Church culture of immediate forgiveness linked to cycle of abuse in Old Apostolic Lutheran Church
A pattern of child sexual abuse within the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church has persisted across generations, with experts attributing the cycle to a religious doctrine that prioritises forgiveness over accountability and external reporting.
A joint investigation by ProPublica and the Minnesota Star Tribune has identified a persistent cycle of child sexual abuse within the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church (OALC), revealing how a culture of immediate forgiveness without accountability has allowed misconduct to continue across generations in North America. The report, based on interviews with 20 former members and parents, alongside police and court records, documents a pattern where victims frequently go on to abuse other children or continue offending as adults.
Two sisters, identified by their middle names Lynn and Katherine, provided personal accounts of being abused by brothers and subsequently abusing younger siblings or nephews. Lynn, now 55, stated she was abused from infancy until she was 10, while Katherine, 43, reported abuse starting at age two. Both women described a family and church environment where incidents were minimized, forgiven, and swept away without intervention. They left the church two decades ago and are raising their children outside the faith to break the cycle.
The investigation highlights specific cases where the cycle of abuse was evident in legal proceedings. Clint Massie, who pleaded guilty in 2024 to four counts of sexual conduct with victims under 13 in Duluth, Minnesota, stated in a videotaped interview that he had been touched sexually by relatives as a teenager. Similarly, a man in Minnesota pleaded guilty to sexual assault charges against his children in January 2023, citing a desire to stop the cycle; the judge noted that he and his siblings had also been victims of childhood abuse.
Experts argue that the church’s approach exacerbates the issue. Victor Vieth, a former prosecutor, and Sandy Stevens of the North East Wyoming Advocacy Resource Center note that a culture of "forgive and forget" without accountability fails to provide healing for victims and can contribute to sexual behaviour problems in children. Stevens described the use of Scripture to assert authority and prolong abusive relationships as a form of spiritual abuse, stating that "forgiveness without accountability is not healing."
OALC officials have stated they do not believe sexual abuse is more prevalent within the church than in society at large and claimed they were not familiar with Lynn’s specific claims. Despite this, Lynn attempted to report her older brother, who allegedly abused her and another family member, to the sheriff’s department in Washington state. The investigation stalled after the other victim withdrew her claim, and Lynn reported that when she recently apologised to her younger brother for abusing him as a child, he responded with religious forgiveness rather than addressing the abuse.
