Yes, non-Christians do evil things as well, but according to the Christian model of things, they are suppose to do evil things. They are unrepentant sinners. Not all non-Christians do these heinous acts (I believe the theological term is "common grace"), but certainly no Christian should be surprised when they do. Nor would such an action change the Christian's perception of the non-Christian. In fact, from the Christian perspective, it's just one more reminder of how much the "lost" need saving.
And, in like manner, when Christians commit these atrocities, the non-Christian's view is also not changed. Modern non-Christians have seen enough of these scandals that they expect the perpetrators to be Christian. Expect it. One can say that, "well, the press just makes a bigger deal out of it when it's a Christian. It's actually likely to be just as common, if not more so, for non-Christians to be sexual abusers of children." While that argument is certainly able to be settled by statistics, it misses the point. The Christian, the "little Christ," the representative of Christ on earth, should never be guilty of such an action. If the apostle Paul is correct that sex with a prostitute joins the body of Christ to a prostitute (1 Cor 6:15), then logically, a Christian sexually molesting a child joins the body of Christ to that act. No one wants to worship a deity whose physical representation on earth rapes children. So, yes, the media is right to make a big deal out of it when it is a Christian committing such crimes.
"Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven." Trite, and possibly true, but should this be an excuse for them to do evil? Again, the apostle Paul makes the point rather clearly in Romans 6:1-2. Not surprisingly, the purpose of divine forgiveness isn't so that a person can live as a child of Satan. Although given the public scandals and track record for Christians doing evil, many non-Christians might be actually be surprised at the apostle's words. They may wonder if Christians even read their own Bible.
One more point. The apostle James wrote that teachers will be judged more strictly than non-teachers (Jam 3:1). Ordained Christian ministers are teachers. The Bible says they will be judged more harshly. I submit that this judgment isn't merely pie-in-the-sky judgment, but judgment that starts today. In the media's love for scandal, in the non-Christian's re-affirmation that Christianity makes no difference in one's moral behavior, in the eyes of young people trying to determine whether the Church is really the body of Christ or whether it is just another club for like-minded people to hang out in.
Child abuse is a tragedy and an evil, no matter who does it. All morally sane people know this. Is the body of Christ not morally sane? If being a Christian makes any kind of difference, where is that difference? Because, contrary to the words of liberals and moderates, ethical behavior is apparently not the difference. If the Hebrew prophets denounced God's chosen people for whoring with false gods, how much worse is it when the bride of Christ rapes her children?
