Chris Tynes and TWW: What Is Going On?

I pretty much try to stay in a constant state of confusion just because of the expression it leaves on my face. Johnny Depp 
 

?

 

The short answer to the title is, "I really don't know."

Last Friday, we posted on a incident in which a member of Prestonwood Baptist Church, Chris Tynes, attempted to see a pastor to ask questions about their response to a pedophile situation in the past link. TWW had received a couple of emails about the situation and were made aware of the You Tube video that shows Tynes' interaction with security guards at the church. 

Tom Rich posted on this situation on Thursday here. The Associated Baptist Press posted on it here. I spoke at length with Chris regarding the details of his story. Because I lived within a mile of Prestonwood and Bent Tree Bible Fellowship and my kids had attended at Trinity Christian Academy, we had many intersecting points in the story. I asked him some question and he demonstrated knowledge of all of these entities.

Not only did we have a copy of the You Tube video of his encounter with the security at Prestonwood, I had received a call back from Prestonwood refusing to comment on the story.

This story meant a lot to us because, last fall, we posted the saga of  Amy Smith who exposed a pedophile who had been asked to leave Prestonwood a number of years ago link. This man went on to molest children in other states. As most of our readers know, child sex abuse and cover up by churches is a hot button topic for us. Her story is heart wrenching.

As I reviewed the situation, I noticed some atheist sites on Chris' Facebook page. However, they did not, at first, cause me concern. I spent a number of years at the Ex Christians site link  trying to figure out why Christians leave the faith. Those folks, albeit blunt, taught me a whole bunch and I am grateful for the experience. I assumed he was doing the same thing. That might have been a mistake.

On Saturday evening, we received a couple of comments, one from Norway and one from Chile, referring to concerns about Chris' Facebook likes. These were the atheist sites. Although TWW gets comments from all over (including Antarctica), the comments from Norway and Chile were firsts for our site. There comments were so similar to one another that we thought it was some sort of campaign to discredit Tynes. 

Deb spent some time studying Chris' Facebook "likes" and became a bit concerned about the stridency of some of the sites. In other words, these were not like Herman Mehta, Friendly Atheist link. These "likes" were also of recent origin which raised a red flag. There was even a picture of The Flying Spaghetti Monster dressed like Santa Claus. This "monster" is a creation of atheists who use arguments for its existence as a way to mock Christian arguments for the existence of God.  We wrote a bit about that a few years back here. There is a site dedicated to the Spaghetti Monster link.

I wrote Chris and asked him to respond to our concerns and he did so in a comment which I placed under the post here. The reply was reasonable, thoughtful, and believable.

However, since that time, more questions have been raised. We have been discussing this with other bloggers who have been following this story. Chris has been changing up his Facebook site, eliminating some of the questionable items. For example, he has added a picture which he says is of his son being baptized by Jack Graham. Here is a link to his likes. I cannot guarantee that they will be the same ones that are there as I write this. They seem to change hourly.

I also received an email purportedly to show "threatening" tweets that he has removed from his Twitter account. I do not believe they are threatening. One discusses how Prestonwood Baptist looks like the Death Star. It also says he was targeting Pastor Buster's parking spot. All of this seems to me to be the observations of a man who believe he is doing battle with his church ala Star Wars. My son uses such verbiage as well. When Tom Rich was involved in his lawsuit with FBC Jacksonville, a post was raised as a potential question. You can read about it here. However, in this day and age of Columbine, we must be careful when we are talking in a public forum.

Today, I emailed Chris to ask him some hard questions but he has not returned the email. 

Several people have sent us emails claiming that we all have been played. Played? Maybe. But then again, perhaps he is a troubled man who is struggling with his faith. If he played us, he played many other people. But what game did he play? He is asking questions about Langworthy that should be answered. What does it matter if he is "playing" us? Shouldn't we be able to simply answer the query? If the church has already done so, they certainly didn't deign to talk with me about that.

Unfortunately, there are still unanswered questions about the response of the church to the Langworthy incident. Will this get lost in the uproar about the "motives" of Chris Tynes? That is what concerns me the most. 

Here are some closing thoughts and questions.

