Jeff Talks about Catholic Church's Disgrace

The Catholic Church Abuse Scandal and Calls for Civil Justice

So really weird article. Let's see here. Well, let's do this one. So this was on vice, you know vice came out and did an episode on us. Vice just an article on the horrific Catholic Church sex abuse scandal is about to get a lot worse.

The horrific Catholic Church sex abuse scandal is about to get a lot worse. Quote, I think we're going to look back on this as a Martin Luther moment where someone's nailing the theses to the door.

I.

Say yeah, it's on there it's on their thing. So I'm just gonna read some of this to you guys. If you don't know there was a grand jury report that it had concluded that at least 300 priests had preyed on some 1 ,000 children across Pennsylvania since the 1940s.

Oh my goodness. It's incredible. It is it that's Pennsylvania. Friends, you know, Pennsylvania. So I'll just read some of the article to you because I think it's important to hear last week in the wake of a grand jury report that concluded at least 300 priests had preyed on some 1 ,000 children across Pennsylvania since the 1940s.

Attorney gen attorneys general in New York and New Jersey announced investigations into Catholic Church sexual abuse. Missouri Nebraska and Illinois have launched state-level probes as well and more are likely to follow.

New York went so far as to issue civil subpoenas and all eight of the of its diocese. New Jersey has created a special criminal task force to look into seven. Calling for the production of internal church documents that relate to the handling of abuse cases the diocese for their part have pledged transparency in working with investigators so this is a very very big moment and now we have all obviously become aware of past rumors or Examples of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, but this is on a whole Different scale.

Apostasy, False Gospel, and Unbiblical Priesthood

Yeah. To have one state as they did come out with the 300 priests that had preyed on some 1 ,000 children in one state and that is of course. That's not without they don't have all the information of exactly everything that happened.

So we just can't imagine where that actually leads. But yeah I think it's it's it's an important thing to finally look at and expose and tackle in terms of justice. God loves Justice and these men these men can be covered in spiritual garb saying spiritual things.

However, I mean the outside of the cup, that's right. However, where the inside is is full of bitterness and evil and You know, this is I think has I'll just go ahead and go on record here. I of course, I think the Catholic Church is apostate.

The Roman Catholic Church is apostate. They preach a false gospel. They officially declared themselves to be a false church on the Council of Trent, right? When they declared anathema upon Paul's gospel Jesus gospel.

So there's of course the problem theologically doctrinally we can talk about Mary Mariolatry we can talk about Mary as co Mediatrix co-redemptrix with Christ we could talk about prayers to the Saints.

We could talk about purgatory Transubstantiation all these different things these unbiblical doctrines, but I just want to go on record here and say that the unbiblical view of the priests within Rome as being quote-unquote celibate and Not married and all these different things.

Celibacy, Sexual Desire, and Abuse

I think that of course has led to a lot of this sexual abuse now I'm not giving an excuse for it sure and any degree what I'm saying is is that you have people that were not gifted with Celibacy, that's a rare rare rare rare gift.

And how do you know you have to get to celibacy? You would not if you had the gift of celibacy have any sexual desires towards the opposites. You wouldn't have any struggle. There'd be no struggle y 'all because you have the gift of celibacy.

So the the fact that These men still have sexual desires always everything shows. They don't have the gift of celibacy and they're acting out on it and they're acting out on it in a way That is horrific evil and deserves the death penalty.

From a Christian perspective. That's what I would say there there's no protection for a spiritual class of people who engage in these acts these criminal acts of wickedness and Just because it's happening within the quote-unquote Church doesn't mean that you don't want to involve the civil authorities.

When there's a crime like this, it doesn't make a difference if it's happening within the church. You have to involve the spiritual authorities. That's God's design for justice in the world, and it's a wicked thing.

It's a wicked thing that the Catholic Church was working to cover these things up. Because they were happening with quote-unquote priests within the Catholic Communion. You don't need to involve the other authorities because we're our own authority.

No, these men committed crimes. They deserve the death penalty if they engage in these acts of rape. Among children, that's what they need and the Catholic Church would get my respect if they actually put these priests up and said we're taking.

Them to the law. That's what they deserve. Some Catholics. I think are saying that's things like that good.

They need to face justice when I and I don't want to say this as it being factual. But I've read a bunch of reports and it seems like It appears as if a lot of these priests Became priests because they struggled with homosexuality and so.

