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While some statements from the university sound good to the general public, they are couched
within blame-shifting phrases like, those who felt or perceived which puts the onus back on the
victim. Instead of apologizing for our feelings, own up to the full impact of your actions! The
qualifying phrases have no place in a humble apology. We realize that some were helped by the
individuals named in the Report, but that does not in any way nullify their responsibility towards
those they have harmed. If one student had verbally bullied a student in the manner that was done
to hundreds of victims, that student would have been immediately disciplined and most likely
asked to leave campus. We ask that you hold your faculty, staff, and administrators to the same
standard and take appropriate action. Because their actions caused public damage, we believe the
actions the University takes in regards to these individuals should be public as well.
Listening
You referenced speaking with one victim and stated that she left BJU disappointed, deeply hurt,
and confused. In meeting with you, the victim specifically described damage caused by the
counseling received at BJUdamage so extreme that she was left suicidal and her faith was
shattered. Your minimizing words show that you do not yet grasp the damage caused and the longterm impact that has resulted as a consequence of the Universitys actions. This is not the deep,
heart-felt listening that the GRACE Report recommends. If those 300 pages of agonizing detail of
our trauma were not enough to compel you to change, then what will? When the very counseling
methods that caused the damage and the same individuals who perpetrated such damage are still in
employ at BJU, how can any victim trust you?
The GRACE Report is filled with accounts from survivor after survivor who state direct damage as a
result of the counseling they received at Bob Jones University. Your counseling, those who
counseled, and the system that enabled it are flawed and have had devastating effects on many
lives. We ask you to pause your counseling program and learn from the ones whose lives have been
negatively impacted by it the survivors. It is time for you to become a student. Listen. Truly listen
to the victims. We are your best teachers. This is not a time for you to self-repair and certainly not a
time for you to lead.
We strongly implore you to outsource ALL sexual assault counseling. Due to the extensive damage
your actions have caused, we believe that you should assist with the counseling expenses of those
who were harmed by the University. This is but a small show of faith that you recognize the
consequences of your actions and are willing to do what you can to help those who were harmed to
rebuild their lives.
Recommendations
We feel your statement that BJU has not broken any laws was, at best, disingenuous. Christians are
called to a higher responsibility. Isaiah 1:17 says, Learn to do good; seek justice, correct
oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widows cause. When someone experiences
abuse (whether in the past or present) compassionate human beings are propelled by love; we are
motivated to do everything possible to ensure victims are safe, protected, and cared for. Whether or
not the law requires a report does not eliminate the need to help the hurting by providing resources
to heal and pursue justice. Just as physical healers are often within a non-believing medical
community, emotional healers (i.e. professionals trained in this area) are often found outside of the
university. Does BJU choose the letter of the law, without compassion? Or the law of love when
caring for the wounded? We wish our university leaders were being the hands and feet of Jesus, but
we are grieved, seeing this as another moment when BJU is turning away from abuse victims.
Our experiences, along with many others in the GRACE Report, led us to believe that the general
campus philosophy was to hide, rather than expose abuse in order to somehow protect the cause of
Christ. In contrast, we believe transparency helps the cause of Christ. Calling out sin, abuse, and
wrong-doing in Christian churches is something the Apostle Paul modeled. If BJU follows the GRACE
recommendations and demonstrates right actions, this institution can be transformed.
Our purpose in writing this letter is to bring healing to the university culture. We need to move
forward in a God-honoring manner. Countless victims have had their lives impacted for years
resulting in deep and ongoing sorrow, physical illness, relational impact and spiritual questioning.
How can you, as spiritual leaders, hide behind organizational platitudes and surface changes and
call this protecting your students and leading them to Christ? Is your loyalty to your constituents or
the body of Christ as a whole? Will you become true leaders who face the truth even when it is
uncomfortable? Leaders who recognize that your responsibility is relational, not just positional?
Leaders who stand with the students you are called to serve?
We now present our voice publically and plead with you not to betray the hope that was
established in the meetings. We are passionate about how you, as an institution, respond to this
issue. We are not vague stories in a footnote. We are people who are valuable and loved by God. Yes,
we were abused, but that is only a piece of our stories. We testify firsthand that, if victims are
believed and supported along this journey and provided with healthy, trauma-focused counseling,
all of us have the potential to experience thriving, amazing lives. We can be a tremendous gift to the
Body of Christ and to the future of Bob Jones University. We are worth the effort.
Bob Jones University, will you take the hard steps to do right by speaking out against abuse,
condemning known perpetrators, comforting the wounded, advocating for the defenseless,
providing the finances for victims to receive necessary counseling, and specifically calling out the
people within your institution who have done wrong?
Respectfully,
The Survivor Representatives from the Abuse Response Task Force