Bene Diction Blogs On

From Blog on the Way:

Chris Peterman, one of the founders of the Do Right BJU group, has been expelled from BJU just days before graduation. In a move that was clearly retaliation for his role in organizing the protest against BJU’s decision to put the corrupt and deceitful Chuck Phelps on its board, BJU has pleaded its demerit policy. According to BJU, Peterman was racking up the bad boys necessary to earn an expulsion and they have cited Peterman’s viewing of an episode of GLEE as the major contributor in getting demerits.

Stuff Fundies Like:

Unless they’ve been living under a rock, it’s unlikely that anyone in current or former fundamentalist circles has not heard of the expulsion of Christopher Peterman from Bob Jones University mere weeks before he was to graduate. Although his list of alleged crimes ranges from the inane to the obscure to the downright confusing, there is a deeper story here that is worth considering.

To fully appreciate the significance of this action it’s necessary to retrace the steps of a horrifying story that is all too familiar to many of us. It begins when a man named Ernie Willis raped a young girl named Tina Anderson. The pastor of Tina’s church at the time was Chuck Phelps, a man who by his own testimony not only failed to vigorously pursue justice for Tina but also required her to give a confession of her alleged sin before the church and then aided in removing her from the state and apparently out of the reach of local authorities.

Yet with the fact of his actions revealed both on national television and in a court of law, Chuck Phelps remained a person in good standing with several fundamentalist organizations such as The Wilds and Bob Jones University. Bob Jones not only continued to call him a friend of the college but after the conviction of Ernie Willis then went on to proactively show their support for him by placing him back on one of their own boards. This past December, a few alumni, students, and other concerned individuals attempted an on-campus protest in an institutional environment where protesting is almost unheard of. As may be expected in such an authoritarian environment, very few students joined in to the calls for BJU to “Do Right.” One student agitator, however, stuck to his guns and decided to take the risk. That man is now ex-student Christopher Peterman.

At that time, with the news cameras rolling and the social media spotlight shining on them, Bob Jones University took no disciplinary action against the protesting students. But they did take note of them. They always take note of those who do not come to heel and fit the “spirit” of the University and they wait their chance to exact revenge for this perceived disloyalty.

Outside outcries over the treatment of this student will fall on dismissive deaf ears. It will take those inside Bob Jones University and the authoritarian world of Independent Fundamentalist Baptists to stand with Peterman and stop feeding money, time and loyalty to these draconian leaders.

How vindictive and draconian?  This is the Demerit record put together by a residence assistant assigned to follow Peterman’s every move.  He received demerit points for not shaving – at midnight. The Do Right BJU Group brought outside scrutiny to the rot at the core, and these men play for keeps.  Chuckles Travels has a copy of the drummed up Demerit record.

Why would anyone subjected to such blatant harassment stick it out? Why not just leave? Peterman in his own words:

http://www2.wspa.com/news/2012/apr/26/bob-jones-student-caught-watching-glee-kicked-camp-ar-3681625/

Peterman also released a statement after being expelled.

Media is picking up this story. I doubt the attention will help Peterman get his earned degree; other students who participated in Do Right BJU will probably be targeted and I doubt the US Department of Education and Peterman’s congressman can do anything. Perhaps another conservative religious university will step up and give Peterman an opportunity for a degree, perhaps BJU alumni can help him with any student debt. Perhaps the cast and crew of Glee will come up with a creative way to help out. The more attention Bob Jones University gets, the more they will cry persecution.

As of now 218 people have signed a petition asking BJU to give Peterman his money back for a wasted semester.
BJU and Injustice
FBC Jax Watchdog
Do Right BJU Facebook page

Background: Chuck Phelps resigns from Bob Jones University

April 18th, the Executive Director of The Voice of the Martyrs US, was found dead in his workplace after going missing the night before. Tom White apparently committed suicide. White was under investigation for the alleged molestation of a 10 year old girl.

