A brief post on Bryan Loritts behavior on Twitter and his blocking people left and right. Plus what got me blocked. In addition I also print the emails that Bryan Loritts sent me where he accused me of slander. Also this looks at yet one more reason why the celebrity pastor model is flawed and needs to be scrapped for the health of the church.
“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.”
Max DePree
“Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.”
Publilius Syrus
“My people have been lost sheep.
Their shepherds have led them astray
and turned them loose in the mountains.
They have lost their way
and can’t remember how to get back to the sheepfold.
Jeremiah 50: 6
How a celebrity pastor reacts when one asks questions
Does Bryan Loritts need anger management therapy after his behavior on Twitter?
These last few days have been busy but I want to get this information published as it reveals more to the story. There are several things to cover including another email exchange with Bryan Loritts, his behavior on Twitter and finally I need to point out yet again another fallacy to the notion of a “Celebrity Pastor.”
Attempts to Get a Statement from Bryan Loritts
As part of my efforts to get statements (I am still working it by the way as I need to reach out to John Bryson) I have sent several emails to differing people or organizations. I have emailed both Tristan Farmer and Jon Tyson at Trinity Grace Church, and neither has responded to my request for a statement on the situation. I did get this statement from Brian Lowe who is the SE Acts 29 director. I turned that into a post. Then there is Bryan Loritts. Bryan Loritts left a comment on this post which you can read in the link. I sent Bryan the following email on August 24, 2016:
Bryan-
Do you have a statement on the Fellowship Memphis situation? You said
you wanted to correct some facts. If you would like I would be happy
to publish anything that you would like to say. But you are entitled
to your side of the story.
Very Respectfully,
David Bonner
Bryan sent me the following email in response:
What’s a phone number for you?
My feeling is that he wanted to get me on the phone and use his power and “authority” to bully and try and get me to take the post down. Bryan Loritts is into damage control. Having had an exchange with Bryan in March of 2013 I decided to be much more cautious in how to engage him. I decided that email would be the best format to do so. But Bryan still didn’t respond, so on August 25, 2016 I published the following post called “An Email Exchange with Bryan Loritts in March of 2013 Helps Shine Light on the Alleged Cover Up of Rick Trotter’s Voyeurism in Fellowship Memphis.” On August 25, 2016 I sent Bryan another email which you can read below:
Bryan-
If you want to give me a statement I will gladly publish it. You had said that there are things you would like to clarify. If you want to write that up into a statement I will gladly publish it. You are free to email that statement to me.
Very Respectfully,
David Bonner
Bryan in response emailed me the following:
Brother,
You have slandered me. I’m coming to you in the spirit of Matthew 18:15 wanting to talk to you directly. If you believe in Jesus and are committed to loving your neighbor you’ll find a way for us to talk. Also there’s one vital piece of information you are missing that will completely change all your conclusions.
Again, I ask what’s a number to contact you so we can chat?
That last email is the final email I received from Bryan Loritts. I was accused of slander but on Twitter things got very hot and Bryan demonstrated yet again the reason why I think Bryan Loritts needs anger management. (Calling Jack Nicholson!)
Behavior on Twitter
Bryan Loritts choose to go after Amy Smith on Twitter even calling her naïve. He blocked people left and right in a very aggressive way that honestly reminded me of how C.J. Mahaney’s Twitter account is run. What responsibility! What manliness! Preach about being a man but remember that you are exempt from what you teach and expect others to do. Plus in the spirit of Neo-Calvinism and the celebrity pastor circuit when you have been allegedly engaged in illegal misconduct you flee. You act like Jonah and you run! Here’s how Andrew (Caldwa) reacted on Twitter to being blocked after asking Bryan Loritts a question.
