Perverted Justice

This conversation explores the journey of healing from abuse, the impact of church dynamics on victims, and the quest for justice and accountability. Shielagh Clark shares her personal experiences, the emotional toll of confronting her past, and the challenges faced in seeking support and navigating relationships. The discussion emphasizes the importance of truth in healing and the courage required to speak out against abuse.Time Frame Covered: Fall 2019
NAMES CHEAT SHEET: https://bit.ly/pj-cheatsheet

TRIGGER WARNING: Rape, Sexual Abuse, Spiritual Abuse, Miscarriage  Beware unchecked power within the church!  In this episode of Perverted Justice, I reveal the dark underbelly of religious authority and the spiritual abuse that accompanies clergy sexual abuse. I lay out false claims made by pastors which damaged my reputation, and steps I took to have my abuser arrested.  
Listen to the long-lasting damage caused by those who should have been trusted but instead betrayed their calling. Are you equipped to recognize a hard truth - even when it might shatter your perceptions?  Disclaimer: original call recording was 42 minutes of mostly silence. Long periods of silence are removed for the sake of timing here but no content is missing or reordered.   
Time period covered: Winter 2019/2020NAMES CHEAT SHEET: https://bit.ly/pj-cheatsheet

TRIGGER WARNING: Sexual assault, rape In this episode, Shielagh Clark offers insight into why accountability is key to building trust and restoring relationships. We start by analyzing a resignation letter that is full of dishonesty and from there, we explore the elements of effective apologies, why it's so hard to admit our wrongdoings, and then detail missed opportunities.To download the cheat sheet for remembering who is who: CHEAT SHEET.To read the Greenville News article posted following Weaver's arrest: ARTICLE.Time period covered: Winter 2020

In this pivotal episode of Perverted Justice, Shielagh Clark dives deeper into the complexities of civil litigation, sharing her personal journey through the legal system and its intersection with her fight for justice against Hyde Park Baptist Church.
Shielagh begins with a detailed yet accessible breakdown of legal procedures, including the Child Victims Act (CVA) and the distinctions between civil and criminal law. From pleadings to discovery and beyond, listeners are guided through the mechanics of her case, offering clarity on the challenges survivors face when seeking justice.
The episode then shifts to personal reflections on the filing of her complaint, the limitations imposed by the CVA, and the emotional toll of distilling lived trauma into legal documents. Shielagh candidly discusses the church's inadequate response and contrasts it with her hopes for truth, reconciliation, and institutional accountability.
Lastly, Shielagh examines the broader implications of civil litigation, highlighting its potential to drive systemic change. With references to historical cases like the McDonald’s hot coffee lawsuit and the Boston Globe’s exposé of abuse in the Catholic Church, she underscores the critical role of survivors, journalists, and advocates in holding institutions accountable.
 
Resources Mentioned
Books:
Trauma and Recovery by Judith Herman
Suffering and the Heart of God by Diane Langberg
We Too: How the Church Can Respond Redemptively to the Sexual Abuse Crisis by Mary DeMuth
The Wounded Heart by Dan Allender
UnTwisting Scripture by Rebecca Davis
Films: Spotlight (2015) – A film detailing the Boston Globe's investigation into the Catholic Church abuse scandal.
Articles: https://bit.ly/MidHudsonCVA
Complaint: https://bit.ly/cvacomplaint
Cheat sheet: https://bit.ly/pj-cheatsheet
Homework for Listeners
Explore the McDonald’s hot coffee lawsuit for insights into the real story behind this misunderstood case. https://bit.ly/McDCoffeeSuit
Reflect on the role of civil litigation in driving accountability within institutions.
Call to Action
If you’ve found this episode thought-provoking, please rate, review, and share Perverted Justice with your community. Together, we can advocate for radical honesty and systemic change.
 
Time Period Covered: Spring of 2020

Hyde Park Baptist Church (Romans Road Bible Church) had a beautiful opportunity to right the past and be an example for the local community and neighboring churches - but instead of rising to the challenge, they crumbled. 
In this episode, Shielagh lays out the steps the new pastor took to warp perceptions and sidestep his duty to care. Was it incompetence? A calculated strategy? Or something worse?
When institutions protect themselves, who pays the price? And what happens when the truth refuses to stay buried?Books: A Church Called TOV by Scott McKnight and Laura Barringer https://www.churchcalledtov.org/Tates Creek Presbyterian Church public statement: https://bit.ly/TatesCreekYoutube video of Murray's jokes: https://bit.ly/WMSJokes
Time Period Covered: Summer 2020