The organization released a statement on his death, and another when it came to light police had White under investigation. Funeral services for White were held at The Voice of the Martyr headquarters in Bartlesville Oklahoma earlier this week.  VOM has now come out with a statement  thanking supporters and updating them regarding the 10 year old alleged victim:

Many have asked about the young girl who reported the allegations of abuse, and her family.

Both her family and the White family have asked VOM to respect their privacy during this time and not comment on specifics of the investigation. After listening to both families, and because the alleged activity did not take place at VOM and was unrelated to Mr. White’s work with the ministry, VOM’s leadership believe it is appropriate to honor their request [prior to issuing this statement VOM asked members of both families to review it].

We have been in continual prayer for the healing and restoration of this child, her family and the White family since the tragic events unfolded last week. As you continue to pray for VOM, we hope you’ll join with us in lifting up these two families as well. Their pain and suffering is difficult to imagine.

May the God of peace rule our hearts and minds.

In 2009 Robert A. Schuller and his son-in-law, under their company ComStar Media acquired FamilyNet, a tv network in the US. In March 2011, it was announced that FamilyNet was spinning out from ComStar Media and Robert Schuller Jr. was appointed as Chairman of the network.

Schuller Jr. is still tied up with bankruptcy proceedings with Crystal Cathedral Ministries, claiming the ministry owes him 1.4 million.

CBS is suing FamilyNet for 1.5 million for licencing fees, which CBS said were owed when ComStar aquired FamilyNet. The Dallas Morning News has the details and the court document.

ComStar and FNM have informed CBS that they have no obligation to make the payments due under the License Agreement because, they claim, when they acquired the assets of Family, they did not acquire the corresponding liabilities. However, CBS is informed and believes, and based there on alleges, tat this assertion is contrary to the facts and the law and, moreover, that ComStar, FNN and the other Defendants have no right to exhibit or exploit the Series unless and until they pa the licensees fees set forth in the License Agreement, Without making such payments, ComStar, FNN and the other Defendants have exceeded the scope of any license. As a result, they are copyright infringers.

The suit states that Family Net and CBS entered into a licencing agreement in 2008, and that ComStar  made a payment of one hundred thousand dollars in 2010. CBS has also named ‘Does 1-100′; tv stations or businesses which infringed on copyright or are obligated to pay the licencing fee.  If I’m reading correctly, these stations or businesses would be distributing through the FamilyNet library. (I’ll correct accordingly).

The shows in question are “Happy Days”, “My Three Sons”, “Family Ties” and “Early Edition.”

There is a Canadian tie to ComStar and FamilyNet. In January 2011, Crossroads Television System (the non-profit branch of Crossroads Christian Communications Inc) announced it’s partnersh with ComStar:

Crossroads/CTS are pleased to announce a partnership with U.S. based ComStar Media LLC. ComStar Media is the operator of two well known television networks, the faith and values Family Net and the family friendly American Life, reaching over 40 million homes.

ComStar principals are Chairman Dr. Robert A. Schuller (formerly Pastor of the Crystal Cathedral), and CEO Chris Wyatt, the founder of several social media networks, including GodTube, the fastest growing website of 2007.

The transaction, which includes an investment in ComStar’s broadcasting arm, ComStar Networks, LLC, provides CTS with exclusive Canadian rights to the media libraries of Family Net and American Life which include family-values entertainment as well as ministry programming. It also enables Crossroads/CTS to deploy ComStar’s social media technology.

Additionally, this new agreement allows for programs produced by Crossroads/CTS to be licensed for broadcast on ComStar’s growing networks and opens the door for future co-production between these leading faith-based media companies.

Dr. Robert A. Schuller explains, “This exciting new partnership between ComStar and Crossroads/CTS will allow us to extend our reach by offering our award winning media library to the largest Christian Broadcaster in Canada.

CTS operates out of Burlington Ontario, Calgary, and Edmonton, Alberta.
ComStar’s American Life Network rebanded as Youtoo TV in September 2011.

