“In order to escape accountability for his crimes, the perpetrator does everything in his power to promote forgetting. If secrecy fails, the perpetrator attacks the credibility of his victim. If he cannot silence her absolutely, he tries to make sure no one listens.” ― Judith Lewis Herman, Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence – From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror
Today I brought my mother for a minor medical procedure. She is fine. However, on our way out the door, she over my foot with her walker. A 90 year old woman with a walker who wants to get home for dinner is a force to be reckoned with. .Unfortunately, I have a bruised, swollen and painful foot and am having trouble concentrating.
I want to call your attention to an update to a story covered here. Please forgive me for my lack of commentary. This is an awesome article.
Here is a link to more articles at TWW. Here is a link to Justice for Sankey with an incredible number of testimonies, videos and documents.
I want to congratulate a group of people who are my heroes: Justice for Sankey. These folks don’t quit. They are fighting for justice for those who are half a world away. Many of them have lost friends and even their church family in order to seek the truth.
Finally, a local, well-liked media source, Cleveland Scene, is calling attention to their efforts. I am appreciative for the call out in the article.
This is an excellent, thoughful, well-written article. I’m duly impressed!
A Hudson Megachurch, a Beloved Pastor and the International Sex Abuse Scandal They’ve Tried To Hide
The church elders, Colledge clarified when Gintz sought more details about this meeting, had no interest in discussing anything related to Sankey, World Harvest Ministries or Tom Randall. They were concerned about her.
“Your demonstration of mistrust and disrespect for the spiritual leadership of Christ Community Chapel is astounding,” Colledge wrote. “For some reason, unbeknownst to me, you have determined that you have authority to discern the spiritual health of the local church. This is a dangerous position for anyone to assume.”
This behavior from CCC leadership is what Dee Parsons referred to in her coverage as “spiritual abuse.” Gintz told Scene that she’d had enough. This spring, she left CCC. “There just came a point where I said, ‘Why am I here? I hate this.'”
Numero uno?
Zwei?
Thanks for keeping the light shining on a dark corner of Christendom. I doubt the “leaders” at CCC will ever do anything about this unless good ol’ Uncle Tom gets handsy among the local kids. Oh Lord, expose the truth in such a way that his supporters can no longer deny it.
It is a great, well researched and written article, and I was so happy to see it. Randall and Coffey are obviously sociopaths who have no qualms about outright lying and intimidation, but what are all their supporters excuses? Are they incapable of reading a newspaper and taking in the obvious truth? Can they not add one plus one and come out with two? I’m finding it hard to understand how all these churchgoers are willing to overlook such degradation just so they can avoid discomfort and keep their comfy church experience unaffected.
It’s so easy to discredit news coverage. Newspapers are “of the world,” and reporters do not understand the church because they are not Christians. Truth can only be understood by Christians, who would never work for a worldly newspaper.
All too predictably, Joe Coffey has described the allegations as a Satanic attack on the church. This is mentioned once in the Cleveland Scene article and twice on the timeline at the Justice for Sankey website.
When the Boston Globe broke the story of RCC child sexual abuse, many people turned rage on the victims, accusing them of making up disgusting stories. A cottage industry still claims that SNAP and lawyers are out for a payday, bishops are saving their own hides by sacrificing innocent priests, and the media manipulates minds.
“Abuse only gets that far when the people on top already know the truth. They’ve known it all along.” (Cleveland Scene)
Chilling.
It may be risky to generalize from other situations, but my observation of a much less scandalous situation (simply a really bad financial/expansion decision that a congregation was — IMO — manipulated into approving) is that people are pre-disposed to assume the best of their leaders
* the leaders may be genuinely persuasive and winsome in their presentation of “gospel” truths. The goodwill this earns will tend to color how people respond to unfavorable news.
* there is a presumption that “ordination” implies God-given authority, and people may feel conscience-bound to respect that and assume the best of those that they reckon have God’s approval.
