Lawrence Krauss, 63, is an American-Canadian theoretical physicist and cosmologist who is Foundation Professor of the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University, and director of its Origins Project. In the video that follows, Krauss answers questions about science, the scientific method, and the origins of the Universe. Enjoy!
The most exquisite sexual ecstasies in this age are like a child’s enjoyment of ice cream. There is as much distance between sexual pleasures in this world and the ecstasies of the spiritual body in the age to come as there is between a child’s enjoyment of ice cream and the pleasures of his marriage bed twenty years later.
Childlike ice-cream pleasures are prelude and pointer to adult sexual pleasure. Similarly, sexual pleasure in this age is prelude and pointer to unimaginably greater pleasures of the spiritual body in the age to come.
— John Piper, Desiring God, Matrimony No More, October 9, 2017
The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
A lawsuit was filed this week against First Baptist Church of Columbia, South, Carolina, alleging that church leaders, including its pastor Wendell Estep, covered up sex crimes.
John Monk, a reporter for The State, writes:
A Richland County lawsuit quotes numerous sexually explicit text messages that a First Baptist Church youth worker allegedly sent to a boy in a church program, adding church officials did little or nothing for years while the worker sexually abused the youth.
That inaction is part of the downtown Columbia church’s history of failing to take action against potential molesters, the lawsuit alleges. The boy, now 17, was about 11 when the abuse began, according to the lawsuit, filed in Richland County Circuit Court this week.
Because of the assaults and touching, the youth suffered personal injury and “severe emotional distress,” the lawsuit alleges, asking for a minimum of $150,000 in damages.
To expose the church’s alleged pattern of concealing abuse, the lawsuit also seeks a court order to unseal three sealed civil lawsuits against First Baptist and an ex-deacon, John Hubner, a convicted child sex abuser. Hubner, 69, was convicted in 2002 in Richland County for lewd acts on a child at First Baptist and now is serving a 36-year sentence.
In response to questions from The State about the lawsuit, First Baptist released a statement Friday.
“Last fall, First Baptist Church became aware of allegations of inappropriate conduct by an unpaid volunteer in the student ministries department,” said the statement by R. Bryan Barnes, a First Baptist member and Columbia lawyer.
“As church policy dictates, the appropriate committee investigated. The committee concluded the volunteer violated church policies. Disciplinary action was taken. The volunteer no longer attends First Baptist Church and was prohibited from further contact with our students. … Church lawyers advise against further public comment at this time.”
The statement did not address the lawsuit’s allegations that First Baptist has covered up instances of sexual abuse or whether the church had contacted law enforcement about the misconduct alleged, as required by state law.
Peter Farr, an attorney for the church, said Friday those and other issues will be addressed at the proper time, in the proper forum, as the legal action continues.
Founded in 1809, First Baptist Church is one of the Columbia area’s biggest, most respected and oldest churches. It has some 7,000 members, and its $13 million, 3,300-seat sanctuary occupies a city block in downtown Columbia.
The church’s pastor, Wendell Estep, 74, has led First Baptist for 31 years. He recently announced his retirement as of next year.
Estep is a named as a defendant in the lawsuit, along with First Baptist Church, Philip Turner and Andrew McCraw. The lawsuit identifies Turner as First Baptist’s staff student minister and McCraw as “a youth assistant mentor and assistant small group leader in First Baptist’s youth group.”
A church spokesman said none of the individuals named in the lawsuit would comment.
The suit was brought by a minor child, identified by the pseudonym Joel Doe, and his parents, Jane Doe and John Doe. The identity of minors in sex cases is confidential.
According to the lawsuit, “Joel Doe” began attending First Baptist while in elementary school. At age 11, he began participating in a Sunday evening youth program, designed “to create a safe environment for children to discuss various religious topics with each other and various young adult mentors,” the lawsuit says.
McCraw was assigned to be “Joel Doe’s” youth mentor and began to invite the youth to movies and dinner, and to sleep over at his house with no other “adults or youth members present,” the lawsuit says.
