Wolves Among Lambs: My Story of Sexual Abuse & Cover-Ups in the Church

Book excerpt: At the age of seventeen, Stacey Shiflett was sexually assaulted in his sleep by a Bible College student. His abuser pled guilty and served time in prison. A few years later he was groomed and propositioned by his pastor. His experiences as both a victim and a pastor have uniquely prepared him to address this topic. In May of 2018, the church where he pastors was affected by a sexual abuse scandal. The story made national headlines. Wolves Among Lambs deals with both the terrible crime of sexual abuse within the church and the covering up of those crimes. The author has harsh criticism for those that protect the abuser and make attempts to silence the abused.Section Two is entitled "Restoring Our Credibility" and deals with ways that churches can prevent sexual abuse from happening. It also explains the importance of reporting allegations and how to communicate correctly with the church when it occurs. Wolves Among Lambs emphasizes the church's priority to protect the people within the church and to expose and prosecute the sex offenders. The author uses the Scripture to lay out a set of policies and procedures for how to operate when allegations of sexual abuse surface. The book concludes with words of healing and hope for victims of sexual abuse. If you have been a victim of sexual abuse or you know someone that is a survivor, this book will minister to them in a great way. Wolves Among Lambs is also a great resource for those pastors and church leaders looking for ways to prevent abuse in the church, deal with offenders and restore the victims.