearing from us when people come to us with their stories.

You will get a chance to make things right.

You will get a chance to look like heroes.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter @ACNAtoo @ChurchRez @MidwestAnglican If you do not clean house, we want you to know that Salty is going to get Lit and there will come a point where we will not let you hide anymore.

When we let you be in authority & hide, you misrepresent Jesus & then people don't trust him because we trusted you.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter @ACNAtoo @ChurchRez @MidwestAnglican You do not get to sacrifice our children to the family idols.

You do not get to call the @The_ACNA idols Jesus.

Because if you do, I know a guy with some She Bears.

Salty out.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter @ACNAtoo @ChurchRez @MidwestAnglican P.S. Some of y'all are sentimental about how "you're not racist."

I hope you're reading @esaumccaulley and listening to him instead of winging like a Pattersonesque Southern Baptist about CRT.

We don't have time to wait for you to grow up and be like Jesus.

@writer_dee @StewartRuch @The_ACNA @scotmcknight @kristenmcknight @laurambarringer @BpToddHunter @ACNAtoo We also want @The_ACNA to know that I'm working on my homophone problem.

"HEAR; HERE!"

We all have problems with figuring out what words to use for things. Dealing with issues like homo...phones is tricky, but maybe shouldn't be where we put our limited energy.