Fundy Walk of Shame: Scandals and Crimes

[Snarkasarus Rex]

5 minutes ago, Palimpsest said:

It is sad that I am actually impressed that this particular IFB church actually reported the pastor to appropriate authorities instead of attempting a cover-up, forgiving him, blaming the victims, and transferring the predator to another church.

Perhaps some of them are finally learning.

Eh, I doubt it.  Ten bucks says they only reported him because he was molesting boys.

[47of74]

 

[Marmion]

On 8/28/2019 at 1:42 PM, 47of74 said:

 

Oh wow !  I am just awestruck by this development . I had known of his past controversy , and infidelity , but this is the first I had ever heard of him having homoerotic inclination . Furthermore ,  Rick Joyner knew of this too .  https://reformationcharlotte.org/2019/08/26/rick-joyner-admits-he-knew-todd-bentley-practiced-sexual-immorality/   For those who might not be familiar with who these men are , they are prominent figures in Joel's Army  .  https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2008/todd-bentley’s-militant-joel’s-army-gains-followers-florida   ,  http://www.talk2action.org/story/2011/4/5/141110/1743  

[47of74]

Ugh.

Quote

Prosecutors on Thursday unsuccessfully tried to persuade a judge to jail Paxton Singer, the former Harvest Bible Chapel youth minister on trial on charges of sexual exploitation of a child and disorderly conduct.

They filed a petition to revoke his bond shortly before Singer's trial resumed in Kane County, saying the Sugar Grove man had sent a text message to a 16-year-old "uncharged victim" who may testify he received similar sexually oriented texts as the victim in the case.

Prosecutors said the mother of the witness called a Child Advocacy Center investigator late Friday afternoon to say her son had received a text from Singer.

Schmidt acknowledged prosecutors don't have the text message.

Judge Michael Noland denied prosecutors' request because of insufficient evidence. But he said he is willing to reconsider the matter if the state's attorney's office can provide the message.

 

 

[Sicily]

I haven't been through this whole thread, so I could be repeating something that's already been said, but for me what springs to mind is the Turpin case, and the severe abuse of all those poor kids by the parents.

[Palimpsest]

48 minutes ago, Sicily said:

the Turpin case, and the severe abuse of all those poor kids by the parents.

That was truly horrible.  We don't seem to have them on the summary on page 1, but we try to restrict the list to Fundies.  Otherwise it will get too long.

Although they had Pentecostalist and QF leanings I don't think the Turpins bred and tortured their children in the name of religion.

@Bethella, will know if the Turpins don't make the cut because they don't seem Fundie enough.  TIA, Bethella.

[Bethella]

@Sicily @Palimpsest, we had never really talked about adding them to the list but I would agree that they weren’t fundie enough. But I’m up for debate if you want to persuade me otherwise.

[Palimpsest]

@Bethella, I'd vote no to including the Turpins.  Wicked, weird, evil, but not Fundie enough.  Others may differ and I would be fine either way.

[AussieKrissy]

https://au.news.yahoo.com/family-accused-of-abandoning-dwarf-raised-child-prodigy-230530905.html

 

has this family been discussed here?

[Bethella]

1 hour ago, AussieKrissy said:

https://au.news.yahoo.com/family-accused-of-abandoning-dwarf-raised-child-prodigy-230530905.html

has this family been discussed here?

I'm way behind on reading threads but I didn't find any results talking about the family when I searched. Is there any indication that they're fundy?

[AussieKrissy]

12 minutes ago, Bethella said:

I'm way behind on reading threads but I didn't find any results talking about the family when I searched. Is there any indication that they're fundy?

No there is not, but it would not surprise me 

[Marmion]

20 hours ago, AussieKrissy said:

https://au.news.yahoo.com/family-accused-of-abandoning-dwarf-raised-child-prodigy-230530905.html

 

has this family been discussed here?

Here's more detailed information I found .  https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/celebrity/an-author-was-accused-of-abandoning-her-adopted-11-year-old-but-she-says-the-kid-e2-80-99s-actually-an-e2-80-9cadult-sociopath-e2-80-9d/ar-AAHrw3s   Although this might seem absurd , and outrageous , this actually wouldn't be the first time that a grown adult has faked being underage .  https://www.therichest.com/world-entertainment/15-creepy-stories-of-adults-pretending-to-be-teenagers/   At any rate , someone committed a crime , either the dwarf girl , or the adoptive couple .   Either  the couple abandoned an underage girl , or else the girl committed adoption fraud , and possibly also immigration fraud .  At any rate , in my humble opinion , since this does not factor in any religious extremism , I think that this should be moved to Quiverful of Crime . 

