There is a lot of fear, pain, and wrong thinking rattling around in the narrative of codependents. As you’ve probably figured out, none of the outcomes have fairy-tale endings to them—no matter how good the rationale.

As far back as I can remember, I’ve been a massive music fan–especially songs with rich, textured rhythm and harmonies. My young ears were captivated by the beat and harmonies of Simon and Garfunkel, CSNY, The Beatles, and The Moody Blues, to name just a few. Over the years, my love for the layers of music only grew. Viscerally, I feel music—I don’t just hear it.

It was a perfect beach day. The surf was relatively calm and occasionally broken by a series of larger swells ideal for body surfing or boogie boards. Contentedly, I lounged in my chair under the shade of a large umbrella. The gentle breeze kept my skin cool despite the heat.

Recently, I read the Guidepost Solutions report about sexual abuse within Southern Baptist Convention churches. The events, coverups, and victim-blaming made me sick. Once I recovered from my bout of nausea, I began to reflect.

Biblically, how can we allow perpetrators to follow up their abuse by further preying on their vulnerable victims? Financial liability that may imperil the spread of the gospel is no viable excuse for the coverups, intimidation, slander, and further traumatization of these abuse victims by lead members of the SBC’s Executive Committee. Really, should the fear of liability and loss be our number one priority?