The Mentoring Project

Here is the commercial for my buddy's mentoring organization, "The Mentoring Project." Take a couple minutes and watch this...

The Mentoring Project - Elephant Musth Cycle from The Mentoring Project on Vimeo.

Human Trafficking - Moving The Church From Ignorance To Action

Many people responded to my facebook/twitter post about this paper. So rather than emailing it, I'm posting it here. It's really just an integrative paper taking what we talked about in class, and processing it in my own life. My hope for the paper was to create something where I could process all the material, and at the same time have an end product that could help expose others to the horrific injustice of human trafficking. It's long (Master's level class) ... but, I think, an easy read. (I don't have a very big vocabulary). Easy, but painful. So if you're up for it, take it in. I'd love to hear your comments...

WESTERN SEMINARY

A Strategy For Moving A Local Church From Ignorance To Action Against The Sexual Exploitation of Women

BY

KEVIN ROGERS (BOX 332)

DIS 563f – Global Sex Trafficking: Causes, Consequences, Challenges

Summer, 2009

A Strategy For Moving A Local Church From Ignorance To Action Against The Sexual Exploitation of Women

INTRODUCTION

Stacy (I've changed her name for this paper) was baptized at my church several years back. She is a beautiful and broken woman that God is redeeming. She has lived a life full of drug use, having kids outside of marriage, and prostitution. When we baptized her I was so excited to hear her story of redemption. It was raw, and communicated the radical grace of our Savior. I was also glad to be at a church that accepts broken people into their fold. In my naïveté I believed she would quickly leave all of her addictions behind, get married, and live happily ever after in our community.

So when she dropped off the radar a few months later several of us noticed and were concerned. No one could find her. She did return months later. Then disappeared again. And this cycle continued. After some time she told me that she had been on and off the streets prostituting her self. This was my first experience dealing with this issue, and I was unsure how to respond. I viewed Stacy as a person who made bad decisions, and was in need of full submission to the gospel. Though our church believes God asks all people to submit to Him, and change, thankfully we also a church where we accept people to come as they are. So Stacy was always welcome, and always appreciated us. But is that all we had to offer? Is our job as the church to patiently wait for God to bring full redemption to those struggling with bad decisions? Or was there something going on with Stacy that was completely off my radar? Was her life simply a culmination of her bad decisions? Or could she have been trapped in abusive relationships where she was forced into prostitution, among other damaging behaviors? At the time, this idea was not even on my radar because I had no awareness of the reality of human trafficking in the world, much less its activity right under my nose in America.

I can think of no organization or entity that should be more involved in fighting the injustice of human trafficking than the church. As God’s people we are called to be light. We are called to pursue justice in love. The Gospel is, at its essence, God’s historical redemptive plan. And God’s redemption is for everyone who is broken (which is everyone). Certainly, it is hard to imagine many people who are more broken than victims of human trafficking. Yet I can think of very little church involvement in Portland, Oregon, the city in which I live, regarding this horrific issue.

A recent news report listed my city, Portland, Oregon, as number two in the nation in regards to sex trafficking.[1] Yet, this issue is largely unknown to most church members. When asked about the issue of trafficking, they will likely think you are talking about rush hour jams on the freeway. And when asked about slavery, they will most likely talk about the African Americans’ plight in centuries past on our continent. Very few church members have adequate awareness of modern day slavery and human trafficking.

This leads to a massive disconnect between this issue of injustice and the lack of church involvement. The first issue at hand is awareness. Yet in this paper I want to push beyond exposure and also explore ways for the church to experience this issue, and then become fully engaged with the problem of human trafficking in their hometown, and globally.

My hope for this paper is to create a process for churches to move from ignorance to action in regards to human trafficking, with a special emphasis given to the issue of sex trafficking of women. The first section will deal with issues of awareness. How can we help churches become aware of this issue? I will move on to experience. Simply being aware changes very little about this devastating issue. How can churches actually gain a practical experience involving human trafficking? Finally, I will explore ways to help churches engage in sustainable human trafficking ministry.

