by their fruit…

[Trigger warning: this bloggage is about how high profile men get away with abuse and exploitation].

The news this week has been dominated by the conviction and sentencing of Russell Brand for rape and sexual assault, and by allegations of sexual misconduct (an inadequate euphemism) against David Walliams that he failed to suppress.

I want to honour the brave women who risked so much by speaking up. But why should they have had to risk anything? They should never have been put in this position in the first place: no woman should ever be molested or assaulted.

And speaking out should not have contained risk. I was disgusted that Russell Brand’s trial the defence lawyer used so-called ‘rape myths’ to cast the victims as somehow culpable. It was good that the judge spoke out strongly against this in sentencing, but that should not have been necessary. Sadly blaming women and protecting men is nothing new. In the Bible we read of a woman who was dragged in front of Jesus, having been caught in the act of adultery. The crowd of men wanted to stone her to death, according to the Hebrew law. They wanted to make a public spectacle of her. But where was the man? He was protected, anonymous, silent. The crowd of male accusers were trying the ‘she’s the guilty one’ approach almost 2000 years ago!

But I think there is a bigger question: why does this keep happening? Why is it that men (it’s almost always men) in high profile positions are able to abuse women and get away with it for so long? After each so-called celebrity is unmasked as an abuser or a rapist I hope that this will be the last. But the list seems never ending: politicians, clergy, TV ‘personalities’, actors, producers, businessmen…

There are plenty of reasons why these men have been able to exploit their position and get away with it. But one reason I have not heard discussed much is that our society has developed a blind spot which equates success and celebrity with good character. Someone who is in the public eye must be trustworthy. Someone who is successful must be honourable. Someone’s public persona is deemed to be how they are in private. Clearly that is not the case. But this assumption is not questioned or challenged until finally the dam of imputed good character breaks and there is a flood of evidence from victims who finally are heard.

I want to put 2 passages from the Bible next to each other and see what happens. In the sermon on the mount (Matthew 7, NIVUK) Jesus said:

¹⁵ ‘Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. ¹⁶ By their fruit you will recognise them. Do people pick grapes from thorn-bushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus, by their fruit you will recognise them.’

In his letter to the church in Galatia Paul wrote (Galatians 5):

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

When you look at fruit you can make a judgment about what it’s like from the outside, but sometimes the outside looks fine and inside it’s putrid. What we’re like when nobody is watching, on the inside, reveals what our fruit is really like.

There’s a responsibility here for the media, government and institutions. Don’t put people on pedestals. But there’s also a responsibility for us and that includes churches. Don’t put people on pedestals. Apparently ‘successful’ Christian leaders have perpetrated horrendous crimes and got away with it for a long time in the past because they have been assumed to be worthy because of their success and public persona rather than because of their true character and fruit.

Is it time we stopped equating success and celebrity with good character and starting focusing on fruit?

Be blessed, be a blessing