SBC Pastor, David Lloyd Walther, Viewed the Abuse of Helpless Children and Helpless Animals While Downloading the Images to the Computer at His SBC Church

The bright line is the ISS, and the bright dot is Jupiter. NASA

“Character is doing the right thing when nobody’s looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that’s right is to get by, and the only thing that’s wrong is to get caught.” J. C. Watts


Another day, another SBC pastor. The perp is David Lloyd Walther, the former pastor of Faith Baptist Church, Round Rock, Texas, for 18 years. As of today, the church is listed on the SBC website.

Child pornography is just as bad as child molestation.

The reason for this is quite simple. Children are being molested and abused for the pleasure of those who view it. In other words, the watcher of these events is getting their jollies while watching the abuse of children. So do many others. The Wall Street Journal estimated that child porn is a $20 billion industry. The Good Men Project offers these stats from 2016.

20,000 NEW images each week. 100,000 plus websites

It also has a solid connection to human trafficking.

Warning: Graphic descriptors in the following two paragraphs. You may consider skipping this. What were Walthers’ crimes?

According to Law and Crime in Texas Pastor Caught with ‘BDSM’ and Bestiality-Themed Child Pornography Voluntarily Admitted He Has an Addiction, Feds Say

According to the affidavit, which Law&Crime is not sharing in this instance because of how detailed it is, the pastor had a “BDSM” folder containing an image of a nude boy with a collar on his neck and being sexually abused, a similar image of a female toddler, and images of nude young boys and girls being restrained by ropes and tools. A “Zoo” folder allegedly contained a bestiality video involving a dog and a female toddler “likely less than three years old.”

The feds allege that the defendant also downloaded several videos through BitTorrent showing young girls being sexually abused by adult men.

These images were of children and even animals being abused. It was worse than this because these were the only ones the Law and CDRime website was willing to post.

He was so immune to what he was doing that he downloaded these images to the church’s IP.

Authorities said they were able to trace the downloads to an IP address connected to the pastor’s church.

He is also charged with distributing porn but claims he didn’t know it.

The US Attorney’s Office in the West District of Texas released the following information. Walther faces up to 20 years in prison if the charges stick. According to FBI Arrests Round Rock Pastor for Child Pornography:

According to a criminal complaint filed in Austin federal court, David Lloyd Walther, 56, is accused of knowingly searching for, downloading, distributing and possessing child pornography. The criminal complaint alleges that Walther downloaded and made available child pornography using BitTorrent, a peer-to-peer file sharing network. At the time, Walther was pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Round Rock, Texas.

During a search of Walther’s home and vehicle, two large computer hard drives were located and found to contain child pornography.

Walther is charged with distribution, receipt, transportation and possession of child pornography. If convicted, Walther faces up to 20 years in prison

According to the Christian Post:

he did not know he was distributing child pornography.

I don’t buy it. I believe that he was an SBC pastor for years and used it as a cover for his real job as a child and animal pornography purveyor.

Walther “apologized” and claimed he had an addiction.

Given the fact that he hid two computer hard drives which contained child pornography. I’m not buying the apology or the “addiction.” He knew he was doing wrong, according to the Christian Post: Former Faith Baptist Church pastor faces up to 20 years in prison after child porn arrest

He also confessed that he would often go through cycles of “downloading and viewing pornography depicting both adults and minors” and would purge the content when he felt guilty about what he was doing, Law & Crime added.

Walther reportedly offered several apologies and made several admissions and claims during his interview with investigators, including that

There is a high likelihood of a plea deal which could lower the amount of time he spends in prison. I only wish they could throw the book at him. I wonder if he will go through “withdrawal from his addiction while in jail or if he will figure out clever ways to feed his habit.

In the meantime, churches should continually monitor their computer systems for porn. Never forget that Josh Duggar bypassed the monitoring service that supposedly prevented him from watching porn. I guess that many of these pedophiles know how to get around the monitoring services on the computer.

I fear we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg in the SBC.

Comments

SBC Pastor, David Lloyd Walther, Viewed the Abuse of Helpless Children and Helpless Animals While Downloading the Images to the Computer at His SBC Church — 73 Comments

  1. “Child pornography is just as bad as child molestation.
    The reason for this is quite simple. Children are being molested and abused for the pleasure of those who view it.” – with direct lines to trafficking.

