Other than that, how was your dinner?

 

Convicted child molester, John Langworthy, was spotted today dining in a Jackson, MS restaurant with his wife and daughter. When asked by the manager as his party was leaving if their meal was satisfactory, the person who snapped the photo replied that it was fine until a convicted child molester sat down at the next table. Yes, I suppose that would sap just about anyone's appetite. The manager was reportedly "stunned and concerned" and asked if that was "the music minister from Clinton."

John was overheard discussing "prayer" and was said to be "very animated and happy-go-lucky."

Someone has speculated "this is what happens when someone doesn't have to go to jail and instead gets to all but run the community."

No worries!

Oh, and I've just been informed the name of the restaurant is... taa daa... Cock of the Walk.  (You couldn't make this stuff up.)

**********

PLEASE, if you were a victim of JL or any other abuser or have information about the abuse of someone else, regardless of how insignificant the information may seem or how long ago it may have occurred, contact the proper authorities and let them sort it out! In Clinton, that would be detective Josh Frazier at 601-924-5252.

If the abuse or suspicion of abuse occurred in Jackson, MS:

Jackson Police Sex Crimes: 601-960-1210

In addition to either of the two police departments listed above, to provide any information regarding known or suspected abuse in Hinds County, MS, contact Assistant D.A. Jamie McBride at 601-968-6568.

If the abuse or suspicion of abuse occurred at Prestonwood or in the Dallas area:

Dallas Police non-emergency number: 214-744-4444

Child exploitation unit: 214-671-4211

Dallas Children's Advocacy Center: 214-818-2600

DCAC victim assistant coordinator: 214-818-2613

DCAC will act as the go-between if you do not want to contact the police directly. Don't worry about any statute of limitations. What may seem to be an insignificant detail may be the missing puzzle piece the investigators need. Go to them and tell them what you know and let them determine if it's important! They will keep your identity confidential.

Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (S.N.A.P.) contacts:

Mark Belenchia (Jackson, MS), msbelenchia@gmail.com, 601-953-2535

Amy Smith (Houston, TX), spacecitysnap@gmail.com, 281-748-4050

David Brown (Memphis, West TN), DavidBrown38053@gmail.com, 901-569-4500

David Clohessy (national), SNAPclohessy@aol.com, 314-566-9790 cell

Barbara Dorris, Outreach Director, SNAPdorris@gmail.com, 314-862-7688

"Prestonwood Baptist Church doesn't seem to understand the power of social media yet."

That title is a timely quote by Chris Tynes, a 14-year member of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. It seems Tynes recently learned about Prestonwood's 20-plus-year cover-up of John Langworthy's abuse of young boys while Langworthy was in their employ. Tynes, to say the least, is not happy.

His Twitter feed gives an account of the events of this week which followed after he was denied the opportunity to meet with one of Prestonwood's ministers, Mike Buster, to ask some questions about the church's handling of the Langworthy situation. These are the same questions others have been asking for almost two years and have not received any answers, so Tynes is not alone. The "biblical church model" for dealing with anything distasteful in many of today's churches, particularly the big businesses aka megachurches, is to sweep it under the rug. Ignore it. Hope it goes away. And if anyone dares ask questions, he becomes the problem. Image and power trump the safety of children or doing the right (and lawful) thing.

This blog was the first to expose John Langworthy after an "anonymous" comment by an author I verified and found to be credible. Thus Amy Smith was thrust into the spotlight along with Sherry LeFils, two tenacious women who saw to it that the sins of John Langworthy did not continue to be swept "under the blood." The original article appeared here.

Langworthy's current church, Morrison Heights Baptist in Clinton, Mississippi, inadvertently helped eventually convict him when they allowed him to address the congregation to "confess" on August 7, 2011 and an alert congregant recorded it on video. The video and transcript are at the end of this post.

Subsequent articles (here, here, here, here, here, and here) were posted during the second half of 2011 with an update in January.

