When Institutions Fail Women

When does one bad decision become an institutional failure?

In August, Good Good Golf released an advertisement showing male co-founder Garrett Clark shoving a female golfer-content creator, Alexis Miestowsk, to the ground over a golf club. The video was removed after widespread criticism, but it had already been conceived, filmed, edited, approved, and published. How did so many people fail—or feel unable—to object?

Similar questions arise within churches, where spiritual authority, denominational and institutional loyalty, and concern for a ministry’s reputation can make it difficult for women to report harassment or abuse, and even harder for them to be believed. The investigations surrounding retired Adventist pastor John Bridges and the story told in Netflix’s Death of a Pastor’s Wife raise concerning questions about who gets protected when allegations involve pastors or other church leaders.

The Podly Women, joined by their first male guest, discuss when individual misconduct points to a larger cultural problem; how institutions normalize, overlook, or conceal harm; and why policies alone cannot protect women when the surrounding culture discourages people from speaking. What would meaningful accountability look like? And what would change if protecting people were treated as central to the church’s mission?

Resources:

End It Now North America (Seventh-day Adventist initiative to prevent and respond to abuse)

National Domestic Violence Hotline

Raising Voices (Resources to end violence towards women)

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About our panel:

Natalie Bruzon is a journalist and editor whose writing explores religion, politics, and life inside—and just outside—Adventism.

Trudy Morgan-Cole is a historical fiction author from St. John’s, Newfoundland, and a recently retired educator. Her novels include works set in Newfoundland and reimaginings of biblical stories.