    If a person hates women and children, apparently, they hate women and children.

    Sadism. Torment. Torture. And this “pastor” admits he is addicted to viewing sadism, torture, and torment of children.

    Sadism addiction in the pulpit leading the Body of Christ? Supported, $$$ and following, by the Body of Christ?

    When will the church stop hating women and children?

  2. From the church website:

    When you worship with us at Faith Baptist Church, you will find people from many different walks of life, who live in surrounding neighborhoods in Round Rock and the nearby cities and towns, who come from many different religious backgrounds. You will find that everyone is welcome.

    Maybe not everyone should be welcome, starting with the pastor…

  3. “the pastor had a ‘BDSM’ folder containing an image of a nude boy with a collar on his neck and being sexually abused, a similar image of a female toddler, and images of nude young boys and girls being restrained by ropes and tools. A ‘Zoo’ folder allegedly contained a bestiality video involving a dog and a female toddler ‘likely less than three years old.’

    “The feds allege that the defendant also downloaded several videos through BitTorrent showing young girls being sexually abused by adult men.”

    Instead of rescuing these children, the good pastor is pleasuring in their torture. Sick man. He’s in the pulpit with a paycheck donated by the 9-5 wage-earners that trust him spiritually, as a man of God.

    How many more pastors are secretly sadists hiding in pulpits, with apparently not enough good to do in this world so they secretly abide on the Dark Side, while posturing as men leaders of God’s Body of Christ?

    No empathy. No human decency. No love. Just hate for God’s precious children. Clearly an agent of the Evil One, and not of God. Hiding in plain sight, in a church leadership position, no less.

  4. Addiction it may be, as nearly anything can become an addiction, but he should serve the maximum sentence and then be prevented from ever going near children for the rest of his natural life

  5. “I guess that many of these pedophiles know how to get around the monitoring services on the computer.

    I fear we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg in the SBC.”

    Criminals are all about work arounds, masquerade and disguise. They are highly adept at hiding in plain sight in the most trusted places to have access to the vulnerable.

    I would correct the tip of the iceberg statement to say, “we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg in churches, at large.”

    As long as criminals pay money to attend, or massage their way into the pulpit by glad-handing everyone with money coming in, the criminals will thrive in the church, both in pulpit and pew. Church is cover and camouflage for criminals with access to their targets: children, young people, women.

    Every church we’ve ever belonged to or participated in was based, bottom line, on money. It’s a deep flaw in our church networks.

    Jesus and his disciples never did anything based on money. Fact.

  6. Burwell Stark: Addiction

    What is with the admission of addiction so he’s so sorry? Poor him? “Suffering” from addiction so he can’t help himself?

    A plea for sympathy? Empathy? Only human? We all sin?

    There’s sin and there’s criminality. MADD was formed so those addicted to substance abuse are off the roads, thus to save lives.

    Where’s the outcry of parishioners to get predator pastors out of the pulpit, and predator parishioners out of circulation in the church so church is not their hunting ground?

    Mothers Against Predator Pastors/Parishioners? MAPP?

    Preachers don’t preach on 1 Corinthians 5 because if they did, they’d lose their big donor followers and BFFs that are criminals using the church. 1 Corinthians 5 draws the line, that some behaviors should NEVER circulate among church networks, even though Jesus died for all sin and all sinners.

    The pastor in this case, with 1 Corinthians 5, he loses his job, his paycheck, his following, and if prosecuted appropriately his civil liberty.

    Cut the criminals off at the pass with their using the church as their network for criminality.

  7. ” I believe that he was an SBC pastor for years and used it as a cover for his real job as a child and animal pornography purveyor.”

    IOW, a monster. Cosplay as a pastor. Evil to the core.

  8. Dee, thank you for including some graphic details about this instance of “child pornography”. About four years ago our church board had to take up this subject when rewriting safety and security guidelines. I got the impression that Board members had no idea the level of depravity and danger this represents.

  9. and we wonder from what depths of depravity come the thousands, nay millions of cult worshippers of ‘the orange Jesus’

    painful even to think about

  10. Loren Haas: I got the impression that Board members had no idea the level of depravity and danger this represents.

    The information is certainly useful. However, what part of “child pornography” did not automatically ring loud alarm bells in the minds of your church board members? Surely they knew it was horrible, even without details. Were they denying that it posed a potential risk to the congregation?

