Many pastors love the “perks” of the ministry – especially large ministries – the salary, the security, the parsonage, the power, the respect – but when it comes to the heavier responsibilities of the ministry, many of these same pastors are found wanting.
Pastor Phelps could have taken care of this 14 years ago – but he didn’t. He knew that a teenaged girl had been impregnated by a 40 year-old married male usher (a crime) – but he chose to deem the girl “dishonest” and “complicit” and did virtually nothing. There was some weak attempt at phoning the authorities, but there was great effort expended to make this whole ugly situation go away.
Of course, Pastor Phelps can’t be held responsible for the despicable actions of Ernie Willis, but the pastor can be held responsible for allowing Ernie to go 14 years without accounting for his crime of statutory rape.
And, here we are…
Wednesday, May 25, 2011…
These were live trial updates posted by Amy Coveno of WMUR. My comments begin with » and are in italics…
Start Live Trial Updates: It appears we are about to begin. Both legal teams just returned to the courtroom. Ernest Willis is at his customary seat at the defense table and Pastor Phelps is seated in the witness stand. Judge Smukler and jury have to arrive.
Dr. Chuck Phelps is again on the stand.
We’re told Tina Anderson will remain out of the courtroom until Pastor Phelps is through testifying.
Pastor Phelps is reminded he is under oath. The state is continuing their direct examination regarding the church discipline that occurred in front of the congregation.
Again, Pastor Phelps is speaking directly to the jury and referring to his notes from 1997 regarding what he said to the congregation during the ‘church discipline’ when Tina Anderson and Ernie Willis admitted ‘sins’ before the congregation.
Pastor Phelps says these incidents were presented as Tina Dooley seeking forgiveness for allowing a compromising situation. Ernie Willis apologized for going outside his marriage.
Pastor Phelps is now reading Ernie Willis’ statement that he made in 1997 about going outside his marital vows aloud to the jury.
Now the state is asking Pastor Phelps for the statement that “Tina was made to read.” The Pastor says he read the statement aloud and he is now reading the statement to the jury.
“It’s with a heavy heart that I come before you to seek your forgiveness as I have already asked forgiveness of the Lord, that in the past couple of months I have been in compromising situations…”
State: Tina told you she didn’t understand why she was going before the congregation in that service when you read that statement. Pastor: She crafted the letter. Tina clearly understood what the service was about. State: In your day-planner you wrote “Tina having a hard time with guilt”
Pastor: I read to Tina from Deuteronomy 22. The passage is about a maiden in a field and she is accosted by a man, the maiden screamed and no one was there to help her. Then the passage refers to a maiden in a city who is accosted by a man, she didn’t scream. There is the appearance of complicity.
» “Complicity” – at 15 years-old? At 15, Tina was considered a minor and, according to the law, was incapable of adult decision making. This rash determination on Phelps’ part shows a bias in favor of Willis (“he had the most to lose”) and against Tina – just another case of a female enticing a male to sin – a reoccurring theme in Independent Fundamentalism. That’s why IFB preaching and thinking was relevant to the case.
Pastor Phelps says he told Tina we are in a city we want to hear you and help you.
Pastor now reading verbatim from the bible the passage he read aloud to Tina when she was pregnant and 16 years old at the State’s request.
» “If a damsel that is a virgin…and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of the city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not…” ~ Deuteronomy 22: 23, 24 (KJV)
Pastor says I was reading this passage to a 16 year old girl who had not been truthful with me but I did not imply that she would be stoned. That’s a ridiculous application, said Pastor Phelps.
» First of all, it’s amazing that this particular passage is the “go to” passage in this case – the Deuteronomy passage stating the “complicit” female should be stoned. Second – it’s amazing to me how cavalierly IFB preachers will dismiss part of the Bible while simultaneously enforcing and teaching other portions of the very same Bible. Verse number 5 of this very same chapter of Deuteronomy is the scripture that IFB churches and Christian schools use to base their dress code for women on.
“The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man…” ~ Deuteronomy 22:5(a) (KJV)
Why is this not “a ridiculous application”?
Now the defense is conducting cross examination of Dr. Phelps. Defense Attorney Donna Brown is asking about the report he made to Concord police in 1997. Before he made that report he spoke with both Tina and Ernie Willis.
My notes from Ernie are that he was the aggressor but that she did not protest and he thought it was consensual, states Pastor Phelps.
» Again – we are talking about a 15 year-old girl. Did she know to “protest”? Is that something discussed in Christian school sex education?
Pastor Phelps, I did not report this as a violent rape if that is what you are asking.
» 20/20: In 1997, did you report that Tina Anderson had been raped?
Phelps: Absolutely. Yes I did.
Donna Brown: Ernie used the word consensual when he spoke with you? Phelps: that’s correct.
Phelps the note I have that Tina told my wife that she was ‘passive’.
Phelps: I also called the after hours help line at DCYF (Department of Children, Youth & Families) but they indicated this was now a police matter.
Phelps: When I first said to Ernie I’ve heard some dreadful news…Ernie Willis said it’s true, I’m responsible, it happened twice.
DB: Is one of the things Tina was dishonest about going to the Bedford Village Inn on her 16th Birthday? Phelps: Tina was very dishonest with me. State: Objection, non responsive. Judge: Sustained.
» Pastor Phelps again shows his bias against Tina, the abused, in favor of Willis, the abuser. A common theme in all of IFB-dom – once again showing the relevancy of Phelps’ IFB training at Bob Jones University and the cult-like structure of Independent Fundamental Baptist churches where male dominance over females is constantly taught.