I was disappointed to learn Langworthy managed to cut a plea deal with the state, even after the state had said the deadline for any plea agreement had passed and that he would have to face trial, but at least Langworthy is permanently listed on the national sex offender registry and will be on probation for a few years. I think questions need to be asked about how that happened after the deadline passed for a plea deal. Did Langworthy and/or MHBC have one or more friends in high places who pulled strings?

Of course, that plea covered only the victims named in the case. Other victims could still come forward, and there are victims in Texas, at least one of whom I'm told has recently contacted the police there. This thing may be far from over.

Questions remain about the role of people at Prestonwood Baptist who became aware of John Langworthy's abuse of boys and simply let him move on to another church without warning anyone. They allegedly even tried to silence some of the victims and did not notify their parents of the abuse. Questions need to be asked, and the people responsible need to be held accountable.

Chris Tynes is on the warpath. When he went to the church this week and peacefully waited in the parking lot to try to ask Mike Buster why he was refusing to meet with him (since Buster would not talk with him by phone or make an appointment), he was approached by security guards and told to leave. Subsequently a police report was filed by the church in which Tynes was described as "a suspicious and possibly violent person." The message was relayed to Tynes from Mike Buster via the police detective (who was reportedly shocked at such a frivolous report)... "I don't ever want to speak to Chris and we don't ever want him back at church." Wow. Is anyone reminded of Tom Rich's experiences at FBC Jacksonville? It's d�j� vu all over again!

Is it not ironic that Prestonwood "leaders" would let a known pedophile walk free but call the police when a longtime member, who has not, in spite of the church's claims to the contrary, exhibited any "suspicious or potentially violent" behavior, simply tries to ask questions?

Articles on Tom's case were here, here, here, and here. And of course, there's his blog.

Chris Tynes has now started a Facebook page to air his grievances. Prestonwood "leaders," you had the opportunity to do the right thing over 20 years ago. You failed, and because you failed there are heaven only knows how many more victims of this predator. Does that bother any of you in the least?  Apparently not.  You have an opportunity to try to do the right thing now, but apparently you're going to fight to keep a lid on this thing and demonize a church member whose only "sin" is trying to ask some questions. (I do NOT want to hear "Matthew 18" trotted out and misapplied here.  Tynes DID try to meet with Prestonwood leadership privately, and they refused.)

Jack Graham and Mike Buster and all the rest of you Prestonwood "men" should be ashamed of yourselves for the way you've handled this, and members of Prestonwood should walk out in droves. But they won't. Some will, but we'll see the same old tired "but that was so long ago" and "those boys should have spoken up then" excuses. Jack Graham will continue to appear on TV every week, command the accolades of the blind sheep who follow him, and revel in the "attaboys" of his good-old-boy network of rich and powerful preachers and "tweet" about great barbecue and what a "master communicator" T.D. Jakes is (seriously). And he and his minions will do everything in their power to marginalize and destroy Chris Tynes and anyone else who threatens them with the truth.  Because that is a threat to the flow of the one thing they love and understand best... money.  As the subtitle of this blog says, "Follow the money."

Better buckle up, Chris. It's going to be a bumpy ride.  You're about to find out who your real friends are, and I think you're going to be very surprised.

Oh, and to the great "leaders" of Prestonwood, you will someday understand the power of social media.  And bloggers.  Those evil bloggers! 

John Langworthy to Plead Guilty?

Very late word on the street is that John Langworthy will go before a judge on Tuesday morning and plead "guilty" to one or more charges of sexual abuse of a minor! You may recall he exhausted any chance of a plea bargain last month and the case was scheduled to go to trial, so this should mean mandatory prison time.

Watch Keep >> Child Predator John Langworthy to Face Trial

Stay tuned for the latest developments!  The Clarion-Ledger and Clinton TV stations should have coverage tomorrow.

