Sometimes the Wheels Just Come Off....

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Paige Patterson: "Those With Whom Darrel (Gilyard) Sinned are Not Innocent Either"

Over the past two days, Vimeo videos have surfaced of the July 10th, 1991 Victory Baptist Church (TX) congregational meeting led by Paige Patterson, in which Darrell Gilyard resigned after having admitting to Patterson privately that he had committed various sexual sins.

There is plenty in these two videos that will sicken the viewer, when they are watched in the context of all we know about Gilyard and Patterson - the years leading up to this meeting, and the two decades after the meeting.

But the one part that I want to highlight is the following Patterson statement after Gilyard finishes and leaves the room:

"So there is a certain degree to which a man who stands behind this sacred desk is held to a higher standard, that's true. But it is also equally true, precious people, that a sin is a sin no matter who commits it. Nobody committed any of these sins in innocency. Brother Darrell was not innocent, those with whom he sinned are not innocent either."

Instead of Patterson scolding Gilyard for failing to apologize to the women and their families that he had abused, Patterson decided to further harm these women by imposing upon them a verdict of "guilty", that their guilt matches that of their abuser Gilyard. Only trouble is that Gilyard was a predator and these women were his victims. According to the Dallas Morning News, one of the women claimed Gilyard raped her. Others described how Gilyard would pursue them, begging one of them to meet him at a hotel. No need to shame these women, but in so doing I believe Patterson showed where his heart was: harboring resentment for these women who he believed caused his blessed son to fall to temptation.

I'm hoping that a video of the remaining portion of the meeting will also be posted, as the second one cuts off right after the above statement by Patterson.

We all know now, that Gilyard was a fraud, a charlatan. But trust me, Patterson had plenty of knowledge of Gilyard's actions well before this night that should have told him Gilyard was an outright fraud and any attempt to concoct a plan and timetable of restoration would be short-circuited by Gilyard, which is exactly what happened. But Gilyard was just too darned talented of a speaker - he could draw a crowd, and make people laugh and cry and get out their wallets. So he had to be salvaged.

And who is the hostage-looking figure who escorted Gilyard to the platform and stood to his right? My best guess is that it is Danny Aiken.

Here are links to the videos:

Video #1 (Patterson's Opening Statement)

Video #2 (Gilyard's Statement, Patterson's follow-up)

Click here to peruse prior FBC Jax Watchdog blog articles related to Gilyard.

Removed SWBTS Stained-Glass Windows Offered to Catholic Church Notre Dame Re-Build Effort

Paris, France (WD Press) - In a stunning move of solidarity and generosity, the Southern Baptist Convention has offered to the Catholic Church the recently removed stained-glass windows of famous SBC preachers at their Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary, to support the Catholic church's efforts to rebuild the Notre Dame cathedral.

Although the most famous rose windows in the cathedral survived the fire, officials say the rebuild effort may require replacement glass.

Catholic officials were considering the stained glass windows of Paige Patterson, Jerry Vines, Ed Young, Paul Pressler, and FBC Jax Watchdog - but have opted only for Paul Pressler's stained glass image, for reasons that were not explained.

A spokesperson for SWBTS said that although Jerry Vines' glass was under consideration by the Catholic church, the glass has already been installed in Jerry's private study at his home in Georgia and thus unavailable for the cathedral.


Editor's Note:  Students at SWBTS have reportedly begun a petition to preserve FBC Jax Watchdog's stained glass and keep it where it was originally installed, in the window above the last stall in the men's bathroom on the 2nd floor of the Ergun Mehmet Giovanni Caner Center for Truth in Debating. This report is still being investigated.

Christian Lawyer: I’m Getting Lots of Calls from Pastors Worried About Reporting Abuse and Effects on Church Membership

On the May 29th “Rainer on Leadership” podcast, Thom Rainer interviewed Josh Bryant, an Arkansas attorney who helps churches and pastors with general legal assistance.

Bryant provided some very helpful information about how churches are to protect themselves legally in five areas of law. The last topic discussed on the podcast was “child protection and mandated reporting.”  Bryant said this is the “number one” issue for which churches end up in court.

But here is the alarming statement by Bryant:

“I’m getting a lot of calls [to his practice] saying ‘listen, if I report this, I have 70 people in my church, if I report this and they find out I reported it, I might lose 5 or 6 families and then my church gets cut in half.’ And I understand and have a whole lot of sympathy for that particular situation but there’s criminal liability for a mandated reporter not to report suspected child abuse.”

Pretty sad to think even in this day and age pastors and church members are still calling lawyers on advice as to whether they should report suspected child abuse to the authorities, expressing concern that they might lose church members if they report! I’m not sure I share Bryant’s sympathy for those “situations”.

So if you suspect child abuse at your church:

Don’t take it to the Lord in prayer.

Don’t take it to the pastor or deacons.

Don’t take it up wit da book.

You don’t even need to call a lawyer.

Take it to the police or child protective services.

Watchdog Gets His Own Stained Glass

This is one of my favorite posts, an April Fool's Day post from 2014,  and with all the discussion of Patterson and Pressler recently I felt compelled to repost it. Enjoy.

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Paige Patterson has announced that one of the 70 stained glass windows to be installed in the new J.W. MacGorman Chapel at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary will feature the "old recalcitrant fleabag", FBC Jax Watchdog.

The window will feature a round, forward-facing, medallion-style inscription of the Watchdog with a slightly protruding tongue to represent his tireless efforts in blogging about important matters in the SBC and modern evangelicalism. The inscription on the window will read "He blogged from his mother's basement", with a beautiful oval globe to represent the Watchdog's world-wide outreach and to honor how God can use even a seemingly insignificant blogger to spread the truth to so many who need to hear it - all over the world.

The inscription of "He blogged from his mother's basement" is a reference to Ergun Caner and others who have unfairly criticized bloggers as being "frustrated people blogging from their mother's basements." Some have even accused bloggers of writing blogs in their underwear, which the Watchdog has vehemently denied since as he says "..dogs don't generally wear undergarments."

Already there have been nine of the windows installed in the chapel, including W.A. Criswell baptizing a man in the Jordan River while wearing a well-pressed blazer and tie, O.S. Hawkins and his wife, Rick Warren (shown at right), Charles Stanley, Andy and Joan Horner, and Huber Drumright, Jr.

SWBTS student reaction to the announcement of the new FBC Jax Watchdog window was mixed. One student said that no troublemaker like the Watchdog should be inscribed in stained glass - while another student - who wished to remain anonymous - said "Well, I guess if they're going to give a window to Andy Horner and Huber Drumright and Dottie Riley - none of whom I've ever heard of - why not the FBC Jax Watchdog for all he has done to hold misbehaving churches and pastors accountable in the 21st century?"

When asked why the Watchdog would be given such an honor, Patterson said he respects the Watchdog's blogging efforts and his tenacity to endure trials and hardships and efforts to "shut him down", even though he said with a hearty chuckle, "The old fleabag recalcitrant has busted my chops a few times over the past 7 years." Watchdog first wrote about Paige Patterson in 2007 when Patterson called Watchdog and others at his home church "recalcitrants" in the old SWBTS chapel for attacking the "man of God". Watchdog also wrote in 2008 about the Sheri Klouda firing at SWBTS and some of the public statements made by prominent SBC preachers.

The exact location of the FBC Jax Watchdog window within the chapel is yet to be determined. Patterson said it will likely be in the Ergun Mehmet Giovanni Caner Center for Truth in Debating, or perhaps in the window above the last stall in the men's bathroom on the 2nd floor.