EXPOSE

“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness,

but rather expose them.” ~Ephesians 5:11 (NIV)

Take a moment to simply reflect on these statistics:[2]

*Human Trafficking is the world’s third largest criminal enterprise, after drugs and weapons. (U.S. Department of State)

*Worldwide, there are nearly two million children in the commercial sex trade. (UNICEF)

*There are an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 children, women and men trafficked across international borders annually (U.S. Department of State)

*Approximately 80 percent of human trafficking victims are women and girls, and up to 50 percent are minors. (U.S. Department of State)

*The total market value of illicit human trafficking is estimated to be in excess of $32 billion.

*Sex trafficking is an engine of the global AIDS epidemic (U.S. Department of State)

Human trafficking is an insidious problem on multiple levels. The lack of awareness is not only surprising, but also infuriating. Why did I know relatively nothing about it two years ago? Once exposed, it is a very complicated issue. It is not like many crimes that are relatively easy to prosecute. It is very tough to get a conviction in trafficking situations. And all the while the victims are exploited, abused, and wounded for life. It is truly a dynamic process from beginning to end, and we would do well to begin by exploring this dynamic process. The process, though oversimplified, can be summed up in the diagram below. I will attempt to very briefly explain each of the three phases in this process.

The Dynamic Process Of Human Trafficking[3]

Entrance à Exploitation à Exit

Entrance:

The process of human trafficking begins when the person being trafficked is recruited. At this point, there is not necessarily any crime committed. Often times the person being trafficked is simply lied to, and offered a promise of a better life elsewhere. Many times the person being trafficked follows the trafficker on his or her own volition, making it impossible to track, much less prosecute. In situations where no crimes have been committed the person being trafficked doesn’t even realize they are being trafficked, and it is very difficult to identify these situations.

Exploitation:

Exploitation is the point where the person being trafficked realizes they have been lied to. That promise of a better job does not exist. Or it is different than expected. The point of exploitation is often the first point where a crime is actually committed. It is during these initial exploitations where “the breaking period” happens. Persons being trafficked are regularly “broken” through forced drug addiction, beatings, sensory depravation, and the like. Promises are not kept. Instead, the person being trafficked is forced into some type of labor or sex work.

Exit:

At some point this horrific experience comes to an end. The person being trafficked either becomes no longer profitable, they are rescued, or they escape. If they lose their value and are disposed of, they are often killed. Suicide is also common among persons who are trafficked. One way or another, the process inevitably ends at some point, and it is never pretty. For those who survive, it is very difficult to re-enter society.

I just met with a man from my church last week that feels compelled to expose the issue of human trafficking. I thank God for him, and others like him because this is the first critical piece in helping the church move from ignorance to action. As Paul pastors his young, first century church in Ephesus he encourages them, “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness,

but rather expose them.”[4] How can the church expose this issue?

There are many ways for a church to expose their congregation to the issue of human trafficking. It is not difficult. Anyone with a little imagination can quickly come up with a list of ideas to help bring this issue to people’s attention. The bigger issue is really this: does the leadership of my church recognize this issue as one of horrific injustice? Do they believe Jesus himself would be outraged not only at the perpetrators, but also at a congregation who stands by idle and does nothing? I believe that the first step in building awareness in the congregation is for the leadership of the church to be adequately convicted on this issue. That said, there are many great resources available to help expose this issue to both the leadership and the entire congregation of the local church.

The most powerful tool for exposing any issue of injustice is to simply tell the story. If there is someone in your congregation that has experienced this issue, let them tell the story. It can also be beneficial to bring in a speaker with wider experience with the issue. Last November we had Gary Haugen from the International Justice Mission[5] come and speak at our church. He was fantastic, and brought a very compelling message that was full of both exposure and a call to action.[6] I would highly recommend having either Gary or someone else from IJM, or someone from another anti-slavery organization[7] come and share at your church.

