Chris Tynes Responds and I am Satisfied

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Chris has responded to my questions and, as far as I am concerned, he appears to be straight forward. I may disagree with him on a few of his "likes" on Facebook. But, I, too, have followed an atheist site for years and some people might find that site objectionable as well. That site has been my tutor in why people leave the faith. That has helped in the past few years to better show concern for those who visit here.

However, as most of our readers will understand, Chris has struggled with a few issues within the faith. One is Young Earth Creationism. As you all know, he has found a sympathizer in me on that account! He also struggles with the church's stand on the homosexual issue.  He also some Bible verses difficult, including the one in which the saints were raised from the dead at the time of the Crucifixion. His journey mirrors the struggle of many people within the faith.

So, who do I believe and support? On one hand, I have Prestonwood who did not answer my questions and appears to have  been reticent to address the Langworthy issue for a long time. One the other, I have a guy who has answered my many questions and appears to transparently share his struggles. So, I have decided to take Chris at his word. Anyone who is willing to put himself into the spotlight in order to raise a question about child sex abuse is worthy of being supported.

It is time to return to the Langworthy situation. I believe Chris has a story to tell. He also shared something with me off record that raises further questions about the Prestonwood's response in this Langworthy matter. The fact that he would tell me about this demonstrates, in my opinion, his pursuit of the truth in this situation.

I thank Chris for bearing with me and I thank all those who raised the questions that needed to be answered. Here is Chris' response.


Dee,
I am so sorry for not getting back with you sooner.  I had opened your email earlier and I don't know what happened to be honest.  I feel like I'm juggling a lot of balls in the air while I'm trying to finish my website and it often feels like I'm chasing my tail.

I would first like to apologize for *** ***** (ed. note:This was the Chile commenter) stirring up trouble.  He's been a perpetual problem for a many of my friends and there's not much to be done about him unfortunately.  Frankly, I still haven't read his comments because I am just done with him and I'm not going to let him get in my head in the least.  That said, a lot of my friends have been following and reporting back to what sounds like your readers could see he was unstable on their own.  He holds anarchist views and debating him is completely futile.

I'm not sure what you mean that I'm condescending to those with faith.  Most of the stuff on my Facebook is completely non-serious such as the FSM  (Flying Spaghetti Monster) and after I realized people like *** could twist it around, I removed many of them.  I cleaned up some of my Likes as well just out of respect of being eyeballed, but I personally think they are healthy sites because nobody can defend their faith like I can (especially from a science perspective). 

If you will read comments from all friends on my "Why this story can't be about me", you will have a deeper understanding of my journey.  There was a time that I thought I couldn't have faith again, but I have come to realize that fundamentalism was my big problem.  Once I understood that I could accept that the Bible doesn't have to be infallible to believe, I finally had a framework to build from and having been doing so ever since.  Even further, my faith has been increasingly strengthened every day from the dozens of victims who have contacted me with their story.  I cry at least 10 times a day and feel unworthy to be here, but I am 100% certain God has prepared me for this moment.

1. Are you a member of PBC?
A: Yes!  Attending starting in Jun '98, joined in Jan '99.  I tweeted out pictures of Jack Graham baptizing one son and a baby dedication pic of the other.  I hold Jack Graham in highest regard although currently, my wife & I are very disappointed.

2. Do you really attend BTBF? (Bent Tree Bible Fellowship-my former church)
A:  Yes!  We also often visit my father's church, Willow Bend Church, not far from us just to be with them and on special occasions when he's preaching. 

3. What is the deal with the (in my opinion) the insulting sites that I found on your Facebook.
A:  One of my key philosophies that any of my friends will tell you is that I fully believe you should know every argument for & against your faith.  My big mistake in life was talking fundamentalism (young earth, literal Noah's flood, etc) at face value. I don't think anyone can truly articulate & defend their faith until they let it get assaulted.  I'm not afraid of hard questions and I love to be challenged on every single thing that I believe.  It's what makes me stronger intellectually and put me in a position to speak out on this matter at PBC.

