Hundreds of sex abuse allegations found in fundamental Baptist churches across U.S

[riversedge]

This is a few weeks old but missed it earlier. Damn, what the hell is wrong with these people!!



The pastor is in complete authority in an independent fundamental Baptist church, a former church member explains.


By Neil Nakahodo | Shelly Yang | Sarah Smith


Hundreds of sex abuse allegations found in fundamental Baptist churches across U.S.


BY SARAH SMITH
Dec. 9, 2018

Joy Evans Ryder was 15 years old when she says her church youth director pinned her to his office floor and raped her.

“It’s OK. It’s OK,” he told her. “You don’t have to be afraid of anything.”

He straddled her with his knees, and she looked off into the corner, crying and thinking, “This isn’t how my mom said it was supposed to be.”

The youth director, Dave Hyles, was the son of the charismatic pastor of First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana, considered at the time the flagship for thousands of loosely affiliated independent fundamental Baptist churches and universities.
youngjoy
Joy Evans Ryder, pictured in this image from a yearbook.
Courtesy Joy Evans Ryder

At least three other teen girls would accuse Hyles of sexual misconduct, but he never faced charges or even sat for a police interview related to the accusations. When he got in trouble, Hyles was able to simply move on, from one church assignment to the next.

Hyles’ flight to safety has become a well-worn path for ministers in the independent fundamental Baptist movement.

For decades, women and children have faced rampant sexual abuse while worshiping at independent fundamental Baptist churches around the country. The network of churches and schools has often covered up the crimes and helped relocate the offenders, an eight-month Star-Telegram investigation has found.

More than 200 people — current or former church members, across generations — shared their stories of rape, assault, humiliation and fear in churches where male leadership cannot be questioned.

“It’s a philosophy — it’s flawed,” said Stacey Shiflett, an independent fundamental Baptist pastor in Dundalk, Maryland. “The philosophy is you don’t air your dirty laundry in front of everyone. Pastors think if they keep it on the down-low, it won’t impact anyone. And then the other philosophy is it’s wrong to say anything bad about another preacher.”

The Star-Telegram discovered at least 412 allegations of sexual misconduct in 187 independent fundamental Baptist churches and their affiliated institutions, spanning 40 states and Canada.

Read more here: https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article222576310.html#storylink=cpy



Independent fundamental Baptist sexual misconduct database

This map includes every church, school, camp or facility in the U.S. where an alleged abuser identified in the Star-Telegram's investigation has worked, including locations the alleged abuser worked before or after the alleged abuse occurred.
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Some churches included in this database no longer exist, and other churches have taken over their buildings. This has been updated to correct the location of White River Baptist Church in Greenwood, Indiana.
Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram Get the data ...........................

[dawg day]

1. That 1st Baptist has a long history of abuse.

The Hyles family has has several abusive pastors, including the patriarch Jack Hyles.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

2. Been saying it for years...

it's endemic in churches. Not only the Catholic Churches bailiwick. This happens in every faith.

[Freddie]

3. True but

The Catholic Church has a unique totally-top-down structure in which the individual parish has basically no say in how things are handled, making it easy for those in power to “solve” problems by covering them up.
For instance there was a local Methodist youth pastor who was molesting boys. When parents reported it to church council (the lay committee that actually governs each congregation), police were called, the pastor was arrested, the Methodist church defrocked him. That kind of local power does not exist in the RCC.
And in most Baptist churches, men have all the power while women are supposed to be subservient- another major dynamic both in this case and the RCC.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

4. +1

[Runningdawg]

5. If the church is small enough and isolated enough they fly under the radar

This is the cult I was raised in, I speak from experience. It's not just the pastors or the men in the church either. Women participate in physical abuse at the direction of the men.

[trev]

7. I attended a Fundamentalist church for ten years when I was a young man

I left because of the extreme schedule and demands on my time, which were affecting my health. I also left the Christian faith, having become disillusioned.

I recently learned that the pastor of that church was involved in several scandals, including infidelity and covering up his son's wife beating.

I think this kind of thing is endemic to the religion.

[ROB-ROX]

6. Damn those people for hiding SATAN'S son

I always thought those idiot protestants were CRAZY for their "hell fire" ideas. Now I know they are connected to SATAN. Christians are friendly and loving. Those people are just pagans with a cross. They have problems from years of "in breeding." I think the good people escape the herd and let the public know about the EVIL in those churches........