Hashtag activism gave a voice to the abused last week.
Hashtag activism lit up American evangelicals’ Twitter feeds last week.
Generally, I’m not a big fan of such approaches—they often trivialize important things. However, hashtags such as #YesAllWomen and #BringBackOurGirls have made headlines in the past few months for the power they’ve wielded in raising awareness about serious issues of justice.
But two hashtags that became trends last week did more than raise awareness, they helped shape a conversation that we just need to have.
Two Hashtags You Should Visit
#TakeDownThatPost and #HowOldWereYou were created after Leadership Journal posted an article from an anonymous youth pastor that painfully understated a predatorial sexual relationship with a female member of the church youth group (you can read the entire article in its original form here.) The well-meaning article was intended to demonstrate that sin can and will destroy your ministry and life.
However, outraged readers took to the Twitterverse with #TakeDownThatPost. At the same time, in order to highlight the problem evangelicals seemingly have in acknowledging the extent of sexual abuse within its own culture, Karen Swallow Prior (@LoveLifeLitGod) created the #HowOldWereYou to give voice to those who’ve been similarly abused.
The issue is abuse.
There are a few things to be said regarding the post of the anonymous pastor:
Let’s be frank. This was not an “extramarital relationship.” This was abuse and statutory rape. The anonymous youth pastor is serving time in prison and will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life because he is guilty of being a sexual predator.
Children, including teenagers, don’t commit adultery with adults. There is no …
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