Bob Jones University has a long history of blaming the victims of sexual assault–even when they were assaulted elsewhere. In 2011, the role of BJU board member Chuck Phelps in covering up the rape of a 15-year-old and his demand that she apologize to the congregation for allowing herself to be raped.led to some BJU students speaking up about the University’s blaming victims of sexual assault.
In response, BJU hired an independent organization, GRACE, Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment, to investigate the matter in 2012. They let people make reports online and promised to protect students from repercussions when they did interviews. As they neared completion of their report, they were fired. The backlash led to rehired GRACE whose report disclosed a pattern of covering up sexual assault and punishing victims.
They reported that BJU responded to assault allegations by blaming the women for arousing lust, for what they were wearing or doing. They told the women they were damaged goods and impure. Even when the assault did not happen at the school, when women sought counseling, they were abused again, blamed for the assault, called impure, and made to feel guilty. For example:
“I was abused from the ages of 6-14 by my grandfather. When I went for counseling, I was told ‘Did you repent for your part of the abuse? Did your body respond favorably? If it did, then you need to repent. You’re bitter and care more about your pain than the salvation of your family. You should have never gone to the police because it tore your family apart and that’s your fault,’” the respondent wrote.
Washington Post: Bob Jones University apologizes to victims of sexual assault
BJU apologized in 2014, but they obviously did not change their policies. In 2019, a BJU student was raped off-campus at Furman University, and the Furman security guard called BJU to inform them that she was drinking, so she was expelled. She is suing Furman, BJU, and the security guard, and the football player named in the suit as John Doe.
- Patheos: Bob Jones shuts down year-long investigation into sexual abuse on its campus
- Washington Post: Bob Jones University Report from GRACE
- Washington Post: Bob Jones University apologizes to victims of sexual assault
- Greenville.com: Former student sues Bob Jones, Furman universities, alleges negligence in sexual assault case
14 Dec 2014