North Carolina Pastor's Sermon Blaming Women in Shorts for Rape Sparks Controversy

This pastor has a right to his opinions and beliefs no matter how twisted and wrong they might be. That being said, I believe he was wrong for making such a declaration. His "apology" may be little too little and far too late. 

7 minutes ago, BrotherTony said:

This pastor has a right to his opinions and beliefs no matter how twisted and wrong they might be. That being said, I believe he was wrong for making such a declaration. His "apology" may be little too little and far too late. 

I agree we are all entitled to our opinions, but is this an opinion that we would want a pastor to be holding? Is he still holding this opinion? Is his apology sincere or simply damage control?

Words spoken from behind the pulpit should first be screened through the Word of God. They carry extra weight and have a far greater impact. All preachers need to always weigh their words carefully. It is obvious that Pastor Leonard did not, and I think it speaks volumes to his character. If this is what Pastor Leonard truly believes I don't believe I could stay in a church. Such a bad testimony.

5 minutes ago, Napsterdad said:

I agree we are all entitled to our opinions, but is this an opinion that we would want a pastor to be holding? Is he still holding this opinion? Is his apology sincere or simply damage control?

Words spoken from behind the pulpit should first be screened through the Word of God. They carry extra weight and have a far greater impact. All preachers need to always weigh their words carefully. It is obvious that Pastor Leonard did not, and I think it speaks volumes to his character. If this is what Pastor Leonard truly believes I don't believe I could stay in a church. Such a bad testimony.

Personally I know that I wouldn't want him in the pulpit or the pastorate. I know that being raised in an IFB church and having all of the man-made, strictly enforced cultic nature, and my being delivered from that group, I couldn't/wouldn't sit under this "pastor." 

Literally just watched a sermon from Jack Hyles as I try to figure out IFB pastor's I can trust to learn from.  He literally said women wearing shorts is why they get raped.  And that "men will be men" and that every man in prison for rape, there should be a half naked woman in another cell.  I knew instantly he is not the pastor I'm going to listen to.  

Mike Norris, Pastor of Franklin Road Baptist Church in Murfreesboro Tennessee is a good one. There are many good ones on YouTube and on sermonaudio.com. 

I understand opinions, but opinion is NOT preaching (I know I've failed in this as well).

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Many people believe that instead of focusing on what a victim was wearing, we should focus on the fact that rape is always wrong.

I know that many young girls wear whatever they wear because that is how they are being raised and they know no better, at least not until they get older. We all do better if we are influenced/taught in the "spirit of meekness" instead of someone pridefully spouting stupid stuff. And methinks that focusing on clothes and sex all the time can get the "spouter" into trouble too.

Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man [or woman] be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 

On 9/2/2024 at 8:23 PM, Pastor Matt said:

No one should ever feel like their choice of clothes means they deserve to be attacked.

I disagree with this statement.  Dressing immodestly is to be a stumbling block. 

I used to dress in military fatigues in school and was picked on and constantly in fights because of it.  

Women today in most places run around naked and then wonder why they are used as play toys and cannot get married.

23 hours ago, swathdiver said:

I disagree with this statement.  Dressing immodestly is to be a stumbling block. 

I used to dress in military fatigues in school and was picked on and constantly in fights because of it.  

Women today in most places run around naked and then wonder why they are used as play toys and cannot get married.

Yes, when we go out in the world, turn on the television, that stumbling block is everywhere. But one sin does not excuse another.

Not to change the subject but, this relates to something that's been disturbing to me for a long time: preachers and pastors saying stupid stuff from the pulpit which is NOT Biblical. To "preach" that a man has an excuse for abusing a woman because of how she dresses is, in one respect, similar in outcome to "preaching" that a woman has an excuse for not submitting to her husband if he will not "lead". It DIVIDES people. Both these teachings are unbiblical and they are WICKED things to say or even imply because they sow discord among/between brethren (in this case men and women). No one has an excuse for their sin, no matter what another person does.

. Preachers should preach against it, yes, but keep it Biblical. When they preach against ladies' immodest dress, in the same message they should admonish the men not to look and visa versa.  If we strive to keep such matters fair, honest, Biblical and Holy like Peter and Paul did, the Holy Ghost might just show up in the sermon.

On 9/10/2024 at 12:01 PM, heartstrings said:

...preachers and pastors saying stupid stuff from the pulpit which is NOT Biblical. To "preach" that a man has an excuse for abusing a woman because of how she dresses is, in one respect, similar in outcome to "preaching" that a woman has an excuse for not submitting to her husband if he will not "lead". It DIVIDES people.

I agree and have been fortunate that both of my pastors have always preached this way.  When I say both, our founding pastor retired last year and we voted in his assistant who has been part of the church for over 20 years.  

On 9/9/2024 at 11:11 AM, swathdiver said:

I disagree with this statement.  Dressing immodestly is to be a stumbling block. 

I used to dress in military fatigues in school and was picked on and constantly in fights because of it.  

Women today in most places run around naked and then wonder why they are used as play toys and cannot get married.

Dressing immodestly is a stumbling block, yes, and women are often safer from the designs of evil men if they don't draw that kind of attention to themselves by what they wear. But NO ONE deserves to be attacked because of what they wear.  That mindset is the epitome of rape culture and has produced the society we are in where people take no responsibility for their actions and refuse to recognize their own sin. Men are responsible to God (and the law, where applicable) for their own thoughts and actions, and they don't get to try to absolve themselves of responsibility because a woman was immodest.  

A few years back the Modesty Survey was released by Josh Harris' younger brothers, the Rebelution. It was interesting for me as a woman to see how guys think.  It was also interesting to see how the youngest participants (14-15), who are also the group of young men just beginning to notice girls and still struggling with learning self control, tended toward the most extreme responses in how much they figured women needed to be covered. It reminded me of conservative Islam - men trying to avoid their own temptations by making women literally invisible, sometimes to point where even their eyes are not visible. Funny how removing all possible stumbling blocks doesn't change their heart struggle.