Essentially the Catholic Church took them. They were like, oh you're gonna be a priest. So a lot of these priests already had perverted sexual desires. They made them priests, you know. Stuck them in a in a closet with you know, people listening to their sexual sins all day.

You know give them access to little little kids behind, you know. Close doors and stuff and it's just a recipe for disasters and.

Church Discipline, Confession, and Reporting Crimes

Good yeah, yeah, I think it is an absolute recipe for a disaster and it's it's a terrible terrible thing. That needs to be addressed in a very serious way. You know when you when you talk about even a Christian, let's talk about a Christian Church for a second on Christian communion let's say for example, you had a situation where you had a elders over a church and they discovered that a father in their Congregation had engaged in sexual molestation of one of the children now.

He comes to the pre he comes to the pastors and says, you know, he confesses. I've done this and it's a wicked sin. The right thing to do in a case like that, of course is to offer forgiveness. But it is immediately hands him over to the authorities justice and say that there must be justice for a situation like this.

So whether it happens with a congregant or it happens with somebody's in some sort of spiritual authority when there's a crime of that degree committed. You have to actually involve God's civil magistrate and some might say well the civil magistrates not operating justly.

At the moment, so I don't trust them doesn't matter that's God's ordained function and It's it's his his position of justice and and in the world so you have to actually involve them and we had an instance years ago where there was somebody who We had discovered during a church service.

We didn't he wasn't a member of our church. We didn't really know this man. Well, but he was bringing two small teenage teenagers. Yeah, they were teenagers. He was bringing two teenagers with him. He was a family friend of the teenager his dad's buddies and everything.

And so he's always such a good man. He's bringing the kids to church and all these things again. We didn't know him very well, but Through God's providence. I'm telling you through God's providence. It shouldn't happened.

I'm up preaching Lucas in church with me my daughter. How old was she? Oh Gosh, well, she was been eight years old nine. Am I right about that? Maybe maybe around there. So she's young and she Shouldn't have been getting up during church to go use the bathroom like, you know numerous times, right?

I go to the bathroom 16 times during church. So well, it just so happens she got up to use the bathroom. She goes way in the back to actually a private bathroom. Yeah, she didn't go to the main bathroom.

She went to a private bathroom. And as she walked back there, she saw this man Kissing this teenage girl and she was 13. She's like 13 years old kissing her in the in the closet. And so my my as soon as church is over my daughter walks up to me and she's like dad and she told us the Moment we found out the moment we found out Luke and I bring this guy over and we confront him on the spot over it.

Yeah, and I would say what was it less than 24 hours? He was arrested.

Yeah, cuz I yeah, I had to report him that night. I called the dad. That's a whole nother story. But yeah.

Yeah, yeah, we called the family first and then we called the authorities. Yeah, and he's in jail today. He's in jail today. What we discovered was that he had been involved in this Relationship with this young girl for years.

The father was allowing this guy to come over and spend the night and all those different. Oh, so the I'm giving you guys very very intimate details within our church life again. This guy was a member of our church.

He was a visitor. And we discovered this and as pastors we recognize that you cannot say well, this is happening within the church is a church situation. Let's work on this, you know privately. It's like no this man was involved in molestation of a little girl.

He was committing a crime. He was a perpetrator and there was a victim. That's all. And there was a victim.

And so we turn him into the authorities because that's where it belonged.

Crime Versus Sin, Justice, and Isaiah 42

Well, I think it's important to note the distinction between a crime and a sin to exactly right, you know. And I think part I'm just sitting here thinking I think with the Catholic Church specifically because you have these priests who?

Within Catholicism have the ability to Essentially forgive people in their sins, right. And so, you know, you have all these priests, you know, they're there. They're found out and they're guilty, but you know, they probably are forgiving one another, you know.

But that's different than if it's a crime you still have to mm-hmm. You still have to report if it's a crime. Mm-hmm, right?

Yeah. Yeah, the majority of Christians. Unfortunately, I don't think we've been trained to think in those biblical categories. There's there's no category for justice because Jesus isn't concerned about justice according to the average modern-day Evangelical mindset, right?

It's all about the gospel grace grace grace forgiveness these spiritual aspects. But there is God does demand justice in the present and it pleases him when that justice is executed speedily swiftly.

Completely. Yes a good point, too I'm glad you brought that up Zack is to point you all to Isaiah chapter 42 in terms of God's concern for justice in the world. We can give you a number of the passengers passages.

But I'd encourage you to check that out. One of the promises of Messiah's kingdom is not merely Salvation, right? That's a truncated gospel. God's concern is for justice in the world. Rightness in the world making all things, right?

