}

As a person of faith, I wholeheartedly believe the courageous women who have shared their stories of being sexually preyed upon and assaulted by Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore as teenage girls. 

These profound moral failings and crimes render Judge Moore unfit to serve in the U.S. Senate. I stand with and pray for these women who have bravely come forward and spoken out.

I believe the women who are speaking up and sharing their stories of sexual harassment and assault, from Hollywood to Capitol Hill, from workplaces to houses of worship. As a culture, we have nurtured a sick, sinful misogyny that punishes women for speaking up and enables abusers to thrive.

The twin sins of misogyny and sexual abuse that pervade every corner of our society threaten the safety, dignity and well-being of the faith community. Religious leaders cannot condone crime against women as a minor mistake or a relic of the past. These excuses do further harm to those who have been abused.

I thank these women for their courageous and prophetic voices. I vow that they will not stand alone. As a leader in a faith community, I pledge to stand against the dark currents in our culture that dehumanize women and build a society in which everyone is safe and free to flourish.