4. Do your kids attend TCA?
A: Our two boys both have been at TCA since Kindergarten until this past year.  It was a financial thing.  At least two of their teachers from the school have already contacted my wife to let her know they support us and are praying for us.

5. Is your wife on the same page with you?
A:  My wife is a Saint and prayed with/for me on my journey of faith. She has never wavered and has been priceless in helping me sort things out.  She is 100% on board with me in my quest for accountability from PBC.  You can talk to her on the phone if you like.

6. Are you a Christian, a Christian undergoing serious struggles or have you left the faith?
A:  I am a Christian.  I have made 2 professions of faith in my life, been baptized, and rededicated my life to the Lord more times than I care to admit.  In some ways, I feel more Christian now than I've ever felt.  Do I have struggles?  Yes, I haven't figured it all out.  A great example is the story of all the additional saints raised from the dead with Jesus.  I just find that difficult to believe and unnecessary to the story.  I don't think it has to take away from Christ.  These are non-critical points to salvation, but it's things of this nature that very much interest me. 

Another key point of my faith is that I don't find Jesus having anything specific to say about homosexuality and I've listened to every conceivable angle on this topic and find myself in support of equal civil rights.  These are all positions that don't go well with the Baptist Church, but I am content to overlook disagreements with church members except the few on FB that I have debated.  We tried other denominations and, outside of Bent Tree, Prestonwood is where we feel the most comfortable.  In my recent post, "Why this story can't be about me", everything I wrote explain why we switched to Bent Tree is 100% accurate.  For that matter, the entire article is accurate and possible one of my best pieces I've ever written (credit to a great editor, too).

7. Have you ever confronted PBC, or any member of PBC, in the past?
A:  I have NEVER confronted anybody before for anything in my life, PBC or otherwise.  I've never had a reason to do so.  Frankly, I didn't know there was an activist bone in my body till this happened.  I am a very happy-go-lucky guy that doesn't take life too serious.  This is all very new.

8. Is your story about watching the child abuse video and then finding out about Langworthy true in its chronology?
A:  It is absolutely 100% true and I intend to post screen shots of all my posting about it on the website.  In fact, I'm going to document the entire thing for anyone to examine how this story unfolded for me.  My friends comment the way they do because they watched it unfold on FB.  They know me and they know why I'm passionate about this.
 
9. Do you still have close Christian friends who support you in this endeavor?
A:  I have incredible local support and across the country, both Christian and otherwise.  You can see this on the FB Page, People Against Prestonwood's Silence on Allegations of Sexual Abuse, that this is 100% true.  I have friends from many faiths, mostly Baptist types, and they are all supporting me.  I have some local friends who own businesses so they haven't put their 'like' on my public page for fear of losing Prestonwood customers which I told them I fully understand.

10. What else do you think I should know in order to give a true accounting of your character to our readers?
A: Nothing comes to mind, but I haven't been dishonest or misleading with you in any way on the phone or otherwise.  Again, I would ask you to follow my FB Page and see for yourself what my friends say.  My wife is fully prepared to pursue the same path of demanding answers from Mike Buster if they find some way to effectively shift the story to me.

I have ZERO idea what WFAA is going to let Prestonwood report, but there's nothing else to hide.  I had one Prestonwood friend, **** ******, who unfriended me (and STILL won't return a call, txt, or msg) over this.  He fought me when I started posting about this story and he & I use to have long debates over Creationism & Noah's Flood. In his mind, he doesn't think I can be a Christian w/o accepting the Bible as infallible.  Outside of him, I can't image what they may try to say.

The unfortunate thing is that Prestonwood wants to try to deflect the story off them and on to me.  This will be a sad thing for the victims especially who are watching closely.  My wife is impeccable and is prepared to take an equally vocal voice in the story to fight back.

Comments

Chris Tynes Responds and I am Satisfied — 62 Comments

  1. Thank you, Chris! OK, Prestonwood, it’s time for you to answer some hard questions.

  2. I once had a church friend who completely dropped me because I had an English Qu’ran in my trunk that she happened to see.