  11. Loren Haas: I got the impression that Board members had no idea the level of depravity and danger this represents.

    probably meant they were doing some of the same things

  12. Dennis,

    I took some time to look up these links. Three pastors are part of the ELCA, and one was part of the WELS. When you say “Lutheran,” which Lutheran do you mean?

  13. Ava Aaronson: How many more pastors are secretly sadists hiding in pulpits, with apparently not enough good to do in this world so they secretly abide on the Dark Side, while posturing as men leaders of God’s Body of Christ?

    IMO, pastor-perverts of one form or another reside in darn near every community across America. They hide in pulpits because it’s a hiding place where few would expect to find them. There are two things waning in the American church: (1) the authority and influence of Jesus, and (2) the fear of God. Every man of God should tremble before Him, concerned that they do this thing right.

  14. Ava Aaronson: Every church we’ve ever belonged to or participated in was based, bottom line, on money. It’s a deep flaw in our church networks.

    Jesus and his disciples never did anything based on money. Fact.

    That’s why we have the warning in Scripture: “Money is the root of all evil.” When I served on pastor search committees, I always moved candidate resumes to the bottom of the list when they asked “What are the salary and benefits?”

  15. Friend: However, what part of “child pornography” did not automatically ring loud alarm bells in the minds of your church board members?

    I suppose they believe there is a wholesome and winsome version of it. Deplorable on all levels.

  16. dee: Sometimes, it is hard to even write about it.

    “I wrote to you out of great distress and with an anguished heart, and with many tears … if someone has caused all this sorrow, he has caused it not to me, but in some degree — not to put it too severely — he has distressed and grieved all of you” (Paul, 2 Corinthians 2)

    Knowing that there are those in the Body of Christ who have been used and abused should be a grievous thing to all believers. When one hurts, we should all hurt. See something/do something should ring in our ears. Action not inaction is called for. Where there are no tears, there is no genuine concern. Being willingly ignorant and motionless about sin in the pulpit is an awful thing.

  17. Dennis: pastors

    Pastors + porn, and yes, even child porn = it’s a thing. Apparently.

    Hmmm … the pastors must know this as they network and share porn with each other creating the underbelly of the pastorate. No wonder they go after the women and children of the church, their hunting ground where they have all the power. From images to action. Parishioners line up to shake hands with the pastor after worship service, without realizing that the pastor has images prominently living in his brain. A senior citizen prayer lady said that at a certain age, an elderly woman is invisible in the church. Ghosted. No matter how much she volunteers.

    This Lutheran twist demonstrates that the pastor + porn presence goes far beyond the SBC.

    However, a couple of notes about the SBC:

    The SBC 2000 decision to officially degrade women to a lower class obviously put men in power without surveillance. Add to that the SBC policies of each church being independent, so then local pastor leadership without surveillance. Add to that the power structure in such churches with the pastor at the top of the hierarchal power pyramid so answers to no one. Add to that the fact that this top of the pyramid power structure where a pastor reports to no one, even as he collects wages as donations from people who work real 9 to 5 jobs but have NO say in what happens to their hard-earned money dropped in the plate (pockets of the pastor).

    The pastor schtick seems to be: do as you please, grift all you want, control everything and everyone, with accountability to no one or anything. If there’s criminal activity, the donors cover your legal fees, too, as they testify you are a standup guy who would never hurt anyone.

    Churches as businesses are quite the enterprise for the guy at the top running the show to collect, control, and connive as he pleases off in the no man’s land paradise of answering to no one but calling all the plays. At the core, this is a church leadership crisis, that probably crosses all denominational lines.

    Are there any religious groups where a pastor man is not at the top running things?

  18. Max: probably meant they were doing some of the same things

    They find each other and network, which is how porn is shared, and how criminality works. Mob tactics. They know each other. Sheltered by church.

  19. Max: There are two things waning in the American church: (1) the authority and influence of Jesus, and (2) the fear of God. Every man of God should tremble before Him, concerned that they do this thing right.

    Max: Knowing that there are those in the Body of Christ who have been used and abused should be a grievous thing to all believers. When one hurts, we should all hurt. See something/do something should ring in our ears. Action not inaction is called for. Where there are no tears, there is no genuine concern. Being willingly ignorant and motionless about sin in the pulpit is an awful thing.

    Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Love your neighbor as yourself. Both are missing – certainly from the church leadership network of porn perverts.

    The photo of a child suffering from this degradation, torture, and torment should IMMEDIATELY call a person – pastor or leader or anyone – to action to rescue that child.

    Instead, these monster pastors pleasure and entertain themselves with the suffering of a child. Evil.

  20. A couple of people have mentioned the church’s board members but the article doesn’t mention anything that they knew about so impugning their character isn’t right.
    I once had a classmate of mine, studied with him, ate dinner at his home and he was married to a wonderful lady, low and behold I and my classmates were shocked when he was arrested for child porn. I am more concerned what is said and done after the facts have been made known. These folks are slick and can fool everyone including their spouses.

  21. Ava Aaronson: monster pastors pleasure and entertain themselves with the suffering of a child. Evil.

    A wolf in shepherd’s clothing … the darkest side of evil.

  22. dee:
    Max,

    They are enjoying themselves out there, aren’t they?

    Privileges of Pastoral Rank.
    “TOUCH NOT MINE ANOINTED!!!!!!!”

  23. Max: The SBC preacher conga line to hell is getting longer by the day.

    Is pastoring under such circumstances the only livelihood where a man gets paid a regular paycheck but answers to no one? No boss, no surveillance, write your own rules, tell others what to do but no one tells you what to do … No 9-5 work. Report to no one. Very few weekly responsibilities, and then there are the summer sabbaticals. No need to answer to your wife, she is of a lesser class.

    If this is the job description, why are we surprised at the outcomes?

    Pay someone to do whatever they d*** well please, and they will do exactly that. Swimming in the donors’ money (donors being those who do report to a boss, responsibly do an actual job, and follow professional job rules with accountability to HR professional standards).

  24. Ava Aaronson: A ‘Zoo’ folder allegedly contained a bestiality video involving a dog and a female toddler ‘likely less than three years old.’

    “Zoo” (short for Zoophilia, NOT to be cofused with Zootopia) has been the Code Word for bestiality for some time.

    With the letter “Zeta” (the Greek “Z”, usually in lowercase) as an accopanying recognition code symbol.

    Note that these Code Words are used because they have common legitimate meanings. Even the longer term “Zoophile” is simply Greek for “Animal Lover” in general.

    No empathy. No human decency. No love.

    Only RIGHTEOUSNESS.

  25. Chuckp: I once had a classmate of mine, studied with him, ate dinner at his home and he was married to a wonderful lady, low and behold I and my classmates were shocked when he was arrested for child porn.

    Two possibilities:
    1) The Respectable external life and behavior was all deliberate camouflage and the Perv was the actual core. This would fit with a successful psychopath/sociopath in general, not just sexual. Angel of Light masks and Mass DARVO as Spell-like Ability come with the package.
    2) This is a case of “Dirty Deeds Done in the Dark” or “So Far In The Closet he can’t see the door”. The kink is a horrible obsession/compulsion on the side which the kinkee has to keep buried and hidden.
    3) Further confusing the issue, there is no solid dividing line between (1) and (2), only a blurred transition with elements of both. Plus, a (1) can deep-cover as a (2); successful psychopaths/predators are masters of camouflage. What do you think that Rabbi from Tarsus was saying when he penned “Satan himself can transform himself to appear as an Angel of Light”?

  26. Ava Aaronson: (donors being those who do report to a boss, responsibly do an actual job, and follow professional job rules with accountability to HR professional standards).

    Another term for them being “Suckers” and “Losers”.

  27. Friend: However, what part of “child pornography” did not automatically ring loud alarm bells in the minds of your church board members?

    You’d be surprised how many people focus on the having sex with someone other than your spouse part and fail to recognize the part about children and non-consent.

    “Well, he did cheat on his wife…” yeah, sure, but this is NOT two consenting adults having an affair and we need to stop calling “assault” adultery. If an individual raped and then killed their victim we wouldn’t talk about their “adultery” against their spouse. We’d talk about their gross and perverted violation and destruction of another human life. Removing the murder from this equation doesn’t reduce sexual assault to “adultery.” It’s still perverted violation and it often destroys lives.

    Furthermore, discovering your spouse is perverted, and has committed gross crimes against children is NOT the same as finding out your spouse is having an affair. To reduce that to simple adultery is unfair to the perp’s spouse, as well as the victim. The woman I know who went through it questioned the appropriateness of her own sexuality after discovering her husband’s behavior.

