Podcast 10 Transcript--Confronting Corruption in Our Midst--Podcast

Into Integrity Podcast 10
Confronting Corruption in Our Midst: Principles for Courage, Integrity, and Action.

Opening 

Welcome to Into Integrity.

This is Michele O’Donnell.

Thanks for joining with us as we follow Jesus, living integrity and confronting corruption.

Have you ever had to confront a specific matter of corruption?
Not just someone or some organization “way out there somewhere.”
But something close to home, involving your friends, colleagues, and your own church or organization.
And having to do so over a long period of time—maybe in the midst of opposition, discrediting, slanted half-truths, and excuses for not having to do anything.

In today’s podcast, we’ll look into these important matters.
Our theme is Confronting Corruption in Our Midst: Principles for Courage, Integrity, and Action. Corruption is closer to home than you might think.
And so is rationalizing it in our midst, including in ourselves.

Today is day 27 of the 40 day FAST. We invite you to join with us and others during Part Two of the FAST now, 6-26 December 2019.

A reminder of the purpose of the Into Integrity FAST. It is to call attention to--and confront--the lack of disclosures by specific organizations, leaders, people affected by the international Nordic Capital Investment KB fraud (NCI) as well as the related dismissals that Kelly and I have received. This is a combined food FAst for genuine contrition and a hunger STrike for resolute action by specific people and organizations primarily within the Church Mission Community (CMC).

You can find more information and important links on the Into Integrity weblog.

It’s time for solidarity.
Take a stand, speak up, and live in integrity.

Let’s begin with two items that help get at the heart of the reasons and rationalizations for NOT dealing with corruption in our midst. They summarize why it is all too easy to excuse the complacency and complicity and indeed the coverups and cowardice that prop up not just corrupt acts, but a whole culture of corruption.

I recently came across this first item on the Seven Reasons Why Christians Should Not Confront Corruption, on the Faith and Public Integrity Network. Here are three of the reasons, slightly adapted for this podcast. In each case there is the fear of losing something.

First. Your organization might lose money.

“An African Christian told me ‘a pastor who knows that a wealthy member of their congregation got their wealth through corruption will be reluctant to preach against it, because they know that wealthy member can move to another church that won’t make them feel uncomfortable’.”

I note too: You might also lose donors—your revenue streams--if people hear about corruption in your midst. It could tarnish your reputation. So…cover it up. And protect your organization.

Second. You might lose your job.

“An Asian Christian who worked as a tax official described what happened after he decided to stop asking for bribes. He no longer had bribe money to pass up to his boss, so he was punished by being transferred to a remote region with no schooling for his children.”

I note too: You might even be discredited, accused of being disloyal or dismissed. You can even be sued for slander or libel. So…ignore it. And protect your livelihood.

Third. You might lose your life.

“Among the 100 people I interviewed about fighting corruption, three were survivors of assassination attempts. Jovita Salonga, former President of the Philippine Senate, was critically injured in a bomb attack after conducting enquiries into government corruption. David Gitari, former Anglican Archbishop of Kenya, survived an attempted lynching after campaigning against electoral abuses. Another African church leader described a drive-by shooting after he refused to support the President’s PR campaign.”

I note too: You might be called to resolutely follow Jesus to Jerusalem. And to suffer with Him, outside of Jerusalem’s gates (Luke 9:51, Hebrews 13:12). So…don’t do anything. And protect yourself.

Here are some other reasons (rationalizations) for not confronting corruption in our midst. They are based on our experiences in asking people for help in the NCI fraud.

--Let the courts handle the fraud. They have already dealt with it. There is no need to bring me or our organization into it further. We have already dealt with this matter in our organization. It is too complicated to do an internal review and too expensive to do an independent review. We don’t have time or capacity to deal with this. We have no need to disclose further nor return money. Stop harassing us.

So the message is, and rationalization is…it is all over. You need to get over it and move on.

--You are angry and unforgiving. You need to extend grace and forgiveness. You need to reconcile. You are traumatized. You are being vicious. You have let this define your life. You are being hypocritical. You are manipulators. You are dragging others along into this. It happened so long ago. It is not relevant for me and it’s not up to me: I am just a staff person, a church member. I am just a former staff person or just a former church member. I trust my leaders—why would I question them?

So the message is, and rationalization is…you are the one with the problem. Let it go and get healing.

In contrast to the above two items, as stated in the Shine the Light-Together petition:

“Corruption such as the NCI KB fraud does not simply go away on its own, over time, by ignoring it, or by keeping silent. All of us can and must act with integrity--the consistent, highest level of moral wholeness. And we can and must hold our organizations and leaders accountable to do the same. This petition is a key tool to help.”

