A Letter to Those Who Care About the Wheaton College Community

Scripture is clear: God's people are called to give special care to the vulnerable and marginalized. When institutions that bear the name of Christ fail in that calling, Christians have a responsibility to speak. We write today because we believe Wheaton College has fallen short of that standard. A detailed account of Wheaton's mishandling of the Dennis Massaro sexual abuse scandal can be found on roysreport.com along with a summary editorial here, but the basics can be summed up in the following paragraphs.

In 1998, multiple students came forward to Wheaton College with accusations that Dennis Massaro had molested them. After Dennis Massaro himself confessed to having fondled students over a period of many years, Wheaton College administrators should have assisted known victims in pursuing justice and made every reasonable effort to identify others who may have been harmed. Instead, Dennis Massaro was quietly dismissed, given a financial settlement, and asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Thus began the cover-up, but it didn't stop there.

During divorce proceedings that took place a year later, Wheaton College used legal maneuvers to prevent Dennis Massaro's wife from knowing the true circumstances surrounding his departure. What's worse, in the years that followed, the college continued to honor Dennis Massaro's legacy, welcoming him back to campus as a distinguished alumnus. His presence at one such event in 2008 was even written up in the Wheaton Magazine, and four years after that, Wheaton College posted a photo of him with an alumnus on its own social media account.

All these efforts to preserve appearances protected the institutional brand while failing those who had been harmed: Dennis Massaro's former wife and children, the students he abused, and, according to subsequent reports, vulnerable asylum seekers in Turkey, where Dennis Massaro allegedly continued a pattern of sexual abuse after becoming a pastor. Each of these individuals deserved better from a college that publicly professes the full gospel of Jesus Christ.

We therefore call on Wheaton College to demonstrate genuine repentance through the following actions:

1. Acknowledge what occurred and embrace transparency by releasing all parties from existing non-disclosure agreements related to this matter and publicly committing to never use such agreements in the future.
2. Remove the names of former President Duane Litfin and former Dean of Students Sam Shellhamer from the divinity school and college café. The decisions surrounding Dennis Massaro's dismissal and its aftermath occurred under their leadership.
3. Place current President Phil Ryken on a leave of absence while the college commissions a truly independent investigation with a published report of all findings.
4. Provide restitution for the survivors (some of whom may not yet be known) of Dennis Massaro’s abuse, and Wheaton’s decades-long cover-up.

Wheaton College has previously taken decades to reckon with leadership failures from its past. We hope it will act more swiftly and faithfully in this case. True repentance requires more than evasive expressions of regret; it requires truth-telling, accountability, and restitution.

By signing this petition, you can join us in calling Wheaton College to pursue justice, seek repentance, and care for those who have been harmed.

Please also contact Dale Wong, the chair of the board of trustees (dale.wong@wheaton.edu) or call Wheaton College at (630) 752-5000.