Prestonwood Baptist minister arrested in sex sting

I am in total agreement that we pray for him,his family...

and for any child(if he has done this before) whom he has harmed.
Thanks

 

My 2c worth - I believe that the Senior Pastor did the right thing. Dr. Graham is not the person who 'sinned' here, so he should not be the person taking responsibility for firing someone (though it would have come to that had the 'sinner' not done so). No, that rests solely on the part of the pastor who was caught with his pants down, and rightly so. The perpetrator should be the one taking responsibility for his own actions and firing himself if he has any conscience or remorse for his sins!

A Senior Pastor having to stand up in front of his congregation (twice to my knowledge within the past 2 days) and offer a heartfelt apology, "I am so very sorry for the injury this has caused individuals and certainly our testimony in the community" is only stating the obvious and doing the best he can in the short term - individuals have been deeply hurt (without naming anyone) and secondly, Christians and our Lord have been given a bad rap, once again, in yet another sexcapade.

Yes, Joe, we should all be appalled by this, but you are being extremely harsh and critical. Neither you, nor I, nor Larry, nor anyone else on this Board (unless someone here is a member at Prestonwood) know what all the details are about, nor do we know how the ministry team will be handling this behind the scenes and neither do we know at this point what testimony is going to come about as a result to the community. What would you have the ministry team and church membership do Joe? Run out and roll under the nearest bus to appease the Joe gods? That would certainly close down the doors real quick and probably rob God of the chance to use this situation for His glory!

Can you see into your crystal ball? I can't and neither can anyone else here. I'm sure God is proud of you that you want to defend Him, but I think He's more than capable of handling this one on His own. Could you please leave it in His capable hands now and let Him get on with what needs to be done and you get on with what you need to be doing - praying.

 

The man who stands behind the pulpit for the main purpose of leading the flock is supposed to be without reproach according to Paul's first epistle to the young pastor, Timothy.

Whether the pastor is guilty in this situation or not, he should step down from the pulpit until it is proven that he is innocent or guilty.

Until all hearts and minds are clear on this charges, even if he is innocent, his standing behind that pulpit will bring a reproach on the Church he pastor's.

If he is proven to be innocent, then he should be allowed to pastor again, if not...

*edited to add: The Church did the right thing in firing the preacher. Maybe the message from the pulpit could have been worded a little different, but the fact is they did what the Word declares was to be done in a situation such as this.

 

Pastor Larry I am going to refrain from addressing your post. Your posts vary from being false, false accusations, to you quoting half of a sentence instead of the whole sentence, to misunderstandings about Deacons etc..then we are not following one another at all.

This is not edifying, so it's best to cease this conversation. thank you

 

The pastor who is guilty has resigned. The pastor who spoke is not accused or suspected of anything in this case.

 

If you think I said something untrue, then please point it out. It certainly wasn't intentional. I looked back and see nowhere that I quoted a half of sentence, though I looked quickly. Concerning deacons, the man in question was a pastor, not a deacon. There are no deacons mentioned in your transcription aside from the one who offered a note of support to the senior pastor.

The reason I commented was because your post was very inappropriate. It was not a fair reading of what the pastor said. I think it needed to be pointed out. Even if you would have done it differently, there is no basis for the complaints you have made here.

 

Earlier you said:

Sorry, but I'm just saying exactly what you said. I did listen to everything & read the transcript. I stand by my words, because I accurately stated yours. And what you said (regarding closing the doors), IMO, was too harsh.

 

Wow....I have no idea how you can construe this from his response.

 

I did say that but it was pertaining to AFTER I listened to the Pastor speak. I also stated this could happen to any church. I also said I would not let an incident like this prevent me from attending this church, please go back and read it.

Now hopefully, it's finished. Please, do not comment, I have addressed your concerns. I will not address it again, no matter how many times you bring it up. thank you.

 

I see Joe's point of view though I don't totally agree, some good points made. It does seem like the senior pastor made the best announcement that could be made under the circumstances: If he felt the full weight of the seriousness involving a fellow pastor and the impact on the church, community, and Christian testimony as a whole, then, no doubt, there was stress involved in drafting this statement......which he knew would become public knowledge, and therefore, not nearly as personal message to his flock, which should have been preferred.

In a situation like this where it seems everything is cut and dry, I agree termination or immediate resignation is desirable: In fact, if there was the chance of a person being innocently charged, still I think resignation or termination should still be immediate until investigation and charges prove false...in which case every attempt to restore the person to his appointment, restore his reputation, and publish the innocence should be made.

I can't speak for Joe, but I suspect, from the fervor of his comments, and some similar thoughts which I too share: The message was not as 'personal' to the congregation regarding instruction. Whether or not any member of the church was a victim, whether or not any member of the church and its officials were a party to the immoral attempt, this incidence is like a fire alarm waiting for the appropriate checks with fire extinguishers in hand and a call to check every room and closet, securing every 'clear room' before proceeding to the next, until the fire is found or the 'all clear' can be sounded.

Hopefully it will be in the senior pastor's heart to bring his congregation and all leaders in the church to self examination and repentance: They may not have associated guilt with the fallen pastor, but this is a time for mourning the loss and failling of one whom they had counted among them: praying for his salvation/restoration: time for individual self examination, repentance, and recommitment to Jesus Christ and the holy walk of obediance to which he calls all who believe.

The devil gets much glory from the blame: it's like recognizing his power: without raising the sacrifice of Jesus Christ through which we have salvation and victory over sin, folks are left to sort out for themselves the confusion which this incident has caused: No doubt, in every congregation there are 'borderline' believers..... some lost sincerely believing they are saved ..... some failing to watch and set a guard over their 5 senses which allow temptation to enter into their heart and thoughts and, if left unchecked, perhaps develop into some comparable offense: without reminding, it is easy for us to get 'smug' in our religiosity....not realizing or recognizing that some where we let our pride slip in between the relationship of our Lord and our heart, and in that 'little' sin, we have dropped the armor of protection necessary to prevail in battle.

For that matter, we need more preaching in the church associating repentance with belief: The profession of belief is an act of faith, but the repentance is the action of turning our will and following Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

 

I 100% agree with you. This man can not call himself a pastor and IMO no else should ever refer to him as a pastor again. It is a privilege to have that title and he certainly does not deserve it. I pray for everyone involved in this scandal.

 

Hard to read anymore of the posts, seems to be a beam in MY eye I need to take care of. Matthew 7:3. Prayer is where we need to go not attack.

 

Huh???

There's a beam in your eye because of why, exactly? Or, are you saying that people are being too judgmental of a man who went to have sex with a 13 year old? Please explain, because what you've said doesn't make much sense.

 

I am saying, we need to see if he is convicted before we start making judgements. If he is guilty then we disassociate with him but our Lord took a thief to heaven. I hate the thought of a pedophile working in a church but as of this point I do not believe all the facts have been presented. Also much of the posts have been aimed at the church he came from which I believe many of us would become very uncomfortable if the Lord came down and pointed out the sins present in most churches. To say he was not a pastor until he is convicted then we must say David was not a king, Abraham was not the Patriarch of the Jewish people, Peter was not an Apostle.