LDS Stake President Covers Up Abuse & Becomes Area Authority Seventy - Rebecca Gooden | Ep. 2163

From Mormon Stories Podcast by Dr. John Dehlin

June 22, 2026 · 4h 10m

About this episode

Rebecca Gooden and her son Matthew discuss their family's experience with child sexual abuse and the failure of church leaders to act.

What happens when a trusted Mormon leader learns about child sexual abuse –and choses not to report it? In this powerful and heartbreaking episode, Rebecca Gooden and her son Matthew share their family’s story of abuse, betrayal, and institutional failure within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Years after discovering that her husband, Shawn Gooden, had sexually abused two of her younger brothers, Rebecca found herself confronting a devastating reality: church leaders had known about the abuse and failed to act. Despite allegations involving child sexual abuse, Shawn continued to receive leadership callings, serving in bishoprics, high councils, and eventually as a bishop and stake presidency counselor. The story becomes even more troubling when Pennsylvania Stake President Rhett Hintze learned of the abuse in 2020. As a mandatory reporter under Pennsylvania law, Hintze was later charged with failure to report child abuse. Although the charges were ultimately dropped, many questions remain about how church leaders handled the case, why victims received little to no support, and why Hintze was later promoted to an Area Seventy. Throughout this interview Rebecca and…

LDS Stake President Covers Up Abuse & Becomes Area Authority Seventy - Rebecca Gooden | Ep. 2163

About this episode

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