The bumper sticker on my car says, “I’m proud of my Eagle Scouts.” And I am proud of my sons. They are good young men who worked very hard, modeled the Scout Law of being trustworthy, loyal, friendly, reverent, etc., sacrificed free time and overcame significant obstacles to earn the requirements for Boy Scouts’ highest rank. Without bragging, they could have been the face of BSA.
I remember the day Jonathan came home from first grade with a flyer asking if he could join Cub Scouts. Someone had come to his school with a demonstration, and he was sold. Having experienced some of the Cub Scouting program as a child, I was easily sold as well.
Over the next fifteen years I ran the gamut with scouts. I was Jonathan’s Den Leader and eventually stepped into the Cub Master role (I oversaw all the Dens, leadership recruitment and training). When Matthew joined Scouts, Cile was his Den Leader. Both boys earned the Arrow of Light, Cub Scouts highest honor, and bridged over into Boy Scouts. I kept my involvement in their scouting lives by being an Assistant Scout Master. I led scouts to both Summer and Winter Camps, and took larger roles at those same camps, including leading boys to complete sections of Merit Badge requirements. Both Jonathan and Matthew attended BSA’s National Jamboree.
It was during my adult scouting career that BSA began facing turbulent waters. At first the rumors were just that, rumors. Like the Titanic captain, the leadership downplayed the cries and minimized the damage. All the while membership was half the size it boasted thirty years earlier and the outlook wasn’t promising.
Then it came out. It all came out, reminiscent of the Catholic Church. Boys and boys and boys accused BSA of creating an environment where they were abused. Twelve thousands boys have come forward and BSA has identified over 7000 predators with some accounts dating back to 1920 (ten years after Scouts began in America). In an attempt to compensate the victims, the national office of BSA, apart from the local chapters, has filed bankruptcy. Right now it’s kind of a “wait and see” holding pattern. What will Chapter 11 bankruptcy look like, especially with all the BSA holdings like famous artworks and campgrounds.
Maybe the fatal flaw of the BSA culture is our flaw too. We perceived a time of innocence, when it was really a time of naivety. We’ve been far too trusting of people and institutions with our children without due process. Even Paul tells Timothy to “vet” deacon candidates before installing them (1 Tim. 3:10) and to be slow about laying on of hands (1 Tim. 5:22). Society thought that since the BSA program had a good reputation, the leaders of the program were good as well. We were wrong, dead wrong. We failed to scrutinize the people and the system. What we found was that beneath the surface, the reputation and hype was something disgustingly ugly, shamefully sinful and utterly destructive. No one deserves a pass simply because of their position. And now more than 12,000 former scouts are paying a huge price, for they are the face of BSA (and that number will probably continue to grow). So the organization must be held accountable for turning a blind eye and covering up its messy corruption.
BSA has changed its culture. During my adult leadership era, they began enforcing background checks and implementing mandatory training to raise awareness of abuse for all participants. My favorite move was the two-deep leadership plan which prevents one adult from being alone with a child. They have a long way to go to earn back the trust they squandered, if they ever earn back that trust. For now BSA needs to feel the hurt and pain they’ve caused on so many lives.
For me, the bumper sticker still reflects how proud I am of my sons who are Eagle Scouts. They, with so many other young men, have modeled the Scout Law of being trustworthy, loyal, friendly, reverent, etc. beyond their days of wearing the uniform. Those young men should be the face of BSA. With hope and healing, maybe one day they will.
Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)