* they might genuinely like the leaders as individuals
Some ‘bad apple’ leaders are good at superficial relationships and are interpreted by the flock to be genuinely caring and good people.
* then there is the ‘sunk cost’ of people’s investment in the group; it can be difficult to repudiate that, and so the followers may find it easier to form a protective huddle around the alleged transgressive leaders.
It can take a heavy preponderance of evidence to overcome the favorable bias that people naturally have in such situations.
OTOH, once a person’s understanding is pushed past the ‘tipping point’ to a new view of things, they are not likely to tip back. Given that there are some anonymous sources speaking from the inside, it sounds like the tipping point may be near.
This is the perfect set-up for bad-boy shepherds to deceive the sheep and for movements of the month to take root. I hate to say it, but the American pew needs to be more cautious about extending trust to the pulpit until they have proven themselves to be the real deal. Too many horror stories out there to let your spiritual guard down.
Max,
One might say that the present situation in some (perhaps many) of the churches is that there are people in leadership who are about as harmless as serpents, while too many of the led are no wiser than doves.
“Do not hurry to lay hands on anyone [ordaining and approving someone for ministry or an office in the church, or in reinstating expelled offenders], and thereby share in the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin” (1 Timothy 5:22-24).
It is far too easy in some corners of Christendom for a man to be ordained as a pastor or elder. It’s a fairly simple process that does not necessarily consider the spiritual qualifications of either the ordainee or ordainer. Once they get the “ordained” rubber stamp, they are free to move through the church with authority (either genuine or counterfeit).
Discernment is too often lacking in the ordination process, IMO. In many cases (in SBC life, for example), deacons are ordained to that office because they were popular in the church, prominent in the business community, or wealthy contributors to the church … which have nothing to do with whether they are spiritual men, meeting the Biblical qualifications for that sacred office. When a church gets in a hurry to ordain a man, and he fails morally, Paul told Timothy that those who ordained him share in his sin.
Max,
Agreed. The reputational qualifications that Paul laid out for “office” in multiple pastoral letters pretty clearly imply that a person has to prove suitability for service to the group through prolonged evidence of good service in ordinary life contexts. Our current model of professional education of the young (if even that, JH and CJM became high leaders without even that) followed by what can only be considered hasty ordination turns Paul’s concerns on their head.
I confess to not seeing how this “ship” can be turned around. It may have to capsize and the survivors flail about for a few generations before something better emerges.
IMO, this is a particular problem with SBC’s church planting model. In an effort to plant 1,000 new churches per year, young reformers line up for the assignment fresh out of seminary. With little to no experience, they assume the position of “lead pastor” in their 20s-30s and promptly recruit “elders” of same age. It’s no surprise they we are seeing so many problems surface within the New Calvinist movement. They are in a hurry to ordain these young (unproven) men because they are in a hurry to populate the American church as quickly as possible with the “gospel” that the rest of the church has lost. These young folks should have been mentored by older saints before they were unleashed in the Body of Christ.
In the Philippines, regarding child molestation charges, are the records sealed and removed from public view if the charges are dropped or dismissed?
I also noticed Tom Randall seemed to play the “third world”,”heathen” card when describing the jails over there. He also seemed to play the card when he picked staying in the Philippines rather than supposedly going to the NBA.
Not having visited the Philippines physically, but having worked in both international aviation (operational side) and aerospace (manufacturing side), my experience is that the country isn’t third world. And if I’m correct, isn’t the Philippines predominantly Catholic?
It will run aground … ships do when they sail too close to shallow water. Some captains have a knack for jumping before they hit the rocks, leaving the passengers to fend for themselves. Such is the cult of personality and aberrant faith.
Having visited the Philippines multiple times, I would say the standard of living would place it in the “developing nation” category. There’s money there, to be sure, but there are also economic issues as well. There are issues with corruption and in some areas stability (insurgency and terrorism).