With that Bryan would block people left and right on Twitter. It left some people stunned. Bryan Loritts has become a very arrogant person. The guy I remembered speaking with and hanging out with late on night after TCX in the downtown Minneapolis Hilton in December 2002 has been replaced by someone who has bought into the Reformed Industrial Complex. What does that mean? It means publishing contracts, and it means hitting as many conferences as possible. Above all else it means you don’t gave a damn about a person that was hurt or wounded, even if it was someone who was in the bathroom of the church you led and were responsible for. Nope what matters is the almighty nature of the “sovereign American dollar.”
What Got Me Blocked on Twitter
So what was the obscene or questionable thing that I did that led to me being blocked by Bryan Loritts on Twitter? Did I say something profane? Did I say something over the top? Did I say anything rude? Did I say anything distrustful? No here is what I did. The Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Conference (ERLC) took place in Louisville, Kentucky on August 25, and 26th. Correct me if I am wrong but its my understanding the ERLC is led by Russell Moore. Bryan Loritts was one of the featured speakers along with Matt Chandler, Trevin Wax and Jared Wilson and so many more. On Twitter Bryan Loritts asked for prayer before he preached at the ERLC. I Tweeted back that I thought prayers would be more appropriate for the women and underage females that were caught in the restroom at Fellowship Memphis and the Downtown Church. And as a Christian to call for praying for the those that were hurt is the obscene act that resulted in Bryan Loritts banning me. Now here is what I find incredibly ironic. Bryan was preaching at the ERLC and here is this guy at this conference that is all about engaging the culture with the Gospel and how the culture is in a crisis. And yet Bryan Loritts can’t admit that he was allegedly involved in the destruction of child pornography. He can’t call child pornography a sin. He can’t call voyeurism a sin. He can’t call the alleged cover up a sin. Maybe the ERLC should have stopped its conference and dealt with one of its speakers instead if they are concerned with the culture. That is just a suggestion. But asking for prayers for the people whose trust was violated in the Fellowship Memphis restroom is what got me blocked. Now compare that behavior with the comments I have been approving on this blog from people at Fellowship Memphis and Downtown Church. Last night I approved a comment form someone who drunk the Kool-Aide who called me sick and obsessive. My response was “Great I’ll work on my resume and apply to Chris Davis and Richard Rieves Downtown Church!”
Another Reason why the Celebrity Pastor Model is Flawed
Bryan Loritt’s behavior is deeply disturbing and it shows the problem with the celebrity pastor model. Let me ask this question…who keeps someone like Bryan Loritts in check? Who is he accountable to? After all Bryan has largely lived in a bubble his entire life. Did he ever have a performance evaluation? Did he ever have to work with a boss to improve performance? Did he ever have a boss have a difficult conversation with him about habits at work or time management? I would venture to say no….he’s lived on the circuit and chases the next conference and more. This model is flawed. Bryan Loritts should not have been teaching or even speaking at Russell Moore’s ERLC. But what about Cru’s Christmas Conferences? Bryan Loritts is a popular speaker with Cru. Is he on the schedule to speak at any of the Christmas conferences at Cru? That is something that I am going to look into in the days to come. As a Cru alumnus who planted the chapter at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 2000 to 2002 that is very high on my list of concerns.
The celebrity pastor model needs to be dismantled. Its killing and destroying the evangelical Christian faith. Bryan Loritts is now exhibiting the same problems that C.J Mahaney and individuals like Mark Driscoll did when their corruption came to the surface. They deny, they flee and they run. Is it any surprise why Bryan Loritts has held at least three jobs in the last two years? He ran from Memphis to New York City, and now he ran to the San Francisco Bay area. The Gospel and what celebrity pastors teach applies to everyone else – but not to them. Not just that but do you notice how their behavior in the end is similar? We need to dismantle the celebrity pastor model as it is hurting the church and the faith. Plus it attracts unhealthy people who love to be in the spotlight and bask in the power and fame. The celebrity pastor model represents the world more than it does the Gospel. As always know that I love you guys!
Wondering Eagle 
Hi David
I am officially blocked by Lori’s. Whenever these guys do this thing, I realize that they are deeply afraid of what is happening. In some ways, this could be admission of some sort of guilt.
