Churches Used Adult Married Man Who Raped Teen as a Worship Team Member in their Church
Several spiritual abuse blogs covered this story, as well as a handful of mainstream media outlets. (Links to the story are farther below).
From what I’ve read, this adult married man raped a young lady. He was, I think, in his mid-30s at the time of the rape, and his victim was around 13 years old. (Some of these articles are saying he had more than one young victim.)
At the time this story broke, I believe he was working in a library.
One of the spiritual abuse blogs dug up the information that this guy’s current wife is his THIRD WIFE, and they have children (however, I am unclear if these kids are his biological kids with this third wife, or if they are her kids from a prior marriage).
This church in Tennessee was allowing this sicko to act as a bass player on stage during various church services.
Many conservative Christians like to teach this falsehood that being married and being a parent are vital to making a person mature, godly, ethical, and loving, which is so much BUNK and nonsense, considering we have stories such as this one, where a man has been married THREE times in his life but raped kids before.
How did being thrice married prevent this creep from sexually assaulting girls? It did not. Marriage is not some kind of special salve or condition that makes a person behave in a moral fashion.
When I was a teen, and into my 20s, I recall seeing a lot of Christian literature tell singles that if they want to marry, there are certain things they must do – such as be godly, mature, loving, ethical, and so on, if they wanted God to send them a spouse. The implication in such teaching was that one had to be good enough to earn a spouse from God, and if one failed at this, God would with-hold a spouse.
Given that I see so many news reports of perverts who do things such as rape kids yet still get married (the guy in this particular story is on his THIRD wife!!), I find it hard to believe God is actually sitting around in Heaven refusing to send some of us spouses because we are not good enough, not meeting some kind of mysterious set of criteria.
I’m in my 40s and still not married. I had wanted to be married. I’ve never raped a kid, nor would I do so. I’ve lived a pretty bland, squeaky clean life – but God has not sent me a spouse – but I’m expected to believe, based on Christian teaching, that God rewarded the deviant child rapist mentioned in this post with not one, but with THREE, spouses?
Something is seriously wrong with contemporary Christian teachings about singleness and marriage.
I’m not sure, but I would assume that the guy in this news story claims to be a Christian – he is on stage in a church playing a guitar. Out goes the Christian teaching of “equally yoked” which insists single adult Christians must marry only another Christian.
I have no interest in marrying a Christian child rapist – thanks but no thanks! I’d rather marry a Non-raping, caring atheist guy than a Christian man who rapes kids and plays the bass guitar in his church’s worship band every week.
I’ve also seen many articles and blog posts mentioning how churches do not want to hire celibate, single adults for worship teams, as pastors, or other positions, and yet, churches are fine and dandy with allowing known pedophiles for church roles!
Why are churches okay with allowing these pieces of trash (i.e., pedophiles) into positions of leadership or visibility but feel fine not permitting celibate, single adults into the same positions?
Something is very, very wrong with the morals and priorities of today’s churches, when they are fine extending exceptional “grace” to child rapists but believe it’s immoral or unseemly to allow celibate singles to serve.
I also find it deeply offensive and insulting that convicted child rapists (!!) are given more latitude in churches than celibate, single (non-pedophile) adults are.
Churches often suspect single, celibate adult MEN of being pedophiles so they won’t allow such men to teach Sunday School classes and so forth, but these churches will allow a (Link): known pedophile to teach Bible study classes and sexual purity classes or to play bass guitar in the church’s band. It is so hypocritical.
(Link): Library worker accused of sexual abuse, suspended
(Link): Victim speaks to WREG after filing sexual abuse report against former church worker
(Link): Church with rapist leading worship postpones merger with second church facing sex abuse claims
Excerpts:
Two Tennessee churches — both with current or former leaders connected to sexual abuse — have decided to restructure a merger in light of recent allegations.
Earlier this week, the Memphis Police Department (Link): confirmed that it was investigating a city of Memphis library employee, Christopher Carwile, after he was accused of sexually assaulting at least three children while working as a youth minister at the Church at Schilling Farms (formerly known as Immanuel Baptist Church) 18 years ago.
After learning that Carwile was working at the Memphis library, Michael Hansen, his brother Brooks and childhood friend Kenny Stubblefield came forward with sexual abuse allegations dating back to 1998. Carwile was placed on administrative by the library pending the outcome of the investigation.
Michael Hansen (Link): told the Commercial Appeal that the victims informed Schilling Farms Pastor Scott Payne about the assault. And although Payne fired Carwile at the time, Hansen said that the church refused to file a police report.
The Survivors Network of those Abused (SNAP) has called on the Church at Schilling Farms to fire Payne over the cover-up.
…On Wednesday, the Wartburg Watch blog (Link): revealed that Highpoint Church had a convicted rapist helping to lead worship.
Related Posts:
(Link): Christians Teaching That All Sexual Sins Are Equal – Thoughts and Reflections
(Link): Update on Married Father Who Worked as Christian Radio Host And Who Rapes Children
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