The Makin Review into the horrific abuse carried out by John Smyth was always going to send shockwaves through the Church of England – and the evangelical world both within that denomination and beyond it. Smyth – QC, church reader and sadist – abused at least 115 children and young men over a period spanning some 50 years. Some later attempted suicide.
The report does not hold back. The victims’ accounts are harrowing; the failures of successive CofE leaders – including many evangelicals – from the top down are exposed. Makin could not be clearer: conservative evangelical culture facilitated Smyth’s abuse. His brutal proclivities were an open secret among a faction within the church who could have acted – but didn’t. The institution, its beliefs and reputation, were more important than the individuals being abused.
Accountability is crucial
So what’s next? Can Smyth’s victims meaningfully begin a new chapter? It could be more challenging than it needs to be given the time it’s taken for the first (and only, at the time of writing) resignation to happen.
After Makin: what might evangelicals learn?
It’s not often we get asked to write something together, so this is newish territory for us. 'You write it,' …