    She did not bother to ask me why but just told a bunch of other people who discussed it among themselves instead of asking me! That is the evangelical ghetto thinking I got so sick of dealing with.

    Which brings me to Chris. Because he dares go outside that ghetto to both round out his education and sharpen himself, he becomes an easy target when he questions the powers that be.

    Just yesterday, I am in a coffee shop working and behind me are two guys talking. I heard the word “Jesus” and my ears perked up. The guy was basically telling the other guy why he can believe because there is a literal bible with a literal 6 day creation, etc, etc. Everything was about believing in a literal bible. Nothing about Jesus Christ as God in the Flesh Who we can have a real relationsip with. And we wonder why this stuff does not “stick”.

    Oh how I wanted to interrupt and tell him about the real Jesus Christ Who loves him so much and why.

  3. Anon 1
    I am with you.
    This has been a hard situation and I am up against a machine, both here and SGM. I have to try very hard to look at these situations and to admit my confusion when it is real. I never want our readers to think that I won’t do the hard thing if anything I have portrayed is in error. I try as hard as possible to be transparent. @ Anon 1:

  4. Chris, thanks for taking time to respond in the midst of all else going on because of the Prestonwood events. I can only imagine the hecticity that has descended on your household! And Dee, thanks for checking things out with Chris. And thanks to both of you for your vulnerability. Glad the focus can return to the issues at Prestonwood and church systems in moving forward.

    Issues of child sexual abuse are crucial for the Church to get right, especially in this era where institutions that should have our trust instead give us evidence that fuels skepticism or worse. I’ve been tracking this situation for over 30 years, as my sister was, among her several social activist roles, a child sexual assault prevention trainer. She taught children and also worked with staffs and leaders on organizational strategies to promote prevention of sexual abuse. She began this in the late 1970s or early 1980s, and worked with schools, groups and clubs, community organizations — wherever there was a willingness to do something.

    Though she was an evangelical, it seemed the theologically conservative and evangelical churches were often among the most resistant to host trainings or implement prevention strategies. They just didn’t seem to want to deal with real-world issues of childhood sexual abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, etc. This was a great sadness to my sister, but she carried on for the sake of survivors, and to prevent more victims, and to be available for those churches that were developing a consciousness and a conscience about the damage that victimization does.

    Churches need to be safe houses for God’s people, and hopefully the awareness spotlight that Prestonwood Baptist church has turned on itself will bring at least a few small steps of change to the Church in the long run.

    Thanks for having an emphasis on that better future for the Church and society here at TWW …

  5. I would first like to apologize for *** ***** (ed. note:This was the Chile commenter) stirring up trouble. He’s been a perpetual problem for a many of my friends and there’s not much to be done about him unfortunately.

    So “Guy from Chile” is a known troll.

  6. Brad, Interesting to hear a perspective from so many years back and dealing with this issue in the evangelical world. Now, we see many are forced to deal with it and it is coming from the PR angle and Insurance angle. It was not something their hearts were prepared to deal with and that is a trust issue for me. I am not interested in worshiping in situations where they have been forced to deal with it. It is kind of bizarre the world had to show them how heinous child abuse really is.

    It would be an interesting study to look at why this has been the state of things in the evangelical world for so long if one could get folks to talk. Patriarchy? We are saved sinners so it does not matter? They are just kids/women/girls? It would ruin our witness if folks found out one of our elders was abusing his kids?

    Where does this thinking come from and how do they line it up with Who Christ is? It just does not make sense. The church should be the refuge from a cruel world. But often, it is the opposite and it is hidden and silenced. Good is evil and evil is good.

  7. “I try as hard as possible to be transparent”

    The true Body of Christ is transparent in such things. God Bless you

  8. I totally get you Chris. Much of my family has a fundementalist bent. When I moved back close to my family (I think it is Dee’s town), I started losing all hope in God. I saw the Bible used both as a weapon and an idol. I can believe the scripture is inspired by God, maybe even inerrant. However the human mind cannot be inerrant, so people do interpret passages differently. I am moving away from the “God in a box” mentality. One way is contemplative prayer, just me and God. Good luck on your journey! Ann

  9. HUG

    You can be darn sure that i will watch for him from now on. He has a rather distinctive personality!

