Loyalty for Sale

As far as I can tell, Ruben was the first Protestant Mexican missionary to be sent from Mexico to any African country. Most of his financial support came from Mexican churches, but he did visit a few of my own supporting churches in the United States.

While visiting my “home church,” he stayed with a young student of the Bible college who was preparing to go to Mexico as a missionary, who had visited me on a few occasions, and with whom he had developed a nominal friendship. The young man also interpreted for him in a few of the area churches.

While staying in the young man’s home, Ruben logged onto the computer to check and send his email through his Hotmail account, and was horrified at what he found. The young man had been viewing sado-masochistic child pornography - images of nude little boys bound in chains.

When Ruben called me about it, I couldn’t help but recall how a few years previous, the young man had been accused by a boy on his Sunday school bus of inappropriate touching. The young man had denied it and passed a lie detector test, and so the case had been dismissed. He continued studying in the college, teaching Sunday school, and working on the Sunday school bus.

The Internet images however, were of grave concern to me. This person was preparing for the ministry, and would soon be in a position of trust and responsibility. As a missionary, he would also be without direct supervision.

I called The Pastor to report it, who assured me it would be taken care of.

Believing it was not my place to “check up” on the pastor, I asked no more questions to follow up on how it had been taken care of. I did talk to the young man on the phone, though, told him I loved him, and was concerned about him overcoming his addiction to pornography – especially this kind of pornography. He had discussed his problem with The Pastor and had worked out some kind of plan.

But something didn’t seem right. The young man was still in school and still active in the church. The treatment seemed quite out of character for The Pastor.

It seemed strange to me that the Pastor had forgotten that the young man had been viewing child pornography, and had believed his story that he had just gotten an email teaser and had followed the link to a porn site, viewing it only briefly before being overcome with guilt and then closing it.

But he hadn't forgotten. He had found the ideal instrument for manipulation.

Having something like this to hold over his head, The Pastor knew he could keep the young man's loyalty - or so he thought.

The student was allowed to finish college, but his diploma was withheld because of certain "attitude problems." He was ordered to continue as a student in the "Master's" program until a change of attitude could be observed - a paying student, of course, paying for a bogus degree from a non-accredited college.

When the student refused, the Pastor threatened him with divine judgment. When he left, The Pastor told him, “I’d be afraid to even walk across the street if I were you.” He enrolled in another fundamentalist Bible college across town.

Soon, he began to post on an internet forum dedicated to criticism of The Pastor and his “ministry.” The Pastor called me and asked me to reiterate in a letter what Ruben had seen. I gave him what he requested, thinking it was my duty to warn the other college and other ministries of the danger into which they might be placing their children.

I later learned that The Pastor sent a copy of my letter to the young man and threatened to send it to the other college president and other ministry leaders if he did not cease and desist his public criticism of The Pastor and his church via the Internet.

I was incensed that The Pastor was using blackmail to stop criticism directed toward him rather than try to protect the innocent.

By this time, I was already becoming aware that the real unpardonable sin in religion is disloyalty. Any other sin can and will be forgiven in exchange for it.

Among the churches I was familiar with:

A Bible college professor was fired for having an affair with one of the students. Several years later, he was hired back as the Christian school principle.

A missionary had numerous affairs with church members. He was brought back to the States and given a pastorate.

A pastor’s son had numerous affairs in his father’s church, so he was given a pastorate in a distant state where he had numerous other affairs. He was involved in producing pornography, and his son died mysteriously after numerous broken bones and other injuries. He was given a position in another fundamentalist church.

A pastor in California was fired for having numerous affairs with church members. He went back into evangelism.

A deacon molested several girls in his church. After their testimony, his pastor defended him, stating that the man "just likes little girls."

Whatever opionion one has about the duty of a church to forgive and restore, it is obvious to the honest observer that the one characteristic of those who are "restored" is that a pledge of loyalty is made to the group, church, denomination, or movement. The sin they have committed actually gives the religious leadership powerful sway over them for the rest of their lives. Of whom much has been forgiven, much shall be required.

I don’t know where the young man is today. The last I heard, he was in a fundamentalist church somewhere in Texas.

Churchgoing parents, beware.