RC Catalyst has an editorial posted on October 21, 2014 found here. It is about Matthew Fenner’s struggle to have someone listen to his claims and then file charges with the appropriate authorities. He did finally accomplish his goal. The editorial outlined the barriers he encountered and the parties who contributed to his uphill climb. The accusations/crimes listed in the article, “assault, second degree kidnapping and assault by strangulation within the church complex.”

For those readers who may not have seen this, January 27th of this year – this was on Matthew’s Facebook page:

“A year ago, tonight, I was being cornered and assaulted by a local religious group that all too many are familiar with. It was probably one of the worst events to ever take place in my lifetime; one that left me feeling hopeless, degraded, and in fear for my life. I am so grateful to have been able to leave the environment I was in. After being slapped, choked, punched in the chest, excessively shaken, and degraded through caustic statements and threats such as “You’re a pervert,” “You disgust me,” “I hate being around you,” “You’ll sit here for the next two days if you have to,” and “If you don’t change, I will beat this out of you,” all because of the sexual orientation I was viewed as being (and born with), I have been able to grow and successfully become a grateful and empowered young man…”
(last viewed October 27,2014)

The recently reported incidents have been public for a while. The official record reporting them has just begun. I agree with Gayle, this case is one to be watched. Is anyone else watching this? Who might that be? I think the watchers include more folks than you can first imagine… Matthew has moved on from “feeling hopeless, (and) degraded.” He credits others for helping with this process. I am glad he has finally begun this part of his healing process. For others, the healing may not be so easy. Let me explain.

Have you ever experienced a loss or suffered harm? Did you know you were a victim- before or during the event? Maybe or maybe not. Fraud victims many times do not know they have been taken until it is too late. You expect those experiencing physical or emotional harm to know they were being violated while the harm was being inflicted, right? This is not always the case. There are many reasons for that. A victim of fraud initiated to cover the harm or loss may be confused about the gravity or truth of the incident.

During my years in Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF), many of the egregious violations against the members were excused as “the will of God.” I venture that the perpetrators of the harm against Matthew were fully convinced they were “doing the will of God” and told him so. Because of this, survivors experience confusion when leaving such groups. Survivors go through a process of sorting out the good from the bad, the truth from the lies and the harm from the benefits. The process of being “…slapped, choked, punched in the chest, excessively shaken, and degraded through caustic statements and (the) threats…” was declared as the remedy for “sin.” Yes, this sounds barbaric and impossible in the United States. Friends, it has happened and unless things change- it will continue to happen.

My contention is for these practices simply to stop or modify now does not excuse the previous crimes committed. If a person promises to stop being an abuser, does that make their victims whole? Especially when the victims don’t know they are victims, yet? Is justice served by a promise to stop committing these acts? No, the answer is not that simple. If the legal process runs its full course and crimes are proven, then lawful sentencing must proceed. Religion is no excuse to abuse. Hopefully, Matthew’s courage to tell his story will begin the end of such practices inside this group.

Another consideration, there are no viable metrics for monitoring the internal practices of this group. We can hope that survivors awake to the true nature of the harm they have endured and that present members will begin to see the abuse for what it truly is- dangerous and plain wrong. More victims telling their stories cannot hurt the effort to stop abuse.

Thank you, for taking time to visit and read this blog. Please, consume the information on this site responsibly. The author is not a licensed mental health professional and encourages those that need professional help to seek it. The intent of the material is to inform and be a resource. Be sure to tell every member that you know at WOFF about this blog. There are readers at WOFF. Jane told me and Josh confirmed it.

Comments are invited from all readers, including present or former members. Polls are not scientific and no private information is gathered.

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Scripture references are Amplified Version unless otherwise noted. (Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation ) This is post number 494.