Dr Michael Brown has been accused of sexual misconduct. He should not return to ministry

Dr Michael Brown, one of the most prominent apologists in the Messianic Jewish movement, has been cleared to return to ministry by an “Elder Accountability Team”, despite an independent investigation concluding that he had “engaged in an inappropriate relationship” with a married woman and “an inappropriate relationship involving sexually abusive misconduct with” another young woman. 

Dr Brown’s ministry, The Line of Fire, commissioned the independent report after the Roys Report website detailed allegations about him. Journalist Tim Wyatt set out the background in an earlier article for Premier Christianity.  

The Line of Fire then established the Elder Accountability Team to “review the investigation report” and draft a response report.

That elder’s report has now been published, and is a classic example of the misuse of scripture to attack victims and protect perpetrators. 

Allegations 

In 2001 and 2002, several members of the FIRE school of ministry, which was run by Dr Brown, observed him and a student “interacting…in such a manner as to give the perception of the two being engaged in a relationship beyond what Brown described as a father-daughter bond”, the independent report said. “These allegations included the two holding hands on multiple occasions and the student sitting on Brown’s lap. She later reported “that Brown would also kiss her on the neck, head, and mouth, and would occasionally slap her buttocks.” 

The relationship ended after she discovered notes written by Brown that suggested he “had a relationship (emotional or physical) with a married woman within the congregation around the same time she attended the church”, the report states.   

The report says that “the numerous interviews and, in many cases, corroborating documentation, point to a deliberate involvement of sexual misconduct…which could also be viewed as sexual harassment and / or a hostile work environment, especially with Brown holding a position of power within the school generally” and more specifically with the student in question. 

Owning the abuse 

The elders’ report repeatedly attacks those who raised allegations against Dr Brown for failing to follow the biblically mandated jurisprudence and due process set out in Matthew 18:15-17; and for not keeping the allegations secret. 

The elders also insist on re-phrasing the investigation’s finding of “sexually abusive misconduct” as “moral indiscretions” in relation to the unidentified married woman, who has since died, and as “leadership misconduct” in the case of the student. The elders use these terms throughout their report to minimise the findings of guilt. 

Often, it is not the abuse that drives victims out of the Church, but the re-abuse they receive at the hands of Church leadership

Dr Brown has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing while also insisting that he has repented of his sins. In a video message in December last year, Dr Brown said: “I want to be transparent, take full ownership of any wrongs done on my part, and ask for forgiveness for incidents that  took place 23 years ago. These incidents occurred…during a very difficult season of life and ministry.” 

Despite his pledge of transparency, Dr Brown does not explain what he is apologising for; although the investigation report includes an email exchange between Brown and Ron Cantor, a faculty member at FIRE School, in which he said: “I did not have an affair” with the married women “but we developed a very unhealthy and sinful soul tie”. 

In another email to Cantor, when he was aware of interest from the Roys Report but before they had published, Dr Brown said: “it’s the devil who wants to broadcast any of this to the world (in which case, the Roys Report would defeat its whole purpose by becoming a tool of Satan rather than God)”. 

Misuse of scripture 

The elders take up a large part of their report talking about restoration to fellowship but seem to confuse this as re-admittance to ministry leadership. They selectively quote 1 Corinthians 5:4-7 and 11, missing out the strong admonishments contained in the wider chapter. 

A sad, but unsurprising feature in this case is that Sarah no longer has an active faith. Such is the fate of many victims of church-related abuse. Often, it is not the abuse that drives victims out of the church, but the re-abuse they receive at the hands of church leadership – of the type so visible in the elders’ report. 

The elder’s report is a classic example of the misuse of scripture to attack victims and protect perpetrators

Yes, the Bible talks of forgiveness of sins; and we are all sinners, saved only by the grace of God who paid the price for our sins on the cross. But the Bible also talks of justice, consequences, and the need to “love thy neighbour”. 

Removal from ministry for people found to have acted in a sexually abusive manner is not a punishment. It is an act of safeguarding. It is an act of loving kindness to neighbours – protecting children, young people, vulnerable adults and all people from potential abuse. 

One biblical text that the elders didn’t consider in their report is Matthew 18:6: “If anyone causes those who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” 

I implore them – and all church leaders having to deal with allegations of abuse – to think, pray, and meditate upon it.