I plan to discuss your posts on Monday and maybe again of Wednesday. You are the best!
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Thanks Mom!!
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Keep up the good work. Someday these men will see that God builds His church, and He does not need them to maintain control. God bless you. Praying for all concerned.
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Well I can understand this dude’s wanting to talk instead of do an email exchange. You’re threatening his livelihood. His job and bonus structure is all about getting new people into his organization and then getting all his followers to pay money to the church, buy his books, etc… Add to that the fact that he probably believes in all the god stuff as well, well is it any wonder he doesn’t react well? Email makes it easier to display on the web then a phone conversation does.
Most people don’t like having their religious beliefs analyzed or checked to see if they really believe what they’re saying they do. It’s real easy to do the Christian thing when everything is hunky dory and in the tribe. When outsiders start pointing out the rot at the core, its natural to lash out to protect ones own ego and beliefs then change.
So you’ve threatened both his livelihood and called into question what he actually believes. Not a big surprise he’s gotten upset. He’s going to be just like a wounded animal, fight or flight responses in high gear.
On the flipside, he’s totally helping my side out. The more the actual practice of theism is shown, the more people will start putting the dots together, the more will walk away.
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“You’re threatening his livelihood.”
Likely he believes he is protecting the church, when he is only protecting his local institution at best. Loritts probably just can’t conceive that preserving his income and power would have any bearing on his actions, yet we have all kinds of conflict of interest rules and regulations in the non-profit world that exist because the opposite is true.
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Because then “it’s Your Word Against Mine, Minion of SATAN.”
Remember the First Rule of Russian Bureaucracy: Plausible Deniability. “If Nothing’s Written Down, It Never Happened And You Can’t Prove It Ever Did.”
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Blue – In a way you’re right, behavior like this from so-called leaders allegedly representing God does make your work easier. But it doesn’t make your work right, and it doesn’t make your perspective true. These practices of Lorritts’s may represent some vague notion of “theism” (though I think they more likely represent the behavior of an abusive personality seeking to control damage to its personal kingdom), but in no manner do they represent anything for which Jesus stood.
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Truthdetector sorry to get back to you so late. Busy week and then I caught the call center equivalent of kennel cough. Anyways, I’ve got a few thoughts for your response.
I wouldn’t call them so-called. They lead churches, big ones. They are thought leaders of their particular sect of Christianity. If that doesn’t qualify them, then the term leadership means nothing.
What work is that? I’m just a friend of Eagle’s and a random commentor on a blog. I don’t have a blog of my own, I’m not a member of any activist or advocate group. Just a guy on the internets. As to what makes my perspective true is the lack of empirical evidence for any supernatural phenomenon. Any theist is welcome to provide said evidence and I’d be happy to move out of the atheist camp towards acknowledging theism as real.
I wouldn’t say it’s vague. Lorritts is explicitly Christian. So is Mother Theresa, so is Martin Luther, Dr. Martin Luther King, Max Lucado, and Al Moheler. All of these represent flavors/sects/denominations of Christianity. They all represent your Jesus since if they don’t I’d imagine he’d settle their hash pretty quick right? Certainly did with Annanias and Sapphira. Since your god doesn’t say stop, seems like he’s pretty chill with what’s going on in his name.
Jesus tends to stand for whatever the speaker wants him to stand for. And that’s okay. It’s a very human thing to do. Allah and Mohammed tend to stand for very different things according to the wishes of the followers of that faith. Same thing in Asatru, Wicca, Buddhism, etc…
Have a good Sunday and nice to meet you.
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“Brother,
You have slandered me. I’m coming to you in the spirit of Matthew 18:15 wanting to talk to you directly. If you believe in Jesus and are committed to loving your neighbor you’ll find a way for us to talk. Also there’s one vital piece of information you are missing that will completely change all your conclusions.
