After Smyth, after Makin – how does evangelical culture need to change?
Nicola Laver
The Makin Review into the horrific abuse carried out by John Smyth was always going to send shockwaves through the Church of England – and the evangelical world both within that denomination and beyond it. Smyth – QC, church reader and sadist – abused at least 115 children and young men over a period spanning some 50 years. Some later attempted suicide.
The report does not hold back. The victims’ accounts are harrowing; the failures of successive CofE leaders – including many evangelicals – from the top down are exposed. Makin could not be clearer: conservative evangelical culture facilitated Smyth’s abuse. His brutal proclivities were an open secret among a faction within the church who could have acted – but didn’t. The institution, its beliefs and reputation, were more important than the individuals being abused.
Lament and repentance
What needs to change in evangelical culture after the publication of the Makin Report? The harrowing details of its contents have been covered in some detail on the en website.
That such things should happen among those professing the soundest of doctrine is repugnant, vile and wicked. Many leaders knew – and yet Smyth was able to continue abusing for decades.