  10. Anon 1 wrote:

    It would be an interesting study to look at why this has been the state of things in the evangelical world for so long if one could get folks to talk. Patriarchy? We are saved sinners so it does not matter? They are just kids/women/girls? It would ruin our witness if folks found out one of our elders was abusing his kids?

    To test for the Patriarchy factor, compare examples where Pillar of the Church was found diddling a little girl vs diddling a little boy. And the internal reaction to same. Also factor in whether pedo-boi was Founding Pastor/Head Apostle or not.

  11. Anon 1 wrote:

    It is kind of bizarre the world had to show them how heinous child abuse really is. It would be an interesting study to look at why this has been the state of things in the evangelical world for so long

    One thought occurs to me. Perhaps some evangelical (and other) religious groups tend to be so focused on their “pet peeves”, so to speak, that they can’t notice even more grievous sins and crimes. So many Christians seem to set up “feminism” or abortion or the “homosexual agenda” as their ‘bete noire’, something to fight against at all costs. And their fixation is so strong, perhaps they can’t see even the most obvious horrors, even those right in front of them, because it’s outside their hopelessly narrow field of vision.

    Straining out gnats, and swallowing camels.

  12. Dee- it is a machine, SGM, SBC and so on. And it seems they have taken over. As you predicted. This is heartbreaking to me because of all the future victims. It’s hard to understand how they (CJ and company) can get away with it, until I think about my own involvement in the cult of CLC. There are so many victims strewn all over the place because of this. Victims, not worse than sex abuse coverups, but in different ways. Such as child abuse from parents who try to fit the mold. Which CJ couldn’t even pull off. I’m referring to Chad. God help is all!

  13. [Sarcasm Alert and not directed at present company but to others outside TWW who would seek to Poison the Well re: Chris]:

    I don’t think Chris floats. He’s a Witch. He can’t be trusted. Burn him.

  14. Dee, yes, I really like the response.

    I think he’s honest and I think he’s willing to take risks in seeking Truth and in understanding others’ positions. His approach sounds a lot like mine. I’m on Atheist sites all the time, have many Atheist friends etc. I love them, so burn me at the stake (directed toward others).

  15. Personally, I have found some Atheists to be much better folks than some professing “Christian Leaders”…now I don’t agree with their Position of “No God”…but I agree with them that Child Abuse and Corruption in the church (and wherever it is found) is wrong and not what Jesus had in mind.

  16. Chris –

    Thanks for clearing up the questions that have been floating around. You have been more forthcoming than most (any?) of the churches that TWW contacts for clarification. That in itself speaks volumes.

  17. Alex – -I lost track of how many e-mails I had when media broke my story, but there were more responses from Atheists than Christians. A lot of those self-proclaimed Atheists used to be Christian and left because of spiritual abuse. I’ve been dealing with a group of pastors who keep wanting to defend CJ. They can’t see what the problem is: even after a 600-page document which includes e-mails from both sides, 5 years and hundreds of testimonies of current members and former members on two survivor blogs, a civil lawsuit that has been amended to add more complaints, 20 churches leaving even before polity is revised, many pastors writing letters, etc. My question to them was: what would it take for you to be convinced? The Bible talks about 2 witnesses, right? ::::ja bangs head against wall ::::::

    I just saw this quote today:

    “The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.”
    – Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)

  18. Dee and Deb –

    Thank you for following up on this situation. It’s wonderful to see you be real and upfront, even when you are confused and not sure about the outcome of something. Thanks for the time, prayer, and perspiration (this word is in honor of your southern sensibilities 😉 ) you put in to keep TWW on the up and up. That goes for GBTC too!