McCraw also began to send “Joel Doe” text messages, sometimes dozens a day, that were “sexually motivated, inappropriate and illegal,” said the lawsuit, which quotes 17 texts between July 29 and Aug. 16 of 2016.
McCraw also sent nude photos of himself to “Joel Doe,” inappropriately touched the youth while on First Baptist’s property, and “proclaimed his love” for the youth, according to the lawsuit.
During this time, First Baptist officials should have known McCraw was spending “inordinate amounts of unsupervised time with “Joel Doe,” the lawsuit says, adding church official Turner had reprimanded McCraw for having children at his house with no other adults present.
After being told of McCraw’s activities, church officials did not report them to law enforcement “despite having a statutory duty to do so” under the Child Abuse Victims’ Rights Act, the lawsuit alleges.
….
Over the years, First Baptist and Estep have fostered “a culture of secrecy that encouraged their employees … to shield individuals” who prey on children, the lawsuit says. The church had an incentive to promote itself as a safe place because it depends “on the financial contributions of parishioners,” the lawsuit said.
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On February 6, 2018, The Daily Caller reported that First Baptist Church agreed to issue an apology, admit liability, and pay $300,000 to the plaintiff:
A Baptist church in South Carolina settled a child sexual abuse lawsuit, agreeing to issue an apology, admit liability, and to pay $300,000 to the plaintiff.
Bryan Barnes, spokesman for First Baptist Church of Columbia, S.C., said that church leadership issued the apology and explained the terms of the settlement before the congregation on Sunday, according to the Baptist Press. The case involved a boy identified only as “Joel Doe” who alleged that Andrew McCraw, a volunteer in the church’s youth ministry, engaged in sexually inappropriate behavior with him when he was between the ages of 11 and 16.
“Today, we want to offer an apology for the inappropriate and unacceptable conduct this young man endured and express regret for what we failed to do to prevent it,” church leaders said, according to the outlet.
“No student should have to experience what this young man endured,” the church’s statement added.
Doe filed the lawsuit in October 2017 through his parents against First Baptist Church Senior Pastor Wendell Estep, and McCraw. The lawsuit alleged that McCraw initiated a relationship with Doe as a young adult mentor in a church youth program, but the relationship progressed in intimacy to inappropriate touching and sleepovers at McCraw’s house with no other adults or youths present.
The lawsuit also lists several sexually explicit text messages that McCraw sent to the boy, such as “Be there in 10. Have the lube ready,” and “Hey, anything to get that *** in a swimsuit.” Doe and his parents alleged that McCraw sometimes sent dozens of such messages to him a day.
….
Church leadership initially issued a rebuttal against specific allegations within the lawsuit. Church leadership contested the claims they knew about the relationship between Doe and McCraw before law enforcement started investigating McCraw.
They also contested that they knew McCraw spent time alone with the youth away from church property, and that the case was part of a church conspiracy to cover up sexual abuse. The case was one facet of a cover-up conspiracy, the lawsuit alleged, related to former First Baptist deacon John Hubner, who in 2002 was sentenced to 36 years in prison for sexually abusing an underage girl.
….
Doe and his parents subsequently amended their lawsuit with added allegations that the church chose not to report McCraw to the police to avoid a public scandal and that they failed to notify the next church in which he served of his sexually predatory behavior.
The church has now, according to the terms of the settlement, accepted responsibility for the entire situation, and stated that even though they “had strong policies in place” and subjected McCraw to a background check before allowing him to serve. Leadership said they will reevaluate their youth protection policies and strengthen them where necessary, especially with regard to adults texting church youths.
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Ralph Stair, pastor of The Overcomer Ministry in Walterboro, South Carolina, is under investigation after a video surfaced showing him fondling a pre-teen girl’s breasts during a church service. A second girl has come forward claiming Stairs sexually molested her. Stairs was arrested in 2002 on charges of “sexual assault for improperly touching two young female church members.” The charges were reduced to assault and battery and Stair was given two thirty-day sentences, Overcomer Ministry’s website calls Stair “The Voice of the Last Day Prophet of God.”
