Church Hurt.
Let's talk about it ...
The Grace Writers is a story—in large part—about church hurt … and forgiveness. Being hurt by someone in authority in the church—the place that should be filled with the love of God—well, it hits differently than other kinds of hurts. Reality tells us that people are flawed—people will disappoint us. But expectations are elevated when we cross the threshold of a church.
Recently, I browsed through the comment sections of social media posts about several prominent church leaders’ misbehavior. I was struck by how some of the faithful clung to unwavering support for the leaders, driven by the sincerity of their apologies. It gave me pause. There was little said of the victim or of those whose trust had been violated by the person/pastor in question. When a leader misbehaves, someone, sometimes many, are hurt.
Some (most?) churches have a super-protective mechanism that activates when someone has caused harm—too often shielding the church above all—under the guise that God’s work must be protected. Hard truth: He doesn’t need us to fulfill His plans. He invites us into them. They will happen with or without us. To roughly quote podcaster Allie Beth Stuckey: “God is on the throne, nothing takes Him by surprise, and His plan is going off without a hitch.”
I’ve witnessed misbehavior by leadership in churches I’ve attended. It’s always shocking when it happens. My faith in God has carried me through the ups and downs. The church will never be perfect, but God never changes, and He never fails.
I wrote The Grace Writers because I wanted to tell the messy story of being a believer—and loving the church. I haven’t met anyone (unfortunately) who hasn’t been hurt by the church or someone in it. We go in with high expectations—as we should, right? But what if our expectations are dashed by bad behavior?
That’s where The Grace Writers picks up. What is the hurt person to do with all that hurt? How does someone harmed by the church maintain a relationship with God and find a home with a church family again? It starts with trusting who God is, not giving up, and … spoiler alert: Forgiveness.
Even when no one apologizes.