  19. Julie Anne wrote:

    Alex – -I lost track of how many e-mails I had when media broke my story, but there were more responses from Atheists than Christians. A lot of those self-proclaimed Atheists used to be Christian and left because of spiritual abuse. I’ve been dealing with a group of pastors who keep wanting to defend CJ. They can’t see what the problem is: even after a 600-page document which includes e-mails from both sides, 5 years and hundreds of testimonies of current members and former members on two survivor blogs, a civil lawsuit that has been amended to add more complaints, 20 churches leaving even before polity is revised, many pastors writing letters, etc. My question to them was: what would it take for you to be convinced? The Bible talks about 2 witnesses, right? ::::ja bangs head against wall ::::::
    I just saw this quote today:
    “The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.”
    – Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)

    Amen, JA. Love that last quote. Sadly, there is an abundance of Apathy in the church and a dearth of Righteous Indignation regarding these sorts of issues.

  20. Thank you for this response.It’s good to see people actually follow up when they made a mistake. I just think a little more time should have been given for the response in the first place.

  21. Very glad to see this post. Thanks to Chris and TWW for getting this info out.

    Regarding PBC: If you know that you’re in the right regarding a situation, then why would you have to hide in silence about it?

  22. @ dee:

    “Dee”, I am so sorry that this issue has caused you so much grief.  There really is no real way to second guess this kinda stuff, –you go with your gut, and you do diligence, you’ve said it many times. The rest is, well, left to God’s providence, a bit o’ dumb luck, and a whole lotta perspiration… 🙂

    …inspiration is sooooo short changed these days, huh?

    …be-head a chocolate Easter Bunny, you’ll feel better in no time!  -snicker-

    Ut’o, creative spark plugs needs chang’in…

    gota run…

    caugh, caugh…spidder-spadder, spudder…

    dink!

    (grin)

    Sopy!

  23. Charlie H
    Normally I would have given him a lot of time to answer me. However, this is a unique situation. I was being bombarded with emails and comments. WFAA was slated to do a story regarding Chris and given the emails I was receiving, I was deeply concerned with the possibility of trash talking by PBC and affiliates.

    This is a hard lesson to learn. Once you go public, things move fast in the media. Often stories will run within hours of receiving the information.

    From the info we had received, we believed that this story would be focusing on Chris’ integrity. I am sure that the media has investigated his life and his facebook page.

    He now has my support. I got my questions answered. If there is any hullabaloo in the press, I will rise to the his defense and offer his answers to my questions. I, too, needed to be ready. I do not doubt that there is a chance that my initial post with my contact with PBC will be cited.

    This post also puts the onus on the media to talk with Chris as opposed to just talking with PBC.The pros will have to demonstrate that they at least investigated it to the extent that I, an amateur,
    did with Chris. This is all to his benefit.@ Charlie H:

  24. dee wrote:

    This has been a hard situation and I am up against a machine, both here and SGM. I have to try very hard to look at these situations and to admit my confusion when it is real. I never want our readers to think that I won’t do the hard thing if anything I have portrayed is in error. I try as hard as possible to be transparent.

    Dee, it’s obvious that you try to be transparent. As a newcomer to Christian sites I really appreciate your efforts (I still can’t believe how many delete any comments they disagree with). You’re a brave woman for putting yourself out there. Thanks for following up on this story, and thanks to Chris for being forthcoming in his response.

  25. dee wrote:

    This has been a hard situation and I am up against a machine, both here and SGM. I have to try very hard to look at these situations and to admit my confusion when it is real. I never want our readers to think that I won’t do the hard thing if anything I have portrayed is in error. I try as hard as possible to be transparent.

    Which is why you are very highly respected by all of us. I cannot thank you enough for your tireless efforts, just like Superman, in the quest for truth, justice, and the American Way. 🙂

  26. Glad you are feeling better about Chris but this is why my real name will never be shared. The Bible says first to go to the person and then take a few leaders before taking it to the whole body.

    If you were to have access to my facebook page you would find all sorts of stuff you might not approve of. But, without knowing why it’s there you might jump to the wrong conclusion about who I am and what I believe. That is the problem with letting everything hang out on facebook, twitter, etc and not actually getting to know the person behind the postings. These social media outlets are just like a snapshot that can be misintrepreted. But it is a part of our modern culture and we must deal with it with wisdom and discernment.