  • Prestonwood should have leveled with us and Associated Baptist Press. They didn't. It makes me think they are hiding something.
  • Chris Tynes should have answered my email. He didn't and that makes me think he, too, is hiding something.
  • Has Prestonwood invited this man in to meet with someone on the pastoral staff? Have they gone to his house to attempt to show love and concern for both him and his family?
  • The next time we, at TWW, are confronted with a similar situation, we will do searches of Facebook and Twitter accounts, if they are accessible. If they are not, we will ask why they are not.
  • Had we found out that Tynes was an atheist activist (I am not saying he is. I do not know what he is.), we would have still published this story. We would have nuanced it, though, with that information.
  • Churches should meet with, and answer, the hard questions of members. When it comes to child sex abuse, they should meet with anyone who has a concern. The safety of children, along with the truth, should come first.

In some ways, I feel like I don't have a handle on this situation and I wanted to share my concern with our readers. I feel like I should have investigated  Chris' past history on Facebook and Twitter in greater depth. I apologize for not asking harder questions earlier. I felt it was important to share this with our readers ASAP.

PS: I want to thank those who have sent me comments and emails that contend for the innocence of Prestonwood in this matter. I have read your thoughts and that is what prompted me to call contact Chris and write this post. I appreciate the hard questions that have been asked. 

Comments

Chris Tynes and TWW: What Is Going On? — 61 Comments


  1. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Dee,

    I have a tremendous about of respect for the honesty and vulnerability with which you have written here.
    Profound lesson for all of us.

    Might I ask for prayer for my daughter? She is 16 weeks pregnant with our first grandchild, a girl, and although the baby looks wonderful on ultrasound, it appears that labor is imminent.


  2. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Is this faith in Jesus Christ so small that one does not learn about other beliefs and faiths? I call myself a Christian, but I LOVE studying mythology of various cultures, especially Native American Mythology, Hinduism and Buddhism. I have recently been poring over Joseph Campbell’s writings and speeches on Mythology, for he does a comparative mythology. Yes, he is harsh to some Christian beliefs, but he gets lots of insights correctly. Mainly as to the metaphors vs. facts.

    Now I ask myself, is my faith in Jesus Christ so weak that it cannot stand being exposed to different ideas. Being a software engineer myself, curiosity is what drives me. And constant learning.

    I do not know any more about Chris Tynes, than what is revealed here.


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    Just to clarify, I am Chile who posts sometimes at Phoenix Preacher, but I am not the Chile who posted on this site about Chris Tynes.


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    Chile

    The person posted as Anon but his IP was from Chile. I should have been more clear.


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    Dee, I hope that all of your questions of Chris will be answered satisfactorily. The “likes” to atheist sites doesn’t bother me, but the changing up of his Facebook page does. Honesty is preferable to perfection. Prestonwood should come clean about John Langworthy. I hope that cause is not lost in all of this. 🙁


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    @ BeenThereDoneThat:

    I agree. I was a bit “checked” the other day when I tried the link to Chris’s FB page after it was posted on the other thread. The response I got was that the page was not available. I’m not a big FB user so I just thought there was a program glitch . . . maybe not?


  7. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    I do not understand why having atheist “likes” on Facebook makes a difference for this story. Chris was treated rudely by the church after asking legitimate questions that need to be answered, and whether or not he is a atheist is immaterial. The pastors should show pastoral care for him instead of using hired thugs to escort him off the premises. I wonder if someone has hacked his Facebook account in retaliation. The moral of this story is that keeping the highest degree of privacy settings on Facebook is desirable so no one can criticize.


  8. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Chris’ uncertainties and imperfections do not diminish the concerns we should have regarding abuse. Let’s stay focused on the main issue.


  9. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    On another note, as to the question, “So, when will the gospel boys acknowledge CJ’s resignation or will that have to proven in court as well?”

    I don’t believe they will acknowlede anything. If they haven’t acknowledged anything to date, why bring up anything about him now? I sweep under the rug, by saying nothing, is as easy as anything 🙁


  10. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Regardless of the messenger, the message is that Prestonwood Baptist Church, including key pastors still on staff, *allegedly* broke the law in failing to report the sexual abuse of minors and, by their *allegedly* criminally negligent actions, have a part to answer for in all the molestations that followed.

    I think that is why they are silent. They are ripe for a big newsworthy civil suit if not criminal proceedings.

    And I do not think the Langworthy story is the only skeleton in the closet.


