American evangelicalism may be, to use Frank Schaeffer’s phrase, addicted to mediocrity; there is no evidence as yet that it is addicted to child rape and cover ups of the same

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Hans Küng Calls the Pope to Repent
John Piper

The BBC reported recently, concerning the recent revelations of more sex abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, “It is like a tsunami.” Elke Huemmeler said “About 120 cases had come to light so far in Munich, about 100 of them at a boarding school run by monks.”

Hans Küng, long-time Roman Catholic critic of his own church (whose right to teach theology the church rescinded), has posted a challenge to the Pope. In it he says, “In Germany 86 percent of Roman Catholics charge the church’s leadership with insufficient willingness to come to grips with the problem.”

Then he asks and answers these four questions:

1st Question: Why does the pope continue to assert that what he calls “holy” celibacy is a “precious gift”, thus ignoring the biblical teaching that explicitly permits and even encourages marriage for all office holders in the Church?

2nd Question: Is it true, as Archbishop Zollitsch insists, that “all the experts” agree that abuse of minors by clergymen and the celibacy rule have nothing to do with each other?

3rd Question: Instead of merely asking pardon of the victims of abuse, should not the bishops at last admit their own share of blame?

4th Question: Is it not time for Pope Benedict XVI himself to acknowledge his share of responsibility, instead of whining about a campaign against his person? No other person in the Church has had to deal with so many cases of abuse crossing his desk.

He concludes quoting Bishop Tebartz van Elst of Limburg, “Conversion and repentance begin when guilt is openly admitted, when contrition is expressed in deeds and manifested as such, when responsibility is taken, and the chance for a new beginning is seized upon.”

Vintage Kung
By Carl Trueman

Hans Kung has fired a fine salvo in the discussion of the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. As usual, his take on his own church is far more astute and perceptive than the many rose-tinted interpretations that are the stock-in-trade of prominent American evangelicals. For those with stronger stomachs (you have been warned) Christopher Hitchens has also something to say on the matter here.

Is the Reformation over? Let’s hope not. American evangelicalism may be, to use Frank Schaeffer’s phrase, addicted to mediocrity; there is no evidence as yet that it is addicted to child rape and cover ups of the same.

Checking my own legal responsibilities at Westminster, it would appear that, if child abuse was taking place on campus with my knowledge, and I did not immediately inform the police, I would be in serious legal difficulties — and that’s just the legal situation, before we even get to what my moral responsibilities might be.

At this point, to use the British terminology, one has to ask why the Pope isn’t down at the local constabulary, helping the police with their inquiries?

These commentaries first appeared at John Piper’s blog, http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/, and are used with permission.