Again, I ask what’s a number to contact you so we can chat? ”
Boy that is Deja vu. First of all, he shows he has no clue about slander/libel. So he falsely accuses you right there. But the slander accusation is thrown around like crazy in his pastor-celebrity world so it is to be expected. But the more they get outside their bubble they have to consider how ignorant they look when they use it.
Secondly this has nothing to do with Matthew 18. That just shows his ignorance as a Bible scholar. They all throw this out but it is used to intimidate people from speaking up. Matthew 18 is about personal offense. It is not about covering up evil or about covering up breaking the law.
Third, The last thing he is going to do is to tell you his “vital information” that will change your mind….in writing. If I had a dollar for every time I have heard this from some church staffer or celebrity Christian, I could retire. There is always some “vital piece of information” that must be kept confidential that would change everyone’s mind. But they can tell YOU but you can’t print it. Right. It has become a joke. They all do this whether it is a huge Issue or a small one. The phone call is for love bombing. You, too, can be a dude bro in the inner circle if you go along. ( they really do believe this about themselves and sadly many people will go along with that )
It is all about controlling the narrative. And many people actually buy into it. It obviously works in their church bubble and the Christian Industrial Complex or they would have to stop using it. He honestly believes that if he can get you on the phone and play his ‘brother I love you’ cheesy bit, he can control the narrative on your blog. Control you, control your narrative. It’s what they do best.
I am so done with all the cheesy phony love bombing platitudes that comes out of this deceptive and manipulative world. This is a very serious issue. And he makes it more and more obvious each day he could care less about those who were used for Trotter’s evil selfish gratification.
What scares me more than guys like Loritts are those who follow him. These sorts of “Christian” celebs could not operate if people did not pay them.
(Btw, it doesn’t take much to get blocked by ERLC’s Russ Moore or Joe Carter, either. Now those two are some downright nasty guys. )
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“I’m coming to you in the spirit of Matthew 18:15”
Ack, gag
I think we should approach Loritts in the spirit of 1 John 4:1.
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Make that “Christianese thick enough to choke on.”
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In Christianese, from the one-up position of Church Lady Superiority.
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If they really had vital info that would change everything they would tell the world! Because it would absolve them of guilt.
The only reason for not telling all are legal constraints (in which case, he can’t tell you over the phone either), or because they don’t actually have anything that will make them look better.
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“Vital info which we cannot talk about because of (1) the Vast Conspiracy (2) to Protect Our Sources (3) The Vast Conspiracy.”
Where have we heard this one before, from Art Bell Open Phones to John Piper bragging about casting out demons long ago. Just in Christianese the Vast Conspiracy is always SATANIC(TM).
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I’d just point out to Bryan Loritts that “slander” is spoken defamation. A blog post like here at Wondering Eagle’s place would be “libel” or printed defamation if it could be shown that Eagle had libeled Loritts. Thing is, Loritts is at least a quasi-public figure (is in a pulpit, speaks at ERLC, that sort of thing) and would have a higher burden of proof to show libel. In my opinion, Eagle has done a good job of documenting the problems at Fellowship Memphis and in my ex-lawyer opinion (for what it’s worth) what he’s written is not libelous.
Plus, truth is an absolute defense to libel, and that’s the kicker, isn’t it? What went on at Fellowship Memphis is pretty awful, if not possibly criminal. The church failed to report voyeurism, there are allegations the church had the evidence destroyed and tried to coerce the victims into forgiving the perp in order to sweep the whole thing under the rug.
I’m personally of the opinion that Fellowship Memphis and all the other churches involved, Bryan Loritts and John Bryson need to come clean on this *without blaming the victims in any way, shape or form.* Do I think it will happen? Nope, she wrote as she got up to prepare for another Sunday picketing Mark Driscoll.
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Whoops. auto correct changed Loritts to Lori’s.
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>Also there’s one vital piece of information you are missing that will completely change all your conclusions.
Unless that ‘vital’ piece of information is that none of this actually happened? I’m not seeing anything that would change people’s conclusions.