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    “TWW: A Questionable Window Of Opportunity?”

    HowDee.

    I appreciate –that TWW asks da hard questions,

    (…who does da deze dayz?)

    Has Wartburg been ‘had’?

    …lack of “doing diligence”, perhaps?

    hmmm…

    “…Rookie Mistake.” ☺

    -snicker-

    I don’t think y’all will be digging ditches anytime soon!

    huh?

    If first you don’t succeed, try, try, try, try, try again…

    hmmm…

    I’m taken dis here wacky“‘loop’ “ off!

    (grin)

    hahahahahaha 

    ATB

    S“㋡”py!


  12. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Thanks for posting this, Dee. I hope that all questions get answered quickly, and that the immensely confusing aspects of these recent events get clarified.

    And I do feel as various people have expressed, that the whole situation continues to put the spotlight on the importance of Christian leaders taking up their moral and ethical responsibility to report known/suspected sexual abuse — even if they are not in a state like Texas that has mandatory reporting laws for clergy.


  13. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Chris Tynes is not the story, he is the current hook as far as I’m concerned to the key story.

    Frankly, I wouldn’t care if he was sky blue pink with purple pokka dots.

    Something went down at Prestonwood last week, something went down in 1989.
    There are Texas victims of Langworthy.

    If his experience last week can draw attention to the groundwork laid by Amy Smith and Christa Browne, then good on Chris.

    Like Thy Peace, I delve deep into other religions, sects etc. I have all kinds of people comment at BDBO, and I acknowledge Christians have emailed me quite upset that the comments are so open.

    Nothing changes what is publicly known about Prestonwood/Langworthy, nor Prestonwood silence.

    If I was going to run a disinformation campaign to discredit an inconvenient congregant like Chris, I wouldn’t be direct about it. I’d go third party, distant party to sew doubt.

    “Disinformation is false or inaccurate information that is spread deliberately with intentions of turning genuine information useless.” – Princeton U

    a) fabrications
    b) disseminating false statements and innuendo to discredit and deflect
    c) distorting
    d) undermining
    e) discrediting (character assassination)

    When I was a reporter, I relied on all kinds of people with vested interests, people of very unsavoury character at times, used and was used. It’s part of the goal.

    What is the goal for Chris? For TWW? For Amy and Christa and Wade?

    I appreciate your candor and vulnerability. I know athiests whose characters and ethics put many Christians to shame. If Chris has ulterior motives, truth will out eventually. I agree with you that Chris needs to catch his breath and get back to you. Anything public scrutiny he faces pales in comparison to what Langworthys victims have lived and I think he knows that.


  14. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Opps, sorry, brain is going faster than fingers…

    Any (not Anything) public scrutiny…

    Hang in there.


  15. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Surely the only relevant question is whether his story about the church’s refusal to answer his questions is true, and what is the state of play there regarding their handling of paedophiles? Do they admit that they handled the Langworthy situation wrongly, and are they going to change?

    Chris’ own character is surely a secondary consideration. While of course we want stories verified by witnesses, some incidents, by their very nature are impossible to verify. But I am wary of discrediting his story without some concrete indication that it is false. Otherwise we are playing straight into the mindset that says that you have no right to say anything negative unless you are 100% perfect yourself. From there we get into those situations where the teenaged rape victim is at fault for the clothes she wears or the first question that is asked of a battered woman is “What did you do to provoke him?”

    And while the man may be debatable (and that isn’t proven at this stage), the church still has significant questions to answer


  16. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Even Chris has stated that he is not the main story. But stay tuned – I am working with a group creating a website, compiling key documents, articles, etc, in an effort to draw attention to the real story of PBC in a much bigger way. Amy Smith is supporting us and has been providing information. The victims are the real story and Chris merely brought this story to surface again.


  17. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Dee contacted Chris Tynes about pursuing this story …

    http://is.gd/Gk2TYT
    http://is.gd/A9eCWG
    We are interested in pursuing this story at The Wartburg Watch. You are doing a good thing by exposing this strong arm tactics of this church.


  18. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    I did. After receiving some emails about the situation. I was told about the video, watched it and then pursued it.@ Thy Peace:


  19. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Peculiar Perception: “Missing  ‘Prestonwood’ P-u-z-z-l-e Pieces?”

