Jan 4, 2022
Stories of sexual assaults of college campuses is unfortunately more and more the norm these days - some reports suggest that every 21 hours, someone is raped on a college campus in the US, and 19 in 20 of these cases go unreported.
What about campus ministry organizations? Sadly, a recent piece details a case of forced sexual assault one member of campus ministry Young Life experienced by a student leader in the ministry - and the subsequent mishandling of the case by Young Life leadership.
We invited Naomi Wright, Director of Naomi Wright Ministries and the daughter of a pseudo–Christian cult leader, to give us more insight as to why some of the power dynamics within campus ministries and religious institutions in general may inadvertently create a culture that allows perpetration and punishes the victim rather than the perpetrator.
She also shares some thoughts as to how campus ministries can move forward to honor and disciple the individual rather than pushing an organizational agenda based on a false image. She believes this will lead to a healthier and sustainable culture for campus ministry to thrive and better accomplish its true mission of sharing Christ on campus.