  27. Personally, a very liberating thing for me was when I decided to play for an audience of One and quit caring so much about what some others think or say. Going with your gut and being transparent seems to be as good a plan as one can have. Not to discount counsel and input from others, but there is a balance, at the end of the day…you will stand alone before God and give an answer…and you will not have the luxury of appealing to others and what they said you should or shouldn’t have done.

    I imagine it will be a very lonely and sobering experience, which I always keep in mind. You’ll never please everyone, you’ll never do it perfectly…however, if your Compass is your Conscience before God…and you are committed to Transparency and seeking the Truth in a matter…you literally can’t go wrong, IMO.

  28. I’m a but lost on some short cuts. Can someone clue me in on —

    “WFAA was slated to do a story regarding Chris . . .” What is WFAA?

    In the header, what does “RFB” stand for as in RFB Leader?

  29. Serving in Japan wrote:

    One thought occurs to me. Perhaps some evangelical (and other) religious groups tend to be so focused on their “pet peeves”, so to speak, that they can’t notice even more grievous sins and crimes. So many Christians seem to set up “feminism” or abortion or the “homosexual agenda” as their ‘bete noire’, something to fight against at all costs.

    Don’t forget EVIL-ution!

    And their fixation is so strong, perhaps they can’t see even the most obvious horrors, even those right in front of them, because it’s outside their hopelessly narrow field of vision.

    I’ve seen this phenomeon in various fandoms. There it’s called “fanboy tunnel vision”, where drooling fanboys focus on their obsession to the point that nothing outside their obsession exists. Nothing outside of their obsession can possibly exist. Period.

  30. WFAA is a major news station out of Dallas.They are known for their investigative reporting.

    RFB-Reformed Big Dog.@ Bridget< Sorry, I have been in a bit of a tizzy the last few days!/b>:

  31. Anon 1 wrote:

    It would ruin our witness if folks found out one of our elders was abusing his kids?
    Where does this thinking come from and how do they line it up with Who Christ is? It just does not make sense. The church should be the refuge from a cruel world. But often, it is the opposite and it is hidden and silenced. Good is evil and evil is good.

    It really is crazy-backwards. The world understands evil people exist. It isn’t all that weird to find an abuser in a church. What ruins the witness to the world isn’t the existence of an abuser in the church but the continued existence of the abuser in the church once the abuser is known to be an abuser. This requires cover up — lying, avoiding justice, and other forms of dishonest, unethical, and just plain evil behavior. That hardly protects the witness of the church and this should be obvious.

    Let us do evil that good may come?

  32. @ dee:
    Thanks!

    Wouldn’t that be “RBD” for reformed big dog then? That is what I thought you meant, but it was so different that I wasn’t sure. (These days it doesn’t take much for confusion to set in on me.)

  33. Dee and Deb, I echo other’s gratitude for your transparency, perserverence, and dedication to the readers of TWW in conducting your thorough follow up with Chris.

    Truth, justice, and the American Way indeed. 🙂

    Chris – wishing you and your family the best at this time. Those teachers at your kid’s school who reached out to your wife are a real blessing, too.

  34. I was thinking about TWW’s transparency in comparison to, say … Tim Challies’ blog.

    A certain jingle from a famous U.S. children’s TV show (Sesame Street) came to mind:

    “One of these things is not like the other/

    One of these things is not the same!”

    🙂

  35. dee wrote:

    Ann
    Welcome to TWW. Are you local? How did you find out about the blog?

    Dee, I was raised in Raleigh, but left at 18. Most of my family stayed. I returned 2 years ago at the ripe old age of 54!! Any recommendations for churches in the area? I am a little gun shy and so far do Contemplative Prayer on Mondays with a group in Apex. I have followed your blog for over a year and it is one of my favorites. It was here that I found out about the abuse at Providence, where one of my brothers was a deacon. Fortunately they have since left. Thank you for all ya’ll do! Ann

  36. David…I mean Chris, your stone has pierced the vain of the Giant and he has begun to bleed. It might take a little while but he is going to fall. “you come against me with sword and spear and javelin and cops, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty. I added the word cops!!!!

