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GRAVITY BOARD’S SUMMARY OF THIRD PARTY INQUIRY FINDINGS REGARDING CHRIS HEUERTZ

GRAVITY BOARD’S SUMMARY OF THIRD PARTY INQUIRY FINDINGS REGARDING CHRIS HEUERTZ

Originally posted on July 28, 2020.

This post is an update to our previous statement on June 14, 2020 in relation to allegations of misconduct made against Chris Heuertz. The Board of Directors of Gravity, a Center for Contemplative Activism (“Gravity”), requested an inquiry conducted by an independent third party. That inquiry has concluded and in the spirit of transparency we would like to present the findings.

On June 1, 2020, a letter was sent to Brené Brown’s team alleging Chris committed sexual misconduct, psychological and spiritual abuse, and other forms of inappropriate behavior during the final years of his tenure at Word Made Flesh (“WMF”). Brené and her team requested the removal of her foreword from Chris’ book, The Enneagram of Belonging, and removed an episode of her podcast recorded with Chris. Brené then issued a public statement on June 17, 2020 that seemed to affirm the vague and largely unsubstantiated allegations.

On June 10, 2020, these allegations were made public through a Medium blog post. The accusations in the blog post were both sweeping and vague.

In response, Chris published a statement on June 12, 2020 in which he acknowledged three specific incidents of inappropriate behavior during his tenure at WMF. Those incidents were known, investigated and responded to by the Board of Directors at WMF. They were also known to the Board of Directors of Gravity. The accusations in the Medium blog post did not accurately reflect the circumstances of those three incidents, which occurred from 8 to 13 years ago.

With the intent to remain transparent, to guarantee unbiased reporting, and to ensure the perspectives and accounts of all had the opportunity to be heard, we, as the Board of Directors of Gravity, determined the best way to get clarity on the allegations made was to commission an independent third party inquiry. After reaching out to three potential firms, we hired attorney Susan K. Sapp of Cline Williams on Friday, June 19, 2020 to begin the inquiry. Ms. Sapp has over 30 years of legal experience, including a civil trial practice, with a focus on, among other things, labor and employment issues. Ms. Sapp has no personal or financial ties to, or conflicts of interest with, Chris, Gravity or the staff. What follows is consistent with the findings shared with the Board of Directors of Gravity at the conclusion of Ms. Sapp’s inquiry.

The scope of Ms. Sapp’s inquiry was to determine the following:

Whether or not evidence supports the occurrence of the complained about behaviors while Chris was employed at WMF;

Whether Chris engaged in more inappropriate behaviors than those reported to the WMF Board;

What actions the WMF Board took in response to the situations of which it was aware;

Whether any of the behaviors were illegal; and

Whether any of the same or similar complained about behaviors have occurred while Chris has been employed at Gravity.

Over the course of Ms. Sapp’s inquiry, she interviewed 15 people, including former employees of WMF, current employees of WMF, past Board members of WMF who were on the Board at relevant time periods, former employees of Gravity, and current employees of Gravity. Her interviews also included both Chris and Phileena Heuertz, separately, without the other present.

Ms. Sapp also attempted to interview as many people related specifically to the online allegations as she could. She reached out to more than a dozen people who were directly or indirectly identified in the various social media posts on Twitter and Facebook, the letter to Brené Brown, and the Medium blog post specifically. However, she encountered a surprising unwillingness to speak with her among the people determined to be part of the complainant group.

None of these individuals would agree to meet with Ms. Sapp or provide any corroborating information, under any terms, including promises of confidentiality and anonymity. In addition to this outreach, Ms. Sapp attempted to research as much as possible online and in social media, but when she requested communication through these channels, she was blocked by people who were closely associated with the complainants. Ms. Sapp observed that the complainants had numerous posts on Twitter and other social media forums, making similar broad brush but unsubstantiated allegations against Chris and Phileena.

Ms. Sapp was also able to review a significant level of Chris’ personal and professional correspondence, various WMF Board communications with Chris, WMF Board Minutes, and correspondence among WMF Board members between 2007-2012. This includes material that has not been shared publicly. Additionally, Ms. Sapp was able to study and review in detail the Medium blog post, the notes and documentation of the nearly 100 co-signers, the letter to Brené Brown, Brené’s public response, Chris’ public response, the June 12, 2020 statement from current WMF Executive Director Clint Baldwin, the December 10, 2012 statement from then WMF Board Member Robert Mabrey upon the Heuertz’ departure from WMF, and hundreds of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram posts.

