Sherry Matthews has a new book out, We Were Not Orphans, about a state agency that that kept children whose parents could not. She screened a video documentary on the same topic recently in Austin. It was moving. Clearly there was ongoing abuse only now coming to light. The home ran from the 20s through the 70s.

At the end she made an impassioned call to close home run by churches because they are not regulated by the state and must of course be conducting even worse abuse. This is false. First, all residential homes in this state are closely regulated. Second, it is not clear that the state being involved helps, since her whole presentation was about a state run home, and she has proved compellingly that there was abuse there. Further, it has always been the policy of state regulators to put any complaint that includes accusation of religion being involved as first priority; due process is thrown out; it is assumed that religion creates abuse. This is the problem. Christians have become the minority about whom it is accepted to lie and assume the worst.