That being said, there has been an increased focus on improving the police force and most cops there would find child molestation repugnant, particularly that involving foreigners (which given the history of occupation and exploitation by colonial powers is understandable).
For what it’s worth, the police would have no reason to target missionaries unless there was a credible complaint. The country is majority Catholic and from what I’ve heard from people there the church has wielded an inordinate amount of power (particularly supporting insurgency against governments that try to reign them in – ie implement birth control).
And while there is an institutional bias against non-catholics there is no “persecution”. Several non-catholic Presidents have been elected.
Yes. There is quite a trend of American missionaries trying to save souls in Catholic countries. Maybe these folks see Filipino Catholics as an unreached people group. /sarc
Like the wreck of the cruise ship Oceanos in 1991 off South Africa.
When the engine room flooded and the ship lost power, the captain and crew (and all their luggage) were first off the ship, taking most of the lifeboats with them. The captain — THE first off the ship — claimed he had to get to shore “to organize and coordinate the rescue”.
First warning the 571 passengers had was missing crew, missing lifeboats, and the ship listing badly trying to roll over as she drifted 5 klicks offshore. The cruise director and onboard entertainers had to get to the bridge and put out the distress call, then managed to organize the remaining lifeboats and coordinate with shore-based helicopters and another ship that answered the SOS. They DID manage to get everyone off before the Oceanos rolled onto her starboard side and went down by the bow in 100 meters of water.
During this, the captain DID phone the cruise director from the shore to ask how things were going.
Resulting in “wise as guinea pigs and harmless as black mambas”.
The Philippines is not the richest of countries, and does have a lot of Third World problems (Including a history of strongman Presidents since independence in ’46.). That said, it is far from the worst, more of a mixed bag. And its jails are pretty bad by US/Canadian standards.
As for “Heathen Nation”, well, except for the Muslim Moros on the southern island of Mindanao, the Philippines were Asia’s first Christian nation, back in the 16th Century. (South Korea didn’t become the second until around Y2K.) However, Filipino Christians are almost all RCC, which counts as Heathen to the “NO POPERY!” crowd.
Wise as dogs and harmless as cats.
Headless Unicorn Guy,
I remember the Oceanos. It was big news in SA. One of my neighbours was a helicopter pilot involved with the rescue.
I just read the excellent Scene article. I could hardly believe it when I read that Priscilla Mauk allowed Tom Randall to officiate her wedding, even after the abuse she suffered at his hands.
I also allowed a man, who I knew had groomed and preyed upon a friend of mine, to officiate my wedding, even to lead my premarital counseling! This man never repented, but I was so wrapped up in trying to be “forgiving” I didn’t know the danger such a man was.
For years, one of my deepest and most poignant regrets and shames is that I allowed this man to officiate my wedding. It was actually incredibly healing to read Priscilla’s account and realize I’m not the only one who could be so naive. Wow.
Years after my wedding the truth about this man came out and it was actually quite healing for people who knew him and had also been mistreated. I just wish it had been sooner.
Thanks again for all your work, Dee.
You are seriously not alone. In secular life, it’s easy for bystanders to say workers they should quit if the boss is harassing them. The problem is twofold: predators intimidate and confuse prey; and it is the harasser who should leave, not the hard-working souls who are just trying to keep a roof over their heads.
Add church and eternal salvation to the abusive mix, and it’s a wonder anybody ever gets away.
It’s a wonder that churches are legal.
It’s getting to the point where it seems like churches are nothing more than abuse incubators. Seems like total non-accountability. Seems like tailor-made for predatory creeps. Plus, tax exempt!
Perhaps I need a break from TWW…
You would have to believe the newspaper had fabricated the arrest reports, the evidence of the charges, and the interviews with persons involved. I hope none of the churchgoers are that goofy.
These people were responsible for preventing justice, by writing letters and putting pressure on their local representatives. They owe it to the victims to face the truth and make things right.
Yes. It’s also a pretty friendly place with a fair chunk of the population speaking english.
