Can God Speak Through an Abusive Pastor?

The problem of ‘tainted legacies’ has been raised in relation to the remnants left behind in the wake of abuse. Of special concern for Christian ethics are the sermons of abusive pastors. Preaching poses a special problem because the majority of the Christian tradition holds that preaching offers the prophetic presence of God. Could the preached words of an abuser have been the words of God? This article argues for a highly qualified ‘yes’, where the qualifications are more important than the affirmation. I will argue that an abusive preacher's words function ‘ex opere operato,’ or by God's external power at work in the performance of the act. This allows us to affirm the genuine goods brought about by those words without excusing the moral wrongs done by the abuser. I will then test this claim against the main worry surrounding tainted legacies, namely, the danger of complicity with wrongdoing. Finally, I will recommend that complicity is best avoided by the work of moral repair. The repair most needed by churches impacted by abusive pastors and their preaching is affirming the priesthood of survivors of abuse and their witness.