What has always been most interesting, is that someone who claims a title of authority can commit all sorts of abuses and they always seem to have people who never realize the evil that is being committed. And even when those people are presented with the evidence, they either totally deny it or claim we must just simply “forgive” the evil doer. WELL THAT’S NOT WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS WHEN THE ABUSER IS IN A POSITION OF CHURCH LEADERSHIP!

Now it’s a given, that one person’s word against another is almost a stalemate in any case. If someone says “your dog bit me” and you have no evidence proving this, you’re not going to automatically believe your dog bit them. At the same time, you’re not going to ignore being part of an investigation to find out the truth if you are an honest person. I’m not trying to lower a human to the level of an animal, but just offering an example. Although humans who are guilty of sex crimes are animals in a sense. If someone says, your boss lied to make the company rich, would you ignore them if they desired to offer you further proof? You might not initially believe the words they say, but you probably would not run from seeing the evidence, given it relates to you. If your boss were busted the company and your job might be impacted. You need to know the truth and possibly get another job.

With dirty preachers, it seems when an accusation is leveled, the automatic response is more than to not believe the accusation, but to treat all accusers as liars. Notice, even when Gerald Griffith was found guilty there were people who attacked me for calling him out. Surprisingly, although some people said I was wrong in my take on it, nobody said a word to me after he got sentenced to 15 years in prison, but that’s probably because I noted there are probably still people who adore that pimp out there. If there is an accuser against a pastor, it does not mean the accuser is a liar. While you don’t have to receive their claim as truth, you do have to check the claim for some level of validity. We all know law enforcement can capture sexual predators if they know who to go after. And checking a claim is not to “receive” it wholly. No more than if you check if your dog bit someone or your boss could be a criminal.

With these pulpit pimps, there are usually more than one accuser. Griffith had at least 5. And rats like Earl Paulk have several, although Paulk has not yet been convicted of anything, he certainly has far more accusers than the standard noted in 1 Timothy 5:19-21! The list of accusers for Earl Paulk includes his own granddaughter.

A brother named Ernest who reads this blog, had an interesting day reading the Louisiana Weekly recently. Here is one of the articles he sent to me.

Most of those cases had multiple accusers, but one case (Thompson) featured one accuser. Should the church have ignored her because she is a lone accuser? Simply investigating her claims easily proves via DNA testing what has been going on. Even in Thompson’s case there were rumors. How many “rumors” need there be before someone is investigated? It should not be these female victims who are first to go to law enforcement! Often they seek help within the church first and are ignored. Or nobody takes them to get help. Nobody takes them to experts in law enforcement who could investigate, for what? Certainly not because there is only one accuser, but because of idolatry! Because even the men with a mountain of accusers still get support. It is because people don’t put God above men. They put men in place of God. If they put God first they’d desire to ensure the man was keeping God’s law.

The article tries to imply that issues are being ignored in Black and protestant churches. Well they were being ignored with Catholics until it got enough media attention and many of the victims had to recount abuse from tens of years ago. Not to mention the Catholic church simply moving abusers around to try and avoid the issue, instead of calling in law enforcement. This is an issue in abuse of authority and people mistaking men for the Lord.

No these are NOT matters that can easily be fully investigated and tried within the church. Your church leaders are not experts in DNA and your church’s building does not have a prison underneath. So they are issues that local law enforcement should be involved with. We’re not talking about a pastor caught drinking excessively at a night club, we’re talking about felonies. Yes abusing a child or innocent woman is worse!

Our system of laws compels us to notify law enforcement of criminal activity. This should be done without partiality when an accusation of abuse is made. And once it gets beyond 1 accuser, it’s time for church members to stop trying disbelieve the accusations. Even if one accuser, they should not be deemed a liar and allow an investigation to take its course.

Do you not think that Matthew 25:31-46 does not also include the woman who was sexually abused and comes to you for help? Consider the parable of the Good Samaritan. Even if one accuser, you should do what you can to help them and ensure the safety of others by seeking an investigation.

Also consider, that 1 accuser plus DNA or other evidence makes for more than 1 witness.

And finally, I must say this, because it needs to be said. Too often the wives of these pimps of all stripes know what their husbands are up to and say nothing. I knew a girl in high school who was being abused by her preacher father. I didn’t really know the girl well and she was really stand offish. When I said to others that we need to tell somebody, when someone told me about the abuse, the person who told me said “no we should not do it”… And not knowing the girl well I foolishly went along with the suggestion to stay quiet. I didn’t want to go telling of someone I hardly knew alone. I was also told that the pastor’s wife knew what was going on. I can say to myself that I was a child at the time, to keep from feeling like a complete moron for not saying something to adults, but it seems many adults know about these things and respond like children by staying silent. Of course I wish I had said something now and I wish I knew who she or her father was today, but I didn’t even know who her father was back when we were kids, although I was told he was sort of known in parts of Baltimore. Adults should not be acting like children and saying “we heard rumors”, you’d do more than write it off if it was your own child. You’d know who to call then! And you know they’ll take an anonymous tip.