    Dee,

    ..jigsaw puzzles sometimes have a  t-h-o-u-s-a-n-d pieces….

    R we miss’in a few?

     (“itz gonna beeeee  o.k.” ☺)

    IHS

    S_py“-_-_-_-_㋡”


  20. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Obviously there is more behind the scenes than I knew at the time I wrote my open letter to PBC, yet the attention being directed at Chris serves only to distract and discourage those who would have PBC and its leaders candidly speak the truth concerning the Langworthy issue. I still stand behind what I wrote to PBC and their leadership, and hope that they will prayerfully consider everything and come clean to the congregation and the public.


  21. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Personally, I don’t care if Chris is a Buddhist masquerading as a Paganist…is the stuff about Prestonwood true? Is there a pedophile who hurt kids who went on to other places and hurt kids? Was there knowledge of the issues by the Church and did they not protect kids by reporting and by taking action to warn others about the perp?


  22. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    IMO, this is classic Red Herring and Poison the Well with regards to one of the Messengers.

    If Chris has recently become an Atheist or if he has been for a long time, I personally don’t care. If he is still a member of that church for his wife’s and kid’s sake, then I get it.

    The questions he’s asking are important questions, I don’t care who is asking them.


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    People….whether people of one faith, people of many faiths or people of no faith at all, are well within their right and decent human obligation to confront instances and systems of abuse, and to call for it to be exposed and to end. Far too often those of no faith have a better track record for standing up for the victims than all those with an even minute mutual vested interest in the reputation of the faith and its institutions that claim to represent it. I say “Dont shoot the messenger.” I would be remiss not to note that atheists do not have to try very hard to make christianity look bad when so called christians are doing such a good job of it themselves.


  24. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    However, the truthfulness of the messenger is an issue when one is trying to get an accurate accounting of the situation. And you are correct. Some Christians do a good job of acting like jerks. @ bazinga:


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    Eagle
    Thank you for always being honest with me and with the readers at TWW. You are one guy that I know I can trust to be real. And congrats on the status of faith change. I am not convinced you ever really left it.You just had a prolonged wrestling match. @ Eagle:


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    Alex
    I agree. however, I also need to pursue the truth in the situation. If something i write is incorrect, i want to correct it. I try really hard to be honest and if there is a question, I am obligated to admit it. It would have been easy to ignore all of this. But ,for some reason, felt I needed to explain the issue, even if it made me look a little stupid (or a lot depending on what you think of me).@ Alex:


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    dee wrote:

    However, the truthfulness of the messenger is an issue when one is trying to get an accurate accounting of the situation. And you are correct. Some Christians do a good job of acting like jerks. @ bazinga:

    True dee, the messengers reliability is always key, but professing to be a “faithless” person doesn’t automatically make one a liar any more than professing to being a christian automatically makes one honest. But, IMO Prestonwoods refusal to respond to or address the subject at all is more telling than anything else. Its just tiring to see so much effort always go into investigating the messenger when the abuse and cover up is what needs to be investigated. I just cant imagine hearing from anyone, believable or not, that there is child abuse going on under my watch and not directly wanting to address it in any way I can. Unfathomable.


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    Bene
    Agreed. I love atheists, agnostics, Buddhists, etc. I just want people to level with me. As I said, the story would have occurred if he told me he was a flaming atheists who had no respect for Christians. But I would have said so at the beginning.

    The story is still the story. I will continue to follow the Langworthy situation. I do not believe Prestonwood handled the Langworthy thing correctly. They also were quite rude to me when returning my phone call.

    One thing you can depend on. i will try to tell the truth even when it is awkward for me. And trust me, this one was a bit awkward. @ Bene Diction:


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    @ dee:
    Stupid? For standing up for molested kids? I’ll take stupid over arrogant any day. 🙂 You’ve done nothing but earn more of my respect for being willing to be so vulnerable. I wish all the celebrity, career-Christian leaders you cover would be more like that.


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    “I am not convinced you ever really left it.You just had a prolonged wrestling match.”

    What a great way to put it.

    The problem for me with the Chris thing is his story just rang too true for me anyway. I have seen a lot of silencing, marginalizing and strong arming in the mega community. I know what they are like when their image is threatened by questions they do not like. And the pew sitters act like fans of a ball team or something.