Film has become a powerful medium in our culture. There are many powerful films on the issue of human trafficking that could be shown at your church as an awareness raising campaign. Two that I specifically recommend include Fields of Mudan (a fictional, but realistic story that evokes a very emotional response),[8] and Call And Response (a documentary that enlists the help of famous musicians who perform to raise awareness for human trafficking).[9]

Finally, a great way solidify the awareness in your congregation is to get them talking about it. One way to do this is to have a forum where they contribute to the conversation. Another idea is to have the small groups in the church spend several weeks talking through the issue. The Not-For-Sale Campaign offers a fantastic small group guide, called Set The Captives Free, for exactly this purpose.[10]

Even if the leadership of your church is not ready to take the step of exposing the whole congregation to this issue from the pulpit, or through the small group ministry you can begin a grassroots movement of exposure. For example, last fall I used my birthday as a platform to expose many of my friends to the issue of human trafficking. My wife asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday. Being one that doesn’t really enjoy birthday parties, I told her I wanted everyone to join me at a showing of Call And Response (which just happened to be playing in town on my birthday). It was great. I had about 25 friends join me and watch a very well produced film that exposes the reality of human trafficking. It was not the most uplifting birthdays, but it was one of the my most meaningful.

EXPERIENCE

“Justice is what love looks like in public” ~Cornell West

“Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed.” ~Isaiah 1:17

Once eyes are opened, it is tough to know what to do with the reality of human trafficking. It can feel overwhelming. And this can lead to a posture of despair. What can I possibly do to tackle an issue so big? And yet history is full of stories where injustice is not only battled, but also defeated. The Israelites slavery in Egypt is one such story. Nazi Germany is another. Further, our Bible is full of prophetic voices reminding us that to stand idle in the face of injustice angers our God. Isaiah encourages us to seek justice for the oppressed.[11] Our savior, Jesus himself, says that we should not neglect justice and mercy in our ministries.[12] So how do we begin to address this issue? I argue that going from exposure to deep involvement is not only intimidating, but also quite possibly overwhelming. I would like to offer an intermediary step: experience.

The goal of this step is to help people experience the issue without pressing for a commitment they are not ready for. The goal is move from exposure to the issue in general, and make it more personal. The hope is that through this experience, people will develop their own conviction to plunge into a deep level of sustained involvement. But how do we cultivate this experience?

To help people experience the issue of human trafficking, we need to put them in contact with the issue. This has to move beyond theories and stories. People need to get themselves in contact with a real trafficking situation.

Experience can happen globally or locally. If there were a short-term mission trip happening, it would not be hard to do some research and find out if there is any human trafficking happening at the mission destination. More than likely there is. But even without travelling abroad, we can gain experience with human trafficking right here in our own country. Any major city in America has women trafficked for sex. And many rural areas have people trafficked for agricultural labor. You may find any or all components of the dynamic process of trafficking in your context. I will use my own church congregation, context, and opportunities to illustrate pathways in leading people to experience the issue of human trafficking. And I will give special emphasis on each of the three areas of the dynamic process of entrance, exploitation, and exit.

As mentioned above my church is in Portland, Oregon. We have many global relationships in countries such as Mexico, India, and Rwanda. However, we are currently making a strategic attempt to focus most of our global resources on North Vietnam because it is a region that is largely unreached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It turns out that North Vietnam is a point of origin for women trafficked into Cambodia for the sex industry. Our hope is to send hundreds of our people to North Vietnam in coming years. I am hoping to work with our global pastor to put together a strategy for everyone that goes on a short-term trip there to somehow experience the sex slave trade. By nature the trip is short-term in duration, and people will not be able to fully engage in the issue. But my hope is that by experiencing it personally, they will develop their own conviction to stay involved however they can.

But our people do not need to go to Southeast Asia to experience human trafficking. They need only to go to Southeast 82^nd Avenue in Portland, which is well known for its prostitution. Many women who are prostituting themselves are not doing it on their own volition. Pimps control these women with many of the same tactics that brothel owners use on their women. Many of the prostitutes in Portland are women who have been trafficked either domestically or internationally. Our church started a ministry called Rahab’s Sisters which has since been renamed Scarlet Cord.[13] This ministry serves the prostitutes on Southeast 82^nd Avenue on Friday nights. Women in our congregation are free to go and volunteer in this ministry for a one-time experience, or in an ongoing manner. Men can provide security, and are free to speak with the women volunteers about the ministry. This is a great way to experience the exploitation that happens right under our noses every single day.