My wife is from the southern Philippines. We go every 3 to 4 years. She has lots of missionary stories. I’ve mentioned some of them here.
I’m just wondering: If the CCC hadn’t hired Tom Randall and brought the Sanky Orphanage into it’s organizational structure, would CCC still be having these issues? It seems Tom Randall used his “I’m a victim” tour to boost his standing with certain parts of The Body of Christ”.
I’m guessing it was the Jesuits who first brought the Christian faith to the Philippines?
I’m a Menominee (Native American Tribe of Wisconsin) by birth and it was the French Jesuits who made first contact with the Native peoples of Wisconsin.
Responding to comments re: Catholicism in this chain. I went on several of Coffey’s “missions trips” to the Dominican Republic in the 1990s to build “orphanages” that seemingly never actually opened and to save souls. I look back now as an adult and think to myself, “What on earth were we doing there? More or less everyone in the Dominican Republic is Catholic and believes in the risen Jesus.” And now this in the Philippines.
Samuel Conner,
You’ve just described the last two churches I was at, to a T.
Some fundagelical sects are very anti-Catholic, the more rabid ones will even claim that Catholics are not ‘saved’.
Hey…
I have a friend who lives in Menominee. 🙂
Sadly, I grew up in a denomination that, at least in the 60s & 70s, had this attitude. I remember that until I was a teenager, I was a little afraid of people who were Catholic. Now, that’s kind of embarrassing. For the record, I no longer think that way. Back in about 2006, my brother-in-law converted to Catholisism. We had some interesting discussions. He passed 3 years ago and there has never been any question that he was saved.
Think again, SiteSeer.
This is a Grand Unified Conspiracy Theory, a Cosmic Conspiracy headed by SATAN himself.
And all outside your Church (including the Witches infiltrating it) are part of The Conspiracy.
“If your conspiracy theory doesn’t fit the facts, INVENT A BIGGER CONSPIRACY.”
— Kooks Magazine
Off topic but very interesting: https://founders.org/2019/08/01/resignations-from-founders-ministries-board/
I feel like the Philippines have been used as a playground for an awful lot of western predators, as well as church/missionary based stories like this there seem to be so many incidences where prosecuted paedophiles have been done for going to abuse there, or logging on to see live abuse from there…so much horror.
As a child I had a Filipina Amah when I lived in Hong Kong. They were part of the package that came with a Government flat on the Peak. Ours was called Nenita, she was probably only 19 & she was fantastic. Because my Dad was a Magistrate any of the other Amahs who were ill-treated would come & hide at our house as no-one was going to come & cause a fuss at our place. Right at the heart of all these abuse stories are individuals, just like Nenita & her peers, & it is just so sad to think of their suffering.
Yes. When I identified as an Anglican one lady told me “they’re just as bad as Catholics!”. For some folks, Catholicism is yardstick by which badness is measured.
I had been considering adult baptism at the time. No way I was doing it after that.
Ken F (aka Tweed),
That’s pretty interesting. The two embedded statements by departing board members make it look to me like there might be a bit of a disagreement within the board on the Augustinian vs semi-Pelagian understanding of guilt, and it’s the Augustinians who left.
HUG: There was a really interesting article the other day about how ‘women and children first’ has historically not been at *all* the case. Titanic was basically an anomaly and I think more men still survived. The crew getting off is far more typical. Very interesting.
Lea,
Yes. I read a paper saying the women and children first thing was a myth. I cited the paper when debating MRAs when they tried to play the chivalry card to prove how much men sacrificed for women.
History Guy traces it back to The Birkenhead Disaster in the mid-19th Century in this video article:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYW49K5nQFA
I vaguely remember something about someone from an Asian culture whose attitude was a man must Save Himself because “You can always get another wife and make more children”.
