Tumult and tears

Southern exposure

Abortion activists in Argentina reacted violently to news that the country’s Senate voted to continue protections for unborn children in the Latin American nation.

In a dramatic scene on Thursday night, throngs of Argentines watched the debate unfold on large televisions stationed outside the Congress in Buenos Aires. When lawmakers voted 38-31 to reject a bill that would have legalized abortion up to 14 weeks into pregnancy, pro-lifers rejoiced, but abortion proponents revolted.

The Evening Standard reported that protesters clashed with police, set up flaming barricades, and threw firebombs and glass bottles.

Abortion is legal in the predominantly Catholic nation only in cases of rape or risk to a mother’s health. Perhaps it seems unsurprising that Argentine lawmakers rejected abortion in the birthplace of Pope Francis, but the country isn’t a socially conservative stronghold on other issues: The Senate legalized gay marriage eight years ago.

Meanwhile, Latin American tensions over abortion are set to continue: In Brazil, the Supreme Court has begun considering whether to allow abortion of unborn children up to 12 weeks into pregnancy.

Weeping Willow

Members of Willow Creek Community Church outside of Chicago, Ill., are grieving this week, as the congregation’s lead pastors and entire board of elders announced their resignations on Wednesday night.

The leaders told church members they had failed in their handling of multiple accusations of inappropriate conduct by longtime former pastor Bill Hybels, and they apologized to the women who had come forward to report sexual harassment.

Willow Creek audience members react to Wednesday’s announcement that lead pastor Heather Larson is stepping down. Steve Lundy/Daily Herald via AP

Many undoubtedly will analyze the breakdown at Willow Creek, but here’s at least one misguided takeaway from Scott Thumma of Hartford Seminary. Thumma told The New York Times: “It challenges the idea that a group of elders internal to the congregation can truly be a healthy check and balance on leadership and direction and accountability.”

I’d submit the problem isn’t with having elders who come from within a congregation. But serious problems can arise when those elders have no accountability beyond themselves.

Any board of elders can fail, so it’s important that church members have recourse to an outside body (like a presbytery or a synod or some other system) with authority to check local elders when necessary. (It’s true that outside bodies can fail too, but that’s not an argument against layers of accountability.)

I’ve seen it in similar stories I’ve reported on in the past: It can be hard to get elders to challenge a charismatic leader, and when there’s no one else to go to, the problems grow far worse.

Of course, scandals can and do happen within every form of church governance and denomination, and it’s important to remember that good systems alone won’t save us: We need God’s mercy and the help of a whole community of believers willing to speak early and truthfully, even when it’s painful.