A third way to experience the reality of human trafficking would be to meet with a person who has been trafficked. Alternatively, one could meet with a counselor who has spent time counseling a trafficking victim. Either way one will experience the exit phase of the trafficking process, and develop a sense for the immense work required to help the victim reintegrate back into society.

Whether people experience victims being recruited, exploited, or protected upon their exit they will begin to develop a conviction that human trafficking is detestable, unjust, and incompatible with a vibrant Christian faith. Now what?

ENGAGE

“I know that God will not give me anything that I can’t handle. I just wish that he didn’t trust me so much.” ~Mother Theresa

“Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.” ~James 4:17

Moving people from experience to engagement may be the toughest leap to make. If I’m honest, I am still standing in this gap hoping, praying for, and seeking appropriate and sustainable ways to stay involved with this issue. To attempt to tackle the whole problem seems overwhelming. Rather, prayerfully seeking one area to dive deep into may be the most fruitful response. Let’s look at an example of how this could look within each of the three phases of the dynamic process.

The first phase in the dynamic process is entrance, or the recruiting of victims. A primary way to get involved here is to work on the prevention of human trafficking. Preventative measures typically involve education and awareness campaigns targeted at potential victims. Helping potential victims know what to look for, be wary of, and avoid can help prevent them from unknowingly being trafficked. Someone who has skills, gifts, or a passion for teaching may fare well in this arena. Whether abroad or local, prevention of human trafficking is a noble cause to undertake.

The second phase in the dynamic process is exploitation. One way to get involved here is to fight for stronger legislation, and for a higher rate of conviction for the perpetrators. Lawyers and politicians (professional or lay) would fare well in this arena. Even without formal training, if you are passionate about making the perpetrators pay for their crimes in order to reduce the trafficking of persons, fighting the exploitation phase may be a good fit for you.

The third phase in the dynamic process is the exit phase. There are so many needs for victims who are somehow able to exit their situation. They will most certainly need counseling to heal from the abuse and trauma they experienced. They will need training and equipping in order to develop skills to re-enter society. And they will need advocates to stand in the gap with them and help fight against the systemic forces that will want to stigmatize them in culture. Those with gifts and passions in counseling, mercy, and equipping would find this post-release work a meaningful way to engage.

How can the church foster all of these means of engagement? The church is people. God gifts his people differently by design.[14] My guess is that where there is a vibrant expression of the church, there is a diversity of gifts and passions able to tackle the different components of this problem. This is exactly what happened last week when I met with three other people from my church who have a similar conviction as mine; to give of their time and energy in order to combat human trafficking. There were four of us in the room. One desired to focus his energy on simply bringing awareness of the issue to our congregation. Another is a lawyer, and feels called to use her training and experience to combat this issue. Yet another is a caregiver at heart, and desires to serve and love the victims after their exit.

Me? I feel compelled to address the issue from the preventative side of things. I want to bring awareness to the men of our congregation of the fact that pornography, prostitution, and the like are not “victimless crimes.” I want to call the men in our church to remain pure, and to even begin raising awareness to other men in their lives in regards to this issue. The demand for sex slavery comes almost entirely from men. If men were fully aware of the consequences of their actions I am convinced the demand would reduce. Surely it wouldn’t go away entirely. But if we could begin to reduce the demand, that is a start.

Conclusion

“He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

~Micah 6:8

The dynamic process from recruiting to exploitation, and from exploitation to exit is truly a tough thing to crack. It will take much effort, time, and money. Yet the church should care about this. If it is the world’s third largest criminal enterprise, how is it that the church can stand by quietly? If churches would commit to exposing their congregations to the reality of human trafficking, I’m convinced many Christ followers would desire to take next steps. And if churches would help their members experience trafficking in real situations, I’m confident people would choose on their own volition to engage deeply in the issue. There is so much potential for the church to offer in the battle against human trafficking. Why? Because there are so many people in the church? Yes, but even more so because Christ followers have been given the power of God.[15]