And so if you read Isaiah chapter 42 It says that one of the promises of Messiah is that he would establish justice on the earth and he wouldn't grow faint or weary. Until he had done so that the coastlands would wait for his law.

So part of the responsibility of the Christian Church is not just to proclaim the message of salvation. But it's also to work as God's bride in the world has helped me to bring about justice in the world.

So if we as representatives of Jesus have a lower standard of justice than the unbeliever in the world Something is not right because worse we have the law of God. We have his perfect standard of justice.

Just consider this for a moment and and this would be the last thought for me on this point if you look in the Old Testament in Deuteronomy.

The Law of God as Wisdom and Justice for the Nations

Chapter.

Four four. I think you're right. One of the one of the things I'm gonna go ahead and pull it up. So I'm not just talking about I want you guys to actually hear this. This is what God said when he gave his law to his people.

And this is Deuteronomy chapter four Verse one. He says and now Oh Israel listen to the statutes and the rules I am teaching you and do them that you may live and go in and take possession of the land the Lord you the God of your fathers is giving you you should not add to the word that I command you nor take away from it that you may keep The commandments of the Lord your God that I command you now as you move down.

This is obviously about the law of God what it was in the law of God. Not just the Ten Commandments, but God's case law system of how you're to establish justice in the world. So there's proper punishment for thieves proper punishment for rapists proper punishment for So thieves.

Murderers you name it. God has lost just statutes. Perjury, how are you? How are you to handle these these crimes? And so what God says is don't add to these don't take away from it because here's what he says.

This is powerful. He says, um See, I've taught you statutes and rules as Lord My God commanded me that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. Keep them and do them for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the people's.

Who when they hear all these statutes will say surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what great nation is there that has a God so near to it as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call upon Him and here's the kicker ready and what great nation is there that has statutes and rules so Righteous as all this law that I said before you today.

Here's my here's my point on this. We know from Scripture that Romans chapter 8 unbelievers those who are in the flesh those who are still dead alienated from God spiritually dead Separated from God. They cannot submit to God's law.

They're not even able to do so. Got it. So that's the condition they're in is they cannot ultimately obey God in the flesh in Adam fallen separated from God. They're not spiritually able to do such a thing.

They cannot do anything that pleases God because they're separated from God. That's their spiritual condition. You need to be regenerated made alive filled with God's Spirit. Empowered to serve God to love his law and to obey it, right?

We know that However, God's Word doesn't contradict itself. It says here that pagan nations. Pagan nations look into the law of God his just Statutes and they say oh my goodness. That's justice. We want that.

See even pagans are supposed to look at God's law and as image bearers of God. They have an inescapable desire for justice. That's one thing about but all of us has fallen human beings outside of Jesus we still have this undeniable desire for justice in the world right fallen people still want justice and Fallen people according to Scripture is supposed to look at God's law and say dang Man, that's just.

That is that is the best justice that is awesome that is justice right there so so my my point is is that Christians we have with the law of God in front of us the statutes and rules. Right that are so just and righteous that pagans and idolaters are supposed to look at and go dang.

That's just right. We want that right? That's not to say that they can obey God's law in terms of lust and lying and murdering. But the point is is in terms of just statutes even pagans look at God's law and say yep.

I want that if they had to choose a society that was under God's law versus some other unjust law.

They would want to live in a nation ruled by God's statutes. God's statutes are so good and so powerful and so wise. That's the point is that it's so it's so perfect. The pagans are supposed to say that's justice.

So my point is is just laying it down from my final word here. Is that we are supposed to as the Bride of Christ have the highest standards of justice that even the world looks in and goes? Wow, those guys love justice.

What happened to us? Whatever happened to us. Something that our forebears knew. Oh, yeah. They knew the Puritans. They knew if you look at the Christians who went as missionaries in the pagan nations and converted entire nations to Jesus and by the End of that an entire nation fell down before Jesus and upheld the law of God.

Those Christian forebears. They knew they knew what God was doing in the world through salvation and establishing justice. What happened to us in the 21st century in the West in evangelicalism? What happened to us?

I'm not talking about just the Catholic Church. Now. I'm not about Rome the apostate Church. I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about the true church. What happened to us and our desire to see justice established in the world loving the law of God what happened to us?

Eschatology and the Church's Loss of Justice

Eschatology bad eschatology. Yeah, definitely a big one. That's a big factor.