Harve Jacobs, a reporter for Channel 5 News, writes:
A Lowcountry preacher is under investigation after a video surfaced that allegedly shows him touching an underage girl during a church service.
The Colleton County Sheriff’s Office and State Law Enforcement Division are investigating the Rev. Ralph Stair.
The investigation into Stair began on Oct. 2 after the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office received a call about a video that came from a woman with a relative who is reportedly a member of Stair’s Overcomer Ministry in Canadys.
A man who narrates the video says he used to belong to the church.
“He is a master manipulator and although he calls it a church, as a former member let me assure you that it is a cult,” the narrator says.
The narrator says the video is a collection of clips from church services between July 1 and Oct. 1 of this year. The video appears to depict the 84-year old Stair telling a girl to get up and come to him.
“I’m gonna touch your, uh, what do you call them?” he says. The girl whispers something into his ear. “I never heard them called that anymore. I call them breasts. Lady has a problem with breasts.”
In another part of the video, Stair calls up another girl.
“How old are you hon?” he asks her. “Twelve, getting right close to it now.”
Then Stair tells her to come back up.
“Come here, I’ll show you, just look, look here,” he says.
Stair has the 12-year-old face the audience. In the video, Stair places his hand between her breasts.
“Growing up,” he says.
The video shows Stair cupping the 12-year-old’s right breast. Then she goes back to her seat.
“I’m gonna touch those things till nobody else can touch ’em,” he says.
In 2002, Stair was arrested on charges of sexual assault for improperly touching two young female church members.
Stair eventually agreed to plead guilty to reduced charges of assault and battery and was given two 30-day sentences with credit for time already spent in jail.
….
Access to Stair’s compound is blocked by a gate. When contacted for a comment on these latest accusations, an employee of Overcomer Ministry said Stair was not available.
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The sheriff’s office has watched the video along with a second video in which a 16-year-old girl claims she was molested by Stair when she belonged to the church.
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Update
On December 18, 2017, ABC-4 reported:
A Colleton County pastor has been arrested on multiple charges, including three counts of 1st degree criminal sexual conduct, and one count of 3rd degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor.
Ralph G. Stair, 84, the leader of Colleton County-based Overcomer Ministry, is in jail at the Colleton County Detention Center after his arrest shortly before 8 a.m. Monday, according to CCSO spokesman, Lt. Tyger Benton.
Deputies arrested Stair after serving warrants on eight charges, which are as follows:
- 3 counts – 1st degree Criminal Sexual Conduct (CSC)
- 1 count – Assault with intent to commit 1st degree criminal sexual conduct
- 1 count – 3rd degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor
- 1 count – Kidnapping
- 1 count – 1st degree burglary
- 1 count – 2nd degree assault
….
The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
Rodney McManus, pastor of NewLife Outreach Church in East Palestine, Ohio was arrested Tuesday on charges of attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor
A local pastor of a church and business owner is accused of having inappropriate contact with a girl under the age of 16.
Police confirmed that Rodney McManus, 49, of Alice Street, was arrested Tuesday on charges of attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.
Police say McManus touched the girl inappropriately on multiple occasions between January 2014 and August 2017.
The girl was under 16 and older than 13 when the incidents occurred.
McManus met up with the girl at the Coffee Stop, which he co-owned and used for youth activities for teens and where he held services for the NewLife Outreach Church.
McManus appeared in court on Thursday where bond was set at $25,000. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 19.
The NewLife Outreach Church and Coffee Stop have closed.
Update
An East Palestine church pastor accused of sexual contact with an underage girl was back in court.
Rodney McManus, 49, who remains jailed on a $25,000 cash bond, was handcuffed and dressed in jail orange as he walked into the courtroom of Columbiana County Municipal Court Judge Mark Frost.
McManus was the pastor of the New Life Outreach Church in East Palestine and ran the local services out of The Coffee Stop that he owned until it abruptly closed in September.
McManus agreed to waive a preliminary hearing that was supposed to be held and would have allowed the alleged victim in the case to testify.
Instead, the case will head to the Columbiana County Grand Jury.
