Lord, Please Protect the Children a Biblical Perspective of the Prevention, Identification, and Healing of Child Abuse and Neglect

2007·1.3 MB·English

by  GARRY C. JAMES

LORD, PLEASE PROTECT THE CHILDREN

A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE PREVENTION, IDENTIFICATION,

AND

HEALING OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT

A THESIS

SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF

GORDON-CONWELL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE

DOCTOR OF MINISTRY

BY

GARRY C. JAMES

May 2007
DEDICATION

This thesis is dedicated to my family.

Thank you for teaching me how to love and serve the Lord.
Your efforts and God’s guidance motivates me to share
His love and compassion, which He has shown toward me, with all of mankind.

It is also dedicated to the countless number of children
and adults that have been harmed as a
result of Child Abuse and Neglect.

May the Lord God Almighty replace your pain with His
love, joy, and peace.
CONTENTS

ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………….iv

Chapter

1. THE ORIGIN AND PROGRESSION OF CHILD ABUSE
AND NEGLECT……………………………………………………...1
2. EXAMINING THE MALTREATMENT OF CHILDREN………....32
3. PERVERTING GOD’S RELATIONAL BLUEPRINT……………..63
4. COUNTING THE COST: THE IMPACT OF CHILD ABUSE
AND NEGLECT…………..……………………………………..….93
5. HEAL ME LORD………………………………………………..…117
6. GEORGE WHITEFIELD: REVIVAL LEADER AND CHILD
ADVOCATE…………………………………………………….....182
7. THE PERPETRATORS OF ABUSE AND NEGLECT………..….195
8. DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE PARTNERSHIPS FOR A SAFE
COMMUNITY………………………………………………..……218
BIBLIOGRAPHY..…………………………………………………………………242
VITA………………..………………………………………………………………249

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ABSTRACT

This thesis is a biblical study of the criminal acts committed against children for
centuries known as Child Abuse and Neglect. It illustrates the historical origin, the
various areas of child maltreatment, and the necessity of Christian involvement in
providing effective solutions to the dynamics that enable abuse and neglect.
Strategies are introduced that facilitate effective community partnerships aimed at
protecting the most vulnerable humans on earth; children. The thesis will serve as a
catalyst that will educate and empower Christians to become actively involved in
social justice regarding minors.
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CHAPTER 1
THE ORIGIN AND PROGRESSION OF
CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT

Like countless numbers of others who have transitioned from childhood
into adulthood with excess emotional stress because of an abusive past, Ellen
continued to struggle with various emotional and social issues that hindered her
ability to enjoy life. The difficulties she faced stemmed from her childhood, as she
was the target of physical abuse. Her story reflects the brutal reality faced daily by
thousands of children. Not only are many of them tormented by physical abuse,
but they are also subjected to other forms of abuse and neglect. An overview of
Ellen’s experience offers valuable insight and allows entry into the world of the
abused and neglected child. Her story will lend support to those who continue to
struggle because of an abusive past and it will offer them encouragement to
discover the biblical remedy for child abuse and neglect. It will also shed light
upon the necessity of Christian involvement in the battle against child abuse and
neglect.
Ellen’s Story
Ellen recalls first being physically abused by her mother around the age of
five. Memories still linger as she remembers lying on the upper level of her bunk
bed when her mother suddenly roared into her bedroom, grabbed her by the hair,
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and threw her to the floor. Her mother kicked her repeatedly as Ellen tumbled out
of the bedroom and down the hallway. The abusive episode ended as she was
thrown down a flight of stairs. Ellen questioned herself, as she tried to determine
what she could have done to make her mother so angry. She frantically tried to
replay the events of the past few days to see if there was anything she had done
that could have possibly justified this type of punishment. Nothing that came to
mind that would merit such harsh treatment of a child by its mother.
The next violent outburst occurred when Ellen returned from a visit to the
local hospital after sustaining an injury. Her mother erupted into an unprovoked
tirade, slamming Ellen’s head into the bathroom sink, splitting open her head and
leaving permanent scars on her scalp. The situation at home only worsened when
Ellen’s parents separated and later divorced. Unfortunately, she became the
primary focus of her mother’s anger. Ellen felt that anything she attempted to
accomplish would provoke her mother and result in her being physically abused.
As Ellen matured into adulthood she confronted lingering memories of
being beaten during her childhood for misspelling words on her homework
assignment, while at other times having poisonous household cleanser poured on
her hands for not being the perfect child. As she entered the fourth grade the
physical abuse began to be coupled with mental and emotional insults. Her mother
began to focus more and more on her imperfections than on any of her
accomplishments. The insults ranged from Ellen being criticized as the most
unattractive fourth grader in town to her suffering belittling comparisons between
“bad” Ellen and the “good” children in the neighborhood. The physical and
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emotional anguish faced by Ellen during her childhood is more than any human
should have to endure. Unfortunately, many children do not live to tell their story,
as they never survive the abuse of their formative years. Fortunately for Ellen, and
for every child and adult who do survive, there is a very bright ray of sunshine and
hope at the end of a very dark tunnel.
As Bright As The Son
Through all of the pain and suffering Ellen’s hopes hinged upon one thing
that she held close to her heart. This glimmer of sunshine allowed her to survive a
season in her life that reflects the lives of many children worldwide. Her saving
grace was that Ellen knew that God was nearby and that she could talk to Him
whenever she desired. Yes, her hopes hinged on something that simple and yet
that complex. It is simple because it requires only a childlike faith in the Lord and
the practical application of His word. Yet, this fact can be complex because a lack
of faith in God hinders access to Him and the healing virtues that accompany a
personal relationship with Him. The limited, childlike faith that Ellen exhibited
allowed her to endure, and ultimately overcome, the physical, mental, and
emotional pain associated with the harsh treatment administered by her mother.
Although there were other unfavorable experiences in her childhood, Ellen’s belief
in God allowed her to conquer the trauma of her formative years and become a
productive citizen with a passion to love and serve others. Like Ellen, those who
have experienced traumatic childhoods have a myriad of memories and, often
times, physical reminders that make life difficult to navigate. However, as in
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Ellen’s case, the Lord is more than willing to provide healing and restoration in the
life of anyone who gives Him the opportunity.
The Enormity of the Problem
National statistics collected annually by the United States Department of
Health and Human Services reflect that there are over 900,000 substantiated cases
of child abuse and neglect (known hereafter as CA/N) in the United States alone.1
Statisticians have reported that this data reveals only a portion of the actual
number of children who are being maltreated in America. A visit to any local
Child Protective Services agency will confirm that there are many reports that are
screened out owing to a number of factors. Many are because of what social
workers and law enforcement officials call a preponderance of evidence. This
simply implies that there is not enough evidence to substantiate the report as being
true. The fact that many reports are screened out because of a lack of evidence
does not mean a crime did not occur. Along with a lack of evidence, many of
these crimes are never reported to Child Protective Services in an effort to protect
the child and/or the guilty party. This only increases the likelihood that there are
many children who need to know about that glimmer of sunshine that Ellen
embraced as a child which gave her peace and made life worth living.
The United States is arguably the last remaining super power in the world,
yet there still remain issues within its communities that have yet to be addressed
with the necessary strategies and resources needed to eradicate problems such as