[AussieKrissy]

2 hours ago, Marmion said:

Here's more detailed information I found .  https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/celebrity/an-author-was-accused-of-abandoning-her-adopted-11-year-old-but-she-says-the-kid-e2-80-99s-actually-an-e2-80-9cadult-sociopath-e2-80-9d/ar-AAHrw3s   Although this might seem absurd , and outrageous , this actually wouldn't be the first time that a grown adult has faked being underage .  https://www.therichest.com/world-entertainment/15-creepy-stories-of-adults-pretending-to-be-teenagers/   At any rate , someone committed a crime , either the dwarf girl , or the adoptive couple .   Either  the couple abandoned an underage girl , or else the girl committed adoption fraud , and possibly also immigration fraud .  At any rate , in my humble opinion , since this does not factor in any religious extremism , I think that this should be moved to Quiverful of Crime . 

ah thank you, I was looking for the right thread, I don't really play around with many threads here so I missed that one. Thanks for the further info. I shall jump down that rabbit hole now. either way it is an interesting case. reminds me of a horror story I saw once.

[Marmion]

21 hours ago, AussieKrissy said:

ah thank you, I was looking for the right thread, I don't really play around with many threads here so I missed that one. Thanks for the further info. I shall jump down that rabbit hole now. either way it is an interesting case. reminds me of a horror story I saw once.

Now that you mention it , I am reminded of this horror novel I have read , by R.L. Stine , called Red Rain .  

[Howl]

Black Collar Crime: Evangelical Pastor Rick Iglesias Accused of Sexual Assault

 

[Marmion]

9 hours ago, Howl said:

Black Collar Crime: Evangelical Pastor Rick Iglesias Accused of Sexual Assault

 

For those who might be curious as to what his denominational background is , the church he pastored , Pleasant Valley Church  , is an Evangelical Free Church .  

[Marmion]

On 9/18/2019 at 5:16 PM, Marmion said:

Here's more detailed information I found .  https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/celebrity/an-author-was-accused-of-abandoning-her-adopted-11-year-old-but-she-says-the-kid-e2-80-99s-actually-an-e2-80-9cadult-sociopath-e2-80-9d/ar-AAHrw3s   Although this might seem absurd , and outrageous , this actually wouldn't be the first time that a grown adult has faked being underage .  https://www.therichest.com/world-entertainment/15-creepy-stories-of-adults-pretending-to-be-teenagers/   At any rate , someone committed a crime , either the dwarf girl , or the adoptive couple .   Either  the couple abandoned an underage girl , or else the girl committed adoption fraud , and possibly also immigration fraud .  At any rate , in my humble opinion , since this does not factor in any religious extremism , I think that this should be moved to Quiverful of Crime . 

I just went to YouTube , and among my suggested videos for me to watch was this update on the case , coincidentally enough .  

 

 

[hoipolloi]

The Oregonian has published a lengthy investigative piece*on the years of horrific abuse committed by the late Ellsworth Culver against his daughter, Tania Culver Humphrey. From its early days, Culver was president of Mercy Corps, which is technically non-denominational/non-sectarian though Culver himself appears to have had fundie roots growing up as a missionary kid in China.

The Oregonian has verified his daughterʻs accusations with a number of other people, from her therapists to high school friends, some of whom also experienced sexual abuse by Ellsworth Culver or saw evidence of it. Statements from these individuals are in the video. There are some total heroes in that video, too, including Ms. Humphreyʻs husband and one of her former therapists who is an absolute rock of a human being.

To their eternal shame, Mercy Corps has until literally a few days ago completely failed to deal with this horror show. When Ms. Humphrey first brought her accusations to them, over 25 years ago, they did an "investigation," the only overt result of which was to move Culver into a VP position from his CEO status. He still continued to travel the world on behalf of Mercy Corps until the time of his death. 

I hope that Humphrey sues the shit of Mercy Corps and the board members who covered for her father despite clearly knowing he was a sick & perverted human being.

*The video accompanying the article is excellent but please know that a major content/trigger warning is warranted for its frank discussion of abuse, if you choose to watch it. ETA: the second article (Somebody Help Me) also has fairly explicit descriptions.

Edited October 9, 2019 by hoipolloi
Adding info

[Sullie06]

I'm from Upstate NY and I have a couple friends who were sent to the Family Foundation School in Hancock for being "unruly". The stories of what they endured were horrendous. My one friend was sent there after first being sent to the local catholic high school. After she was kicked out for her behaviors, which are mild in comparison to what I see now a days (I'm a juvenile probation officer) her parents sent her to FFS. I cannot believe this place was able to stay open with how horrible they were to the kids. As a parent I would literally cut a bitch....

[Palimpsest]

@Sullie06, we have an old thread on the Family Foundation School if you haven't found it yet.  It got a bit testy, IIRC.

 

[Sullie06]

8 hours ago, Palimpsest said:

@Sullie06, we have an old thread on the Family Foundation School if you haven't found it yet.  It got a bit testy, IIRC.

 

Thank you for sharing, I hadn’t seen that yet. Going to check it out.