As it has been noted here by several commenters, both the Catholics and the Fundamentalists, among others, have played the “you are saved by joining our denomination” card. This is pure heresy in all cases for anyone using it. According to Jesus, we are saved by knowing, following and choosing to become His disciples. There is nothing in the scriptures that point to needing to join any particular faction within what calls itself the church. Jesus said the difference between the sheep and the goats was “knowing Him.” And he used the proof of how we treat others on this earth as the proof in court of who really knows Him or not. This is the crux of the matter. The rest is just an attempt by evil men to control their sheep, to scare them into submission where they keep giving to a religious institution instead of moving on to some place much less controlling.
This describes my spouse and I to a ‘T’ While the one would excuse mass murder by trusted ‘authorities’, the other has had the curtain pulled open and there is no going back.
Even when they are ‘the real deal’ one can never let their guard down. Sorry if that sounds cynical, but even Paul had to challenge Peter. When we see error, whether it is from our favorite political leader, pastor or spouse, we need to call it what it is and stand up for what is right. Every time. Whatever the cost. It’s bloody hard, I’ll tell ya that, but at least you can live with yourself. Good thing – you may be all you have left. 😉
Jack,
Jack, I may have missed your missionary stories. Would love to know what you refer to, not for titillation, but because I truly wonder how often missionary work is cover for this sort of abuse.
Jeannette Altes,
One of the things that really disturbed me all along about my former Calvi-pastor, who was raised Catholic, was his rabid anti-Catholicism. He insisted his parents and inlaws, all Catholics, were hopelessly ‘lost’ until and unless they embraced his theology. Frankly, I’d take his mother or mother-in-law’s sincerity over his any day. I have known a lot of Catholics in my life, was once engaged to one, and I absolutely reject that they are all ‘lost’ because they are not Protestant in doctrine. I’m guessing the percentages of sincere to social christian is pretty much the same among Catholics as it is in Protestant denominations.
Ken F (aka Tweed),
Interesting.
I agree.
I think it’s important to remember that genuinely good leaders live in an “ecosystem” that tends to exalt things that are not intrinsically praiseworthy. “Bigger” and “more” are not necessarily “better”, but it is assumed that they are. This is one of the ways that “bad religion drives out good”. A good leader can find his convictions worn down by the apparent “success” of peer competitors who are cutting corners and who seem, superficially, to be thriving.
Speaking of “ecosystems,” I suspect that we are past a “tipping point” in the Evangelical ecosystem, and are headed toward system collapse. It will be interesting to see what evolves in the aftermath.
I happened to be in a church one weekday when a preacher was learning how to use a new wireless microphone. It was wonderfully clear that he viewed it as a tool rather than a fashion accessory and emblem of his importance: Can everyone hear? rather than Listen To Me. Preachers like that give me hope… but I don’t know where humility and practicality are taught and modeled.
TS00,
I agree
SiteSeer,
SiteSeer,
Yes this is what truly shocked me. People really couldn’t see it.
Samuel Conner,
So well said. Yes, it’s tipping more and more…
Tom Randall is a humble and anointed man. He’s Christlike and biblical bible through scripture like Jesus. He’s the most Gospel kingdom all about Jesus man. Christ-focused, mission-centred, Gospel-oriented, Pastor-led.
It’s all about Jesus. God has forgiven him and you should too. Scripture Kingdom for the BibleJesus.
Yours,
Arnold Dummarse
Not many places “under the sun”, it seems, but they’re modeled beautifully in the Gospel narratives.
I have basically given up on the evangelical movement, but I haven’t lost all hope. The Creator is still governing. Jesus is still King, and what an amazing example of Kingship he gives in the Gospels. The only king in the history of kings (that I know of) who preferred to die for his people rather than to ask them to die for him.
He’s IMHO the true vision of what humanity was meant to be, what it could be, and what perhaps (I hope, within the Creator’s purposes) some day it will be.
One does encounter undershepherds like this and, as you say, it is a thrill when that happens.