    And most of these mega types are looking for an athiest or group to be persecuting them so they can look like Martyrs in their big fancy buildings. Sorry but that mega world is so fake to me. I don’t think I could walk in one ever again.


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    bazinga

    I only wish he had professed it if it is true. It would not have made any difference in how I feel about his encounter. I would have still been miffed. 


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    Been There

    Thank you. I had a pit in my stomach for the last two days. I feel better having confessed my concern. I learned a good lesson in all of this. I have no training as a journalist so I do not always know what questions to ask. 


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    Anon1

    It sure has been confusing. I am no longer enamored of megachurches for myself.  I am currently attending a smaller church and find it rather peaceful. 


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    Eagle

    So, you had a lot of Gatorade and bathroom breaks. You made it! And that chunk will always be with yoy. It is a part of journey that you will always remember. And think ot it. You got to meet all of us. That might not have happened otherwise. And all of us would have been poorer.


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    Eric

    Welcome to TWW. I am with you on this one. No matter what has happened here, we will continue to pursue the truth. We have a real thing about child sex abuse and coverup by churches.It started with a former church a long time ago and I can assure you that it will stay with me as long as I live. There is more going on behind the scenes and Julie Anne Smith is doing some concrete things to get this into the public eye. Thank you for being concerned for those children.


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    Eagle – you are an encouragement to me! I’ve always appreciated your honesty and vulnerability.


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    Eagle

    All those mistakes are water under the bridge, long forgotten by a graceful Savior!  Besides, bet I have made just as many!


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    Eagle –

    Your not the first, nor the last, who has/will wrestle in their walk with God. Take a gander through the Bible and also read some biographies of well known Christians throughout history, you’ll find you’re in good company. I am glad you are here. 🙂


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    @ dee:

    Dee –

    You seemed a bit quiet the last few days. It makes sense now. Put it behind you and move on. The story is still relevant no matter the circumstances surrounding Chris. The only thing that would be problematic is if he was lying about his interaction with PBC, and at this time we don’t know that he was. His FB status has nothing to do with it.


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    @ Eagle:

    Every christian person has doubts and lust. About as scandalous as the mashed potatoes on all our dinner plates.


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    I think I’m more concerned that one of his likes on his Facebook page is T. D. Jakes 🙂

    There are atheists out there who create parody sites, such as the Landover Baptist site.

    I hope this guy was not playing you. I would find it in poor taste to troll a blog like this one, where it’s so open and respectful to every one, including atheists, and where it’s defending something as serious as child sexual abuse and spiritual abuse in churches.

    If you’re a grouchy, anti-Christian atheist who is going to prank or troll a religious type site, I’d think a better, more suitable target would be Westboro.

    Assuming Chris was telling the truth about being a member of that church for 13 years and about the church’s reaction, the fact that he was rebuffed by them in that manner (by security guards, calls not returned etc) is what bothered me (or is what I find scandalous), not that he may be, or has become, an atheist.


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    Be at peace Dee – your readers know how much you hate lying and value truth.:^)

    Blogging is cool because we can update as needed, we can express concerns, ask questions, we get to figure it out post by post and take those reading along with us. And those reading along are invaluable at filling in the blanks. Blog comment sections are cool – just look at the comments under this post; common sense, encouragement, collective wisdom, suggestions… Blogs can dig into events and circumstances journalists and news outlets don’t have the time, inclination or resources for.:^)

    I get awkward, I get agonizing, second guessing, wondering, and questioning, you wouldn’t be so good at this blogging stuff if none of that happened to you.:^)

    “I don’t know” is your current reality. Okay. This is the ‘net, that’ll change.:^)

    “Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people.”

    Good on you for knowing your goals and moving in and toward them. Blog on!


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    @ Eagle:
    I’ve been reading here for only a short time but your comments have been really encouraging to me. My struggle with faith has taken up a big chunk of my life too, and it is ongoing. When I was an atheist I felt sure I was right and I surrounded myself with people who affirmed my beliefs, but eventually I had to turn my skepticism on itself. Absolute certainty is an illusion in any case, I guess. At this point I want to be honest and open when I have doubts and struggles, but I think this is REALLY discouraged in some forms of Christianity (must be a cultural thing?). Anyway, I know you’re just keeping it real but your forthrightness is inspiring. 🙂


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    Did Chris ever say that he was a Christian? Or did he simply say that he was a longstanding member at Prestonwood? I think I remember that he said he has struggled with his faith, yes? No?