Ms. Sapp is confident that with these sources of information, she has been able to assess the veracity of the allegations in the blog post regarding Chris’ behavior at WMF; discern what, if anything, has taken place during Chris’ leadership of Gravity; and otherwise sort through the various allegations without assistance from the primary complainants.

Ms. Sapp did determine, as Chris has acknowledged, that three separate incidents of an inappropriate relationship occurred between 2007-2012, only one of which involved a subordinate employee. Ms. Sapp found that while there was merit to the contention of inappropriate behavior with three women while Chris was employed at WMF, there was no evidence of any complaints regarding spiritual or psychological abuse or sexually predatory behavior. There was a crossing of healthy boundaries, but it appears to have been consensual, it did not involve sexual intercourse, and does not appear to have any elements of quid pro quo.

Ms. Sapp further found that there is no truth to the contention that the Board failed to take action at WMF. The Board of WMF took steps to correct Chris’ behavior in response to all three events. Reasonable actions were taken and there is no basis to “re-litigate” events that occurred 8-13 years ago and were handled in the best judgment of the WMF board at that time.

Contrary to the allegations that Chris never apologized or acknowledged “this part of his story,” Ms. Sapp confirmed that there is documentation of apologies extended and forgiveness independently offered to Chris in two of the situations. In the third situation, an apology was sent through a trusted intermediary, who had initially reported the issue to the WMF Board. There is no evidence it was either accepted or rejected; however, after the apology, the intermediary communicated via email on May 19, 2010 to Sarah Baldwin, who was WMF Board Chair at the time (and wife of WMF’s current Executive Director, Clint Baldwin, neither of whom would respond to requests for interviews during the inquiry): “Thank you for faithfully working on this – for not trivializing it. I delight to watch Chris’ ministry blossom and grow.” Sarah, in communicating this message to Chris, emailed him on May 19, 2010, saying: “I hope that you experience this as closure.”

In her research for this inquiry, Ms. Sapp also found that various social media posts related to the Medium post have accused Chris of “sexual violence” and “sexual assault.” In this regard, Ms. Sapp determined that there was no evidence that sexual assault or sexual violence had ever occurred at WMF, Gravity, or elsewhere for that matter.

Further, in investigating the working conditions of WMF, she found that much of the complainants’ issues regarding “financial indebtedness” had to do with the financial system of raising their own support, and receiving low pay in an effort to reduce the disparity between WMF staff members and the poor communities they worked among. In describing this, Ms. Sapp concluded that none of this amounted to “spiritual or psychological abuse,” nor was this business model that led to so much discontent the responsibility of Chris and Phileena, but that it had existed prior to their arrival at WMF and was perpetuated by the WMF Board. The requirement that staff raise their own support and pay back the organization any shortfall in their support account, often resulted in a situation where paying the organization back was required, even after a departure. In fact, this was the business model Chris and Phileena functioned under during their tenure at WMF as well, and likewise were required to pay back an overdrawn amount on their support account.

The nature of the Medium post has made it unclear just how many alleged victims there are, but it is clear that many people in social media have assumed that the 33 men and women referenced in the Medium post are among them. In this regard, Ms. Sapp concluded that there is no support for the contention that there were “33 victims” of the behavior described in the Medium post or other social media posts.

Finally, contrary to allegations that “the board of directors finally asked Chris to leave,” and there was a “great deal of secrecy and misinformation [that] surrounded Chris’ dismissal so that even those who were in leadership remain confused about the details,” the inquiry revealed that the Board of Directors at WMF were fully aware of the circumstances of Chris’ departure. Chris officially tendered his resignation to the WMF Board of Directors, and in consultation with the Board of Directors, Chris transitioned into a different paid role for a period of almost nine months following his resignation, until Phileena later resigned as well. In WMF Board Member Robert Mabrey’s 2012 public letter upon their resignation, this was acknowledged, saying, “Though they will no longer serve as the International Co-Executive Directors of WMF, they will both remain part of the community in reimagined roles that are better aligned with their evolving vocational passions. By now you have probably heard of the new ministry venture they are starting, with Word Made Flesh’s financial support, which is Gravity, a Center for Contemplative Activism. Over the next year they will imagine what the Center can become and together we will discern the relationship the Center will have with Word Made Flesh as we all move forward on our journeys.”