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” Also there’s one vital piece of information you are missing that will completely change all your conclusions.”
Really? The information that David has obtained is not secret stuff. The Memphis media is all over it. So, instead of just sharing that “one vital piece of information” with David, shouldn’t it be released to the general public?
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Where have we heard that one before?
Ah, yes. The “one vital piece of information” that has been suppressed by The Conspiracy.
“Coast to Coast — West of the Rockies, You’re On The Air!”
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““Coast to Coast — West of the Rockies, You’re On The Air!””
Know I know why Big Foots don’t go to church – of being filmed in the bathroom or “upskirted ” at the alter!
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Oh my gosh. You are seriously asking if BRYAN needs anger management but you have an entire blog dedicated to how angry you are?!?! I’ve been trying to follow along, but this is a whole new level of crazy. How about I join you both in anger management?
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Do you think all of the journalists who report news are “angry” too?
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There is nothing wrong with righteous anger. Anger because your position or reputation is threatened because of a thing you did is a different thing. Maybe the poster should learn the difference.
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Well, you know in that world it is a sin for victims to be angry. But not a sin for the leaders to block people from questions about the evil they covered up. It is a world where good is evil. They can’t call real evil, evil. They totally redefine right and wrong.
It is a very upside down world. My prayer is for people to get out of it so they can begin to think away from the constant cognitive dissonance.
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“you have an entire blog dedicated to how angry you are?!?!”
Is there a list of ploys used by silencers on the web? This one is not one of the top contenders, probably halfway down the list, but hey, the ?!?! is a nice touch.
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Lol!
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Abundant Life Christian Fellowship is in my neck of the woods in Silicon Valley (California).
ALCF is known for its “no talk rules”. When former pastor Paul Sheppard had an affair and was forced out, they covered at ALCF for that too. I knew something was wrong with the guy when I was there with a friend for a service and he kept making hostile digs at his sweet wife from the pulpit. I thought, “This man is hostile and he’s doing something wrong to her. And he just disrespected her before all of us to prove his power.”
Bryan should understand that this is very serious matter involving a family member and that he shouldn’t start with the “slander” card but understand the church goers alarm at this epidemic of criminal activity by clergy.
Take care.
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Use proper code words, Comrade.
“Righteousness”, not “anger”.
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I guess Jesus got angry enough about that sort of stuff to suggest millstones round necks, but frankly, let’s get down to brass tacks, what does a follower of an authoritarian cult who chimes in to scold a whistleblower on a blog really care about Jesus anyway?
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“If you believe in Jesus and are committed to loving your neighbor you’ll find a way for us to talk.”
Wait. I didn’t realize that email wasn’t talking?
Bryan Loritts, just stop. You are not above reproach. I find it laughable that there’s some missing piece of the puzzle here that would “clear” up everything. Your brother-in-law – who I’m assuming married your sister? – is a sexual pervert. You had clear evidence of this and yet you protected him anyway, allowing victims to be told that other victims were not pressing charges because Trotter has a family. Trotter hurt his family, his immediate church family, and the entire testimony of the church. The best thing you could have done was turn him over to the PROPER authorities and let the entire thing run its course. Instead, you’ve incriminated yourself. May God have mercy on you. I pray God rains down justice on you. I pray he rains down justice on other sexual perverts and their protectors.
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But when he married, he united his House with House Loritts.
Like House Baratheon with House Lannister.
Or House Bolton with House Stark.
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“Also there’s one vital piece of information you are missing that will completely change all your conclusions.”
Ha ha! This reminds me of those click-bait ads “You won’t believe this one amazing fact!” “Learn the truth now!”
I’m not on Twitter but I do read some peoples’ tweets and I’ve seen how these church leader guys block people the minute there is anything less than praise and agreement. It’s so cheesy. The people who are constantly buttering them up with flattery as if every word they utter is life changing is hard to stomach. Man, once you are outside of that world you realize how ridiculous it looks to the rest of the world.