In this second installment of the three-part series on the initial responses to the lawsuit, Shielagh shifts the focus from leadership to the broader community’s reaction. From social media to the quiet, calculated silences, we examine how impression management played a key role these first few weeks.
Despite living 800 miles away, Shielagh still felt the weight of the narratives being spun—some dismissing the lawsuit as irrelevant, others distorting her motives. In this episode, she shares how she sought to make sense of the chaos, from creating a Venn diagram to discovering the groundbreaking research of Wade Mullen, whose work on institutional crisis management helped her understand the church’s tactics.
She confronts the "new church" argument head-on, asking: Can an institution erase its past simply by rebranding? And challenges the false peace that so many sought to maintain at the cost of truth and justice.
Through personal reflections, documented conversations, and hard-earned insights, Shielagh explores why telling the truth remains the ultimate disruption—and why it’s so often met with resistance.
Venn Diagram: https://bit.ly/VennD-ResponsesBooks:Something's Not Right by Wade MullenTrauma and Recovery by Judith HermanThe Lord is my Courage by K.J. RamseyCheat Sheet: https://bit.ly/pj-cheatsheet
Time Period Covered: Summer 2020

To close the three-part series on reactions to the filing of the lawsuit, we examine the role of Peter Nargi, the youth pastor at Hyde Park Baptist Church, and his failure to report what he witnessed. As a leader responsible for the safety and spiritual guidance of the church’s youth, Nargi saw the warning signs—he witnessed Weaver alone with Shielagh in situations that should have raised alarm. And yet, he said nothing.
Why did he choose silence over action? Was it fear? We’ll explore how his inaction contributed to the perversion of justice and the culture of complicity that allowed abuse to persist unchecked.
Using firsthand accounts, documents, and radical truth-telling, we expose how silence isn’t just passive—it’s enabling. And we ask the critical question: when a leader fails to protect those in their care, does the system share the blame?
Tune in as we continue to unravel the truth behind Hyde Park Baptist Church’s failures—and the people who let them happen.**Peter Nargi denies having suspicions to warrant investigation or reportCheat Sheet: https://bit.ly/pj-cheatsheet

In this episode of Perverted Justice, Shielagh breaks down Hyde Park Baptist Church’s official answer to the lawsuit—and the lies, denials, and outright blame they cast in the process. From denying basic, verifiable facts to employing the doctrine of unclean hands—essentially arguing that she was at fault for her own abuse—their response was more than just a legal maneuver. It was a moral failure.
We explore what this answer reveals about the church’s priorities, their willingness to distort reality to protect themselves, and their responsibility to know what was being filed on their behalf. She also shares her experience navigating the legal process—switching attorneys to protect her integrity, struggling to be heard, and coming to terms with the fact that the church she once respected had no intention of doing the right thing.
This episode is about more than just a legal document—it’s about truth, accountability, and the devastating impact of institutional betrayal.Links: Cheat Sheet: https://bit.ly/pj-cheatsheetComplaint: https://bit.ly/cvacomplaintAnswer: https://bit.ly/CVAAnswer

In this episode of Perverted Justice, Shielagh Clark dissects a troubling sermon delivered by Pastor Richard Murray—one that reveals far more than he intended. Hidden within his words is a chilling glimpse into how he truly views the abuse Shielagh suffered and the twisted narrative he’s been spinning for years to protect himself and the church.
As Shielagh breaks down Murray’s message, the patterns become undeniable: the same victim-blaming rhetoric, the same perverted sense of justice that has plagued this case from the beginning. But this time, he goes even further—telling the most repulsive, gut-wrenching lie about Shielagh yet. A lie so vile, so transparently self-serving, that it shatters any illusion that Murray is fit to stand in a pulpit.
Shielagh exposes how this kind of deceit isn’t just harmful—it’s dangerous. It’s a weapon wielded against survivors to silence them, to protect abusers, and to keep the truth buried under the weight of religious authority. This isn’t just about one man’s moral failure—it’s about a church culture that enables and rewards these distortions of truth.
By the end of this episode, one thing is clear: Pastor Richard Murray should resign or be removed from his position immediately. His words have proven that he is unworthy of his title, his influence, and the trust of his congregation.
It’s time for the church to decide—will they continue to stand behind men who pervert the truth? Or will they finally demand justice?

Show Notes:
In this episode of Perverted Justice, Shielagh takes you inside the most agonizing part of her legal battle — the moment justice slipped through her fingers, not because the system failed on its own, but because the church intervened to protect the man who abused her.
You’ll hear how the solicitor on her case believed her. She believed he deserved active prison time. He was close — terrifyingly close — to accountability. But then the church did the unthinkable: they added her abuser to the civil lawsuit she had filed against them. That single move gave him the leverage he needed to avoid a guilty plea — a legal loophole that let him deny responsibility while the court accepted a conviction.
This wasn’t a misunderstanding. It was a strategy — one that protected the church by handing the child molester the tools to escape the truth.
In this episode, Shielagh walks you through the timeline of how it happened, what it cost, and what it reveals about how institutions silence survivors — not just with inaction, but with deliberate, calculated betrayal.
Key Themes:
The emotional and legal cost of an Alford plea
How the church’s legal tactics gave power back to the abuser
The solicitor’s belief in my case — and what could have been
The impact of institutional betrayal on survivors of abuse
Listener Discretion Advised:This episode contains discussions of child sexual abuse, institutional betrayal, and trauma.
If the episode moves you, I’d be honored if you’d share it — especially with those who still think silence is safety.Time Period Covered: Fall 2020-Spring 2021