He’s far from the only one. Calvary Chapel was also anti-Catholic (and cloned itself into most every Independent Non-Denom group in SoCal). Muff and/or other CC survivors, can you back me up on this?
The most rabid anti-Catholic Calvary Chapel “Moses” was one Raul Rees; CC dominated the Christianese AM airwaves at the time, and every time Raul Rees was on the air, the guy was scary; his anti-Catholicism (and anti-anything connected with it) was literally impossible to exaggerate.
In the words of the prophet Peter Gabriel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBAl9cchQac
Headless Unicorn Guy,
Not CC, but Jack Chick put out some pretty rabid anti-Catholic stuff, as I recall. *shudder*
It gets weirder. P&P posted two articles on it today. Here is one of them: https://pulpitandpen.org/2019/08/02/founders-min-board-members-who-resigned-caught-up-in-their-own-sex-abuse-scandal/. This is not very far off topic because Founders and P&P discussion about this focuses on sexual abuse.
Ken F (aka Tweed),
Wow.
ARBCA … the scandal that keeps on scandalizing.
Beakerj,
Was it that pedophiles and predators “made tracks” to the Far East knowing that they could get away with more?
Martin Luther did too.
“You are the head of all the worst scoundrels on earth, a vicar of the devil, an enemy of God, an adversary of Christ, a destroyer of Christ’s churches; a teacher of lies, blasphemies, and idolatries; an arch-thief and robber; a murderer of kings and inciter to all kinds of bloodshed; a brothel-keeper over all brothel-keepers and all vermin, even that which cannot be named; an Antichrist, a person of sin and child of perdition; a true werewolf.”
From Against the Roman Papacy, an Institution of the Devil, pg. 357 of Luther’s Works, Vol. 41
“You are desperate, thorough arch-rascals, murderers, traitors, liars, the very scum of all the most evil people on earth. You are full of all the worst devils in hell – full, full, and so full that you can do nothing but vomit, throw, and blow out devils!”
From Against the Roman Papacy, an Institution of the Devil, pg. 277 of Luther’s Works, Vol. 41
“I can with good conscience consider you a fart-ass and an enemy of God.”
From Against the Roman Papacy, an Institution of the Devil, pg. 344 of Luther’s Works, Vol. 41
Oh were those little tracks? They were sooo freaky!! Even as a very young person I was repelled.
A Dude,
So, what did take place on those trips?
Yep – also known as “Chick Tracks.” They were pretty creepy. Messed with me pretty good as a kid.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K00yDlf9at4
So. Baptist lady #1: Catholick? Thatzas bad as becomin’ a Buddist!
So. Baptist lady #2: Worse!
A Dude,
This also begs the question, besides were these related to molestation, where did all the money go that was poured into the orphanages?
drstevej,
those who bemoan the decline of civility in public discourse (and I am among them) don’t have very long memories, do they?
I thought that quote was from Eric Cartman of South Park.
Jeannette Altes,
You can still buy them.
Yes. I actually found one stuck in my car door a couple of years ago and had one shoved in my hand while walking through a farmers’ market. They are unpleasant, to say the least. I actually felt like I’d been slimed. I am not a fan (but you probably already picked up on that…).
Brian,
store.kjv1611.org/chick-tracts/
Brian,
I always wonder too if part of it is that predominantly Catholic countries often have a lot of children? My Gran was laundress in a Dublin Convent & she said a lot of the nuns were the 9/10/11th daughters of Filippino families who didn’t know what to do with them, so sent them off to the convent.
At least Peter had enough spiritual sense to keep his mouth shut when Paul challenged him. He accepted correction and both moved forward to advance the cause of Christ, leading to their death. It doesn’t get any more “real deal” than that.
Headless Unicorn Guy,
It’s true.
The Calvary Chapel cult has always had an anti-Catholic bent.
Its current head honcho (Brian Brodersen) has said on more than one occasion that he was raised Catholic but never had a ‘relationship’ with Jesus, and never ‘knew the Lord’, until he came to faith the fundagelical way.