[Aine]

I have not followed this case in any way but it is somewhat local to me and saw an article on it today (from October 29th but it came up on a local feed) and it seems to have all the hallmarks of shame and scandal and people hiding behind the pulpit to get that power. Also, if anyone has the time to delve into the full time timeline and history of what I post below, I'd be forever appreciative! I'm on multiple deadlines right now, to the point of panic attacks, and stumbled on this during a scheduled 'break' and am extending that break to post here!

So I started with seeing this article, in which they are reporting that a former pastor of a Memphis megachurch (Highpoint Church) has made an application to start his own church in the Memphis area. He stepped down from Highpoint after he confirmed that he did "have" oral sex with a high school student in his youth group following that brave young lady coming forward to report her assault- but he remembers it as totally "consensual" ?: https://www.fox13memphis.com/top-stories/memphis-pastor-who-admitted-to-sexual-assault-reportedly-starting-a-new-church/1002540961

This is the statement to Fox13 from the woman he assaulted after she discovered he planned to open his own church:

Quote

Andy Savage sexually assaulted me when I was 17 and he was my ordained youth pastor. He admits to sexually assaulting me. He admits that it was abuse of power.  Less than two years after this abuse was exposed, and he resigned from Highpoint Church, he has filed non-profit paperwork to plant a new church “Grace Valley Church.” When Andy sexually abused me, two other pastors, Larry Cotton and Steve Bradley failed to oversee Andy’s repentance, and failed to teach Andy that he had forever disqualified himself as a pastor, according to 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 2 in the Bible. I have listened to Andy Savage’s speech to the potential members of “Grace Valley Church,” which was published online. Andy Savage is using manipulative approaches and what are considered “grooming” tactics to gain interest and support for his church.  In his speech, Andy appeals to vulnerable, broken people and broken lives who are in need of the gospel; he asks for people to share their secrets with him and the church; Andy chuckles while saying “I got my hands on the wrong thing” referring to his past sexual abuse of me. While it is true that we are all sinners, that God’s grace is amazing and available to all of us – including Andy Savage – there is a difference between repentance and restoration to the body of Christ and restoration to being a pastor. A pastor who sexually assaults a minor in their care is who Jesus talks about in Luke 17. Morally, ethically, biblically, Andy Savage is not qualified to be a pastor. Because he has abused people when he was given a position of power, part of his repentance and restoration is to NOT be put into that position of power ever again. When a trusted pastor appeals to people to be vulnerable and to share secrets, that can be a gift to help repentance and grow a person’s faith. These are the things that Andy asked of me when I was a child to groom me for sexual abuse. He is using the same method to start Grace Valley Church. Twenty years ago, Larry Cotton and Steve Bradley supported Andy Savage.  Andy Savage is not starting Grace Valley Church without the help and support of others. Andy Savage and his supporters are setting a precedent within the church that men who have preyed upon the flock can still belong on the pulpit. This is dangerous, this is wrong and I believe that Andy’s message of “cheap Grace” leads people astray from the truth of God’s Word.

The former pastor/creep's name is Andy Savage: https://www.andysavage.com

More leadership left after Savage admitted it (well, that it happened minus the lack of consent or understanding about power imbalances) and my take from scanning this article is that Highpoint Church leadership knew of it before?: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/2018/08/01/pastor-chris-conlees-abrupt-departure-highpoint-church-wake-andy-savage-scandal-raises-questions/826605002/

Honestly, I scanned everything else after the initial article and reading that strong woman's statement. I'm facing a similar situation to her in some ways right now where I am wrestling with the knowledge of a university faculty member who resigned after a video finally leaked of him assaulting another female student (I reported him twice to the university, with evidence, prior to that), he resigned rather than face full disciplinary action when the video came out...and he's now serving as a visiting professor at another college. And somehow the video seems to have been removed from the internet, although I know many people who took video mirrors of it while it was up so it isn't lost. It's just less Google-able. I'm in awe of her bravery as I sit here and wrestle with what to do about the total creep and sexual abuser who assaulted me having access to a whole new pool of unwitting young women in college. Coming forward the first time was the most humiliating, isolating, degrading, and all around awful experiences of my life. It was worse than what he did to me. Not sure I want to open that door ever again.

But this woman has when it comes to Andy Savage. She reported multiple times and it resulted in his resignation but he still believes himself to be "man of God" enough to lead a congregation so he's starting his own church. And so she's speaking up again. What a courageous, strong, and determined woman. 

[Bethella]

@Aine, there's a thread on this 

 

[Aine]

24 minutes ago, Bethella said:

@Aine, there's a thread on this 

 

I'm sorry- clearly no idea. I've been so spacey lately in general and haven't been keeping up. I saw it and posted without checking ?‍♀️  Please feel free to delete the above or move it etc.

[Bethella]

6 minutes ago, Aine said:

I'm sorry- clearly no idea. I've been so spacey lately in general and haven't been keeping up. I saw it and posted without checking ?‍♀️  Please feel free to delete the above or move it etc.

It's fine, I just figured you'd get more responses posting in the main thread. This Fundy Walk of Shame thread doesn't get a lot of activity.