  37. PhillyInDC wrote:

    Challies new post about “the blogs”

    http://www.challies.com/christian-living/the-blogs-the-battles-and-the-gospel

    As I see it, Challies is all over the place in this article. His parallel of “playing the ball” rather than the man doesn’t make his point. What he neglects to point out is that in any sport when a rule is broken during the play and a foul is called as a result, it’s not only called on the type of foul but on the player who caused it. You can’t just ignore the player and blame the ball.

  38. Anon 1 wrote:

    I once had a church friend who completely dropped me because I had an English Qu’ran in my trunk that she happened to see.

    Can I be blunt here Anon 1? She never was your friend. True friends don’t ditch each other over religion, politics, reading material, and/or sexual orientation.

  39. Dee,
    It’s gotta be dark chocolate almond bark. And if you do not confess now that it’s king, you’ll appear before the white chocolate throne judgement and be cast into the lake of fire along with the beast and the false prophet.

  40. @ brad/futuristguy:

    Though she was an evangelical, it seemed the theologically conservative and evangelical churches were often among the most resistant to host trainings or implement prevention strategies. They just didn’t seem to want to deal with real-world issues of childhood sexual abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, etc

    A lot of conservative Christianity seems to have that problem, along a wide spectrum of issues, not just child sexual abuse. They have a hard time accepting, or believing, that Christians can suffer from the same problems as anyone else.

    They won’t face lots off issues head on, or acknowledge they exist, whether it’s domestic abuse against wives, psychological health issues (such as depression), or, and as I was discussing in a prior thread, grief over death of a loved one.

    Maybe part of this is comes from a tendency to be afraid to acknowledge evil and sorrow in the world, or it comes from a weird theological presupposition that no Christian will ever have a problem (even though Christ said “in this life you will have troubles).

    Christ never said Christians would have perfect lives, health, circumstances, or finances.

    Re:

    I would first like to apologize for *** ***** (ed. note: This was the Chile commenter) stirring up trouble.

    That is three asterisks followed by five. I’ll have some fun making up some fake names for this guy:

    “Joe Smith”
    “Bob Brown”

    My favorite:

    “Don Chile”

  41. @ Muff:

    “It’s gotta be dark chocolate almond bark. And if you do not confess now that it’s king, you’ll appear before the white chocolate throne judgement and be cast into the lake of fire along with the beast and the false prophet.”

    Now, now, Muff, be charitable. St. Patrick’s Day is coming which means I will be adding a green layer and Andes mints bits to my Holy Chocolate Bark. : ) Though the green layer is made by melting white chocolate and adding mint extract, so perhaps I will be vindicated at the Great White Chocolate Throne Judgment after all…

    Also Girl Scout cookie season is at hand which means Dee will have to start selling Chocolate-Coconut Indulgences very soon.

  42. @ Hester:
    You will get a grin from this. I used to make some chocolate mint brownies that were very good. They have a green icing between a fudge brownie and melted semisweet chocolate chips. The icing is flavored (and colored ) by creme de menthe. A Baptist woman asked if green food coloring and mint extract could be substituted for the liqueur.

    I told her no. Ironically, the extract probably has about as much alcohol as the in the creme de menthe.

    Sigh

  43. I have known Chris personally over 25 years and know him to be one of the most upstanding people I’ve ever had the privilege to meet. I, myself, am a retired military member, and I’ve often thought we’ve (Chris and I) shared the same values of dedication to values that are true and right and above oneself. I support him wholeheartedly and am glad to see that his response is being fairly represented here. Thank you.

  44. @ Alex:
    Alex, you have no idea how uplifting your comment was to me this morning. I have been struggling with something and your comment hit the nail on the head. Thank you.

  45. Petrified ‘Word’ Revisited : “Persistent Proverbial Dark Shadows Permitted At Prestonwood?”

    HowDee,

    What?