    If Chris said he was a Christian, then I would second guess whether he was if his FB dealings reveal a deep involvement in atheism. But those likes and links could be interest, of course, but that doesnt necessarily mean the man is an atheist.

    Is what Christ said about Prestonwood true? That’s the most important question here. I can understand how his choice not to be clear or forthcoming, and now not responding to requests for more information make him appear as if his motives might be mixed? But if his motive is to unearth and uncover a huge failure on the part of Prestonwood, then it really makes his faith status null and void. I’m not sure that the requirement that Chris had come forward from the beginning and disclosed all of his online interests, religious interests and feelings about Christianity really change the circumstances…unless he is lying. Unless he is not a member of Prestonwood, unless he WAS granted those meetings, unless he has some Star Wars type of vendetta to discredit the church by lying about them, then I think while this awkward bump in the road to discovery has happened, it really is besides the point.

    Chris confessed that he was a longstanding member of the church, that his wife and kids go there (?) and that he had been struggling with his faith, was on a site dealing with issues in the church, and then found this information about his own church. If he is a liar, then he’s a liar. But if no matter how he came to this knowledge, if it be true, it is what it is. The question still remains: did Prestonwood handle this situation correctly? If they did, then we all owe them an apology.

    If i could ponder what Chris motivation might have been to withhold his current faith position, then I would only take a wild guess and say that it probably was fear of being discredited because of what he now believes. I would hate that such a fear would be confirmed.


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    P.S. Dee:

    Checked Chris Tynes twitter account.

    “WFAA story bumped again!! Pray 4 slow news day I guess! :)”

    Yeah, that’s the reality of the biz, and it is stressful for the person/people who has been interviewed. For the news team, it’s just another day, and part of the job.

    Chris has a job, a family – I think he’ll get back to you when he can.

    Hopefully he will a.s.a.p., when the local outlet runs this, things will get crazy again for a bit.


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    Trina wrote:

    The question still remains: did Prestonwood handle this situation correctly? If they did, then we all owe them an apology.

    I don’t know about that, it sounds like they were pretty rude to Dee. If they wanted to set the record straight, they had every opportunity. They had her on the phone. If they got disconnected, they could have called her. You can be sure there is at least someone there who is looking at social media. They are having fun blocking Twitter accounts (ask me how I know), removing posts off their FB page (ask me how I know). It wouldn’t take much effort to find this site and Dee’s phone number and tell her their version of the story.

    Bene D: I loved your comment!


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    dee wrote:

    Alex
    I agree. however, I also need to pursue the truth in the situation. If something i write is incorrect, i want to correct it. I try really hard to be honest and if there is a question, I am obligated to admit it. It would have been easy to ignore all of this. But ,for some reason, felt I needed to explain the issue, even if it made me look a little stupid (or a lot depending on what you think of me).@ Alex:

    Dee, I understand your reasoning and I agree that you need to follow your gut and explain things. My comments were directed in general and not toward you or your choice to further explain the situation. I think your being transparent is good.


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    @ Eagle: Foru years is – in one way – a goodly chunk of time, and in others, it’s not much at all.

    As someone who’s been 10+ years in recovery and who spent several years in a kind of wandering around in the woods phase (not sure where God was, but knew he couldn’t be *that* far away – also that “the woods” were part of the process), I want you to know that you’ve got a lot of company, from the earliest days of the church on down, not to mention all the people of other faiths who’ve struggled with profound questions and doubts.

    I think it’s part of being human… also that your agnosticism is a *very* understandable reaction, especially with the kind of theology you’d been taught in the past.


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    Re. Chris Tynes’ FB “likes,” It is – unfortunately – possible to get one’s FB profile and page hacked.

    It’s happened recently to people I know; ditto for a blogger who sues WordPress software.

    So it *is* possible that someone has hacked his FB account and is posting maliciously in order to try and discredit him.

    Personally, I could care less what he believes, so long as he’s telling the truth.


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    You emailed him, and are concerned that you didn’t hear back the same day? He has a job and a family, and has been spending countless hours trying to bring the Truth to light. Maybe he just needed a break from this, maybe he busy with other things.

