Letter I sent to SS of the Star Telegraph....

[Frag]

Sarah,

I'll use your numbers.

"The Star-Telegram discovered at least 412 allegations of sexual misconduct in 187 independent fundamental Baptist churches and their affiliated institutions, spanning 40 states and Canada.

While there?s no official count, an online directory assembled by a pastor in Maine lists more than 6,000 independent fundamental Baptist churches in the United States, as well as churches in countries from Germany to Nicaragua."


Of the 6000 IFB churches, 187 churches (actually less since you include in this number "their affiliated institutions") have had reports of ALLEGED abuse (so your count is not all proven cases but anywhere there has ever been an accusation).

187 divided by 6000 is 3.1%.  What is the percent of actual proven cases?  You don't bother with those numbers.  Even using your worst case slanted numbers, this means that 96.9% of IFB churches are not involved in any of this, have never been involved in any of this, and are a blessing and help to 10s of thousands of people both inside and outside their churches.

But hey, don't let the facts get in the way of a good story.

My father started an IFB church in the 1973.  He was in the ministry all told over 40 years.  Lived a holy, caring, sacrificial life.  Spent those years helping people and being a blessing.  Also spent those years preaching the Bible without fear or favor.  Was admired and respected in our community.  Funny.  I've never had a journalist of any kind call and want to do a story on him.

To broad brush all IFB churches this way is not only morally and ethically wrong, it is a disgrace to your profession.

Here's an idea for you next story:  Sexual perversion in the ranks of America's journalist.  Crunch those numbers.

I'm not defending those guilty of these crimes.  Anyone guilty of these alleged crimes should be prosecuted by the courts, given a fair hearing, and if proved guilty, punished to the maximum extent of the law.  As far as I am concerned, strap them in the electric chair, I'll fly down and flip the switch myself -- and sleep well that night.  But you are cherry picking a handful of cases and blackballing 1000s of good, Bible preaching churches.

I don't hold out hope of changing your mind.  Hey, whatever sells print, right?  But have the integrity to at least be fair handed.

The best lies are 90% truth.  Maybe you ought to dig for the other 10%.

 

[Tarheel Baptist]

Sarah,

I'll use your numbers.

"The Star-Telegram discovered at least 412 allegations of sexual misconduct in 187 independent fundamental Baptist churches and their affiliated institutions, spanning 40 states and Canada.

While there?s no official count, an online directory assembled by a pastor in Maine lists more than 6,000 independent fundamental Baptist churches in the United States, as well as churches in countries from Germany to Nicaragua."


Of the 6000 IFB churches, 187 churches (actually less since you include in this number "their affiliated institutions") have had reports of ALLEGED abuse (so your count is not all proven cases but anywhere there has ever been an accusation).

187 divided by 6000 is 3.1%.  What is the percent of actual proven cases?  You don't bother with those numbers.  Even using your worst case slanted numbers, this means that 96.9% of IFB churches are not involved in any of this, have never been involved in any of this, and are a blessing and help to 10s of thousands of people both inside and outside their churches.

But hey, don't let the facts get in the way of a good story.

My father started an IFB church in the 1973.  He was in the ministry all told over 40 years.  Lived a holy, caring, sacrificial life.  Spent those years helping people and being a blessing.  Also spent those years preaching the Bible without fear or favor.  Was admired and respected in our community.  Funny.  I've never had a journalist of any kind call and want to do a story on him.

To broad brush all IFB churches this way is not only morally and ethically wrong, it is a disgrace to your profession.

Here's an idea for you next story:  Sexual perversion in the ranks of America's journalist.  Crunch those numbers.

I'm not defending those guilty of these crimes.  Anyone guilty of these alleged crimes should be prosecuted by the courts, given a fair hearing, and if proved guilty, punished to the maximum extent of the law.  As far as I am concerned, strap them in the electric chair, I'll fly down and flip the switch myself -- and sleep well that night.  But you are cherry picking a handful of cases and blackballing 1000s of good, Bible preaching churches.

I don't hold out hope of changing your mind.  Hey, whatever sells print, right?  But have the integrity to at least be fair handed.

The best lies are 90% truth.  Maybe you ought to dig for the other 10%.

That should certainly rattle the collective cages of the mainstream media elites.

 

[T-Bone]

Sarah,

I'll use your numbers.

