“On October 7, [redacted], a teen in our congregation, was caught molesting a much younger boy. As far as we currently know, no molestation has occurred in our church context. Our counsel to the parents was to notify the authorities immediately, which was done that same night, and the authorities are now investigating. Since he was caught, he has been isolated in order prevent any further danger. [redacted] has confessed to the offense, and maintains that there were no other children. We do not yet know if this is true. So if you have any reason to be suspicious about any interaction that [redacted] has had with your child, of course we encourage you to deal with it inside your family as you deem appropriate. At the same time, with regard to contacting the authorities, please feel free to include us so that we can help connect you with the appropriate people. . . .”
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What if that were done when Sitler were discovered. Or Jamin Wight. Or Tom Garfield.
Then they would have been partway to doing things correctly.
Note that this e-mail encourages parents “with regard to contacting the authorities, please feel free to include us so that we can help connect you with the appropriate people…”
No, no, no, no, NO! The church leadership should not be involved in contacting the authorities unless the parents need moral support. They are putting themselves in the middle…in a place where they can still filter reports. They should have just said “Contact Detective Miller of the Moscow police department. His phone number is…. His e-mail address is…. If you need any pastoral support, please don’t hesitate to contact us.”
Thank you.
Another question to ask is, why wasn’t that same thing done – in those other cases?
Whoa, what’s the TG thing??
I want to know how many molesters Wilson has not reported and I want to know how many intolerista children Steven Sitler molested that Wilson kept secret.
@RJW: Tom Garfield pulled a Roy Atwood by resigning from Logos School in the middle of the day, in the middle of the week, in the middle of the semester, without giving reason. On October 11, he wrote,
Interesting. Makes one wonder if this was a Logos school incident (which explains the “out of church context”), hence the hasty resignation.
I’ll just leave this without further comment:
“At the same time, with regard to contacting the authorities, please feel free to include us so that we can help connect you with the appropriate people. . . .”
Sitler and Wright were a part of his college and/or seminary, right? That’s why he had to protect them since he vetted and admitted them?
Hi Steve: That’s close. He wants to project an image of Christ Church as God’s mighty Kirk on Earth — a holy vessel that leads the way to true reformation for the church. He wants the world to see him as he sees himself — he is Elijah in a church full of Ahabs. Therefore, it follows that he cannot allow the world to see the child molesters and wife beaters that he spawns. It doesn’t fit the meme. So he normally conceals.
This case is different because of the CREC Presiding Ministers’ report, which chided him for not notifying kirkers. So he jumped through the correct hoops — this time only. The CREC has their Big Jamboree in 2 weeks and he could ill afford to give them more reason to distrust him so close to the report and the meeting. After 2 weeks, when the party’s over, it will be business as usual. Back to cover-up mode.
Just like Elijah.
Are there allegations of domestic violence/wife beaters? What can you tell us about that?
Hi Clay: Read these two affidavits — here & here. They sent this guy on a missionary trip between his two major convictions.
Gotta disagree with you that this case is different, Ulysses old chap. You’re right that the kirk is pretending to act differently, but there are too many red flags in this email for it to represent even a faux change-of-heart. Wilson says he’s a wordsmith, so we should parse his words carefully.
The email never says that law enforcement was notified (merely a nebulous group of “authorities”). Somehow, a kirk teen molested a boy without doing so in a “church context”—what on earth is a “church context” and how does any kirk teen step outside such context for molestation purposes? The teen confessed—but to whom? His parents? Kirk elders? Police? The email states that the teen was isolated—again, whatever that means, since it’s unlikely that he has been kept totally alone since for weeks. And notice that the email carefully avoids calling the younger boy a victim, even while it admits the teen molested him and confessed to it. True to Wilson form, the email never indicates whether the molested boy is being protected or cared for.
Worst of all, the email actively encourages kirk families *not* to tell law enforcement. Instead, parents of molested children are “encourage[d]” to “deal with it inside your family.” Families that wish to report an assault are instructed to contact “the authorities” only after contacting the kirk. The email even states that the kirk is going to screen reports—making sure that reporting families only speak with “the appropriate people.” God forbid that the email include the name of an investigating law enforcement officer so that families could contact him or her directly. (But, of course, that would require actual notification to law enforcement.)
This email is terrifying, especially to parents who would want a real investigation.
The kirk has learned nothing from the CREC Report except to present the appearance of compliance.
@AJ — You are right; I agree with you completely. In my defense, we parsed it 35 times from an altogether different angle, which I can’t say. Then I never read it again. But you are absolutely correct. This should make kirkers wet their pants. And lurking members of the CREC should look carefully at the dougspeak in this text. It drips with guile.
And as I was reminded yesterday, the Kirk has members who are with the MPD. “Appropriate people?”
“Belief in the dogmas of the one true church can survive a long line of individual run-ins with skanky priests. It can’t last forever, but it can last a long time.” ~Doug Wilson