Assistant Columbiana County Prosecutor Alec Beech also told the judge there was a “typo” in the original criminal complaint that alleged this was an “attempted” act of unlawful sexual contact with a girl under the age of 16.
The judge agreed to remove the word “attempted” which makes the crime a more serious felony.
According to the criminal complaint, McManus became involved with a juvenile between the ages of 13 and 16 in 2013, and the alleged behavior went on for several years.
McManus is accused of touching the girl’s genital area and placed her hand on his genitals.
The judge made it clear that if McManus is able to make bond, he is to have no contact with the alleged victim in this case.
McManus was sentence to three years in prison for his crimes.
Joe Petrey, a former teacher at Brookwood High School in Snellville,Georgia, stands accused of using Christianity to seduce a female student. This led to the two having sex at the married teacher’s home and hotels.
Jennifer Smith, a writer for the Daily Mail, reports:
A former high school student who claims she had a relationship with her married teacher has come forward to publicly shame the man as an adult.
Abigail Weissenbach, now 21, was 17 when she says she and Joe Brad Petrey had sex at his home and in hotels in Bessemer, Alabama.
They ate lunch and breakfast together in his classroom at Brookwood High School and he fondled her under a blanket during classes when other students were watching movies, she claimed.
Their illicit relationship was exposed in 2015 when hundreds of photographs of the pair together were posted on social media.
Petrey, who was 28 at the time and is now 30, was charged with child sex offences but the case against him was dismissed when Abigail decided not to cooperate with authorities in February.
Since then, she has had a change of heart and is airing her allegations in a federal lawsuit against him and the school, which she says knew about the alleged abuse but did nothing to stop it.
The woman spoke to ABC’s 33/40 to explain how she was brainwashed by Petrey into thinking she was to blame for the relationship.
‘I was going through a hard time and it was really nice to feel like I had someone who was in my corner that really really cared.
‘It was an unhealthy, abusive relationship I was in and what he did to me was wrong,” said Weissenbach.
‘Looking back now I feel very embarrassed and stupid that I believed everything he said and went along with it,’ she added.
In her lawsuit, she alleges that other staff at the school were aware of their relationship but did nothing to stop it.
‘They knew but they didn’t take any action. If he was investigated, seemingly nothing happened because I sat in his classroom behind his desk everyday.
‘I didn’t even have my own desk. And to tell me you don’t notice a student skipping lunch to eat lunch with their teacher, spending in the mornings, sitting with him or being alone in his classroom, to not take action.’
She said Petrey used religion to coax her into their affair and once said that God had told him to tell her she was beautiful in a dream.
‘He kind of coached me in Christianity and talked to me a lot about that and would ask me to sit behind his desk and it really just grew from there really quickly and it turned into something before I really knew it was going down that path.’
Over the course of a year, they had sex at his home when his wife was not there and in hotels when she was in town, the lawsuit alleges.
He took her out for meals to a local Olive Garden restaurant and took photographs together which he saved onto a hard drive, she claims.
In 2014, her dance teachers contacted the school board to say they were concerned about the relationship after hearing her talk about her ‘boyfriend’ who she called ‘Brad’.
The school board said it was investigating their claims but Petrey returned to teach the following year.
….
President Donald Trump, UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have set in motion the withdrawal of the United States from UNESCO — United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Israel released a statement today saying that they too will be leaving UNESCO. What, you ask, did UNESCO do to warrant the Trump administration’s decision to cut American ties with the organization? News reports cite UNESCO’s recognition of the Palestinian state and anti-Israel bias as the reasons for the decision to withdraw. The withdrawal will take effect on December 31, 2018.
