Bruxy Cavey and Assault Charges
I have been following the Bruxy Cavey and Meeting House situation, not because I have a particular dislike for Cavey. I have never actually met him. But I am interested in the Canadian church and I am concerned about abuses of pastoral power and authority.
Part of the story is the assertion that Cavey was not just guilty of having an affair but of sexual assault. This would not have to mean a use of physical force but could be due to an imbalance of power.
The most recent development is that the first of three assault charges have been stayed as you can read in this article. The reason for this is that there was too long of a delay between the laying of charges and the trial. This decision is not a statement of his guilt or innocence.
I do not know the details of the other two charges and I actually know more about the first charge than I ever wanted to. There is no trial set for these and I do not know if there will be one.
What does this mean? Does this suggest that all Cavey did was have a slip in judgment and some unfaithfulness to his wife?
The decisions of the court are one thing. They can look at the legal definitions of assault, the available evidence, and the legal procedure.
However, churches have to decide if there is a misuse or abuse of power. This abuse of power does not require that the victim be in an extremely vulnerable position, such as underage or in a counselling relationship.
Anyone who is involved in the Christian church scene, especially the evangelical scene, in Canada has some idea of the “pre-fall” prestige of Bruxy Cavey. He was probably the biggest Christian celebrity that Canada had, at least of those who did not move to the United States.
Bruxy Cavey is charismatic and has a mystique surrounding him. Everything from the way he looks to the way he speaks differentiates him from the typical pastor. There was always an imbalance of power.
Am I disappointed that the charge was stayed? It really does not matter to me. I had no specific wish that he would be in jail.
I do think that the Meeting House did make the right decision to remove him and his teaching materials. They recognized that something very serious did take place.
I would hope that one day Bruxy Cavey will recognize that what happened was more than an affair. I hope that he would consider the consequences of his actions. While I hope for a healing for him and for his family, I also hope he never becomes a pastor of a church again.
We should also be praying for “Hagar,” his victim in this.
