https://thewartburgwatch.com/2022/05/06/former-baptist-pastor-thomas-chantry-is-a-free-man/
This is 🤬ed up. Apparently Chantry only spent 3.5 years in prison and is now free, walking around, and probably in contact with children since these churches don’t seem to care as much about protecting their kids as they do about their pastors agreeing with them on every conceivable minute point of theology. They’re using two of their favorite arguments, which I have heard over and over through the years:
“It’s not molestation if you call it spanking”
https://www.dcourier.com/news/2019/apr/25/tom-chantry-retrial-opening-argument-pastor-used-p/
I’m just going to leave this here and let it speak for itself.
“It’s okay because we all sin”
https://www.wisn.com/article/baptist-minister-charged-with-molesting-children/8475629
The argument goes like this:
- We’re all infinitely sinful.
- That means we’re all exactly the same amount sinful.
- That means that we can let anybody off the hook for anything
At no point does anyone try to explain why the carefully-vetted pastors that lead these groups seem to be consistently massively more likely to be sexual predators than people in the general population. I do know that as a woman who grew up in these circles, I was shocked that in the regular world it’s safe to be alone with a man in a professional setting and he won’t automatically rape you and call it your fault for being a temptress. Like, if you have a male PCP you can just go in the exam room alone with him and he doesn’t hurt you. I’m not saying it never happens, but it’s not like natural disasters or mass shootings which everyone has given up on trying to predict or control. What I thought was intrinsic to anyone with a penis turns out to actually be specific to the exact type of penis-bearer that gets hired by Reformed Baptists.
So you know what? I’m done reading about this for the day. I know I keep saying that but really for real this time I’m going to stop thinking about it. If I have to, I’ll chain myself to my rumination log. And then when I get out I’m writing a memoir because that is the only tangible thing I can do to defend babies with the misfortune of being born to Reformed Baptist parents.
This story came back to the forefront of my thoughts while watching a documentary on abuse occurring in churches. I grew up in Prescott and moved back right when the trail started. I saw a quick blip in the local news about it but not much so I jumped down the rabbit hole. Let’s just say my mind was blown. As I read the entire investigation documents I realized I knew almost everyone involved. I knew this pastor, he was introduced to me when he first moved to Prescott by my friends who went to that church. This same “friend” who I stopped being friends with years ago due to her critical Xtian nature, was the one who the kid went to to report the abuse. This Ex friend is someone I’ve was close to and friends with since 1989. Our dads were peas in a pod. The church leaders who this was reported to are men who are well known in this community. So those who hid this from the police and didn’t report it are all people who still live in this community free from any ramifications for not going to the police. To say I was furious is an understatement. And every time my ex friend pops up on commercials for her and her husbands computer business…I almost vomit. The rage comes back. But, with this information, knowing my life could be destroyed if I publicly say anything, I wait to expose them all. None of those who didn’t go to the police deserve to be living their life the way that have. Shameful. Disgusting.
Omg I’m just seeing this comment now. It’s just so fundamentally gut-wrenching when people get away with unspeakable things. Like, I was a child. Obviously I trusted the people around me! So I grew up with that, and I was brainwashed for a lot of my adulthood as well. Then the people back in the church are “heartbroken” by those of us who went astray. When it’s like, maybe I’m one of the few who was psychologically strong enough to escape? But when I’m heartbroken, they say I’m bitter.