Ms. Sapp further concluded that there is no evidence of any conduct consistent with the allegations while at Gravity. Ms. Sapp was able to speak with nearly all of the past and current employees and interns of Gravity and found that they speak very fondly of Phileena and Chris. None of them reported being manipulated, abused, subjected to unhealthy crossing of boundaries or grooming behaviors. They said there were no inappropriate jokes or flirtations and that there was no chaos, confusion, self-doubt, tokenism, manipulation, or bullying. They felt supported and encouraged by both Chris and Phileena and all except one were “shocked” by the allegations when they heard them.

It is clear that there remains much pain and hurt surrounding the final years of Chris’ nearly twenty-year tenure as an employee at WMF. We are hopeful that there may be an opportunity for healing to occur, and we affirm Marion Gilbert’s invitation in her post “A Call for Reconciliation”. Chris and Phileena have expressed their commitment to reconciliation with those willing, and we offer our full support for efforts made to that end.

In light of the findings of our inquiry, and as it pertains to our fiduciary obligation to Gravity, we consider this matter concluded and we look forward to continuing the important work of the organization going forward.

Update on July 15, 2020 “A Call for Reconciliation” for IEA NinePoints and the Enneagram Monthly by Marion Gilbert

Update on January 26, 2021 “Chris Heuertz remains an International Enneagram Association Professional Member and Accredited Professional in good standing.”

Update on July 28, 2020 “Investigation finds no evidence for recent allegations against Chris Heuertz” by Yonat Shimron for Religion News Service

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Pre-Order The Sacred Enneagram!

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For over 22 years I’ve been a career non-profit guy, working with and for several communities that do amazing work to build a better world. Along with my current work at Gravity, I’m honored to serve some compelling groups that I hold the highest level of admiration and respect for. Currently I’m on the Board of Directors of Advisory Councils for these great organizations (check them out, learn about what they’re up to and find ways to support their work): Alongsiders International equips young adults in non-Western nations to walk alongside those who walk alone—the most vulnerable children and orphans in their own communities—through mentoring for transformation, empowerment, and partnership. Freely In Hope is a community of survivors and advocates, scholars and leaders, working together to see an end to the cycle of sexual violence. To Write Love On Her Arms is dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. Two Wings uses education, mentoring and life coaching to empower at-risk youth and survivors of sex trafficking in achieving their dreams. Menatari Human Trafficking Survivor Empowerment Program is a survivor’s network FOR survivors BY survivors human trafficking, working to fulfill survivor's dreams through direct services, resource development, education programs, advocacy initiatives. TR-BE resources and trains local communities to confront racially unjust systems and seek reconciliation.

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Join me and original Freedom Rider, Patricia Jenkins-Armstrong for “Race in the South: What Lessons Can Be Learned From The Freedom Riders?” a Q Conference Learning Community. April 25 9am-12pm in the Civil Rights Room at the Nashville Public Library

The freedom riders were activists who defied segregation laws by riding in racially mixed groups in buses across the South and using the segregated facilities in depots. Though court decisions already had outlawed racial segregation in interstate transportation, Jim Crow laws stayed stubbornly — often violently — in force. Interact with Patricia Jenkins, an original Freedom Rider whose courage and bravery made her and her friends an important part of history.

Photo: After testifying on racial violence, 17-year-old student and original Freedom Rider, Patricia Ann Jenkins leaves the Montgomery, Alabama’s federal court on May 29, 1961.

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 I want you to think about the worst thing you have ever done. Not the thing you would admit to during a boisterous game of ‘Never have I ever.’ Not the one you can manipulate and somehow come out looking like the humble hero... [read the rest of the post here]

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One of today’s most complicated moral issues is how to spend money responsibly in a globalized world. I’m as conflicted as the next person about it. I love coffee, for example, but I’m not a fan of fair-trade coffee, because frankly, I rarely find an excellent cup of it.

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Chris Heuertz grew up in a struggling lower middle class home in Omaha, Neb., and was the first of his family to attend college. He double majored in theology and mythology with an ancient biblical language minor at Asbury University in Kentucky. This later led him to the Middle East, where he studied in Jerusalem.

