WORLD Magazine has apparently updated its story with this sentence:
“But the same day that Canon Press pulled the book, Booth resigned from the committee, according to Canon CEO Aaron Rench.”
This is an encouraging first step but not enough. Randy Booth needs to resign from the office of CREC Presiding Minister pro tempore as well as from the ministry. According to Pastor Douglas Wilson of Christ Church, Moscow, Mr. Booth’s plagiarism disqualifies him from the ministry — his intent in the matter is irrelevant (what plagiarist ever admitted they did it intentionally?). And if he’s not fit to sit on the Review Committee, then why is he fit to be Presiding Minister?
Members of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches should watch the Canon Press website for updates. This privately held business (owned by N. D. Wilson, son of Pastor Doug Wilson of Christ Church, Moscow) appears to know what’s actually happening in the CREC.
UPDATE
Here’s a well-hidden statement from the CREC website.
December 11, 2015
Announcement from the CREC Review Committee:
As of yesterday, Thursday, December 10, 2015, Rev. Randy Booth has tendered his resignation from the CREC Review Committee, formed in early October to review the actions of two CREC churches in Moscow, Idaho, involving cases of sexual abuse which occurred within their congregations 10 years ago.
The review was requested by Trinity Reformed Church and Christ Church, both of Moscow. The Committee was originally composed of duly elected Presiding Ministers from each of the CREC’s seven presbyteries and Rev. Booth, who was serving a three year term as the Assistant Presiding Minister of the CREC Council.
Rev. Booth’s chairmanship of and participation in the Committee ended yesterday. The remaining members of the Committee will continue their work on behalf of the denomination, with the aim of offering admonition and advice to the two Moscow churches and to all the churches of the CREC. As stated previously, the Committee has been “called upon to determine . . . whether there were errors, sins or any sort of malfeasance committed by either the Christ Church or Trinity Reformed Church leadership in their handling of the two cases.” The Committee’s report will “offer advice on any needed corrections as well as potential new policies, procedures or guidelines for future conduct. It is possible that part of the Committee’s work will include bringing in outside and independent counsel to help with its efforts as well as provide training in dealing with matters of abuse that may arise within our churches in the future.”
The future well-being of CREC member congregations, their ministerial staffs and the communities in which they serve is the highest priority as the Committee performs its work. The Committee will not be deterred in performing this vital ministry and is determined to conclude its work as quickly as is consistent with an honest and helpful final product. Thousands of pages of documents have already been accumulated and reviewed, and dozens of interviews have been conducted. This is painstaking labor, but the matter is a vitally important one and worthy of a careful review. Past and future victims of sexual abuse, their families and their friends deserve no less than the CREC’s best efforts. The Committee asks for the prayers of God’s people as it performs this critically important work.
HT: Reader
You are, of course, 100% correct. What about this plagiarism fiasco would disqualify Booth from running the Inquiry that would not also disqualify him from acting as a Presiding Minister or a Pastor? As we’ve seen so often in the past, Doug’s own words condemn him (as well as Doug) but they will never live up or hold themselves accountable tothe high standards that they place on others. Those standards are for the layman and other pastors that they mock.
So just as Doug will write to judges to demand leniency for rapists in his school and seminary instead of recommending the death penalty as he advocates in his writing, a distracting resignation from a worthless, unrelated kangaroo court looks to be the “measured and limited” punishment Booth will have for extensive plagiarism rather than the consistent application of what Doug himself should happen in these scenarios.
Well said, Cicero.
Doug Wilson is being exposed almost daily for his hypocrisy. It’s now predictable that he will do the exact opposite of what he has written.
He set high standards for elders, then gave Atwood and Booth a pass after the Morton Street casino scandal. He allowed them to stay in office when the behavior of their children disqualified them.
He taught others the need for making restitution, but did not insist the gamblers with bad debts do so. He paid their debts with tithe money from the church to make the problem go away.
He taught that the civil magistrate should uphold God’s law, then urged leniency to judges for sex offenders.
He taught that a Christian woman needs to respect her husband, then married one of his NSA students to a serial child molester on probation. Respect was never a possibility for a wife who had to monitor her husband 24/7.
He wrote that plagiarists should be disqualified from office, then allowed Booth and Wilkins to remain as pastors after they plagiarized.
He taught that sins should be confessed as sins and not mistakes, then he and Booth issued statements where the word “sin” was not mentioned. Booth fell on his sword using words like “problems.” Doug, as co-author, confessed nothing. And again, no disqualification.
He teaches Christians to turn the other cheek, then heaps abuse on his enemies.
Thanks again to Ulysses for this website. You are performing a true service for God’s people. Wilson’s hypocrisy is now well-documented. There is no longer an excuse for Christ’s sheep to follow Doug Wilson.
It is rather frightening to look into the cold, mean eyes of a word thief. Now, the question is will he be disciplined by his congregation or the CREC hierarchy?
I’m not holding my breath.
Rose Huskey
I have raised 7 children. I have going on 12 grandchildren. The spin that Douglas Wilson is twirling is straight out of a child’s play book. If any of you have children, you have seen the “caught red handed” example of sham repentance, “I didn’t meeeaaan to.”
And good on ya, Aaron, for pulling the book like a boss, when the obvious was thrust upon you. That’s integrity right there.
When does Aaron Rench resign for failure to edit?
Please notice the next to last sentence in that letter: “Past and future victims of sexual abuse, their families and their friends deserve no less than the CREC’s best efforts.”
Future victims? You can’t eliminate the possibility of future victims because you’re too damn busy maintaining that current victims must repent. You’ll spend lots of time pouring over the minutiae of the CREC’s CYA documents and letters, but refuse to access major resources available to help “victim proof” congregants RIGHT NOW. Randy Booth or no Randy Booth, you’ll come up with a carefully vetted document (no problem with lack of citations there!) that basically says that nobody did anything wrong. Full steam ahead. Beyond frustrating.