On November 13, 2021, Dr Burnett L. Robinson, erstwhile senior pastor of the Grand Concourse Temple in Bronx, New York, preached a sermon about wives being the property of their husbands. "Gentlemen, the best person to rape is your wife!" he said, after mocking a news story where a woman pressed rape charges against her husband. No response from administrators appeared to take place until after the video of his statements went viral.

While Robinson's comments were disavowed by Seventh-day Adventist administrators, further reporting reveals that Robinson has a history of Domestic Violence allegations, and had also preached in a 2019 sermon that the #MeToo Movement is made of up "spiteful, hateful women" who are "hounding the powerful".

Robinson was allowed to resign.

The fact that Robinson continued to serve as a spiritual leader despite his history of violence allegations and misogynistic public statements, raises the issue of widespread ethical failures within the Seventh-day Adventist denomination relating to clergy misconduct, sexual ethics, and violence against women. 

While the Seventh-day Adventist denomination in North America has spoken out against violence and sexual misconduct, a disturbing number of clergy are allowed to continue in leadership despite known histories of violence and sexually predatory behavior. 

Onlookers from other denominations have expressed similar outrage, calling into question the Seventh-day Adventist commitment to protecting women from violence and sexual assault.

"Robinson is either an example of the patriarchal toxicity that underscores the mentality of clergy/leadership in this organization, or one would have to believe that Robinson is a Lone Ranger, an anomaly, and his history of public misogynistic, depraved statements have never been heard by the organization... There is something more sinister, dark, at work here. Robinson caused the lights to be turned on," writes Patrick Weaver, pastor, author, and anti-abuse advocate.

Seventh-day Adventists have a global structure, with each region administrated by Divisions, Unions, and Conferences which are responsible to create their own operational and disciplinary policies. 

The North American Division E-87 Policy for Sexual Ethics and Misconduct provides guidance for due process to deal with allegations of clergy misconduct and prevent false allegations. E-87 requires an infrastructure of trained and trauma-informed concerned care practitioners, as well as case files on allegations and outcomes, to be operational in every Conference.

If properly implemented, E-87 could provide a powerful benchmark for accountability and safety to protect both parishioners and clergy. But few Conferences are fully compliant with the policy, and many have no active implementation of the policy at all. In addition, the Division does not make E-87 easily accessible to the public. 

This shrouded approach ultimately prevents public accountability and transparency regarding employment decisions, and allows predatory clergy to transfer to new leadership roles where they continue to cause harm.

We believe that:

• it is time to stop appeasing risk management and/or insurance clauses by keeping silent on reasons for clergy resignation or termination. This practice allows perpetrators to seek employment elsewhere and continue re-offending. This must stop. 
• clergy-related roles are a privilege, not a right, and while all individuals are redeemable before God there are certain patterns of behavior which preclude an individual from continuing to be trusted in any leadership role. 
• clergy who are proven to have committed any form of domestic violence or sexual misconduct, have shown themselves unsafe to continue in the gentle role of a Christlike shepherd, and must be permanently removed from leadership, including revoking all ordination and ministerial credentials.
• the organization must implement a zero tolerance policy preventing perpetrators of domestic violence and sexual misconduct from retaining influence or power through any clergy-related role.
• leaders who are proven to have committed any form of domestic violence or sexual misconduct should not be allowed to resign or to transfer to a new ministry location under "leave of absence" loopholes.
• the policies and protocols for handling allegations of domestic violence or sexual misconduct by spiritual leaders must be made publicly accessible to anyone who wishes to review them, and to facilitate transparency for victims, members, media, and leaders.
• the internal allegation processing structure required by the North American Division's E-87 policy must be publicly available and actively implemented throughout all regions, conferences, and unions within the NAD territory.
• it is crucial for the North American Division to uphold the E-87 policy directive to maintain current case files on all clergy allegations, including those who have been terminated for sexual misconduct, in order to prevent unwitting rehiring in other parts of the world.

We are asking North American leadership to recognize that this issue is one of life and death for vulnerable women, children, and men in the faith community.

More than that, allowing individuals with a pattern of violence or ethical misconduct to continue in leadership roles constitutes an egregious misrepresentation of God's heart for those who deserve justice and healing.