DB: You knew Willis had gone to Bedford Village Inn on her 16th birthday because he told you that he knew she was 15 because he took her to the restaurant on her 16th birthday.
DB: You knew there were receipts from BVI (Bedford Village Inn) for Tina’s 16th birthday. Pastor: Yes.
» There was never any doubt about Tina’s age at the time of the assaults.
Phelps: Tina said she’d seen him once and it never happened again and she reiterated that over and over again. Phelps: I figured Ernie had far more to lose than Tina by being honest, so I figured Tina was being dishonest.
» Bias again. Is it any wonder that, left up to Chuck Phelps, Ernie Willis would have never been called to account for his illicit actions.
Phelps: Tina told my wife, this happened once and it never happened again.
Phelps says Tina lied about Phelps’ wife asking her if she ‘liked it’. Pastor, begins to cry and says it’s entirely out of the character of his loving wife.
» Few things make a husband angrier than someone, anyone, insulting their wife. Could this also account for some of Phelps’ bias against Tina?
Phelps says he totally expected there would be an arrest. That was why there was a church meeting but it was not a discipline meeting.
Pastor Phelps is weeping on the stand, again…about his responsibility as a minister.
A handful of jurors are looking intently at the Pastor as he testifies. Several are looking only at Donna Brown during cross.
» “Responsibility as a minister” – Your responsibility as a human being, Dr. Phelps, was to escort Ernie Willis to the police station and let the legal authorities determine what needed to be done – then follow it through. Not hold a “church meeting.” But this is another result of IFB training and thinking – God’s church is always above the law.
Phelps: The Bible says if someone comes to you and says will you forgive, than you will forgive them. “Forgive and Forget’ is a philosophy that is contrary to everything I know. I never said forgive and forget.
» I covered this in yesterday’s blog. IFBers are always taught to “forgive” and “leave behind” what is in the past and “not look back” lest a “root of bitterness” cause you to become “bitter.” Confrontation is never taught.
Now: for the State, Wayne Coull, on redirect. Phelps: Tina lied to me. She was in a relationship with a married man. They went to the Bedford Village Inn and lied to me about it. Ernie was immediately honest with me.
» Keep in mind, in Phelps’ world, the “honest” one is the guy who betrayed his wife and kids by seeking out sex with a teenager.
Wayne Coull: You’re posing questions to a child without any training. Confrontational questions to the victim of a crime and you don’t have any training, do you? Phelps: I have extensive training but not as a social worker or as a police officer.
Phelps: I’m finishing my answer, please. Prosecutor is asking Phelps if he regretted putting Tina in front of the congregation. Phelps: Only because I saw that turn a young girl away from her church. Phelps: Police never called me.
» …and you forgot how to call them? Normally, if a leader of a congregation wants something done, he’ll make sure that it gets done – unless, of course, he wants it to go quietly away…
Phelps is excused from the stand. The state is now preparing to call their next witness.
————
Read the rest of Live Trial Updates from Day 3, May 25 (MS Word doc).
Read all of Live Trial Updates from Day 4, May 26 (MS Word doc).
As of May 27, jury is deliberating – link to Live Updates.
Verdict in — Guilty on all (4) charges.
Tina Anderson interview on WMUR, May 30, 2011.
Tina Anderson interview on AZFamily.com, May 30, 2011
Very well said. Most of the “pastors” I’ve had were lazy slobs who couldn’t get a job doing anything else.
Not sure I’d go quite that far, but good pastors are very rare.
Which is why I think (yes, it’s my opinion) that 90% of pastors are not “called” (by God) to preach. (See the blog, 10 Religious Rules of Life, under “Curious Fact”
That was horrible. Horrible. His constant defense and excusing of Willis and his attempts at character assassination of Tina are disgusting. “Ernie was immediately honest with me.” Blech. Blech. Blech. Blech. God have mercy on their lying, conniving, mean-hearted souls.
Yes – that made me ill, as well.
To say – let alone think – that a 40 year-old who has betrayed his wife & kids and sought sex with a 15 year-old is “honest” — I just can’t wrap my mind around that.
I’m not a pastor, but I do work in churches, and have for many years. Phelps did nothing right. As a mandatory reporter (which clergy, professional church workers, educators, psychologists, social workers and medical professionals are in most states), his job was to call the police. The police would have handled everything from there. What Tina wanted at age 15, or what Tina’s egg donor wanted is immaterial. When a child is sexually molested, you call the police. There’s no more “investigating” to be done. Phelps has proven himself a liar, morally bereft, and totally incapable of being in ministry.
I think Tina should drag Phelps by the ear out to a field and stone him for being an arrogant bastard-he was negligent in his duty as a Pastor.
http://woosters.org/dan/ministry/please-get-the-facts-before-typing/
Wondering if any IFB leader/member/church, etc will rescind their previous opinions about the TA case and condemn Chuck Phelps? Don’t hold my breath? I won’t.
Many in the IFB Network were quite vocal in their support of Dr. Phelps – especially on Fundy sites like Sharper Iron.
In fact, on Sharper Iron, the Chief High Grand Wizard Moderator, Aaron Blumer, on almost every occasion, implied that Tina Anderson was lying, complicit, not 15 or was coersed into creating a rape were none had occured. Blumer went further in stating that the Bible says nothing of an “age of consent”, so why do our (man’s) laws matter?
I would never expect any of these Fundy Wizards of Smart to apologize or even admit to being wrong.
You’re right not to restrict your breathing.
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Pastor Chuck Phelp’s has ‘extensive training’ ? That is what he claims.
I pray his extensive training doesn’t harm anyone else.
Great post and great comments. The mechanics of the IFB mentality, hard for outsiders to understand, even harder for insiders to give up.
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