I turn my attention now to some Principles for Fighting Corruption which we feature in the latest PETRA People weblog (December 2019). I share these as helpful guides to stimulate our courage, integrity, and action in confronting corruption.

Some background.  In reflecting upon some of the recent interviews with Rachel Denhollander (e.g., MinistryWatch, October 2019 and Christianity Today, January 2018) I was struck by how the core principles that emerged regarding cases of sexual abuse are also applicable for any form of abuse and corruption. Recall that Rachel was one of the principle people confronting sexual abuse in the USA gymnastics team. She is also actively involved in confronting sexual abuse in the USA church.

I summarized 15 principles primarily based on Rachel Denhollander’s October 2019 interview with MinistryWatch (direct quotes are in bold font in the web posting) and my own experiences confronting corruption. I note that these principles are also relevant to situations of corruption in churches, mission agencies, and other organizations, where whistleblowers and victims are usually vilified and verifiable accountability via independent reviews is rare.

Here are four examples of the 15 principles with applications to the NCI fraud.

Principle 1: In cases of abuse and corruption “Naming names and calling out specific situations is the only way people will understand what the [abstract] principles look like when they’re put into effect.” (Denhollander, MinistryWatch Interview, October 2019)

NCI application: The Integrity Petition (Shine the Light-Together), the PETRA People Network weblog, the Loving Truth and Peace weblog (Professional Review), and the Into Integrity weblog (and podcasts) list specific people, leaders,  and organizations, requesting their assistance and disclosures. [We continue to respectfully and resolutely call upon the assistance of leaders for verifiable disclosures and independent review in: YWAM, mercy Ships, mercy Ministries/Le Rucher, Youth For Christ, and Crossroads Church in Ferney-Voltaire France.  And we continue the call to current and former: staff, board members, donors, an partners.]

Principle 2: Abuse or corruption doesn’t usually come to light without courageous whistleblowers. When the whistleblowers are also victims, fellow Christians must not misconstrue the strong words or emotions of victims, like anger, for unrighteousness, and end up blaming victims.

NCI application: It took courageous whistleblowers to confront this fraud in the Christian church and missions world. Many victims were too embarrassed or afraid to come forward. No one who was net positive (benefitted with stolen money from the ponzi fraud) came forward in transparency publicly. My husband and I have experienced wrongful dismissals (2006-current) while trying to shine the light on overlapping areas of organizational dysfunction and financial fraud.

Principle 13: “What happens when [the abuser] is a trusted person at this church? What happens when it’s a trusted person in these other evangelical organizations? The extent that one is willing to speak out against their own community is the bright line test for how much they care and how much they understand. We have failed abhorrently as Christians when it comes to that test." Interview with Rachel Denhollander Christianity Today (22 January 2018, bold font added)

NCI application: Here is a quote from Rand Guebert’s Integrated Executive Summary. “When an organization is confronted with unethical behavior, does it have the capacity to care for itself, or do staff abdicate corporate responsibility to a few unaccountable leaders?  One question arises over and over in this review--where is the ethical and accountable corporate governance?” (Professional Review, page 1).

Principle 14: "We are very happy to use sexual assault as a convenient whipping block when it’s outside our community…But when it was within our own community, the immediate response was to vilify the victims or to say things that were at times blatantly and demonstratively untrue …There was a complete refusal to engage with the evidence…The only reason I am able to have the support of these leaders now is because I am speaking out against an organization not within their community." Interview with Rachel Denhollander Christianity Today (22 January 2018, bold font added).

NCI application: Where are the voices asking the common sense questions, calling for full disclosure in ministries and churches? There is much to learn from the specific case of NCI if those organizations and churches affected would engage with the evidence, which could help to educate and prevent corruption within the church and mission community globally.

Closing

Thank you for joining me for this episode of Into Integrity: Confronting Corruption in Our Midst—Principles for Courage, Action, Integrity, and Action.

You can access a transcript of this podcast along with related resources and links, on the Into Integrity weblog.

In closing, and in summary, remember:

“The only thing necessary for corruption to flourish is to do nothing about it—or to do some non-efficacious and non-resolute “thing” and then move on, often with our consciences placated and our livelihoods protected.” Loving Truth and Peace: A Case Study of Family Resilience in Dealing with Mission/Aid Corruption; Family Accountability in Missions (2013)

 Thank you again for your encouragement, prayers, and support as we continue Part Two of the Into Integrity FAST (6-26 December).

It’s time for solidarity.
Take a stand. Speak up. Live in integrity.
And spread the word.