Update:

Clarion-Ledger >> Ex-choir director, minister set to plead guilty to child molestation

Apparently I was mistaken.  It was my understanding that the chance for any plea agreement by Langworthy had expired and that he was going to trial January 28th regardless.  Now I just read that he appeared in court Tuesday morning, entered a guilty plea to 5 of the 8 charges, and the judge gave him a 10-year suspended sentence on each count (a total of 50 years suspended).

He must register as a sex offender.  That's good, but how many people actually check that?

He can't have contact with any of his victims. That means the ones named in the lawsuit. He wasn't in contact with them anyway! What about the victims not named (there were others) and the potential victims out there?  I do not see how this does anything to protect them!

Other than the inconvenience of "supervised probation" for five years and being placed on the sex offender registry this is little more than a slap on the wrist.

Clarion-Ledger >> Victim: 'It's about bringing the darkness to the light.'

WJTV >> Admitted sex offender avoids jail time

Clarion-Ledger >> No prison time for admitted child molester John Langworthy, former Clinton church minister, choir director

Al Mohler Wakes Up... Finally!

R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of the flagship Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has written a good article about lessons Southern Baptists can learn from the firing of Penn State's Joe Paterno and president Graham Spanier and the arrest of former assistant coach and perpetrator, Jerry Sandusky, as well as the indictments of the former AD, Tim Curley, and Senior Vice President for Finance and Business, Gary Schultz. Heads have most certainly rolled at Penn State this week. The grand jury's findings can be read in full here.

Mohler concludes, "The detonation of the Penn State scandal must shake the entire nation into a new moral awareness. Any failure to report and to stop the sexual abuse of children must be made inconceivable."

Are you just now realizing this, Dr. Mohler? Or did the worldwide reporting of such a large scandal at a big-name university involving a legendary coach force you to no longer be able to remain silent?

Mohler continues: Sometimes Christians are reluctant to report suspected sexual abuse because they do not feel that they know enough about the situation. They are afraid of making a false accusation. This is the wrong instinct. We do not have the ability to conduct the kind of investigation that is needed, nor is this assigned to the church. This is the function of government as instituted by God (Romans 13). Waiting for further information allows a predator to continue and puts children at risk. This is itself an immoral act that needs to be seen for what it is.

There's a lot of truth in that paragraph, but actually, Dr. Mohler, it's an illegal act not to report. Let's stop sugar-coating premeditated crimes by calling them "moral failures" or "sins" or merely "mistakes." (See Sammy Nuckolls.) Many times, as with the Penn State story, they're a lot more concerned with protecting "the brand" or some good old boy's job or career than they are with making a false accusation or the protection of children.

A Christian hearing a report of sexual abuse within a church, Christian organization, or Christian school, needs to act in exactly the same manner called for if the abuse is reported in any other context. The church and Christian organizations must not become safe places for abusers.

News flash! That ship has sailed. The church and "Christian" organizations already are safe havens for abusers! It's the blatant lack of accountability, trust in "men of God" just because they say they're "called by God" and can quote scripture and toss out spiritual sound bites, and the unwillingness by church leadership to report abuse or suspicion thereof to the authorities and their congregations that have resulted in churches being safe havens for these perverts for years. (Another one from Bellevue's past has recently come to light, and a lot of people apparently knew about him. One former staffer was quoted as saying they knew this guy was a "pedophile" for years but no one was willing to contact authorities.) Will Mohler publicly (or privately) criticize church leaders who are guilty of covering for confessed child molesters? Or will he continue to speak at their churches and invite them to speak at SBTS chapel services? Mohler spoke at Bellevue as recently as June of this year.





Greg Belser, who covered for John Langworthy, spoke to SBTS students and faculty at their October 25th chapel service.

Any report of sexual abuse must lead immediately to action. That action cannot fall short of contacting law enforcement authorities. A clear lesson of the Penn State scandal is this: Internal reporting is simply not enough.

Again, it's taken the Penn State scandal to clarify this for you?

After law enforcement authorities have been notified, the church must conduct its own work of pastoral ministry, care, and church discipline. This is the church�s responsibility and charge. But these essential Christian ministries and responsibilities are not substitutes for the proper function of law enforcement authorities and the legal system. As Christians, we respect those authorities because we are commanded to do so.

