Speaking into the Silence: Purity Culture and Sexual Abuse Among “Complementarian” Mennonites

This presentation examines the relationship between complementarian theology, purity culture, and responses to sexual abuse within the Biblical Mennonite Alliance (BMA). I first analyze two BMA publications influenced by the conservative Evangelical Danvers Statement, exploring how gender roles shape views on sexuality, modesty, and culpability in sexual violence. I then examine how this framework informs church responses to abuse, drawing on a 2024 GRACE investigation of a BMA church that uncovered multiple perpetrators and leadership failures. The report highlights how gendered power dynamics silence victims and prioritize male authority. Ultimately, I argue that purity culture constrains freedom, fosters silence, and perpetuates violence, while exposing its abuses can help ecclesial bodies counter marginalization and empower women and abuse survivors with the freedom to speak.