Institutional betrayal, institutional courage and the church (baptistnews.com)

To read Susan Shaw, Senior Columnist, article, please click here.

Betrayal by trusted people, like pastors, teachers, supervisors and coaches can inflict devastating consequences on victims. According to psychologists who study trauma, betrayal trauma affects the brain differently than any other trauma, particularly when the victim depends upon the perpetrator. Betrayal trauma threatens the very sense of self of the victim, who often cannot easily escape because of physical, psychological or spiritual dependence.

When institutions don’t address perpetrators but rather meet survivors with denial, harassment and attack, they engage in institutional betrayal. Institutional betrayal occurs “when an institution causes harm to people who depend on it.”

Betrayal blindness describes ignoring, overlooking, “not-knowing” and forgetting betrayal. People, including victims themselves as well as perpetrators and witnesses, exhibit betrayal blindness to “preserve relationships, institutions and social systems upon which they depend.”

We don’t have to think very long to name a depressing list of instances of institutional betrayal by the church: segregation, clergy sex abuse, conversion therapy, exclusion of women from church leadership and ordained ministry, purity culture, the Magdalene laundries, witch hunts, Indian schools, on and on.

Institutional courage

In contrast to institutional betrayal, Freyd suggests institutions can demonstrate “institutional courage.” Institutional courage “is an institution’s commitment to seek the truth and engage in moral action, despite unpleasantness, risk and short-term cost. It is a pledge to protect and care for those who depend on the institution.” It includes “institutional accountability, transparency, making reparations where needed and a commitment to being responsive to its members.”

What would institutional courage look like for the church?

Freyd offers 11 steps to promote institutional courage:

1. Comply with civil rights laws and go beyond mere compliance; beware risk management
2. Educate the institutional community, especially leadership
3. Add checks and balances to power structure and diffuse highly dependent relationships
4. Respond well to victim disclosures and create a trauma-informed reporting policy
5. Bear witness, be accountable, apologize
6. Cherish the whistleblowers; cherish the truth tellers
7. Conduct scientifically sound anonymous surveys
8. Regularly engage in self-study
9. Be transparent about data and policy
10. Use the organization to address the societal problem
11. Commit ongoing resources to 1-10