“You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you.” C. S. Lewis

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Jim Bakker has a history of sexual impropriety.

Today, I called a number that was purportedly Jim Bakker’s cell. When he answered, I asked him, “Are you Mr. Bakker?” The unidentified man said, “Who are you?” I said, “Dee Parsons,” and he hung up. I am still trying to get in touch with Mr. Bakker. Given his history of allegations of sexual misconduct, he should attempt to portray strict moral standards within his ministry. Therefore, it would seem advisable that he explore the credible claims of sexual abuse by five women who were underage when Joe Campbell molested them. In other words, they could not give legal consent to participate in sexual activities. I wonder what Jim Bakker thinks about this?

Last Sunday at Morningside Church, several women who Joe Campbell allegedly abused listened to Sunday services. Here are some thoughts they came away with.

“Rebuke the accusations”

I don’t know if the woman who played the piano and said, “Rebuke the accusations,” understood the implications of her words.

She appeared to be saying that the Assemblies of God’s decision to boot Joe Campbell was worthy of rebuke.

The Assemblies of God confirm that the accusations against Joe Campbell were so egregious that his credentials (his ability to minister as a pastor) were permanently removed. I wrote The Assemblies of God, Southern MO, Botched a Statement on Joe Campbell’s Five Victims. Are Internal Trials Still Ongoing? Still Looking for Joe Campbell and Jim Bakker. Read the statement from Mr. Miller.

In the case of Mr. Campbell, the Southern Missouri District leadership acted upon the evidence presented to them regarding the minister. He was reported to law enforcement, dismissed as a minister with the Assemblies of God, and is barred from ever again being credentialed with the Assemblies of God.”

She appeared to be saying that the pain of the women who claimed to be abused was worthy of rebuke.

I am going to make an assumption. This woman is not trauma-informed. Anyone who has been sexually abused as a child will have lifelong effects from the encounter. Many will need intensive counseling to deal with the trauma they experienced from their trusted pastor, Joe Campbell. Perhaps she is dismissing their pain. No one should ever commandeer a church service as an opportunity to hijack the worship for their personal agenda.

Would Joe Campbell want his family members to fight his battle by attending appropriate church services? Hiding behind a family member or friend could make Joe look weak.

Are we forgiven for all past transgressions without changing? What if it’s a crime? What about repentance?

One person felt this was what was being said from the pulpit.”We are forgiven for our past transgressions.”   Unfortunately, these few words are loaded with erroneous assumptions when it comes to sex abuse of underage girls.

• This is not a transgression; it is a crime. Crimes must be reported to the authorities, and the person who commits them must serve whatever sentence is imposed on them. What happens when a believer commits a sexual crime? If the person is genuinely repentant, they must go to the local law enforcement and confess their crime. From what I have surmised, Campbell never admitted to any crime.
• This is not a simple transgression; it’s a serious psychiatric dysfunction. It is also abnormal for an adult man to desire to have sexual contact with an underage child. According to the law, they cannot consent, so any sexual activity is nonconsensual. Sadly, It’s a desire that never truly goes away. There is the hope that, with intensive counseling and possible medication, the person can be helped not to reoffend. Unfortunately, most pedophiles reoffend.
• Repentance from transgression leads to restitution to the victims by the offender. Has Joe Campbell ever gone to his victims and asked for forgiveness? A simple “I’m sorry” doesn’t cut it, just like it doesn’t work when a child says they are sorry after eating his sister’s cookies. In this instance, he should demonstrate his deep sorrow and offer to do anything he can to assist the victim. From what I understand, that has not happened.
• It is silly to say that pedophilia is just another sin that anyone could commit. Most people are not pedophiles. If a person reading this feels like they want to have sex with a child, they must quickly get help. This is not a normal feeling, and carrying out that wish will lead to a crime.
• Transgressions…wait, let’s call it what it is…sin. Sins have implications. Once a pastor misuses his position to cause sexual harm to a child under his care, he must NEVER stand in a pulpit again. He has turned in his credentials for life. It’s hard to let go when someone enjoys the limelight and the attention of people who must “submit” to him.

A man who sexually molests young girls is most likely a pedophile.

The following must be read by everyone who believes the sexual abuse of a child is just one of those icky little sins, like gossiping about Gert’s dress that makes her look fat.”

Here is something I wrote about 3 people in the news with probable paraphilias.

What is a paraphilia? Isn’t it just another sin?

I have used this blog to expose pedophiles in the broader Protestant church. However, my goal in writing has little to do with exposing “one more pedophile.” There always seems to be more than one more pedophile. I have hoped that the reader will understand the complicated topic of paraphilias. Comprehending the difficulties inherent in such behavior is essential to protecting you and your family.

Here is a link at the National Institutes of Health: Paraphilia by Kristy A. Fisher and Raman Marwaha that explains this.

Paraphilias are persistent and recurrent sexual interests, urges, fantasies, or behaviors of marked intensity involving objects, activities, or even situations that are atypical in nature. Although not innately pathological, a paraphilic disorder can evolve if paraphilia invokes harm, distress, or functional impairment on the lives of the affected individual or others.

…The DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for paraphilia states explicitly that the patient must have experienced intense and recurrent sexual arousal from deviant fantasies for at least six months and must have acted on these impulses. A paraphilia becomes a pathology, or a paraphilic disorder, only when this behavior causes significant distress and impairment of functioning to the individual or if the paraphilia involves personal harm or risk of harm to others

…However, due to the patient’s reluctance to seek treatment or the legal obligation to obtain treatment, psychiatrists are often forced to exceed the call of duty to the patient to reduce distress but rather focus efforts on protection against potential victimization.

Those with paraphilia are often reluctant to seek treatment. Even when they do, the counselor must focus on preventing harm to another victim.

Read the section called Prognosis. It appears that those with paraphilias are likely to reoffend.

Despite the psychological and pharmacological interventions designed to manage paraphilias and paraphilic disorders; an ultimate treatment or change has yet to be established. Existing interventions merely allow for increased voluntary control through self-management skills over sexual arousal and reduction in sexual drive, with the best-yielded prognosis only from those individuals who are actually motivated to change.[2] Those who do participate in either therapy alone or, ideally, the combined management of psychological and medicinal intervention show improvement with a marked reduction in the intensity and frequency of deviant sexual arousal and resultant behaviors.[18] However, the literature suggests that most sexual offenders are likely to re-offend.[2]

Sexual harm to kids is seen in many forms, as these three women will recount. I believe their stories.

I have suggested that the women involved seek the assistance of a lawyer. The laws across the US are changing as we, as a nation, become aware that many do not report their abuse until they are decades older. This is normal and should be reflected in our laws.

Let me leave you with this quote from the information on paraphilias. Pay attention and think about it.

However, the literature suggests that most sexual offenders are likely to re-offend.