While there, he came across many children who were malnourished and couldn’t afford schooling. Heuertz said it opened his eyes to poverty and oppression. He knew he had to do something.

In the summer between his junior and senior year of university, Heuertz went to Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Nepal, Bangladesh and India. Mother Teresa became his mentor while later living in India for three years, before he helped launch South Asia’s first pediatric AIDS care home.... [read the rest of the article here]

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The 16th Annual 2013-14 Tom Osborne Memorial College Football Poll

1.   Florida State (4)    100

2.   Auburn                    94

2.   Michigan State        94

4.   Oklahoma                85

5.   Missouri                   79

6.   Clemson                  77

7.   Alabama                  74

7.   Oregon                    74

9.   South Carolina         71

10. UCF                         62

11. Stanford                   58

12. Baylor                      57

13. the Ohio State         52

14. LSU                         51

15. UCLA                       42

16. Oklahoma State       39

17. Louisville                  33

18. Notre Dame             27

19. USC                         26

20. Nebraska                 22

21. Duke                        17

22. Texas A&M              14

23. Arizona State            11

24. North Dakota State   10

24. Vanderbilt                 10

24. Wisconsin                 10

 Others Receiving Votes: Washington 6, Fresno State 4, Georgia 1.

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Rabia of Basra :: Sufi Saint, Poet, Survivor of Human Trafficking, & Contemplative Mystic

It was in my copy of Love Poems from God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West, that I first came across Rabia of Basra (or Rabi’a al-Adawiyya al-Qaysiyy).

Rabia’s tale is one of the most heart-breaking and compelling stories I’ve heard in a long, long time.

Rabia lived during the 8th century in ancient Iraq. She was the youngest of 4 daughters in a very poor, but respectable family. As a young girl her father died, and eventually Rabia was not only separated from her parents but her sisters as well.

She was left wandering and vulnerable.

Known to possess captivating beauty, some biographers tell that Rabia was captured and sold at a considerably high price as a sex slave to one of the most famous brothels of her day. There she was imprisoned until she was nearly 50 years old. 

Reflecting on the torment of her trafficking and sexual slavery she wrote,

 “What a place for trials and transformation did my Lover put me, but never once did He look upon me as if I were impure. Dear sisters, all we do in this world, whatever happens, is bringing us closer to God.”

Her poems are simple, her prayers moving, her life recognized as a saint in the Sufi tradition. Rabia spent her life suffering as a contemplative mystic, faithful to her faith through the exploitation of her sexuality.

In the introduction to her section of poems in the book, the translator Daniel Ladinsky concludes with this quote from her writings, 

“Show me where it hurts, God said, and every cell in my body burst into tears before His tender eyes. He has repaid me though for all my suffering in a way I never wanted: The sun is now in homage to my face, because it knows I have seen God. But that was not His payment. The soul cannot describe His gift. I just spoke about the sun like that because I like beautiful words, and because it’s true: Creation is in homage to us.”

  May Rabia’s courage, faith, and resilience challenge us in this new year; through her example may we throw ourselves at the audacity of hope in the face of adversity; and in the spirit of Rabia let us find hints of the Divine in even the most difficult of situations.

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Here ya go, the official 12th annual Star Wars Nativity Set (see below to links for archived Star Wars Nativity Sets). Key: *Adi Gallia = the Virgin Mary *Mace Windu = Joseph *Dagobah Yoda = Baby Jesus *C3PO = Original Christmas Star *Rancor Keeper = Inn Keeper *Aunt Beru = Inn Keeper's Partner *Tatooine Anakin Skywalker= Little Drummer Boy *Bib Fortuna = Magi *Orn Free Taa = Magi *Nute Gunray = Magi *Sly Moore Coruscant Senator = Magi *Graxol Kelvyn = Magi *Han Solo in Carbonite = gift from Magi *Bucket of Light Sabers = gift from Magi *Box of Hats = gift from Magi *Princess Leia Organa Jabab'a Prisoner = Arch Angel Gabriella *Jawa 1 = Shepard Fairey *Jawa 2 = Shepard *Jawa 3 = Shepard *Jawa 4 = Shepard *Jawa 5 = Shepard *Romba (Ewok) = Shepard *Graak (Ewok) = Shepard *Wicket W. Warwick (Ewok) = Shepard *Teebo (Ewok) = Shepard *Zartan = Shepard Intern *Labria = the Devil (the real devil doesn't have horns, those are a metaphor for fear) *Spirit of Anakin = God the Father (keeping it Trinitarian) *Spirit of Obi Wan = the Holy Spirit (keeping it Trinitarian) *Spirit of Yoda = God the Son (keeping it Trinitarian) *Miniature Darth Sideous Hologram 1 = Raptured Enoch *Miniature Darth Sideous Hologram 2 = Raptured Elijah

