Churches grapple with whether to welcome convicted sex offenders

Jul 30, 2010

— filed under: Community, Religion, Region: North America and Caribbean, Case:Sexual, Policy, Country:USA

from the article by Adelle M. Banks in the Washington Post:

"All are welcome" is a common phrase on many a church sign and Web site. But what happens when a convicted sex offender is at the door?

Church officials and legal advocates are grappling with how -- and whether -- people who have been convicted of sex crimes should be included in U.S. congregations, especially when children are present:

Churches grapple with whether to welcome convicted sex offenders

Last month, a lawyer argued in the New Hampshire Supreme Court for a convicted sex offender who wants to attend a Jehovah's Witnesses congregation with a chaperone....
On Monday, the Seventh-day Adventist Church added language to its manual saying that sexual abuse perpetrators can be restored to members only if they do not have unsupervised contact with children and are not "in a position that would encourage vulnerable individuals to trust them implicitly." Garrett Caldwell, a spokesman for the denomination, said the new wording in the global guidelines tries to strike a balance between protecting congregants and supporting the religious freedom of abusers in "a manifestation of God's grace."
On Thursday, a law took effect in Georgia that permits convicted sex offenders to volunteer in churches if they are isolated from children. Permitted activities include singing in the choir and taking part in Bible studies and bake sales.

Read the whole article.

Document Actions

Add comment

You can add a comment by filling out the form below. Plain text formatting.

Name (Required)

Tell us your name.

E-Mail (Required)

Enter your e-mail address.

Subject (Required)

Comment (Required)

Are you a human? (Required)

Sections

Churches grapple with whether to welcome convicted sex offenders

Document Actions

Personal tools


RJOnline Blog 2012 February (11) January (25) 2011 December (23) November (26) October (23) September (22) August (24) July (22) June (22) May (22) April (21) March (24) February (20) January (23) 2010 December (24) November (22) October (21) September (23) August (32) July (41) June (35) May (42) April (38) March (47) February (42) January (43) 2009 December (41) November (46) October (47) September (42) August (46) July (48) June (42) May (32) April (1) March (8) February (1) View all Recent RJOB Comments Changing prison culture Feb 12, 2012 Controversies Around Restorative Justice Feb 07, 2012 "Immature humanity" Jan 31, 2012 More…	Info Churches grapple with whether to welcome convicted sex offenders Jul 30, 2010 — filed under: Community, Religion, Region: North America and Caribbean, Case:Sexual, Policy, Country:USA from the article by Adelle M. Banks in the Washington Post: "All are welcome" is a common phrase on many a church sign and Web site. But what happens when a convicted sex offender is at the door? Church officials and legal advocates are grappling with how -- and whether -- people who have been convicted of sex crimes should be included in U.S. congregations, especially when children are present: Last month, a lawyer argued in the New Hampshire Supreme Court for a convicted sex offender who wants to attend a Jehovah's Witnesses congregation with a chaperone.... On Monday, the Seventh-day Adventist Church added language to its manual saying that sexual abuse perpetrators can be restored to members only if they do not have unsupervised contact with children and are not "in a position that would encourage vulnerable individuals to trust them implicitly." Garrett Caldwell, a spokesman for the denomination, said the new wording in the global guidelines tries to strike a balance between protecting congregants and supporting the religious freedom of abusers in "a manifestation of God's grace." On Thursday, a law took effect in Georgia that permits convicted sex offenders to volunteer in churches if they are isolated from children. Permitted activities include singing in the choir and taking part in Bible studies and bake sales. Read the whole article. Document Actions Send this Print this Add comment You can add a comment by filling out the form below. Plain text formatting. Name (Required) Tell us your name. E-Mail (Required) Enter your e-mail address. Subject (Required) Comment (Required) Are you a human? (Required)