I don’t watch CTS so I have no idea if the Canadian network aired any of these shows from the FamilyNet library. There are none of the series  named in the suit currently being broadcast, and a perusal of FamilyNet programming didn’t turn up any Crossroad Christian Communication or Crossroad Television System programming.

Court records show Bartlesville Police filed a request for an order so White’s cell phone provider could ping his phone as they searched for him.

In that request, police said White had been accused of molesting a juvenile female. Police said they were beginning an investigation when White disappeared.

Bartlesville Police found a note in his vehicle “that he was suicidal or possibly fleeing to avoid investigation.”

NewsOn6

Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise:

On Friday, the Examiner-Enterprise obtained a copy of an order, filed on April 18, by BPD Sgt. David Hackler, requiring mobile telephone service provider T-Mobile to provide “real time GPS pinging of (White’s) phone” in an effort to locate the device, as well as “any technical assistance requested by (the BPD) or any other employee of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.”

The public document states that the “requested records and information are relevant and material to an ongoing criminal investigation,” and provides a brief summary of allegations that were apparently made against White prior to his death.

“Subject, Walter Thomas White, was had been reported to have molested a (age omitted) juvenile female. Police had begun to investigate and Mr. White had disappeared. His vehicle was later found, but he was not located. A note was located in the vehicle that he was suicidal or possibly fleeing to avoid investigation. A search had begun to locate Mr. White but was unsuccessful. It was learned that this was his cell phone and needed to run a ping on the phone to locate Mr. White to check his safety.

“Applicant further believes that by learning the GPS location of the above cellular telephone, it could lead law enforcement to the person(s) responsible in this molestation.

“Applicant further requests this Court to order that the TELEPHONE COMPANY (T-Mobile) not disclose to the subscriber, or customer, the existence of this Application …”

Statement from The Voice of the Martyrs:

The events of the last week are tragic. On Wednesday we learned that Tom White, VOM’s executive director, had died.

Allegations were made to authorities this week that Tom had inappropriate contact with a young girl. Rather than face those allegations, and all of the resulting fallout for his family and this ministry and himself, Tom appears to have chosen to take his own life.

None of those in leadership at VOM, including our Board of Directors, were aware of these allegations at the time of Tom’s death.

There is no doubt that Tom cared about his wife, his children and his grandchildren. And there’s no doubt that he cared about VOM.

We are deeply saddened by these events. Our hearts are broken.

However, the work that God has called VOM to do is bigger than any one of us. There are persecuted Christians who need our help. The legal process will go forward, and we will continue serving with our persecuted brothers and sisters.

We appreciate the many who are praying for our work, and we encourage you to join us in praying for Tom’s family during this difficult time.

The police chief in Bartlesville Oklahoma is a board member of VOM.

The young girl White is alleged to have had ‘inappropriate contact’ with was 10 years old.  If the molestation allegations are true, she is never going to be the same. While I can appreciate the board is in shock at what their statement acknowledges as an apparent suicide of their colleague in the workplace, this girl and her family need prayer and professional support.  An alleged victim is not secondary to an executive directors death. What troubles me is this: will other allegations be forthcoming? Are there other girls and their families who have not gone to authorities?

USA National Sex Offender Registry:

• The average child molester will molest fifty girls before being caught and convicted.
• A child molester that seeks out boys will molest 150 boys before being caught and convicted and he will commit at least 280 sexual crimes in his lifetime.
• The standard pedophile will commit 117 sexual crimes in their lifetime.
• Most sexual abuse happens between the ages of 7 and 13.
• There are over 491,720 registered sex offenders in the United States.
• 80,000 to 100,000 of the above offenders are missing.
• Molesters known by the family or victim are the most common abusers. The Acquaintance Molester accounts for 70-90% of reported cases.