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True! Not just that but I think of the comments I approve about myself that are spitful and mean. But it goes along with the territory.
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“True! Not just that but I think of the comments I approve about myself that are spitful and mean. But it goes along with the territory.”
Yes. It’s called being a grown up. :o)
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“With a ruler, you can lay the flattery on with a trowel.”
— Benjamin Disraeli
And when you have a ruler like Comrade Stalin or Baba Saddam, out-flattering the others may be a matter of life-and-death survival.
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Eagle, Everybody?
One of the perks and characteristics of being a CELEBRITY is to fly into a purple-faced screaming diaper-pooping RAGE every time you are slighted, real or imagined. That’s why a CELEBRITY surrounds himself with panting Yes-Men and ONLY panting Yes-Men who tell the CELEBRITY only what the CELEBRITY wants to hear.
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Hi Eagle! Ok, so I thought I’d weigh in:
1. Your tweet did not strike me as libelous (although granted, I’m not a lawyer).
2. What does Loritts have against written statements? Seems to me that any legit organization shouldn’t have a problem with going on written record about things.
Just my $0.02. = )
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Thanks!
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PLAUSIBLE DENIABILITY.
Remember the (unwritten, of course) first Rule of Russian/Soviet Bureaucracy:
“If nothing’s written down, It Never Happened and You Can’t Prove It Ever Did.”
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Dude, get a life! Please…you seriously must have nothing else to do.
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I love comments like this as it reveals a lot about these places. Please comment away! 🙂
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I am really saddened at the tone of your blogs.What is it that Bryan Loritts did to you that Jesus sacrifice on the cross did not atone for?What is in it for you?If I did not know that both of you were Christians,I would have thought that you are two political rivals.Are you drawing many to Christ?Are you building the body at all?What does forgiveness look like to you? By the way,why don’t you want to meet with him?Are you gonna avoid him in heaven?Are you guys going to be emailing each other in heaven?
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Is this the same Becky whose husband is on the board of elders and Fellowship Memphis and approved the hiring of and investigative/PR firm to harass and silence the victims and the truth about what was going on there vis-a-vis sexual predators? Is that what Jesus would’ve done? Maybe it’s not the same Becky…just curious…
Anyway…
Actually, I’m pretty amazed by the restraint Eagle shows when dealing with churches (like Fellowship, Downtown (Presbyterian) Church, 2nd Presbyterian Church of Memphis, et al) that are wickedly hiring known sexual predators, covering up their misdeeds, paying them off with the congregation’s money while keeping the church members violated and at-risk in the dark.
I’m not sure that people who hire and protect those who sexually prey upon women and kids and treat the church money like a personal family piggy bank are actually redeemed. Fortunately, I don’t have to make that call; it will be God’s, but I do have an obligation to rightfully question someone’s salvation who behaves this way, but quotes Scripture. (The devil was/is fluent in Scripture, too!)
Bryan Loritts and these other fake men of God who use his name for profit should be called into account. Perhaps, the better question is, “Why aren’t YOU deeply offended that these so-called men are doing this from the pulpit?” Ostriches hide from predators by burying their heads in the sand; it is poor protection, but at least they don’t see themselves eaten by the ravenous creatures. Collectively, we know that evil on this earth triumphs when good men and women do nothing.
We are told that it is not good enough to act as if you didn’t know. We are admonished to “rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?” (Prov 24:11-12)
Not all are going to Heaven. It is a long cattle drive and we are going to lose a few satanic heifers and steers on the cliffs along the way (and some will need to be pushed). I don’t know what God has in store, nor do I make the final judgment, but I am certain there is a Hell, and, as such, some folks will be surprised to be there. I am not going to be surprised if many of it’s eternal residents prove to be “men of the cloth” who knowingly hired and covered for sexual predators.
Accepting Jesus has always involved some repentance and a change; these devilish leaders not only don’t repent, they attack the victims. Whether they one day face the fires of Hell or the agony of standing in front of the Bema seat while their heinous and malicious deeds are recounted, you don’t want to be in their shoes. Nor do you want to be in the shoes of one who makes excuses for them.
