Over the last year, the #metoo movement has created a thorn in the flesh for many sexual harassers and predators. A host of powerful men have been called out for sexual improprieties; some have even found themselves in jail.
For those of us who don’t read the news, #metoo is a movement started in the US in 2017 with several ladies opening up about their experiences of sexual harassment over social media. The movement has had a large ricochet effect all over the world and continues to do so. Here in India, the movement has led to ministers stepping down, shake-ups in Bollywood, and many scared men in important positions (not necessarily a bad thing).
Although movements like this can easily be abused, it has brought awareness to the plight of women and the need to report and speak up against sexual abuse or harassment.
I recently facilitated a session with UN Women on the topic of sexual harassment. In such trainings, two main themes are discussed:
- “No” always means “No” when it comes to any sexual advances
- Intent vs impact: It is not just the intent but also the impact and perception that determines whether or not an act is harassment.
These ideas bring awareness to men and women as to where the lines of impropriety lie. But there’s a deeper moral guideline that is missed. While the #metoo movement looks to expose the guilty and bring about a certain amount of fear in the perpetrators, it doesn’t touch the root issue.
The Bible says that all our words and actions come from deeper desires, often referred to as ‘heart’. Jesus said: “But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.”
The heart is considered the captain of our desires, the inner cause of all behaviour. So the Bible tells us first to “guard your hearts, for everything flows from it”.
What the #metoo and other movements miss is that every act of sexual abuse or exploitation has an origin where they bubble up from. Desire leads to thoughts, which lead to words and deeds. The moral standard of Jesus focuses on the core desire. “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Jesus sets the bar high for sexual harassment. He says an act of adultery has been committed just with sexual intentions towards someone who is not your spouse.
The Christian worldview does not allow for wrongs of the heart and mind. To follow Jesus means to make efforts to keep our thoughts clean. It’s almost an exasperatingly high standard but it’s a standard that focuses on abolishing the real issue of #metoo: an impure heart. In order for a weed to not grow again, it must be pulled from the roots.
The real antidote to the massive problem of sexual harassment is for all of us to examine our hearts to see whether our intentions are impure and, if so, to repent (change). In doing this, we find true peace as our thoughts are made clean, which in turn forms our behaviour. The Bible instructs us to think about things that are true, pure, lovely, admirable and praiseworthy. Such thinking will usher in the day when no one will ever need to write #metoo.
Contributed by Jonny Abraham
Jonny is the Chief Servant and Delegator of Fusion in New Delhi. He is passionate about servant leadership. In his non-spare time, Jonny consults on leadership training with NGOs, companies and UN agencies. In his spare time, he spares time for a lovely wife and two boisterous daughters.