UNESCO was founded in 1945 by thirty-seven nations, citing as its purpose “to contribute to peace and security by promoting collaboration among nations through education, science and culture.” What’s not to like, right? Remember, a new day has arrived in America. “America First,” along with the dismantling of everything accomplished during the eight years of the Obama administration, now drives domestic and foreign policy. If President “my IQ is higher than yours” had his way, the United States would withdraw from the United Nations altogether. Much like Ronald Reagan, who also withdrew the United States from UNESCO in the 1980s, President Trump views the world through xenophobic glasses. “America First” has become “America Only.” Other countries are viewed as inferior, unable to match America’s power, prowess, and greatness. Millions of Americans rabidly support Trump’s flag-waving, national anthem-singing, pussy-grabbing Christian nationalism. Finally, white Evangelicals, KKK members, and white supremacists say, we have a president who understands the importance the CHRISTIAN God and guns; a president who “gets” the plight of white working-class Americans!
Key to understanding Trump’s decision to withdraw from UNESCO is the manner in which many Americans, especially members of Congress and presidential cabinet members and their staffs, view the State of Israel. Fueled by Evangelical theology, which I will discuss later in this post, the United States’ foreign policy is driven by the belief that Israel is God’s chosen people — a nation that must be protected and defended at all costs. Americans have strong opinions about Israel, much as they have in the current debate over NFL players kneeling during the playing of the National Anthem. Opposing Israeli policies towards Palestinians, for example, quickly leads to charges of antisemitism. On several occasions as I traverse the back roads of rural Northwest Ohio looking for photography opportunities, I have come across homes proudly flying Israel’s flag, right next to the red-white-and-blue. I doubt that the same scene can be found in Israel. Why do some Americans think that is perfectly normal to fly another nation’s flag right next to America’s flag?
The modern Jewish nation, officially called the State of Israel, was founded on May 18, 1948, and admitted as a member of the United Nations in 1949. Israel’s history, however, tracks back thousands of years to the mythical Bible figure Abraham. Genesis 12:1-7 states:
Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.
Four take-aways from this text:
While Abraham did not see the fulfillment of God’s promises to him, God promised in Genesis 15:18 that his progeny would indeed inherit the land:
In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates
When the mythical Abram (there is no non-Biblical evidence for the existence of Abraham) was ninety-nine years old, God appeared to him, promising yet again to make him a great nation. Genesis 17:1-11 states:
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
Several things to note from this passage of Scripture:
Abraham, married to Sarah, was, thanks to his wife’s infertility, childless. Sarah, wanting Abraham to experience the joys of fatherhood, gave her servant Hagar to Abraham so he could marry her and bear him a child. Hagar gave Abraham a son whose name was Ishmael. Sarah, at the ripe old age of ninety, finally conceived and bore a son named Isaac. When it came time for God to pass on his covenant, he skipped Abraham’s oldest son, choosing instead to bless Isaac. From that moment forward, there was conflict between Ismael and Isaac. The historical foundation of centuries of conflict in the Middle East rests on two brothers who couldn’t get along with each other. The same can be said for Isaac’s sons Jacob and Esau.
Keep in mind that the aforementioned Biblical “history” is what drives current Evangelical beliefs about the modern Israel, Palestine, and the Judeo-Christian war against Islam. In what other realm would mythical stories be acceptable reasons for foreign policy? Yet, that is exactly what currently drives American foreign policy as it relates to Israel, the establishment of the Palestinian state, and the prospects for peace in the Middle East.
Many Evangelical sects/pastors/churches/congregants believe that modern Israel is God’s chosen people; that the land inhabited by Israel (Isaac) was given to them in perpetuity; that Palestinian (Ishmael) land claims are baseless. President Obama was the first post-World War II president to challenge these assumptions, resulting in Obama being accused of antisemitism — the intense dislike (hatred) for and prejudice against Jewish people. Obama supported a two-state solution for the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian state, but thanks to irrational (and immoral) support of Israel’s “right” to own ALL the land given to them by God, no progress was made on this front. Israel’s abhorrent policies towards Palestinians, and America’s blind eye to behavior that would be roundly condemned if done by any other government, are driven by the belief that a land covenant made between a fictional God and a mythical Abraham is still in effect.