Bryan Loritts and his compatriots in crime have compromised the church, damaged the faith of worshipers and former attendees and provided fodder for those who attempt to belittle the name of Jesus based on their actions. It is wicked blasphemy and must be addressed! If I had to guess, that is Eagle’s beef with him.
Great question. Speaks to motive. There is nothing in it for Eagle, but taking the slings and arrows of those who’d criticize him for protecting people he doesn’t even know for the sake of Christ.
What is in it for the wicked leaders who promulgate this villainous work? Money, reputation protection, fame, access through a weirdly (and misguidedly) imputed “holiness” by being in “ministry” that they’d never have the ability nor talent to achieve in the real marketplace.
In short, Eagle will not get the million dollar homes and sundry benefits these swindlers get suckling at the teat of the church coffers , but he can look himself in the mirror and know his treasures are being gathered in Heaven. Isn’t it sad that the leaders at this church can’t say the same? But, at the risk of being redundant, I was always taught that good guys DO sometimes lose on this earth, but bad guys ALWAYS go to Hell! (True in the time of the Psalmists and ever-true today)
I think there are 2 sides here: the side that encourages and protects those who sexually prey on women and children and the side that wishes to see them exposed and driven to their knees. I feel certain I know which side God is on–which side are you on, Becky?
I don’t, in fact, know that they are both Christians. Again, fortunately, I don’t have to make that final judgment. What I do know is that Jesus had little tolerance for those who would harm little ones.
“If anyone causes one of these little ones–those who believe in me–to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.” (Mark 9:42–also, repeated in other Gospels, so we can feel sure He was serious)
I can only suspect that (according to James 3:1) an even stricter judgment awaits those who call themselves “ministers” and “teachers” and put little ones in harm’s way of predators who would steal their innocence & potentially cause them life-long hardships.
To recap: those who promote and protect sexual predators and the expense of the innocent are not on the same spiritual team as Jesus or as me. I can’t speak for Eagle, but I’m not gonna even pretend for a second (for the sake of some fake civility) that they are. Shame on you, if you are on their team. You can’t be lukewarm on this.
People have approached these wicked leaders in gentleness and kindness, and they have remained stiff-necked in sin and lies. Furthermore, they have hired an investigative/PR team that prides itself on working “in the shadows.” (https://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2015/oct/26/caissa-public-strategy-works-behind-the-scenes-for-clients/print) A firmer approach is called for to deal with these spiritual knuckleheads on the pulpit, lest they believe this unGodly behavior is OK.
(question: What do you tell a man with 2 black eyes? answer: Nothing . You’ve already told him twice.)
Count me as an unwavering rival to those who protect sexual predators among the vulnerable innocents. Count me as a steadfast rival to those who call out those who use the church for personal gain. Count me as a rival to those who attack the victims of sexual abuse.
How about you, Becky? Are you “on the fence” on this one?
I don’t have any idea how many people Eagle is drawing to Christ. One day, in Heaven, I’ll see the fruits of his faithfulness. I do know that there are special rewards in Heaven for him for striving to protect God’s little ones from the wolves who would prey upon them. Our pastors are supposed to be shepherds and protect the flock from wolves, but too often (as in this case) they ARE the wolves! Jesus said this would be true, so please don’t act as if this could not be.
I do know to not be impressed by numbers, Just because these bozos are the ministry equivalents of the Kardasians, do not be moved by their followings on Twitter, etc, The multiplicative property of zero comes into play here; any number of empty followers (such as those who would turn the other way to abuses by the pastorate and elders) is still a net result of zero.
I think Eagle’s courage and conviction draw more people into real faith that the glitz and glamour of the celebrated Pervert Protection Programs guys like John Bryson, Ben Parkinson, Bryan Loritts, Sandy Wilson, Hamp Holcomb, et al run.