1 Child Maltreatment 2000, (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, United States
Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families,
2002), 32.

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the frequent occurrences of CA/N. As astounding as the number of yearly
recorded cases of abuse and neglect is in America, one can only imagine that these
numbers pale in comparison to those of other countries that are not being policed
and/or monitored as stringently as the United States in the twenty-first century.
Accounts of international incidents of CA/N are regularly broadcast through local
and national media. The International Justice Mission has made it their aim to
bring attention to these travesties that occur daily. Many times governing
authorities in other countries are aware of these crimes but do not act upon the
reports for various reasons. They are preoccupied with other concerns and have
placed the safety of the next generation of their citizens relatively low on their list
of priorities. As a result, children in these countries are not afforded the
opportunity of being reared in a safe and nurturing environment. They are beaten,
neglected, sold into prostitution, and made to work in conditions that are not fit for
humans. After the staggering statistics of abuse and neglect have been exposed,
the question must be posed: why haven’t the necessary steps been taken to ensure
that these national numbers do not remain as high as they have over the past
several years? One of the reasons is the process of desensitization.
The Process of Desensitization

The frequent reporting of child maltreatment by the global media has
desensitized viewers and listeners alike to the tremendous pain associated with
each occurrence of CA/N. Many in our society have become less sensitive to these
crimes, as the overwhelming number of incidents reported has seared their
consciences, resulting in apathy and complacency. There were times when there
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would be public outrage regarding stories of CA/N. Now cries for justice have
become little more than sterile whimpers as the human mind has become saturated
to a point of indifference.
Numerous violent offenses occur daily with stories of serial killers,
modern-day slavery, incidents of murder/suicide, and human trafficking.
Consequently, callous walls have developed in the hearts of some of the world’s
best citizens because of the process of desensitization. Neil Postman writes:
The viewers also know that no matter how grave any fragment of
news may appear (for example, on the day I write a Marine Corps
general has declared that nuclear war between the United States and
Russia is inevitable), it will shortly be followed by a series of
commercials that will, in an instant, defuse the import of the news,
in fact render it largely banal…We have become so accustomed to
its discontinuities that we are no longer struck dumb, as any sane
person would be, by a newscaster who having just reported that a
nuclear war is inevitable goes on to say that he will be right back
after this word from Burger King…The damage is especially
massive to youthful viewers who depend so much on television for
their clues as to how to respond to the world.2

Even skilled social workers that have accepted the challenge to combat
CA/N have to continually be on guard so that they do not minimize the trauma
experienced by the children and the families that they serve. If social workers are
not careful, the children that they vow to protect become little more than
“products” in a massive assembly line. Upper management in the field of human
services must also be on guard and must not become more concerned with their
agency’s financial bottom line than they are with human life. Their true bottom
line has to be the genuine care of their clients.

2 Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business, (New
York, NY, Penguin Books, 1984), 104-105.
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