The Voice of the Martyrs was founded in 1967 and is an advocacy agency operating in 13 countries. Each branch is autonomous. The US VOM had revenues of 47 million in 2010. White worked for  The VOM for about 30 years with a salary of  145 thousand dollars. The VOM US employed about 125 people and the organization moved into a state of the art secure facility in 2011.  White’s funeral will be held at US  The VOM offices.

Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise editorial: Confronted with the awful truth

I will not even pretend to imagine the pain that White’s family, his friends, co-laborers at VOM, and the many people around the world who admired and respected him, are experiencing at this time. It has been a lot to absorb in a very short time.

I can with all certainty, however, tell readers that this week was also very difficult for the newsroom staff of the Examiner-Enterprise.

Some observers erroneously assume that the media in general, and the newspaper specifically, takes some perverse delight in reporting such stories. I cannot speak on behalf of all “media,” but I can tell you with utmost sincerity, that absolutely no one associated with this newspaper took any satisfaction whatsoever in reporting this heartbreaking story.

I can also tell you that for me personally, the decision to pursue and ultimately publish our Friday front-page news was one of the most gut-wrenching that I have ever had to make in my newspaper career.

As much as I might wish this tragic and unseemly story would go away, it will not. I and my staff are duty-bound to report the truth — all the truth — not just the truth that makes us feel good, but also the truth that is sometimes awful to acknowledge and even more difficult to accept.

We know full well that some readers would prefer the newspaper not report this news. Some accuse us of sensationalism. Others argue that the information should be hidden in order to protect family members and others close to the situation from further emotional distress.

Still others will lash out at the newspaper for what they perceive as a smear against a man’s legacy or the organization to which he devoted so much of his life’s work. Others accuse us of showing a lack of “decency” or of even being “anti-Christian.”

I vigorously disagree with these criticisms, but I also understand where they come from.

When most of us (journalists included) hear news that is just too painful to believe, we tend to initially direct our anger and frustration at the messenger. The one who delivers the unpleasant news often becomes the object of our misdirected scorn.

Update: Wade Burleson is a SBC pastor in Oklahoma. He has an open letter to the 10 year old girl.
Update: The father of the 10 year old girl reaches out to Wade Burleson after reading his post.

By Rick Hiebert. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission.

Imagine an election where radio stations were forced to run small-c conservative and Christian radio ads against their will. The idea has been floated by a Wildrose Alliance candidate in Monday’s Alberta provincial election.

I was reading some online news about Monday’s Alberta provincial election, when I came across a name that will be familiar to BDBO readers.

The Progressive Conservatives are in a tight race with the Wildrose Alliance, a very conservative party looking to outflank Alberta’s Tories to the right. The Wildrose has an excellent chance of ending the Tories 41 years of power in the province.

Enter Allan Hunsperger, a Tofield, Alberta pastor who is running for the Wildrose Alliance in the riding of Edmonton Southwest. He’s under fire for writing on his blog that homosexuality is evil and will cause you to go to hell. Edmonton Journal columnist Paula Simons, reprinted in the Vancouver Sun, summarizes what has been happening, and takes Wildrose Alliance leader Danielle Smith to task for not taking Hunsperger behind the woodshed.

As dismaying as that may seem, I have to confess that my first thought was “Hey, I’ve blogged about this fellow.” May I cite the essentials?

Allan Hunsperger, the former owner of the Shine Christian radio stations in Edmonton and Calgary, was pivotal in getting CRTC regulations changed to allow Canadian music radio stations in Canada. He proffered the opinion that I will be quoting below in 2009, but I think it important to recall what he said if he becomes a member of of the Alberta legislature, or even a cabinet minister.

Faytene Grasseschi (who was Faytene Kryskow at the time this was recorded) admires Hunsperger, and has mentioned how grateful she was that the first The CRY that she was in charge of, was broadcast on the radio over Hunsperger’s Shine radio (at least in Edmonton).