    Archived photo albums for previous Star Wars nativity scenes can be found here:

  11th Annual Heuertz Star Wars Nativity

10th Annual Heuertz Star Wars Nativity and Here

9th Annual Heuertz Star Wars Nativity and Here

7th Annual Heuertz Star Wars Nativity

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They come each Wednesday afternoon at 4 o’clock.

Quietly.

Undramatically.

Some enter in silence and leave in silence, some barely uttering more than a polite greeting and brief word of parting.

As a gesture of reverence, a few folks take their shoes off outside the door, slipping them back on as they make their way.

It’s always an eclectic group that gathers -- an occasional Buddhist, versions of Christians, sometimes a Hindu, even quite a few nonreligious people show up. All of them care deeply about their spirituality. All of them value the mysteries only discovered in silence.

They travel from all over the city to join us at Gravity: A Center for Contemplative Activism for a 20-minute contemplative prayer sit. Some of them actually spend more time driving to get to the center than we spend sharing in our brief contemplative pause, but the draw to meditate in community is worth the journey.

Read the rest of the article here

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TOJ: “Contemplative activism” and “do good better” are two phrases from your website that really stand out. Could you explain what those mean and what your hope is for those phrases in your organization?

CH: We’ve come to understand that even in our best efforts or attempts to be involved in meaningful, cause-driven social justice or social activism work, there will always be unintended, harmful consequences. I think that many of these unforeseen consequences come from our subconscious and our unconscious motivations. One of the gifts of contemplation is that it facilitates a very gentle awakening to our misguided, selfish, and ego-driven motivations, and when we become awakened to these subconscious and unconscious motivations, we’re able to mitigate some of those unintended harmful consequences; we’re able to do good better. Clearly, we won’t always get it right, and I think that’s part of the confessional tone of that phrase, but as folks on a journey, we can allow that spirituality to ground our activities and rest our motivations.

Read the rest of the interview here

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Why bother? Why cultivate contemplative spirituality in a demanding world with insatiable needs?

To sustain, not just to sustain, but to thrive in difficult vocations of hope we found that we need to nurture a deep spirituality.

We’re all interested in making the world a better place. But it’s not easy. Learning to develop contemplative practices that make room for silence, solitude, and stillness allows our inner life to impact the external world for good.

The world is in desperate need of healing. And we found that to the degree that we are healed, the world will be healed.

We need both. The contemplative and the active have to go hand in hand.

Film produced by The Work of the People with music from Sleeping at Last

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Chris Heuertz (41) hasn’t lived in 70 countries to see the world, but to live in the world. He and his wife, Phileena, have worked tirelessly on behalf of the underprivileged, diseased and downtrodden and they’ve recently founded “Gravity, a Center for Contemplative Activism”. In Chris’s new book, Unexpected Gifts: Discovering the Way of Community, he shares the importance of biblical community and contemplative activism. From his home Omaha, Chris talks about hidden gifts, divine loneliness, and how to do “good” better.

JM: What are some “hidden gifts” you discuss in the book—things normally seen as trials or curses, but that you say can build up a community and the people within it?

CH: Our notions of community are sometimes filled with unrealistic idealizations of what it should be or what it might become. Many of those expectations often lead to disappointments, and in turn we find ourselves perpetually transitioning in and out of communities looking for the perfect one. If we stay in a friendship, relationship or community long enough, we will experience inevitable challenges. These inevitable challenges (things like failure, doubt, betrayal, the mundane, a loss of identity, sexual chemistry, messy transitions and others) are legitimate reasons for people to leave their communities. However, sometimes the reasons we leave are actually invitations to stay—and when we stay and work through these inevitable challenges, they often become unexpected gifts.