Liberal and progressive Christians tend to not believe that Israel has a God-given right to their land. Many of the people behind the two-state solution and attempts to broker peace in the Middle East are people of faith. Unfortunately, not many of these people of faith are Evangelical. Thanks to their literalistic reading of the Bible and their commitment to the belief that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God, Evangelicals generally believe that Israel is the Judeo-Christian God’s chosen (covenant) people; that the land grant given to Abraham thousands of years ago is still in effect today, Further, Evangelicals believe that God blesses nations who support Israel and curses nations who don’t. This blind loyalty to God’s chosen people is held by countless Christian/Jewish congressmen/presidents — either out of a commitment to Evangelical theology or political expediency — leading to unwavering military funding and support for Israel.
We in Congress stand by Israel. In Congress, we speak with one voice on the subject of Israel. (Nancy Pelosi)
Now is not the time to be picking fights with Israel in what seems to be an attempt to curry favor with the Arab world. Now is the time when the United States must stand with Israel in the global struggle against the threats posed by radical Islam. We must remember what happens when Americans and decent minded people everywhere fail to stand up to evil. The message to us is: we must do all we can to ensure the survival of the State of Israel. At a time like this, it is crucial to stress the message that a strong Israel is in the best interest of American national security. Should any of us waver in our resolve, we must let the lessons of history propel us to action. If you deal with Iran, you are not welcome to deal with the United States. Our willingness to use force is on the table. (Eric Cantor)
Israel [is] the state where Jews entered into world history again like (the Biblical) ‘nation like all other nations.’ A state where Jews took up again after two millennia the precious burden of nationhood. Like all nations, our relationship has its trials and tensions. The disagreements of the moment cannot and will not undo the bond of generations. We (Eric Cantor and I) are sending a letter signed by a large number of Members of Congress to the administration to send the message that there should be no confusion anywhere in the world that whatever differences there may be on policy, at the core, there is an unbreakable, unshakable bond between Israel and the United States. (Steny Hoyer)
Through centuries of struggle, Jews across the world have been witnesses not only against the crimes of men, but for faith in God, and God alone. Theirs is a story of defiance in oppression and patience in tribulation — reaching back to the exodus and their exile into the diaspora. That story continued in the founding of the State of Israel. The story continues in the defense of the State of Israel. (George W Bush)
I make this promise to you: My Administration will always stand with Israel. (Donald Trump)
We love Israel. We will fight for Israel 100 percent, 1,000 percent. It will be there forever. (Donald Trump)
Pat Robertson, speaking to a gathering of Jews, had this to say about how Evangelicals view Israel:
Ladies and Gentleman, evangelical Christians support Israel because we believe that the words of Moses and the ancient prophets of Israel were inspired by God. We believe that the emergence of a Jewish state in the land promised by God to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was ordained by God.
We believe that God has a plan for this nation which He intends to be a blessing to all the nations of the earth.
According to the virulent Evangelical site World News Daily:
The Jewish people have a biblical mandate to occupy and control the land of Israel.
Evangelical pastor John Hagee, the founder of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), had this to say about Israel in an introduction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
He also changed the path of Christianity in America, when he asked me in 2006 if he thought American Christians could unite for Israel. Ancient Israel had Moses who led them in the desert; during the golden era they had King David, who conquered Jerusalem, and today, when there are existential threats, Israel has a champion who can confront the challenge; please welcome the prime minister…
According to their website, CUFI has three million supporting members; people who support the following statement:
We believe that the Jewish people have a right to live in their ancient land of Israel, and that the modern State of Israel is the fulfillment of this historic right.
We maintain that there is no excuse for acts of terrorism against Israel and that Israel has the same right as every other nation to defend her citizens from such violent attacks.
We pledge to stand with our brothers and sisters in Israel and to speak out on their behalf whenever and wherever necessary until the attacks stop and they are finally living in peace and security with their neighbors.
Make no mistake about it, when push comes to shove, the United States will stand behind and in front of Israel no matter what that nation says or does. Donald Trump, along with many congressional Republicans, is itching to destroy Iran — one of Israel’s archenemies. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if someday Israel, at the behest of the American government, attacks Iran in an attempt to destroy its nuclear facilities. This, of course, will lead to war, and the United States will be standing at the front the battle to defend Israel’s action. Why? Because thousands of years ago a mythical God promised a mythical man that he would make him a great nation and give him a plot of land in perpetuity. And this same mythical God promised to bless the United States if she politically and militarily defends Israel and give her billions of dollars a year in aid and military support, and curse her if she didn’t.