"The Star-Telegram discovered at least 412 allegations of sexual misconduct in 187 independent fundamental Baptist churches and their affiliated institutions, spanning 40 states and Canada.

While there?s no official count, an online directory assembled by a pastor in Maine lists more than 6,000 independent fundamental Baptist churches in the United States, as well as churches in countries from Germany to Nicaragua."


Of the 6000 IFB churches, 187 churches (actually less since you include in this number "their affiliated institutions") have had reports of ALLEGED abuse (so your count is not all proven cases but anywhere there has ever been an accusation).

187 divided by 6000 is 3.1%.  What is the percent of actual proven cases?  You don't bother with those numbers.  Even using your worst case slanted numbers, this means that 96.9% of IFB churches are not involved in any of this, have never been involved in any of this, and are a blessing and help to 10s of thousands of people both inside and outside their churches.

But hey, don't let the facts get in the way of a good story.

My father started an IFB church in the 1973.  He was in the ministry all told over 40 years.  Lived a holy, caring, sacrificial life.  Spent those years helping people and being a blessing.  Also spent those years preaching the Bible without fear or favor.  Was admired and respected in our community.  Funny.  I've never had a journalist of any kind call and want to do a story on him.

To broad brush all IFB churches this way is not only morally and ethically wrong, it is a disgrace to your profession.

Here's an idea for you next story:  Sexual perversion in the ranks of America's journalist.  Crunch those numbers.

I'm not defending those guilty of these crimes.  Anyone guilty of these alleged crimes should be prosecuted by the courts, given a fair hearing, and if proved guilty, punished to the maximum extent of the law.  As far as I am concerned, strap them in the electric chair, I'll fly down and flip the switch myself -- and sleep well that night.  But you are cherry picking a handful of cases and blackballing 1000s of good, Bible preaching churches.

I don't hold out hope of changing your mind.  Hey, whatever sells print, right?  But have the integrity to at least be fair handed.

The best lies are 90% truth.  Maybe you ought to dig for the other 10%.

Great letter Frag...and welcome back from your SBC brother. They have done the same thing with the SBC, and its leadership not standing against those who have abused. Once again they do not recognize the issues you raise in your letter, and in the SBC the percentage is even smaller because of the size of the convention. We all abhor those who abuse and want them to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, but it is asinine to blame the church as a whole for what a relatively few perverts who have infiltrated are doing. But as you indicated in your letter, those who hate Christ and His church don't care about truth...they care about doing the work of their father and want to destroy the true church.

 

[ALAYMAN]

While I agree that "the world" has no love for Christ or His church, the Southern Baptist response to this investigation has had a significantly important component to it that we all should heed.  Love for the victims and compassion for their hurt, as well as an awareness that we ought to be diligent to build accountability structures within the ministry that limits the potential for these heinous acts, as well as a Biblical response of rebuke (and criminal prosecution) to those that engage in such predatory behaviors in our midst (not shuffling them off to do harm elsewhere unsuspected).  That ought to be true in the walls of journalists too, but we don't govern those affairs, but we can do better in our own.

 

[T-Bone]

While I agree that "the world" has no love for Christ or His church, the Southern Baptist response to this investigation has had a significantly important component to it that we all should heed.  Love for the victims and compassion for their hurt, as well as an awareness that we ought to be diligent to build accountability structures within the ministry that limits the potential for these heinous acts, as well as a Biblical response of rebuke (and criminal prosecution) to those that engage in such predatory behaviors in our midst (not shuffling them off to do harm elsewhere unsuspected).  That ought to be true in the walls of journalists too, but we don't govern those affairs, but we can do better in our own.

Agreed

 

[Tarheel Baptist]

While I agree that "the world" has no love for Christ or His church, the Southern Baptist response to this investigation has had a significantly important component to it that we all should heed.  Love for the victims and compassion for their hurt, as well as an awareness that we ought to be diligent to build accountability structures within the ministry that limits the potential for these heinous acts, as well as a Biblical response of rebuke (and criminal prosecution) to those that engage in such predatory behaviors in our midst (not shuffling them off to do harm elsewhere unsuspected).  That ought to be true in the walls of journalists too, but we don't govern those affairs, but we can do better in our own.

Great post...




















I?m shocked. 

 

[AnkleBone]

So, a 3.1% rate of sexually abusing children is OK? That's your standardized limit? Or would you say 4% (a nice round number) is OK?
How high would the percentage of abuse have to be for you to be concerned?