Sometime in 2009, as Faytene was in a whirl of media mentions, she went to Hunsperger’s church where she spoke at discipleship training school. Her talk was recorded as “Media Advance” and the resulting talk was available at her online store. It’s not now.

Towards the end of the first CD of the message, Faytene is talking about the second debate on legalizing gay marriage in the House of Commons and the difficulty of getting the small-c conservative message out.

Hunsperger, who was sympathetic to the “no legal gay marriage” side in some way, asks for the mike to say a few words. Faytene gives it to him.

Hunsperger then says (emphasis mine):

“The secular media would not play commercials alerting Canadians of the vote coming up in the Parliament House. 92 per cent of media outlets would not allow that message across. So, first point. The issue is ‘fair and balanced’ in the matter of public issues, public concern. Definition of marriage is a public concern.. Radio stations should have been forced to carry those ads. They weren’t, okay.So, and the only ones that really ran that, really were some Christian outlets. But just so you know, they are under the disguise of balance, but the media is not giving the balance and there’s nobody forcing that issue. The only ones that would force that issue would be someone loud or squawking to force them to do it–but by the time you got to that issue, you would be punishing them after the fact.”

Now, as an Alberta politician, he would have difficulty in directly making radio stations to do his will as radio is under federal oversight. But, a new Alberta government has tried to regulate the media, in the interest of “access to accurate information”, and although that was ruled “ultra vires”, legal experts in a Wildrose Alliance government might want to find a way around this technicality.

As sad as people may be about his religious opinions on homosexuality, I don’t think that Allan Hunsperger has called for special “fairness” laws relating to homosexuality. In the case of freedom of speech, and the freedom not to speak, Hunsperger has. And that should give Edmonton Southwest voters cause to be careful.

Ouch. I’ve been following the Sovereign Grace Ministries situation for quite some time. This week,  the Ambassadors of Reconciliation findings,  were released.

As people on two key blogs dissect this report, many SGM members won’t be reading what has been said, because they’ve been told not to read the blogs. It’s likely that this article in The Courier-Journal may not escape congregant attention. I don’t know that SGM is a denomination, it’s more a small group of churches. That said:

A small, growing denomination that has faced internal conflicts in recent months is moving its headquarters from Maryland to Louisville.

Sovereign Grace Ministries announced that it plans to launch its first Kentucky church and tighten its already strong bonds with the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Sovereign Grace — based in Gaithersburg, Md. — is a three-decade-old network of more than 90 churches worldwide and about 28,000 members.

Sovereign Grace officials said they are moving to take advantage of Louisville’s lower costs of living and overhead compared with suburban Washington, D.C., and so its pastor-training program could collaborate more closely with Southern Seminary.

The announcement also comes amid increased tensions between Sovereign Grace and its flagship congregation, Covenant Life Church, where its headquarters is located.

That tension has been part of wider conflicts within Sovereign Grace that emerged in public view last summer with the release of internal church documents from a former church official, accusing its president, C.J. Mahaney, of pride, dictatorial conduct and doling out harsh criticism he was unwilling to receive himself.

Mahaney took a leave of several months while the Sovereign Grace board reviewed the case.  It declared him fit for ministry and restored him to the presidency earlier this year.

The relocation announcement comes just two days after an independent panel — brought in to review the conflicts — faulted the group for an overemphasis on sin and a lack of emphasis on God’s grace and forgiveness.

The report also cited an often-arbitrary system of discipline that left many pastors and lay people feeling wounded, while those at the top lacked outside accountability.

While it currently has no churches in Kentucky or Indiana, Sovereign Grace and Mahaney have close ties with Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. Mahaney and Sovereign Grace have each donated at least $100,000 to the seminary, according to the school’s publications.

Also – The Warburg Watch  - AoR Report Released: Just How Unhealthy Is SGM?

Over the next 48 hours, the hosting company for BDBO is upgrading.

If you pop over in the early morning hours and the blog isn’t here, no worries, the couple of hours off line is part of the upgrade process.

I’ll be back.:^)