  28. Ava Aaronson: Is pastoring under such circumstances the only livelihood where a man gets paid a regular paycheck but answers to no one? No boss, no surveillance, write your own rules, tell others what to do but no one tells you what to do … No 9-5 work. Report to no one. Very few weekly responsibilities, and then there are the summer sabbaticals. No need to answer to your wife, she is of a lesser class.

    Oh, Ava, now you’ve done gone and figured out why so many men “go into the ministry”. It’s a great job where you can have clean fingernails ‘and’ dirty hearts. All that’s required to occupy the pulpit is a touch of charisma, a gift of gab, a working knowledge of the Bible, and a bag of gimmicks. If you are really good at those, you can even be a MEGA church pastor! You don’t really have to know God to be a “man of God” in the American church; the average pew can be easily deceived.

  29. Ava Aaronson: Every church we’ve ever belonged to or participated in was based, bottom line, on money. It’s a deep flaw in our church networks.

    It’s the “passive income business model,” old trend, new phrase.

  30. And yet they would rather have a pastor who loves kiddy porn instead of a female pastor. Shows you something about what’s acceptable to them. Sick and demonic!

  31. It seems to me that a pastor is not at liberty to do as he pleases or be answerable to no-one. He is answerable to the church.
    In a reply to “Mr Bernard’s Reasons Against Separation” (1608),John Robinson, The Pilgrim Father” wrote – “We deny not then, but the flock both severally and jointly is to obey them that have the oversight of them, to know them, and to have them in singular love, BUT it must be ‘in the Lord’, and for their works’ sake:….But what now if the officers will reign besides the Lord? if their works be such as deserve hatred, and not love? if instead of watching for the people’s souls they take a course, either to starve them through negligence, or to poison them with heresy, or evil life? must they still obey them? or hath the church no remedy against them? ….For as it were a strange thing that men should have no command over their servants, as I have ofttimes showed the church-officers to be the church-servants, so were it as strange if the putting of servants out of their office should not argue power over them… If they commit some notorious crime and are so scandalously fallen, as they cannot be retained in their ministry, with the safety and credit of the church and the gospel, no, not though they repent…they are therefore to be cast out by the people, and so under their excommunication, is their deprivation comprehended”

  32. Ava, Max, Christiane: thank you! Your comments have been a very good sermon this morning!

    Meantime, here where church is free, happens anytime anywhere, and all are equal:

    a pretty stove up old man made it out into the woods and cut a tree at least 8, maybe 10 ft tall, and took it to a church. Free. A believer deceived by a preacher into believing Bill Gates will track you if you get the covid jab has had multiple bouts with covid. As is happening to many, each time just gets worse. But this believer continues to care for an aged parent’s emotional and physical needs, works a job, and is busy providing healthy free protein to anyone around that will accept the food. Other believers are actively struggling against tall odds to encourage the local schools to increase teaching in science, technology, engineering and math. Others are working at dispelling beliefs in myth and magic and granny women. Some are just providing listening ears to those hurt by life. Another “done” preaches daily by how he decorates his yard. Strong messages are being received well by passers by that will never darken a church door.

    The local 501(c)3 groups may be suffering and under strong attack by evil, even from within. But the glorious Bride is shining clearly and still standing tall!

  33. dee: I took some time to look up these links. Three pastors are part of the ELCA, and one was part of the WELS. When you say “Lutheran,” which Lutheran do you mean?

    So will this give those who are so inclined, excuse to say that the ELCA is no place to be if you’re Lutheran?

  34. Max: You don’t really have to know God to be a “man of God”

    Just like “You don’t need any intellect to be an Intellectual.” — one of the Father Brown Mysteries

  35. ES: You’d be surprised how many people focus on the having sex with someone other than your spouse part and fail to recognize the part about children and non-consent.

    Christianese Biblical Tunnel Vision, because that’s the only thing The Bible Says.
    “Because BIBLE!!!!!”

    “Well, he did cheat on his wife…”

    “And that’s ALL Under the Blood(TM) anyway.”

  36. linda: But the glorious Bride is shining clearly and still standing tall!

    Upholding any institution or system or network or org (manmade) or person (pastor, tinker, tailor) over God and His love (God violates NO one) is idolatry.

