But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.

-Matthew 18:6, NIV

What if the “affair” partner is their pastor, therapist, or professor?

Today’s post is inspired from listening to Julie Roys’ recent podcast: “My Abuser is Returning to Ministry.” In this podcast, Roys interviews Katie Roberts who was groomed and then sexually taken advantaged of by her seminary professor, Dr. Art Azurdia. She was forced to resign from her position with The Gospel Coalition per her reported “adulterous relationship.”

Where does the responsibility land in situations like these?

I have “affair” in scare quotes because I consider these situations abuse situations. If clergy are involved, it is a case of clergy sexual misconduct. They are abusing their position of trust.

This is true for therapists and professors as well. They are in positions of power over their students or clients. This means their students or clients are not in a position where they can give consent. Hence, I do not believe these are true cases of adultery. They are cases of abuse.

In fact, some jurisdictions may even treat situations like these as crimes against the client or parishioner. So, the secular law grasps how these are not simple “affairs.”

For the faithful spouse, I suspect this does not make the devastation any less.

The spouse involved in the inappropriate sexual relationship still needs to commit to rebuilding the trust stolen and broken through their actions for the marriage to have hope of a resurrection. Just because they were used by the person in power does not get them off the hook for their own, sinful decisions they made along the way.

However, I believe these situations calls for considerable compassion towards that spouse. They were preyed upon by someone in power.

In my opinion, the abuser ought to be treated as the offender in these situations. Without their manipulations and abuse of power, there would have been no sexual violations.

What if the “affair” partner was their pastor, therapist, or professor?

What if the “affair” partner is their pastor, therapist, or professor?

Where does the responsibility land in situations like these?

For the faithful spouse, I suspect this does not make the devastation any less.

In my opinion, the abuser ought to be treated as the offender in these situations. Without their manipulations and abuse of power, there would have been no sexual violations.

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What if the “affair” partner is their pastor, therapist, or professor?

Where does the responsibility land in situations like these?

For the faithful spouse, I suspect this does not make the devastation any less.

In my opinion, the abuser ought to be treated as the offender in these situations. Without their manipulations and abuse of power, there would have been no sexual violations.

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