The prophet Micah says, “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”[16] It is good for us to pursue justice and mercy. It should also be noted that only one person has ever done this perfectly on earth, and that is Jesus Christ. It is incredibly difficult to walk in the tension of pursuing both justice and mercy. Our only hope is to live truly humble lives that pursue Jesus. This needs to be our motivation. If it is not, we will surely fall off one side or the other. We will either become zealots for justice all the while losing sight of mercy. Or we will, in the name of mercy, ignore injustice in our world. But if we humbly follow Jesus, we will not be able to fall too far one direction or the other. This needs to be our motivation as we fight against human trafficking. A heart that pursues Jesus will desire justice. A heart that desires justice like Jesus did will not pursue it without mercy. We need Jesus to be our life and our desire. This will sustain us in our fight. I cannot imagine stepping into this on purely humanistic terms. I would be crushed far too soon to make a difference.

Sources

Bales, Kevin. Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy. University of California Press. Berkley. 1999.

Bales, Kevin. The Slave Next Door: How We Free Today’s Slaves. 2009.

Batstone, David. Not For Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade—And How We Can Fight It. Harper Collins. San Francisco. 2007.

Batstone, David. The Abolitionist Church Handbook: Version 1.0.

Clark, Michele A. An Introduction To Human Trafficking: Vulnerability, Impact And Action.

Clark, Michele A. Class Notes from DIS563f, Global Sex Trafficking, Western Seminary, Summer, 2009.

Driscoll, Mark. Porn Again Christian.

Farley, Melissa (ed.). Prostitution, Trafficking, and Traumatic Stress. The Haworth Maltreatment & Trauma Press. New York. 2003.

Farley, Melissa. Prostitution & Trafficking in Nevada: Making the Connections.

Herzog, Dawn. Escaping the Devil's Bedroom: Sex Trafficking, Global Prostitution, and the Gospel's Transforming Power Paperback. 2008

International Justice Mission. Sex Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation. 2007

International Justice Mission. Unprosecuted Rape. 2005.

Kara, Siddharth. Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery.

Kempadoo, Kamala. Trafficking and Prostitution Reconsidered. Paradigm Publishers. Boulder. 2005.

Kristof, Nicholas. Girls On Our Streets. New York Times. May 6, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/07/opinion/07kristof.html?_r=2

Rayburn, Shirley Love & Danielle Paxton. Set the Captives Free: A Bible Study Accompaniment To “Not For Sale.”

Skinner, E. Benjamin. A Crime So Monstrous: Face-To-Face With Modern Day Slavery.

United Nations. Protocol To Prevent, Suppress And Punish Trafficking In Persons, Especially Women And Children, Supplementing The United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime. 2000.

http://www.callandresponse.com

http://www.ijm.org/

http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/

http://www.slaverymap.org/

http://www.fieldsofmudan.com/

---

[1] KGW is a leading news channel in Portland, Oregon. You can watch the report here: http://www.kgw.com/video/?z=y&nvid=363314

[2] I found this list of statistics on a PDF titled Sex Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation from the International Justice Mission’s website: http://www.ijm.org/

[3] Michele A. Clark. This dynamic process is taken from my class notes from DIS563f (Global Sex Trafficking) with Michele A. Clark at Western Seminary, Summer 2009.

[4] Ephesians 5:11 (NIV)

[5] http://www.ijm.org/

[6] You can listen to, or download Gary’s message here: http://www.imagodeicommunity.com/information/sermons/unfamiliar-passions-of-god/

[7] i.e. David Batstone with the Not-For-Sale Campaign: http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/

[8] http://www.fieldsofmudan.com/

[9] http://callandresponse.com/

[10] Rayburn, Shirley Love & Danielle Paxton. Set the Captives Free: A Bible Study Accompaniment to Not For Sale.