    Once a person stands up to a system or leader or power, moral fortitude is built. Minimize the violation of a child (or anyone overpowered and violated), and evil reigns – moral standing disappears as such walk-on-by individuals sink to the bottom of a toxic sea of depravity.

    Talking with friends about this today, who have confronted evil and paid a price.

    Yet we have missionary friends who live off vile donors and don’t care. Why? These really “nice” missionaries are locked into a system, and can’t see their way out, though children are preyed upon. These nice ignorant ministry people minimize the crimes and blame the victims while they accept money from Jekyll and Hyde donors. The innocent are disposables.

    Jesus never minimized anyone’s suffering. Jesus Himself was disposable to the religious (including leaders) of his day.

  37. Headless Unicorn Guy: Well, he did cheat on his wife…”

    “And that’s ALL Under the Blood(TM) anyway.”

    That was kinda what went down. Depended on the person. Some had clearer vision than others. But many just saw it as no different than any other form of “God given sexual desires being used outside God given parameters.”

  38. linda: The local 501(c)3 groups may be suffering and under strong attack by evil, even from within. But the glorious Bride is shining clearly and still standing tall!

    AMEN! The Church within the church can be found in every American community. You will find them ministering with the love of Christ, even if the pastor isn’t.

  39. Max: You will find them ministering with the love of Christ, even if the pastor isn’t.

    …and even when the pastor is. Everybody can offer a fine example. 🙂

  40. Friend: Everybody can offer a fine example.

    I truly believe that membership in the American “church” follows the 80:20 rule … 80% are counterfeit Christians, 20% are genuine believers (the Church within the church) … or some such numbers which indicate the majority are dressed for the show, but not in the robe of Christ.

  41. Max: 80% are counterfeit Christians, 20% are genuine believers

    Perhaps that’s true in places where church attendance is obligatory in one way or another—required by government, social convention, or brainwashing. But in places where church attendance is truly voluntary, I don’t think 8 out of 10 would bother dragging themselves out of bed on Sundays to do something they don’t believe in. Attendance in the US has been declining for a couple of decades, I believe.

  42. It is plausible that he didn’t realize he was distributing. He likely didn’t realize how BitTorrent works. It automatically begins sharing the materials one downloads, making them available to others, and thus- distributing. Not that it matters. He belongs in prison for a very long time.

  43. Headless Unicorn Guy: “And that’s ALL Under the Blood(TM) anyway.”

    That seems to be a contributing factor. The only reason I can think of for wanting to defend criminals like this is innocence by comparison. I wonder if people feel better about themselves if their pastor’s sins are obviously worse than their own. Defending such creeps keeps the focus on someone else.

  44. A comment by KSwann has been removed. Stupid and horrific conspiracy theories can find a place on another blog. I am placing you in permanent moderation.

  45. linda: Ava, Max, Christiane: thank you! Your comments have been a very good sermon this morning!

    Meantime, here where church is free, happens anytime anywhere, and all are equal:

    Yes. The Gospel, good news, was and is never for sale.

    Church groups paying for services: accounting, catering … ok. Paying salaries to sell the Gospel? Doesn’t work that way.

    Room and board for a traveling apostle or disciple? NT practice. Any salaried support to sell the Gospel, no.

    Paul was a tentmaker and wrote much of the NT. Why do pastors not have real jobs? Perhaps that’s what goes wrong and why so many end up as predators, perverts. They are accountable to no one while demanding pay from everyone, in the name of God. How special.

  46. Ava Aaronson: And the church outside the church can be found, too.

    In my humble (but accurate) opinion, that is where you can find most of the true Church – in the highways and byways ministering to a hurting and dying world in Jesus’ name … while the church (little “c”) is immersed in religious ritual doing church without God in the name of mere men.

  47. Friend: I don’t think 8 out of 10 would bother dragging themselves out of bed on Sundays to do something they don’t believe in

    It depends on what they believe in. It’s been my experience (hopefully, not yours) that too many churchgoers focus on the teachings and traditions of men and religious ritual more than the living Jesus. Jesus becomes a symbol, but not reality, in their lives.

  48. Muff Potter: Headless Unicorn Guy: “And that’s ALL Under the Blood(TM) anyway.”

    The ones that quote that tired old cliche the most, are the ones that use it for license.

    My type example for it is Mike Warnke AFTER Cornerstone exposed him as a fraud.
    That and “How Many Souls Have YOU Saved???? HUH??? HUH??? HUH???”

