Church of the Brethren member says denomination has not addressed rape culture in public statements

Staci Williams, a member of Poplar Ridge Church of the Brethren in Defiance, Ohio, and a student at Bethany Theological Seminary, has written in Messenger Magazine that the Church of the Brethren has been silent on sexual violence. Williams, who describes the denomination as her spiritual home since childhood, says she has kept a secret about an assault she experienced at age 15 for almost 20 years. She writes that she had been flattered by an older man’s attention, that she did not want to have sex with him that night, and that he proceeded despite her objections. She says she did not report the incident or tell her family or friends.

Williams writes that she has been disappointed by how little the church has said about sexual violence. She names the denomination’s core beliefs as peace and reconciliation, simple living, integrity of speech, family values, and service to neighbors. She says that when she searched the Church of the Brethren’s database of statements, she found none addressing rape culture. By her account, the denomination has issued statements on the naturalness of sexuality and God’s intention for love and companionship, on gun violence, and on domestic abuse.

Williams cites figures from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, which she reports as saying that one in five women and one in 71 men will be raped at some point in their lives, and that one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before age 18. She reports that the center found the victim knew the perpetrator in 80 percent of rape cases and that 68 percent of rapes are never reported to police. She also cites a survey by the US National Library of Medicine that she says found 75 percent of Americans had premarital sex by age 20.

Williams argues that the church’s silence reflects discomfort with the subject and that cultural messages about sex, including teen television and advertising, shape young people more than church teaching does. She writes that the church’s traditional stance is abstinence outside marriage, and that she believes the church should still address the realities young people face. She calls for teaching respect for one’s own body and for others while continuing to encourage abstinence, and for a stronger voice on the values of the tradition.

Williams links this to the Brethren history of being counter-cultural, including plain dress and conscientious objection. She writes that children need help resisting popular culture’s messages about sex and that discussing the subject should be part of the church’s peace witness. She quotes Quaker writer Kody Hersh, who says that if people cannot talk about sex, they leave themselves open to the ongoing discourse of rape culture, and who argues for a sexuality of nonviolence in which each person freely chooses how, when, and whether to use their body for pleasure and connection. Williams says the church should speak to protect those who have been harmed, citing Proverbs 31:8-9 as a call to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.

Williams concludes that the church “can no longer remain silent” and that it must provide guidance on navigating sex and sexuality.

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