Yes! Amen! GLO ree! Thank you! It's about time! But why is a man of Mohler's impressive credentials just now seeming to grasp this concept when most of the sheeple in the pews and, for that matter, "the world," haven't had to pause for one second to consider what to do in a situation like this?

The other day Mohler decided to crack open the policy handbook for the institution he's headed for almost 19 years and discovered that the seminary's policy on reporting of any sexual abuse, even that of a child, could have conceivably led to another Penn State situation. Oops! Dodged a bullet there, didn't we?

I discovered yesterday that the policy handbook of the institution I am proud to lead calls for any employee receiving a report of child abuse, including child sexual abuse, to contact his or her supervisor with that report. That changes today. The new policy statement will direct employees receiving such a report to contact law enforcement authorities without delay. Then, after acting in the interests of the child, they should contact their supervisor.

While I applaud Mohler for finally educating himself on his school's policies and changing the policy immediately... better late than never as they say, with all the publicity in recent years about the numerous cases of sexual abuse, often involving children, within Southern Baptist churches, I can only wonder why it took a story on the scale of the Penn State scandal to awaken Mohler.

Christa Brown, SNAP representatives, and others have been trying to get the attention of Southern Baptists for years only to be at best ignored and many times demonized, maybe not by Mohler himself (he seems to have remained silent) but by many of his peers. Frank Page described some who speak out against clergy sex abuse "opportunistic persons who are seeking to raise opportunities for personal gain." Did Dr. Mohler ever renounce Frank Page's statement? Paige Patterson called them evil-doers. Did Dr. Mohler call him out? All I heard was crickets.

FBC Jax Watchdog has written a good series of articles on the Penn State story:

At Least in College Football, Failing to Report a Molester Is a Crime - But How Does Joe Paterno Still Have a Job?

The Ugly Truth About Joe Paterno and the Sandusky Rape of 10 Year Old - And What We Can Learn From It

Paterno Out: A Legendary Football Coach is Held Accountable for Turning Blind Eye Toward a Pervert



Let's see what happens now.

1. Will Al Mohler have the courage to reintroduce the motion Wade Burleson proposed at the 2007 SBC?

2. Will he lead the rally to support Burleson or another messenger who proposes a similar motion in 2012?

3. Will Mohler now implement mandatory training for all seminary students in how to handle any knowledge or even suspicion of sexual abuse? (This shouldn't be "uncharted waters," but apparently it still is for many, including seasoned pastors.)

4. Will he publicly rebuke Southern Baptist "ministers" who are caught committing these crimes? Not to publicly humiliate them but to warn people about these wolves. Or will he continue merrily on with his CBMW agenda warning against the evils of women teaching men, not submitting to their husbands, and young people not getting married as soon as possible and popping out as many babies as nature allows?

5. Will he now begin to publicly rebuke Southern Baptist pastors who knowingly cover for confessed child molesters? Or will he continue to bring them in to speak in chapel services and fill the pulpits of their churches? The "elite" among the SBC seem to think they're "appointed by God." Someone needs to explain to them that while they may be called by God to preach, they are hired by people to perform a job. Otherwise they wouldn't be so concerned about their salaries (and keeping them a secret).

This 2006 BP article illustrates this point precisely. Translation: We are appointed by God, we are being "persecuted" because we are "God's men," and you are to overlook any wrongdoing by us "men of God" because we are... "appointed by God." You can't touch us. Just shut up, grab a broom, and help us sweep it all under the rug.

As David Clohessy, national director of SNAP said, "It's easy to say stuff; harder to do stuff." So will Mohler now "do stuff" or will a change to the handbook, which apparently even the president himself hadn't read until this week, be Mohler's only response? Come on, Al. Do the right thing! Don't just say stuff, DO STUFF!

November 18th update:

We're making progress...

AlbertMohler.com >> My Letter to the Southern Seminary Community: Our Duty to Report