Wall of Silence Chris Marchand

This episode features the detailed account of Joanna Rudenborg, who was raped and sexually harassed by Mark Rivera, a lay pastor at Christ Our Light Anglican, a church in Big Rock, Illinois. Although much of her story is already available online in different forms (see the links below) here Joanna speaks in her own voice and offers insights about how this happened to her, and, to quote the episode, "the decisions she made, how she finally found a path up out of the darkness, and clawed her way out." In reclaiming her voice over these next two episodes she also offers it as an example for other abuse survivors and anyone seeking to learn from her experience.

Episode transcript:

https://www.acnatoo.org/episode-5



Relevant Links:

"Joanna's Story" on ACNAtoo

Joanna's original Twitter thread

Joanna's Twitter thread from July 3, 2021

Quotes from Steven Spielberg and George Lucas about Indiana Jones referenced in the episode

Here are a few updates and days of commemoration related to the Wall of Silence.

5 years since Cherin's daughter disclosed Mark Rivera's sexual abuse to her mother.

600 days since the Husch Blackwell report was released and then taken down.

3 open letters from ACNA clergy and lay people.

Todd Atkinson has been deposed from ministry.



Open Letters:

ACNA Clergy

ACNA Laity

Anglican Diocese of South Carolina



All of the articles and posts referenced in this episode:

Cherin's Tweet Thread From 2023

"For Her" article by Conor Hanson

Tweets connecting Todd Atkinson with Bishop Ruch

600 Days

5 Years

Atkinson Deposed From Ministry

Anglican bishop deposed for inappropriate relationships amid calls for transparency

As a followup to Cherin's story detailing the abuse of Mark Rivera and the mishandling of that abuse by her church leaders and the Upper Midwest Diocese, this episode asks the question: what should have happened? What can we learn about the role of church leaders in the midst of abuse allegations and what are the dire consequences if they fail survivors in that process?



Full episode transcript.



Links referenced in this episode:

 June 2023 Twitter Thread by Cherin

"Who Leads You?" sermon by Bishop Stewart Ruch

Episode 3 details the story of Cherin and her daughter's sexual abuse by Mark Rivera and how her church leaders responded to it over the course of the next two years. Told in her own words by ACNAtoo members Audrey Luhmann and Abi Nye this episode highlights her personal accounts and correspondence along with a letter from Bishop Stewart Ruch to his diocese addressing the abuse and how he handled it.



As this episode offers a condensed version of events, we recommend going to the these timelines, articles, and correspondences:

Piecing It All Together Part 1

Piecing It All Together Part 2

Piecing It All Together Part 3

Piecing It All Together Part 4

Piecing It All Together Part 5

"Bishop Stewart’s Letter Regarding Devastating Situation in Diocese"

Cherin's original Twitter thread when going public

Child Survivor's Mother Speaks

Reporting abuse, a mother sees another side of church leadership



Articles about Ellie Wiesel's accuser:

"When I Was Nineteen Years Old, Elie Wiesel Grabbed My Ass"⁠

⁠"I Believe the Woman Who Accused Elie Wiesel of Sexual Assault"

The second episode of the Wall of Silence continues to set the stage for the podcast by first telling a parable, a kind of alternate version of the abuse case of Cherin Marie's daughter and Joanna Rudenborg in the Upper Midwest Diocese of the Anglican Church in North America. From there we hear more accounts from survivors and anti-abuse advocates, some initial advice from theologian Stephen Backhouse, and a poem by Elie Wiesel.

Note: after releasing this episode it came to my attention that Elie Wiesel has been accused of sexual assault and I want to acknowledge I am aware of it and will be briefly addressing it in the next episode. Sadly, his own words apply to him. I think it is important to point people to the first hand account of his alleged victim, as well as another article with commentary about it:

"When I Was Nineteen Years Old, Elie Wiesel Grabbed My Ass"

"I Believe the Woman Who Accused Elie Wiesel of Sexual Assault"



Episode Transcript:

⁠https://www.acnatoo.org/episode-2



Links referenced in this episode:

https://www.erikadreifus.com/2018/08/words-of-the-week-elie-wiesel/

Bodies Behind the Bus Podcast

https://www.acnatoo.org/presentment

https://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-1445-ben-kingsley

Welcome to the Wall of Silence. In this first episode we introduce the sexual abuse case of lay pastor Mark Rivera. From there we begin to look outward to see how church leadership responded to it, from the local diocese to the national denomination, the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). As "the thesis," this episode is the explanation for why this podcast exists and whose story we are telling: the advocacy group ACNAtoo and all victims, whistleblowers, and advocates against church abuse in the ACNA.

If you want to support the mission of the Wall of Silence podcast please consider becoming a Patreon member at:

https://www.patreon.com/WallofSilencePodcast

Membership includes extra monthly interviews and discussions.

Also featured: Megan Tucker, Lisa Weaver Swartz (https://lisaweaverswartz.com/), Stephen Backhouse (https://www.stephenbackhouse.com/, https://www.tenttheology.com/), and Audrey Luhmann.



Here are the links referenced in this episode:

https://twitter.com/ladyjessicahaze/status/1408916453848346629

https://www.instagram.com/mouthful.of.stars/

https://religionnews.com/2023/03/06/mark-rivera-a-former-anglican-lay-pastor-sentenced-to-15-years-in-prison/

https://twitter.com/luhmannaudrey/status/1734612110666244545?s=46&t=gMog_HbpmJgiGAYg7W8m4g

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/anglican-church-of-north-america-sexual-abuse-scandal.html

https://twitter.com/luhmannaudrey/status/1734612110666244545?s=46&t=gMog_HbpmJgiGAYg7W8m4g

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1412957114620809221.html

https://www.acnatoo.org/acnatoo-blog/umd-abuse-mishandling-summary

https://www.acnatoo.org/acnatoo-news/ruchs-ecclesiastical-trial



Show transcript link:

https://www.acnatoo.org/episode-1