Send the message: Our young people are off limits!

Clean Congress! Clean the Executive Branch. Clean the Judicial Branch. When adequate light is focused on each branch, I am sure no branch will be found clean. Young people who serve powerful men and women have always been subject to personal whims of the same powerful.

When a few Catholic priests were found out in their sins, no branch of government would let go. Everyone from local governmental officials to Washington bigwigs wanted their pound of flesh from the Catholic priests.

When I say a “few,” that’s what I mean. There are more than 27,000 active parish priests in the United States. Yet, a few bad apples have made the whole barrel look suspect. I believe there are no more defiled priests in the Catholic Church as in any denomination including my own Southern Baptist Convention.

Yet, when a few made the news, there was no stopping to the investigations. Even Pope John Paul II went to his heavenly reward with the issue heavy on his heart.

Second Chronicles 7:14 has a pertinent word for us today: “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land.” That was God’s formula for a house sweeping thousands of years ago and it applies here and now.

First, how can we expect the land to be healed of injustices, threats of terrorism, and systemic sin if our foundational institutions ignore the sins so obvious in their walls? There were those who knew of priests who were abusing children. Yet, they said nothing for years. There were those who knew of the abuse of innocent young men in the halls of Congress for years and years. Yet, they said nothing.

And even now a thorough sweep throughout the halls of government will reveal powerful men (and it does seem to be men and not powerful women) who take advantage of the age of innocence whether that age is 15 or 21.

One of the men in a church I served shared that when he was 15 on a youth retreat, he was invited to be molested by the youth minister. Was he Catholic? No, he was a good ole Southern Baptist. Just think if he did not have the inner strength to resist the urging of one in respect and authority?

Second, other foundational institutions in this great land must be subject to a genuine sweeping. What about Wall Street where thousands of young men would just about sell their soul for advancement? Should corporate predators be exempt from a house cleansing just because they are neither religion nor government?

Third, the media attracts legions of young people every year from the ivory and plain “Dick and Jane” journalism schools throughout America. Should not those who supervise these aspiring individuals of the “fourth estate” provide protection from predators who may be even well-established editors? Just because the news media have the last word does not exempt them from some sort of scrutiny.

Perhaps what we need more than anything else in America is a mindset that one does not mess with our young people. That our young people (regardless of their sexual orientation) are our most valuable resource and they are off limits.