From the scene article:
“Current members of CCC spoke to Scene on condition of anonymity, fearing backlash and citing church “covenants” they signed – membership agreements, basically – which are legally binding.”
But aren’t they just winsome bounds of love?
“I once was (ugh) Catholic, But Now I’m (smile) CHRISTIAN(TM)!”
— typical statement of faith from my time in-country
Keeping up with the Furticks?
(Or maybe Imelda?)
Messed me up pretty good, too.
TS00,
Nothing like this abuse. There was one missionary family that took pictures of my wife’s church and claimed credit for it. It was already a large & established congregation. Then there was the ywam girl who wanted to ride on the hood of a jeep in her bikini.
Some missionaries were nice, some were a hassle, none moved beyond the church they were assigned to. They didn’t know or want to know the language or culture.
Contrast that with the Jesuits, who placed a high priority on becoming proficient with languages and absorbing cultures with an eye toward syncretism.
CCC just sent a PM to my FaceBook page. It contains a statement from Joe Coffey about Sankey Orphanage https://ccchapel.com/sankey-review/?fbclid=IwAR3AwWxus0Tt2cPrwSWF4f-nL2JdlVqHz5wp8V1y3KRdJ_ZP0MxAOzoBkpA
Jack,
Serious question, the missionaries in question, were they “punching their ticket” to move up in the organizational structure at some megachurch?
That seems to be the impression I’m getting.
R McPherson,
Stayed up late reading this. Pretty amazing. Not sure Coffey can get off easy by simply suggesting he was lied to by Randall. Surely any mature, intelligent adult, in a position of leadership, knows that you cannot simply believe everything you are told, but must do due diligence to check out the facts.
When this incident arose, and enough evidence marshaled to convince local and international investigators that serious abuse and possibly other crimes had occurred, did Coffey honestly think he could just take the word of one of the alleged perpetrators, ’cause I know him’? When multiple parties challenged the stories of Randall, and offered evidence, Coffey ignored them. He did not even bother to investigate what actually happened in the entire legal case, or if, how, when and why charges were dropped.
It is way past time to stop viewing the major, if not only, task of the Shepherd as his weekly morale talk. Instead, he is supposed to do his utmost best, at all times, to watch out for and protect the sheep from harm. Which means looking ahead, checking out the terrain, searching out the dangerous spots where predators might hide, etc. And if they have never heard of wolves in sheep’s clothing, again, they prove themselves unfit for the task. Coffey, and all other pastors who naively or deliberately look the other way at abuse, need to be given the opportunity to find new work.
This ‘review’ done by a friend of CCC, appears to relieve all but Randall of any blame. I would assert that this review reveals the need for a full-fledged, independent investigation – the sort of due diligence that has gone missing from the start.
I agree. Any thinking person has got to be very skeptical.
Don’t know. I think some people have good intentions, some see the mission as supporting their coreligionists in another place, some treat it like Christian eco tourism.
My wife’s grandmother went to an American Methodist school. She was Roman Catholic and they didn’t proselytize so go figure.
Then there’s the painting I saw in the national museum in Manila. A much taller American man with his hands resting on the shoulder of Filipino men half his size. He looked like the man in the big yellow hat from curious George. The title was “little brown brothers”. Take what you will from that.
CCC internal review, full report, and video of congregational meeting posted
https://ccchapel.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=bd66f8fcdf713eab846999c7c&id=5fc389dcc8&e=b232c8e101
I’ve witnessed firsthand, Tom grooming random toddlers at CCC with gifts and shows of affection.
Yes the review was mind bogglingly incomplete, especially given how much else is already out on watch blogs. And CCC leadership is not a bunch of innocent babes either.
Not to mention all the other church leaders that looked the other way:
https://medium.com/@truth.seeker.0/the-evangelical-machine-that-protected-tom-randall-until-now-47e378982bae
Jeannette Altes,
Ja!