The Power of the Bystander

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-Responses
Books:
Something's Not Right by Wade Mullen
Trauma and Recovery by Judith Herman
The Lord is my Courage by K.J. Ramsey
Cheat Sheet: https://bit.ly/pj-cheatsheet

Time Period Covered: Summer 2020