And in Another Yuck...

An acquaintance of mine, Jeri Masi, a graduate of BJU, and a writer has investigated and reported on the sexual abuse scandals within the IFB and SBC churches. This has been an ongoing problem for many years and will continue to be so as long as churches allow their pastors to have Godlike unchecked power, and as long as church leaders fail to report such incidences and push the problem off on other, unsuspecting churches. I can always point back to the late pastor of First Baptist Church in Hammond and many of the pastors who have come from HAC. Many of it's graduates have been arrested and convicted of sexual abuse. And it's not just relegated to them. Churches need to rigorously vet those pastors they employ. And I know it's not a popular stance among IFB churches, but a plurality of elders would assist in controlling and eliminating these issues.

On 10/20/2024 at 2:33 AM, BrotherTony said:

An acquaintance of mine, Jeri Masi, a graduate of BJU, and a writer has investigated and reported on the sexual abuse scandals within the IFB and SBC churches. This has been an ongoing problem for many years and will continue to be so as long as churches allow their pastors to have Godlike unchecked power, and as long as church leaders fail to report such incidences and push the problem off on other, unsuspecting churches. I can always point back to the late pastor of First Baptist Church in Hammond and many of the pastors who have come from HAC. Many of it's graduates have been arrested and convicted of sexual abuse. And it's not just relegated to them. Churches need to rigorously vet those pastors they employ. And I know it's not a popular stance among IFB churches, but a plurality of elders would assist in controlling and eliminating these issues.

Yes, there is definitely a problem within the IFB and the SBC. However, one thing that she always ignored when pointed out to her was that it is endemic to ALL church "systems." I have no problem calling out the evil, but it needs to be evenhanded and across the board, not focused on one or two groups. I know that's not what you're saying, I just wanted to add the thought. 

I believe in accountability, but I think it should be the people of the church, not a council of elders. JMO.

I feel like the overauthoritative pastor may be at some level a uniquely American issue. I recently had friends who moved to the States from Canada, and their home pastor in the States told them (not suggested - told!) that they needed to put their kids in school and she needed to teach at the church school. Um, no! That level of bossiness and intrusion in family choices would be rare if not nonexistent in Canadian churches. 

17 minutes ago, Salyan said:

I feel like the overauthoritative pastor may be at some level a uniquely American issue. I recently had friends who moved to the States from Canada, and their home pastor in the States told them (not suggested - told!) that they needed to put their kids in school and she needed to teach at the church school. Um, no! That level of bossiness and intrusion in family choices would be rare if not nonexistent in Canadian churches. 

I was raised in a church that was sort of different. Our pastor was a meek, mild type of man. One would NEVER have thought of him as being a dictator. And he wasn't. But, he was a "behind the scenes" manipulator. When any kind of sexual perversion was brought to the attention of the pastor or deacons it was swiftly swept under the rugs. When we first started attending the church one of the deacons was having an affair with another deacons wife When one of the members who worked at a local news outlet threatened to go public with everything these deacons and the one deacons wife were given the choice of resigning from all positions held within the church and repenting or being quietly handed by the other deacons, the one couple (deacon and wife) filed for divorce and left the church. The other deacon resigned and told his wife about the affair. They stayed together, but he left the church for many years. He later became involved again behind the scenes and made sure his kids didn't make his same mistakes. But through ALL of this my pastor denied and did damage control. When sexual sin among the youth workers were taken to the pastor by me he basically told me to mind my own business. The problem was that it was my business as my high school sweetheart had been groomed by the science teacher at our churches Christian school. And one of the youth workers knew what was going on and helped groom her by having her babysit for his child. Since she was a family friend of this worker it was easy for him to convince her to have an affair. That ended when I found out conclusively what was going on with him and told him that he had until the evening service to tell his wife what was going on or I would tell her. He told her and they entered counseling in another churches program. But I told the pastor again and he told me that I didn't know what was going on. I was 17 years old. Believe me, I knew and understood.. My own dad was having an affair and I caught him. I moved out of the house just a few months after turning 18 and lived with another student at the Bible college I was attending. My dad moved out of the house and in with his 18 year old girlfriend two days after Thanksgiving. The pastor told me that I didn't know or understand what was going on. I left that church. My parents reunited but with NO THANKS to this pastor. If I mentioned his name some would know him and his IFB author and padtor son. Nobody will ever understand the anger and frustration that I have with these kinds of churches and pastors.