- See more at: http://jonathanmerritt.religionnews.com/2013/09/05/doing-good-better-an-interview-with-chris-heuertz/#sthash.t7TXdV35.dpuf

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In the summer of 1994, as the frenzy of Rwanda’s 100-day genocide neared its end, a number of theInterahamwe (the pro-Hutu youth militia responsible for most of the estimated one million massacred Rwandans), crossed the boarder to hide in Congo. A few years later, these paramilitary fighters came back into Rwanda to complete their “unfinished business.” They conducted vigilante raids to kill Tutsi and claim loyalty from Hutu survivors. In the small town of Nyange in western Rwanda, on the cold, rainy evening of March 18, 1997, shortly after dinner, but before returning to their dormitories, a number of St. Joseph’s Secondary School students gathered to study for their exams. Suddenly, a group of Interahamwe insurgents attacked the unassuming campus...

Read the rest here 

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"God is Innocent" :: Rwamasirabo on the Genocide in the Church at Nyange, Rwanda

During Rwanda’s 100-day genocide in 1994, Roman Catholic priest, Father Athanase Seromba savagely sacrificed nearly 3,000 members of his church in Nyange (a parish in the Kibuye province of western Rwanda).

Perhaps the most notorious atrocity of the more than 30 large-scale gruesome massacres that took place in churches during Rwanda’s genocide, this bloodbath happened at the very altar in the same church where, countless times, Father Seromba had offered mass.

Allegedly, the 31-year-old priest personally invited Tutsi parishioners from his congregation to take safe haven in the church under the pretext they would be protected from harm; convincing them they’d be safe in the sanctuary.

The militia encircled the church.

A 10-day siege ensued.

Grenades and firebombs were thrown into the sanctuary, but its façade would not give in.

Fires were set around the perimeter of the church, but the stonewalls would not burn.

Father Seromba directed the Hutu-power militia, the Interahamwe, to climb on top of the building in order to pour gasoline into the church, hoping the firebombs and grenades tossed through the windows of the building would ignite inside.

The attacks proved unsuccessful. The Tutsis taking refuge in the church were unharmed.

In a last effort to carry-out the inteded massacre, on April 16th, 1994, with the church surrounded by the Hutu militia, Father Seromba conspired with the mayor, a local police inspector, and a schoolteacher to destroy the building filled with Tutsi refugees.

The doors of the church were locked from the outside when the priest summoned two bulldozers to knock the church walls down until the roof of the building caved in, collapsing on those inside.

Though complicit, the drivers of the tractors were reluctant to crush those sheltering inside the church, one of them even asked the priest three separate times if this was absolutely necessary.

As the building was destroyed, the bricks fell on the heads of the community members crushing them to their deaths. In agony, they cried out his name, “Father Seromba! Why? Why are you doing this to us?”

Those who managed to squeeze free and escape were shot dead—many shot by the priest himself.

There were no survivors.

When the last Tutsi parishioner had been killed, the priest ordered the bulldozers to clean the “rubbish,” instructing them to scoop up and bury all the corpses into four mass graves behind where the church once stood. In exchange for their services that day, Father Seromba bought them cases of beer.

In an interview with African Rights, Jean-Bosco Safari remembered, “It was like a scene from hell with the devil dressed as a priest… a young girl begged Seromba to save her. He replied, Get lost, ‘cockroach.’”

On Saturday, July 27, 2013 I stood on the original stone floor, all which now remains of the original church. The community in Nyange, betrayed by the ecclesial structures, has refused to rebuild the church building.

I listened to genocide survivor, Rwamasirabo recount the horrors of that week.

He took us into a small shed that had been built where the sacristy once stood. The tiny shack is now filled with human remains, hundreds of skulls of God’s people who thought that the house of God would save them. 

Just two days after the killing began, Tutsis started gathering in churches throughout Rwanda for protection. Believing they’d be safest in his local church, Rwamasirabo himself left his own children in that church at Nyange.

He never saw them again.

Though Rwamasirabo still clings to his faith, he has not entered a church building since the massacre.

Though betrayed, he still proclaims, “God is innocent.”

That statement of hope sounds absurd given what he’s witnessed.

Paradoxically, witnesses like Rwamasirabo resurrect the Church—resurrect bright hope in the face of grotesque betrayal.