    In case you haven’t been around, Christianity these days is FULL Of “tired old Christian cliches”. To the point that’s all Christianese is. A Mystery Language instead of a Technical Language, a Secret IFF Code known only to the Inner Ring of Illuminati.

    It’s why Max drives me up the walls; he grew up in and spent 70 years in the Baptist Bubble; Christianese is his native language. It’s not my native language. I grew up outside the Bubble; I hear it as it sounds to an Outsider. He speaks in language familiar and clear, I hear “tired old Christian cliches” like I heard all the time when I was in-country.

  49. dee: A comment by KSwann has been removed. Stupid and horrific conspiracy theories can find a place on another blog.

    Just out of curiosity, what was his “stupid and horrific conspiracy theory”?
    I’ve heard some pretty insane ones, yet they all seem Variations on The Same Theme. Nothing original.

  50. Max: 80% are counterfeit Christians, 20% are genuine believers

    There’s another application of the 80/20 rule dealing with One True Way and Groupthink:

    When consensus within a group reaches 80%, that consensus locks in as Groupthink (One True Way) and the 20% are Purged by any means necessary. Six years ago in the 2016 election exit polls, we saw Christians reach this threshold.

  51. ES: “God given sexual desires being used outside God given parameters.”

    And just what are those “God Given Parameters”?
    Christianese Purity Culture has distorted them to the point they probably no longer resemble the original. Christians are just as screwed-up sexually as everyone else these days, just as obsessed, only in a different (and usually opposite) direction.

    As one example, Christian Purity Culture has completely ignored the idea of Consent while going over Jots and Tittles with a microscope like a lawyer looking for Loopholes.

  52. Ava Aaronson: Are there any religious groups where a pastor man is not at the top running things?

    Yes there is.
    In Lutheranism, pastors do not have license to do as they please as lone rangers, they are answerable to their superiors in the hierarchy.
    In that regard, they are still very Catholic.

  53. Headless Unicorn Guy,

    And why I resort to an incomprehensible mix of the most exotic jargons I can remember from experience with paraphrases intended to resemble such as little as possible 🙁

  54. Muff Potter,

    In theory, Presbyterian pastors are subject to the “Session” which is the presiding elders. In action, the Session is sometimes composed of “yes men”. But sometimes its not. I’ve been in churches that work both ways. It can be hard to tell until something big comes up. In all Presbyterian churches, the Elders are elected by the congregation. In some of them they are elected for a term. In others they are elected indefinitely.

  55. ES,

    I cannot speak for the Presbyterian model, but in the Lutheranism I’ve known, I have yet to see things run like an autocratic dictatorship.
    By contrast, and when I sojourned in Calvary Chapel, it was indeed ruled by an autocrat.

  56. Michael in UK:
    Headless Unicorn Guy,

    And why I resort to an incomprehensible mix of the most exotic jargons I can remember from experience with paraphrases intended to resemble such as little as possible
    And you end up just as incomprehensible.

  57. Headless Unicorn Guy: And you end up just as incomprehensible.

    Been there and done that for too long.

    Headless Unicorn Guy: Just out of curiosity, what was

    Are you “sinfully craving answers”? 😉

    linda: against tall odds to encourage the local schools to increase teaching in science, technology, engineering and math

    Linda, I am deeply moved by your mention of school teaching. The inarticulate mainly don’t understand articulacy (let alone critical thinking about management models), while the articulate mostly don’t appreciate its importance.

  58. Almost forgot, the pic of the night sky up top is a beaut.
    Come spring, I’m gonna’ take a trip down the Baja peninsula far from the worst of light-pollution.
    The night skies are gorgeous down there.

  59. dee,

    Whichever synod that they identify as. All do identify as Lutheran and I do realize that each synod has their own beliefs. I do find it elitist that in the Missouri Synod pastors are prevented from praying with non-Lutheran pastors in public ceremonies (We understand and accept that Lutheran pastors may not under any
    circumstances participate in joint prayer or worship together with clergy
    of non-Christian religions, even in events that may be portrayed as primarily or partially “civic” in nature and purpose.)

  60. Ava Aaronson,

    Ava what you write seems to indicate that you believe that what you wrote describes the majority of churches and church leaders (particularly within the SBC) or am I mistaken?