Is it any wonder that foreigners increasingly view America as a land of religious nut jobs, enslaved to a Bronze Age religious text? My God, they think, here’s one of the most scientifically advanced countries on earth, yet their foreign policy is driven by the belief that the events recorded in the book of Genesis are real history, and not myths and fables.
As long as the Bible is given preferential and serious treatment by politicians, rational Americans should expect to see policies driven by Evangelical interpretations of the Bible. We see the same ignorance behind demands for creationism to be taught as science in the public schools, global climate change denial, anti-abortion laws, the execution of murderers, and other issues deemed “Biblical” by Evangelical leaders. At times, knowing this leads me to despair, but I remind myself that Evangelicalism is hemorrhaging Millennials, leading to numerical and financial decline. Someday, reason, not fanaticism, will triumph. Although I do not expect to see it myself, I hope my grandchildren will see a day when the Bible is finally relegated to the dustbin of human history.
As long as the Bible is given preferential and serious treatment by politicians, rational Americans should expect to see policies driven by Evangelical interpretations of the Bible. We see the same ignorance behind demands for creationism to be taught as science in the public schools, global climate change denial, anti-abortion laws, and the execution of murderers, along with any other issue deemed “Biblical” by Evangelical leaders. (sentence seems clunky, but I am too exhausted to think) At times, knowing this leads me to despair, but I remind myself that Evangelicalism is hemorrhaging Millennials, leading to numerical and financial decline. Some day, reason, not fanaticism, will triumph. Not in my lifetime, but perhaps my grandchildren will see a day when the Bible is finally relegated to the dustbin of human history.
About Bruce Gerencser
Bruce Gerencser, 60, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 39 years. He and his wife have six grown children and eleven grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist. For more information about Bruce, please read the About page.
Bruce is a local photography business owner, operating Defiance County Photo out of his home. If you live in Northwest Ohio and would like to hire Bruce, please email him.
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Warning! The following video contains cursing and penis mocking. You’ve been warned. Now, enjoy!
You can catch Full Frontal with Samantha Bee Wednesdays on TBS.
Reid Buchanan, a pastor at St. Luke United Methodist Church in Lexington, Kentucky, has been charged with sexually abusing two teen girls who are family members.
The Lexington Herald Leader reports:
A former associate pastor of a large Lexington church has been charged with sexual abuse of two teens, according to media reports.
Reid Buchanan, who worked at St. Luke United Methodist Church from July 2016 until August of this year, was arrested Wednesday by Lexington police. Two minors accused Buchanan, 63, of touching them inappropriately multiple times, starting when they were younger, according to WKYT, the Herald-Leader’s reporting partner.
The abuse of the youngest victim allegedly began two years ago, according to WKYT. She didn’t come forward until a recent incident.
Abuse of the other victim began many years prior with the latest incident in April, according to the report.
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As associate pastor at St. Luke United Methodist Church, he was director of missions and was involved in the planning of mission trips, said Cathy Bruce, director of communications for the Kentucky Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, headquartered in Crestwood in Oldham County.
The allegations were brought to the attention of the church in late July, Bruce said, at which point Buchanan was immediately relieved of his duties and suspended.
She said there are no allegations of misconduct on church grounds or at a church event.
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Buchanan pleaded not guilty Thursday in court. He was ordered not to have contact with the teens, and a preliminary hearing was set for 8:30 a.m. Nov. 3
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This is the fifty-first installment in the Sacrilegious Humor series. This is a series that I would like readers to help me with. If you know of a comedy bit that is irreverent towards religion, makes fun of religion, pokes fun at sincerely held religious beliefs, or challenges the firmly held religious beliefs of others, please email me the name of the bit or a link to it.
Today’s comedy bit features comedian Lewis Black.
