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| Sammy Nuckolls |
Investigators found numerous
videos on Nuckolls’ computer and identified 21 victims on the videos they
recovered. However, investigators believe Nuckolls made hundreds of such videos
over the past 15 years, and so it is likely that hundreds more women and girls
may have been victimized. Between 2003 and 2011, Nuckolls worked as a camp pastor for
summer youth camps sponsored by the Southern Baptist Convention’s Lifeway
Christian Resources.
Just a couple weeks ago, a Texas
woman whom I’ll call Connie wrote to me. She describes some of the evidence
that came out at Nuckolls’ sentencing hearing, including his use of a spycam
pen in the spine of his bible. But what Connie talks about the most is how she
was treated by her church. She describes the church-provided counseling as
having “a Cesare Borgia quality” – that’s a way of saying it was cunningly
cruel – and she says that she and other victims were “curb-stomped” – another powerful
metaphor of brutality.
What is obvious is that Connie’s
wounds derive not only from the perverse deeds of Sammy Nuckolls but also – and
perhaps even more so – from others whom she believes covered up for Nuckolls,
who blamed the victims, and who minimized the harm. I’ve heard these kinds of
stories too many times, but it’s people like Connie who remind me of why I keep
doing this. Thank you, Connie.
Dear Christa,
As a victim of a Southern Baptist sexual
predator, traveling youth pastor Sammy Nuckolls, I cannot begin to tell you how
important your blog is to those suffering. . . . Sammy probably taped hundreds of girls as he
was the …camp pastor for Lifeway-Centrifuge Camps all over the South and
Southeastern U.S. from 2003-2011. He preached to over 100,000 kids ages 11-17
years old during this 8-9 year span of time.
Police investigating the case said that they
were 100% sure that Sammy had sold and/or traded his films although they declined to
pursue any investigation or effort to remove the tapes from voyeur websites. So
for us victims, the devastation continues as we wait for the day someone we
know sees our videos.
Although not every single church involved -- and there are plenty -- supported Sammy or helped him out in sentencing, I can say that every single church involved ignored, covered up and/or spurned the victims of his many crimes. Every. Single. One.
That is why your blog is so bloody important . .
. . What you write is one of the few things that helps to set against all of
this evil and corporate misconduct. We used to go to [a megachurch in Texas] .
. . . I cannot tell you what it feels like to have your entire world yanked out
from underneath you like a cheap rug, because almost all of our friends and
people we thought of as family all go to [the church]. And all we can do now is
sit alone in stunned silence.
That is why your work is so very important. You
are the voice for all of the rest of us who won't ever be heard. You are the
tiny piece of justice for all the rest of us denied. Texas is filing NO charges
whatsoever. Sammy and his accomplices .. . are, therefore, not going to face
any justice for the horrors of what they did here . . . .
But [this church’s leaders]… told the Fort Worth
Star-Telegram and the Dallas Morning News that Sammy only spoke 3 - 6 times
total at [this church] and the pastors decided to not notify anyone because they
conducted their own investigation and found no wrong-doing. And yes, they knew
fully well the number of confirmed victims. We personally attended every
Wednesday night youth group . . . and we can document,
independently, over two dozen times Sammy was paid to preach to the kids . . .
.
[The church’s] message is simple -- if you ever
say anything remotely negative, we will shoot you down using a skilled professional
. . . . One of their Executive Senior Pastors called and BLAMED US (since we
were at the youth services every Wed night) and tried to make us stay silent
citing the guilt we ought to feel for not "seeing any red flags"
sooner as if it was our fault. They also continued to bully us even after
leaving, calling to tell us that we should not testify in person or in writing against Sammy at his Mississippi
sentencing hearing. He actually referred to Sammy's 13 felony sex crime
CONVICTIONS as a "goofy situation" but would only admit that Sammy
"might have crossed a few lines" (there were 7 weeks in between the convictions
and his sentencing hearing . . . so the issue of guilt was not in question at
this time.)
Hopefully you can see from this that it is
people like you who are the only hope for the many people like us, that anyone
might ever be held remotely accountable for their bad actions or at least feel
like they can't hide as easily with your flashlight of truth shining in their
filthy basements of deceit and cover-ups.
Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart,
for what you are doing. I sincerely hope that you will continue this mighty
work. May God continue to bless you for doing what others cannot or will not
do.
__________________
For another view on how
churches inflict so much additional harm when their minister is accused of
sexual abuse, see this recent story, also out of Texas: "The second-worst church in the world," 5/2/2013
Related post: Contract preachers and accountability avoidance, 11/6/2011
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