Quite literally, God only knows. Humans might, but I’m not sure they’re telling. In a court of law, one promises to tell the truth, whole truth, and nothing but the truth – followed by a request that God provide the help they need to do so. In the court of public opinion, things work a bit differently.

I’m among those struck incredulous by the accusations. I reviewed what I could online without getting obsessively involved in one story or the other. He was highly elevated, and he was brought horridly low.

This could be a frame job with jealousy and greed written all over it. Throw in some of what the accuser can do among the Kingdom and the flow of belief within the current culture, and framing of an innocent is totally possible. His wife and 2/3 of their children still declare that this is the case. They assert that in their own investigations, bracing for the worst, they found only vindication. They also assert that the group that surrounded them behaved in a very ungracious manner towards them and prevented their input into the formal investigation.

Guilt, to a sickening scale, is also possible. Blank patches in electronic history and proximity to places of ill repute for extended periods are quite concerning, as are the mosaic of testimonies that are the same though the witnesses don’t know one another. I’ve seen those that talk a good game on stage yet live significantly different after the lights go out. Stories of people living double lives abound, where one doesn’t know about the other.

Unfortunately, I’ve seen how both investigations could be plausible. Convincing evidence has been presented on both sides, but conclusive evidence has not. As an imaginative person who enjoys crime dramas and lives in my age bracket, either answer could be the truth. So I’ll need to release the strong wish to know. If it still matters to me in 300 years, I’ll know then.

Here is what matters today:

• People Lie – any story can be the framing of the innocent or the acquittal of the guilty. Careful observation of evidence and character can (and should) reveal the truth if time and honesty have been properly applied by the investigators. Even then, our very best isn’t as sure as a God’s-eye view, which is why the upright can give thanks that He alone is our ultimate judge.
• Abuse Happens – true victims abound, whether their scars are visible or carefully hidden under clothes, makeup, or smiles. No demographic is immune, though some make easier victims. Whether or not one confronts or is believed, Jesus has empathy, comfort, and healing to offer the abused. He was abused, even framed. You don’t want to realize what He has for the guilty – better to repent and let Him carry that weight.
• God Judges – I raise my hand as one who prefers to know the facts of the case and decide guilt or innocence and appropriate consequences, even if only in commentary. In this case, and frankly in every case, I must be content that God alone is both worthy and informed enough to drop the gavel, or the hammer if needs be.
• We Love – Our responsibility is to be a fearless witness to the truth, a comfort to the victims, and a hindrance to the sins of the guilty. Each of these are love, the core of which is to turn hearts to the God who made them, knows them, and is big enough to satisfy their every need.
• One sin affects many – Whether generational habits, ripple effects, or destruction of the whole group, no one actually sins alone. Hiding closes off communication, discovery shreds trust, and children either observe lousy role models or get crushed in the wake of a rocked world. Whether the almost benign sin of coveting or the horrible sin of murder, others suffer with you or because of you.
• Forgiveness is available – Everything comes down to the pride of self over God. Even when it’s an offense against someone else, it’s a declaration that self is more important that those God loves. But He also loves you, and dealt with the ultimate consequences of sin so you wouldn’t have to. All have the option of a clean start by sincerely bowing to Him before breath is gone.
• Judgement is eternal – If you’re breathing, you still have the option to give all successes and failures to Jesus and live as one He calls friend. Only His friends will join Him in His home. All the rest will be in a most undesirable situation without Him. This means no light, no comfort, no hope, for lifetimes upon lifetimes and more.

Pray for the many impacted by this story, and the too many who are in their own stories yet unrevealed. Examine yourself, is there a need to report, to repent, or to release a situation? Do that, knowing that the One who knows all has the last word.