The Editors of Adventist Today, knowing that I've provided therapy for victims of abuse, asked if in my experience there have been incidences of false accusations of abuse. My answer was, "Yes, but very rarely." I was then asked to briefly share my observations on the subject.

Having read the Drumm article, I'm reluctant to detract from its message, with which I concur. Clergy sexual abuse within the church is a real and devastating problem and must be confronted for the good of all.

On the other hand, to trust every accusation as authentic without careful evaluation provides the potential for another kind of devastating abuse.

False accusations are very rare but do occur. Opportunistic, vengeful, or unprincipled persons may accuse someone in the hope of financial or other gain. An ex-spouse may occasionally convince a child to accuse the other parent in order to win a child custody battle. Children who have been abused at a young age or by more than one person may sometimes confuse the identity of the abuser(s). There are other complex issues that may enter into false accusations.

My intention is not to provide an exhaustive list of types of such accusations, but to admit that they do occur. Furthermore, my purpose is to urge that only those who have specialized training and experience in sexual abuse issues should do evaluation of accusations. We owe this to all parties.

To underscore this, the local Child Protective Services Agency (California) whose mandate is to protect neglected and abused children, has within it a specific unit whose specially trained personnel conduct all interviews pertaining to accusations of sexual abuse.

I believe that in church-related situations we must use the same caliber of expertise in making determinations of such sensitive and far-reaching consequences. Often specialized public agencies are the best and only source of such competencies.

Evaline West, M.S.W., M.A., L.C.S.W., is an Emeritus Professor of Social Work at Pacific Union College, Angwin, California.