The Harvey Weinstein Verdict Has Me Questioning How and Whom I Welcome

Thank you, Fox Business, for capturing this image. It’s making me cringe.

I don’t know what to do today.

Minutes ago, a Manhattan jury delivered a guilty verdict in The People vs. Harvey Weinstein. Mr. Weinstein was found guilty of criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree.

Six women testified that he sexually assaulted them. However, he was found not guilty of the most serious crime, predatory sexual assault, of which there were two counts.

The jury deliberated for over a week, and some of the following questions were up for discussion. Whether or not the women who came forward consented to sex. Whether or not the women who came forward “earnestly resisted” during Weinstein’s attempted assaults. Whether or not the women who came forward reported Weinstein’s sexual abuse in a timely manner.

My heart races and my fingers tremble on the keyboard because I write about body image for young women. At 6:15 AM this morning, I sent out my daily post on IG and posited the question, “What if the chief purpose of your God-gifted body is to welcome God’s people into His life-changing presence?”

I’m working from the unifying and bold encouragement that Paul pens as he draws near the end of his letter to the Romans. In Romans 15:7, Paul says, “Therefore, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” Here, Paul communicates two beautiful truths.

First, Paul portrays Jesus as the welcoming Christ. The one who is all and loves all and died for all of our sins.

Second, Paul provides the Romans with a compelling reason to accept, to receive, and to serve those in their midst. Paul admonishes Roman believers to welcome others in an effort to glorify God.

But my stomach is churning because I’m reading about The People vs. Harry Weinstein, and I’m reflecting on my message.

Reconciling my own words is a challenge as I see what a single individual can get away with when he schemes like satan — the father of lies. For decades, Mr. Weinstein has been accused of lying, cheating, manipulating, and assaulting. Of raping numerous women.

And what is the story of most of these women? They welcomed him. He invited himself to their rooms, and they said, Sure. Come in. Of course we can have a meeting about my acting career. I’d love your feedback on that role that I auditioned for today. Any help you can give, I welcome it.

This role of welcoming, so many of us want to do it well. Even when we hear that someone has a negative rap sheet or a track record that looks dicey, many of us want to believe that people who say they want our good really want our good.


Juleeta Harvey
Juleeta Harveyhttps://www.bodytruth.org/
I'm Juleeta C. Harvey - pursuer of the living Jesus, encourager to my man and our five boys, and writer of body image truth. Find me writing at www.bodytruth.org.

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