    …aiding and abetting a pastoral Parrish pedophile, then by utilizing lawyers, covered the whole thing up, neutralized and silenced the victim, then quietly dismissed the offending Parrish pastoral pedophilia perpetrator, permitting the known pastoral pedophile perpetrator to penetrate yet another Parrish? Is that the size of it, Wartburg?

    hmmm…

    Prestonwood picked a puttied putrid pastoral Parrish pedophile?

    Prestonwood gave a free pass to a puttied putrid pastoral Parrish pedophile?

    Prestonwood permitted a known puttied putrid pastoral pedophile perpetrator to penetrate yet another pastoral position at another Parrish?

    Prestonwood passed a puttied putrid pastoral Parrish pedophile?

    Prestonwood”s passed puttied putrid pastoral Parrish pedophile perp’d another Parrish?

    How many puttied putrid pastoral Parrish pedophiles did the Prestonwood Parrish pick, pass, or pass-off?

    hmmm…

    “To Pass a Pastoral Pedophilia Perp, or not, Dat is da ‘silly’ Question?!?” -Sharkspeare (c)

    Me thinks da Prestonwood possibly proverbially craven’d Parrish pastoral staff might $imply be bent just a bit too much?

    Pro-tes-ta-tion Permitted?

    Perhaps.

    A laps of ‘christian’ charitable sensibilities? 

    Perhaps.

    A Parrish pedophilic perp-pass permitted?

    Perhaps.

    How do we treat a churches who’s pastoral staff possibly permits predatorial pastors or predatorial members a free pass?  (1)

    The guilt of your Prestonwood pastoral brother cries out from itz dark crusty crypt? …and possibly yours as well?

    Dark ‘penetrating’ shadows lurking about at Prestonwood perhaps?

    hmmm…

    (1) Wartburg Watch has been persistently dealing with a group of pastors (Sovereign Grace Ministries) who keep wanting to defend departing SGM President C.J. Mahaney against several accusations, amoung other things, of member pedophilia cover-ups. They can’t see what the ‘root’ problem is: even after a 600-page document which includes e-mails from both sides, 5 years and hundreds of testimonies of current members and former members on two survivor blogs, a civil lawsuit that has been amended to add more complaints, 20 churches leaving even before polity is revised, many pastors writing letters, etc, etc, etc…

    What?

    How do we treat a church who’s ‘pious’ pastoral staff possibly permits predatorial pastors or predatorial members a perpetual free pass?  

    (s-a-d-f-a-c-e)

    S_py-_-_-_-_“㋡”

  46. It’s a small world. I spoke with my father this morning about this situation in Prestonwood, and he informed me that this is the church one of my cousins attends with his family. This has suddenly become more personal for me. I wish Jack Graham would come clean about his mishandling of Langworthy’s crimes and apologize. His “integrity” shrinks smaller by the day.

  47. To the people who say, let it go, it’s been too long: “It’s critically important to allow these old cases to come forward in order to protect children today,” Dion said. “Because even when it takes 30 years for a victim to come forward, when they do come forward and the perpetrator is still alive, we often find that they’re still molesting kids, because pedophiles don’t retire.”
    http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/03/20/law/committee-approves-bill-to-remove-time-limits-for-child-sex-abuse-victims-to-sue

  48. Now that I’m through the initial turbulence and realization of what I have undertaken, I’ve come to terms with myself on the need to read & verify what has been written about me. I owe a lot of thanks to this site for both supporting me and helping me realize that I must be vigilant in keeping the story properly focused. That wasn’t possible without someone asking me the right & necessary questions. When I wrote the email published in this article, I had no idea it would be published in complete form; however, in retrospect, I’m thankful I didn’t know as I would have probably been “less me” (if that makes sense). At the end of the day, I’m still just a regular guy stumbling in late to an important issue and trying my best to do what I think is the right thing. I’m not perfect, but I can be incredibly persistent. Just wanted to put my two cents in on an excellent article that has been discussed widely in my circles. If anyone has any questions for me, the best place is to send a msg to the http://facebook.com/PBCSilentNoMore page which is the only place I’m able to monitor with any consistency at this time. Thanks again for everyone who fights with this shared common purpose.