Sarah,

I'll use your numbers.

"The Star-Telegram discovered at least 412 allegations of sexual misconduct in 187 independent fundamental Baptist churches and their affiliated institutions, spanning 40 states and Canada.

While there?s no official count, an online directory assembled by a pastor in Maine lists more than 6,000 independent fundamental Baptist churches in the United States, as well as churches in countries from Germany to Nicaragua."


Of the 6000 IFB churches, 187 churches (actually less since you include in this number "their affiliated institutions") have had reports of ALLEGED abuse (so your count is not all proven cases but anywhere there has ever been an accusation).

187 divided by 6000 is 3.1%.  What is the percent of actual proven cases?  You don't bother with those numbers.  Even using your worst case slanted numbers, this means that 96.9% of IFB churches are not involved in any of this, have never been involved in any of this, and are a blessing and help to 10s of thousands of people both inside and outside their churches.

But hey, don't let the facts get in the way of a good story.

My father started an IFB church in the 1973.  He was in the ministry all told over 40 years.  Lived a holy, caring, sacrificial life.  Spent those years helping people and being a blessing.  Also spent those years preaching the Bible without fear or favor.  Was admired and respected in our community.  Funny.  I've never had a journalist of any kind call and want to do a story on him.

To broad brush all IFB churches this way is not only morally and ethically wrong, it is a disgrace to your profession.

Here's an idea for you next story:  Sexual perversion in the ranks of America's journalist.  Crunch those numbers.

I'm not defending those guilty of these crimes.  Anyone guilty of these alleged crimes should be prosecuted by the courts, given a fair hearing, and if proved guilty, punished to the maximum extent of the law.  As far as I am concerned, strap them in the electric chair, I'll fly down and flip the switch myself -- and sleep well that night.  But you are cherry picking a handful of cases and blackballing 1000s of good, Bible preaching churches.

I don't hold out hope of changing your mind.  Hey, whatever sells print, right?  But have the integrity to at least be fair handed.

The best lies are 90% truth.  Maybe you ought to dig for the other 10%.

 

[T-Bone]

So, a 3.1% rate of sexually abusing children is OK? That's your standardized limit? Or would you say 4% (a nice round number) is OK?
How high would the percentage of abuse have to be for you to be concerned?

Sarah,

I'll use your numbers.

"The Star-Telegram discovered at least 412 allegations of sexual misconduct in 187 independent fundamental Baptist churches and their affiliated institutions, spanning 40 states and Canada.

While there?s no official count, an online directory assembled by a pastor in Maine lists more than 6,000 independent fundamental Baptist churches in the United States, as well as churches in countries from Germany to Nicaragua."


Of the 6000 IFB churches, 187 churches (actually less since you include in this number "their affiliated institutions") have had reports of ALLEGED abuse (so your count is not all proven cases but anywhere there has ever been an accusation).

187 divided by 6000 is 3.1%.  What is the percent of actual proven cases?  You don't bother with those numbers.  Even using your worst case slanted numbers, this means that 96.9% of IFB churches are not involved in any of this, have never been involved in any of this, and are a blessing and help to 10s of thousands of people both inside and outside their churches.

But hey, don't let the facts get in the way of a good story.

My father started an IFB church in the 1973.  He was in the ministry all told over 40 years.  Lived a holy, caring, sacrificial life.  Spent those years helping people and being a blessing.  Also spent those years preaching the Bible without fear or favor.  Was admired and respected in our community.  Funny.  I've never had a journalist of any kind call and want to do a story on him.

To broad brush all IFB churches this way is not only morally and ethically wrong, it is a disgrace to your profession.

Here's an idea for you next story:  Sexual perversion in the ranks of America's journalist.  Crunch those numbers.

I'm not defending those guilty of these crimes.  Anyone guilty of these alleged crimes should be prosecuted by the courts, given a fair hearing, and if proved guilty, punished to the maximum extent of the law.  As far as I am concerned, strap them in the electric chair, I'll fly down and flip the switch myself -- and sleep well that night.  But you are cherry picking a handful of cases and blackballing 1000s of good, Bible preaching churches.

I don't hold out hope of changing your mind.  Hey, whatever sells print, right?  But have the integrity to at least be fair handed.

The best lies are 90% truth.  Maybe you ought to dig for the other 10%.

I'm guessing you failed reading comprehension in school.