[11] Isaiah 1:17

[12] Matthew 23:23

[13] You can read more about this ministry here: http://www.imagodeicommunity.com/scarlet-cord/

[14] See Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter 4

[15] Psalm 68:35

[16] Micah 6:8

Good Friday Video

Coming off of another Easter weekend I have been reflecting on my experience this year. Lent was meaningful for me this year as a tool to engage with the anticipation and preparation for worshiping our risen Lord. Our Good Friday service was yet another moving service crafted by our artists, leading us to the cross and Jesus' crucifixion. There was an unusual joy at our Easter morning services. Easter is becoming more and more meaningful to me each year, and I have my church largely to thank for this. Our church takes very seriously the task of leading our people into a deep engagement of the reality of our risen Lord and how that effects our lives. This video was played at our Good Friday services last weekend. It was really moving to me...probably the highlight of my experience this year. Alex Davis, assistant to our arts pastor, scripted and narrated it. Nate Grubbs developed the video content.



2009 Good Friday - Imago Dei Community from Kevin Rogers on Vimeo.

The Lost Art of the Benediction

I am so pleased that my church has recently committed to making benedictions a weekly, regular part of our liturgy. We have had benedictions sporadically in the past, but now they are weekly. And I am thrilled. In my Christian experience, I have rarely appreciated any aspect of Christian worship services more than the benediction. I have been recently inspired by the power of benedictions through experiencing them, discussing them in our staff and pastors' meetings, and in conversation with my friend, J.R. Briggs, who shares a similar passion for benedictions. The current issue of Leadership Journal has a decent article on benedictions if you'd like to read more.

I have offered a few benedictions over the years. I typically find an appropriate Scripture to read as the benediction. It is truly hard to beat God's own word when it comes to offering a meaningful blessing to His people. However, when asked to prepare a benediction for this past Sunday's service I chose instead write one during the service. I had an idea of where I would go with it so that I would not be at a complete loss. But I really wanted the message of that day to inform the benediction. Thankfully at our church we have a set of songs after the message, and I used that time to finalize the benediction. The message was on singleness, and viewing Christ as our highest good and truest lover, and in that light to use our singleness to serve and please God (1 Corinthians 7:8-9, 25-38). The movement asked of us is from selfish-singleness to servant-singleness.

Below is the benediction I wrote. I would love to hear your thoughts on benedictions, what you understand them to be, the role they have played in your spiritual formation (or lack thereof), and if your church integrates benedictions into worship services regularly.


Benediction for Imago Dei Community, March 1st 2009

We just sang a song blessing the name of the LORD. I invite you now to receive God's blessing upon you. We call this a benediction.

Imago Dei Community:

Because Jesus Christ is infinitely better than any human relationship
Better than any spouse or human lover
And because He does not depend on us
But has rather called us and adopted us as children
And we can therefore depend on Him...

May you go this week in the power of the resurrected Christ
May you serve this week in the name of the resurrected Christ
May you please God this week to the glory of the resurrected Christ

Amen

Vote for Braden in 2048

I was born in Australia, so I can never be President of the USA. Karen has no interest in being president. So it's on Braden's shoulders. He'll be eligible by the 2048 election (if I've done my math right, which is possible).

Photosynth

When I heard about Photosynth today on NPR, I was eager to carve out a few moments to check it out. Maybe it's because I have a love for photography, but the interview on NPR today absolutely captivated me. I finally got all my chores done for the evening, logged on to explore this fascinating new technology and...

NOOOO!!!! It only runs on Windows! This may be the first time EVER that I am bummed to be on a Mac. I love my mac. Well, I guess that's what happens when it's a Microsoft product. OK Microsoft. You got me. Or should I say you finally got on the scoreboard. I think the score is now something like 8 million to one. But at least it's not a shut out anymore. Well done.

For those of you on Macs, you can see a demo of the product in the video below where they rolled it out at the TED conference. If you're on a PC, and have updated enough software, you can check it out here. The Slate Magazine article that they referenced in the NPR interview is here. Pretty amazing stuff...

Love 'Em or Hate 'Em ... They're Back!

Personally, I love them. They've played a huge role in my story. But that's a story worthy of sharing at more length. For the sake of brevity here, I will simply ask whether you love them or hate them. And if you land in the former camp, I will include this link below so you can listen to their new single from their forthcoming album, No Line On The Horizon. Let me know what you think of it. Who? Oh, you have to know by now...