The real question here, Becky, is what does REPENTANCE look like to you?!? I presume it does not involve continuing to sin in the same way, creating new lies to cover sin, and hiring attack dogs to go after the victims. Why aren’t you asking these questions of Loritts and the Pervert Protection Program?
Forgiveness does not preclude consequences. David’s sin with Bathsheba and the cover-up cost him his child, AND the sword never left the House of David (Israel). Jesus granted one contrite thief on the cross a place in Heaven; however, it should be noted that He did not pop the nails out of the thief’s cross, part the crowd, and have him met with a golden chariot to drive his newly Extreme Home Makeover earthly home (tho’ He certainly could have); nope, that man died a painful death but received salvation. Forgiveness doesn’t necessarily negate repercussions. It is entirely possible to forgive a sexual predator and simultaneously ask that he be swiftly (and even permanently) jailed.
Again, Becky, your questioning is misguided. The true question is “Why will Bryan Loritts not publicly defend his misdeeds or have that discussion?” The real answer is that he wishes to remain in the dark recesses where he tries to maintain plausible deniability and his mis-statements don’t meet disinfecting sunlight. He has lawyered up (as I am quite sure Jesus would’ve done, right?) and hired a crisis management team to make sure the Truth is not revealed (again, Jesus did this, too, right?) Loritts, when he goes public, ensnares himself in his own lies (such as when he claims that the video voyeurism in his church bathroom involved no kids, and was reported to the police and the TN Department of Children’s Services; the problems with that are that not only have the police and DCS said this was not true, but, if there were in fact no kids involved as Loritts maintains, why was the Department of Children’s services contacted at all? (you can see this played out on Twitter at… http://watchkeep.blogspot.com/2016/08/founding-and-former-lead-pastor-of.html ) I’m sure his lawyers and PR people have told him to not engage in written or recorded discussions anymore, as his wicked lies get exposed).
These drecks of humanity we too often have in the ministry will lie, cheat and steal to protect and further their profiteering enterprises. I strongly suggest that no one speaks to them without a tape recorder (TN is a one-party consent state—you can already picture these ministerial nitwits scrambling to try and prove their recorded cell phone calls occurred while they were standing across a state line, right?) It is said that the Truth will set you free; for the people involved with Fellowship Memphis and these predator cover-ups, the Truth may see them in shackles!
As far a meeting them in Heaven, I cannot speak for Eagle, but I expect to be so preoccupied with the awe and majesty of God as to pay no mind to whether they are there or not. For now, I’m not betting the farm that they will be in the vicinity.
Becky, you need to realize that frequently there are bad people who say good things (even from a pulpit) and sometimes there are good people who say things that are hard to hear. Jesus was one in the latter camp.
Be careful about becoming an unwitting minion of bad people. There is a reason that these church leaders won’t be public with these stories and hope for other unsuspected (even well-meaning) followers to do their dirty work. It is true in the Christian church, Scientology, when Bin Laden convinced OTHER PEOPLE to strap bombs to themselves, or Batman’s villain-of-the-week who always had interchangeable dimwitted crews to take all the punches for the revered criminal “mastermind.”
Get mad at evil–not the people who expose it. Question church leaders–real men of humility and Godliness will welcome it and can be publicly bold in proclaiming truth. Protect the weak who would be preyed upon by the unscrupulous and cowardly. Make sure you are on the side of God (hint: if you think God’s side favors hiring and protecting sexual predators WHO HAVE PREYED UPON THEIR CHURCH BODY, you need to crush some tin foil on your spiritual antennae, because you are getting bad reception!)
By the way, if you are still drinking the Loritts/Bryson kool-aide, I suggest you view the movie “Spotlight”
(avail now on Netflix). It may open your eyes to group-think. The modern evangelical church behaves EXACTLY like the Catholic church exposed in the story, only they’ve figured out how to get much wealthier (books, speaking engagements, under-the-table benefits, etc) further down the chain than the Catholic priests ever did!
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