tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874123597623259718.post8859434483797071906..comments2024-03-17T16:21:14.907-05:00Comments on Stop Baptist Predators: "Stay away"Christa Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04560409585720043015noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874123597623259718.post-89218629748522399392010-06-30T00:34:47.368-05:002010-06-30T00:34:47.368-05:00I sure feel hoodwinked as I went to Dr Chuck Phelp...I sure feel hoodwinked as I went to Dr Chuck Phelps for advise concerning mu adult son who says he was sexualy abused as a child in the church. Who can be TRUSTED in the IFB church to give Godly leadership concerning sexual abuse of children in the church. I am so disapointed. God help these men to value our children!<br /> A Discouraged MotherAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874123597623259718.post-46838776887819325882010-06-07T04:36:55.000-05:002010-06-07T04:36:55.000-05:00Speaking of the way that Baptist churches in India...Speaking of the way that Baptist churches in Indianapolis promote the treatment of children, have you seen the movie "An American Crime", which is a documentary about the true story of the 1964 torture and killing of Sylvia Likens at the hand of 50 Baptists in her neighborhood and the temporary foster family she went to church with? Quite amazing, and to me, typical of what the Baptist church offers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874123597623259718.post-14505367891608606992010-06-04T23:52:09.509-05:002010-06-04T23:52:09.509-05:00"And who knows what influence simply setting ...<i>"And who knows what influence simply setting good example might have."</i><br /><br />Yes... well-said... If the largest and most powerful of the Baptist groups - i.e., the Southern Baptists - would set a good example in responsibly addressing clergy sex abuse, who knows what influence it might have?Christa Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04560409585720043015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874123597623259718.post-46527998211846452962010-06-04T23:01:21.605-05:002010-06-04T23:01:21.605-05:00Regardless of whether or not the SBC could do anyt...Regardless of whether or not the SBC could do anything to exercise "oversight" for other Baptist groups, the SBC is still failing in its moral responsibility to do whatever they can to stop predators within their own ranks. And who knows what influence simply setting good example might have. Influence, rather than formal authority, may be the greatest form of power one can exert anyway.<br /><br />I think that all who carry the "Christian" brand have some obligation to promote accountability for others who carry the "Christian" brand.Junksterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14422651080120306816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874123597623259718.post-6599812691377737632010-06-04T22:59:25.296-05:002010-06-04T22:59:25.296-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Junksterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14422651080120306816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874123597623259718.post-82250779161617924042010-06-04T22:56:37.231-05:002010-06-04T22:56:37.231-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Junksterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14422651080120306816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874123597623259718.post-57568387404265731842010-06-04T09:50:33.391-05:002010-06-04T09:50:33.391-05:00I think all who carry the "Baptist" bran...I think all who carry the "Baptist" brand have some obligation to promote accountability for others who carry the "Baptist" brand. Southern Baptists are, of course, the largest and most powerful of those who carry the "Baptist" brand. And we have certainly seen how, when it suits them (or perhaps when it helps their cronies) the Southern Baptist Convention doesn't hesitate to help promote independent Baptist pastors. <br /><br />For example, not only did no one in Baptistland say a word to promote any accountability for pastor Tom Messer, who was at the helm of an independent Baptist church with one of the all-time biggest child sex scandals in history, but high Southern Baptist leaders even <a href="http://stopbaptistpredators.blogspot.com/2009/11/tom-messer-is-speaker-for-florida.html" rel="nofollow">invited Tom Messer to be a featured speaker</a> at their annual Florida pastors' conference, thereby promoting his career even further and holding him up as an example of pastoral leadership. . . i.e., as an example for Southern Baptists and for all Baptists.<br /><br />And then there's the infamous case of Darrell Gilyard, who (after numerous reports of sexual abuse) left the Southern Baptist Convention and started up an independent Baptist church, but did so with the vocal support and promotion of high Southern Baptist denominational leaders.<br /><br />So... Southern Baptist Convention leaders sure haven't hesitated to promote their "independent" friends when it suits them, and by the same token, they should also carry some obligation to speak out about wrongs.<br /><br />The reality is that Baptists of all types and all stripes have all sorts of alliances, and if they had the will to do so, they could use those alliances to cooperatively implement measures that would foster accountability among Baptist clergy and that would better safeguard children against predatory clergy who church-hop.Christa Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04560409585720043015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874123597623259718.post-50343763952409998022010-06-04T09:15:30.835-05:002010-06-04T09:15:30.835-05:00And in this case of Chuck Phelps, what Baptist gro...And in this case of Chuck Phelps, what Baptist group would be responsible for exercising "denominational oversight"?<br /><br />These two churches (Colonial Hills and Trinity Baptist) appear to be thoroughly independent and not part of the SBC or any other organized structured body. Denominational safeguards would have been of no assistance in this instance.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com