When I was a teenager, I became aware that not all ministers were perfect.  Like many children growing up I just assumed that those in leadership and authority positions were operating in the best interests of the people.  Parents, police, clergy, teachers, etc. were there to lift, support and educate all young people.  At some point in my youth I moved away from that pleasant place of naivete. 

As I began to actualize my call to ministry, I thought, “I am going to be one of the good ones.  I don’t ever want to be the cautionary tale.  I’ll make sure I’m grounded.  I will make up for the bad apples in ministry.”  Even then I knew that something was amiss in the church.  I listened to countless priest jokes and everyone that met me wondered if they could drink alcohol or swear in front of me.  I understand the stereotypes and clichés.  Even to this day, I hear the stories of other clergy who abused their authority.  Parishioners share stories that usually end with “I can’t believe that person was a minister!”  I have no doubt in my mind that I have left countless congregants in my wake who have said the same thing about me. 

But here’s the thing—there are so many good pastors out there.  They are serving in every denomination and in every country. 

With the immense exposure of police brutality, we are now hearing the chorus of “They don’t represent all police.  Those are the bad apples.  Don’t let the actions of a few represent all police.”  But they do.  It is not the public’s job to clean up their perception- it is the job of the police to polish their image.  It was their job to make progress!  I understand that the backlash must be horrifying.  We hear that they put their lives on the line every day.  When they put on their uniforms, they never know if they are going to make it home.  Well, teachers don’t either.  Students don’t either.  Persons of color don’t either. 

The United Church of Christ and other denominations heard the cry when clergy abuse was brought into the light.  Churches began to require clergy to attend boundary awareness training.  Clergy were called out and had their ordained status removed.  “Safe Church” became buzz words with impact.   Churches created policies which protected all members of the church, from the youngest to the oldest.   Please know that churches felt the impact and pressure.   Folks in the church complained that this seemed a little overkill.   Maybe it is, but what if it isn’t?  Background checks became a requirement for clergy, and CORI checks were necessary for all (pastors/laity) who worked with children.  Full disclosure became a rally cry.  Almost all clergy complied.   I applaud the efforts of denominations that seek to expose the professional ethical failures of my colleagues.   I do this because it holds us all to a higher standard, and I believe that it is a standard that should be met.   Are there still bad clergy—probably.  

So, when we say that there are ‘bad’ cops—we are stating a universal truth.  There are bad plumbers, stylists, CPAs, politicians.   Obviously, there are good ones.   With the amount of police brutality brought to light in recent days, months, and years—it is time to police the police.   We have waited for the police to do it themselves, and quite frankly, I’m not sure that it has happened.  Sure, maybe some rules and regulations have been put in place, but it doesn’t seem that all officers are being held accountable.  I could be wrong—but this certainly seems to be public perception.  After all that is a major reason why so many folks have taken to the streets in protest. 

The Catholic church did not police itself.  It moved predatory priests from one parish to another in hopes that the problems would go away.  They did not.  They were allowed to perpetuate heinous crimes and the complaints were swept under the rug or mysteriously disappeared.  Eventually a “Spotlight” was directed on the failings of their systemic abuse—and things began to change.  How many people lost trust in the institution because of their mishandling of clergy sexual abuse claims?  How many people in the protestant denominations have lost faith because of their lack of response? 

This is the time to seriously look at the justice system.  This is the time to protest the bad apples.  This is the time to hold the bad apples accountable.  But it is going to take more than protestors on streets to change the system—it is going to require every good cop to stand up to the bad.  It is going to require them to break the fraternal bond.   Trust and faith is a virtue that once shattered is hard to restore.  But it is required in these times.  

In these days and these times, when we put on our clergy robe or a badge, people are wondering if we are one of the good ones or the bad ones—because both exist.   We can no longer take the public’s trust for granted. We can no longer assume that people have faith in the institution. We should be held to a high standard. Every day we have something to prove.  Every day we have to earn it back.