    I went to high school with Chris. while I didn’t know him well, it is a small school with a very tight knit community that forms lasting bonds, even with those you only knew casually, and now with social media, with people years apart that you never met in person. Because of that, I, as well as Chris, have close friends of pretty much all faiths and sexual orientations, as well devout atheists. I am a believer, and believe Chris is as well. I know of few believers who haven’t struggled with their faith at one time or another. Learning about other religions, as well as atheism is a great way to reinforce your own faith, so him having looked at pages other than Christian pages does not concern me in the least. It is also useful to be informed about other religions when those not of your faith might attack your faith.

    I do know that Chris did some cleaning up of his FB pages, not out of any shame from what he had looking at, but simply to try to avoid what is occurring here, people attempting to take the focus away from where it needs to be, reaching the Truth about what happened, protecting children, and helping the victims. He has excepted that he is becoming a figurehead of this movement, but that was not his intent. The intent was to simply have the truth come to light, and hold PBC accountable for their lack of action when the allegations first came to their attention 25 years ago


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    Dee

    Your integrity is one of the main reasons TWW is is a go-to website for many, including me, and you have my admiration. The world needs more people like you.

    The Chris Tynes situation is very weird and I hope you get some answers that will clear it up one way or another. Not to mention that the real issue is still whether or not Prestonwood turned a sexual predator loose on an unsuspecting world.

    God Bless


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    Charlie
    Thank you for your comment. He is blessed to have you as a friend.

    You will see my response in the new post. However, you do need to know that we were getting flooded with emails and these questions needed to be asked. If I am asking them, I can assure that the press will do so. I think he has a good story. Remember, I am dealing with all of this long distance and it is hard to make judgments when lots of things get throw at you.

    Now, he has me at his back and this, in turn, will mean other bloggers will be more comfortable as well. You will be impressed at what Julie Anne Smith and Brad Sargeant is doing to help you all out. @ Charlie H:


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    Man this is a great post.

    The questions about Langworthy and Prestonwood remain. Some of those questions may be difficult for Prestonwood to answer from a legal standpoint, and if that’s the case, Prestonwood should just say so.

    But if Chris has misrepresented himself in such a way as the context of the story is not true, that needs to be corrected.

    I appreciate very much your posting this information. If all media outlets would do this, the world would be a better place and people would have more trust of public information sources.


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    Numo
    Thank you. Chris has passed through the gauntlet at TWW. He now must face the Dallas media. I think he may be ready after dealign with me!@ numo:


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    Alex
    I think you will like his response to me.@ Alex:


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    Bridget
    This was one of those situations that must be highlighted. But it had some tricky aspects to it. Now, I feel I can go on. Chris responded very well.@ Bridget:


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    Sad,

    How is your daughter?
    Praying.


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    Bridget

    It is important to me to protect the integrity of the blog. The last thing I need is for an accusation that we were had, especially in an explosive situation. We spend so much time looking tinno these things and do not want our hard work to be stomped on due to not looking at something hard enough. For example, the CrossWay situation was another thing that in which I had to be careful. That is why I try to call churches that we call out by name.


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    @ Happymom:

    Happymom,

    It’s going to be hour by hour. She is on bed rest and some meds but there is really nothing that can be done from a human stand point. So hard to see her suffer; I just want it to be me and not her. And I would like to meet my granddaughter on this earth if the Lord allows.

    There have been so many ultrasounds done in the last few days that have made her so real and so familiar to us, and we are begging God for a miracle. Now is the time to put my money where my mouth is, having said that my favorite Scripture is Job 1:20-22.

    Thank you so much for your concern and prayers, Happymom…it means so much to me.

    Love,

    Sad


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    dee wrote:

    Bridget
    This was one of those situations that must be highlighted. But it had some tricky aspects to it. Now, I feel I can go on. Chris responded very well.@ Bridget:

    Dee–I think that you and Deb are amazing at what you do. And I am sorry that I didn’t first state my appreciation for your transparency and honesty. That took a lot of humility to admit and bring forth.

    Much respect to you.

    t.


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    Sad,
    You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers. I’ve walked a similar road, please don’t hesitate to contact me via Deb or Dee.
    Praying for that miracle right with you.