This series, titled Trump Dump, features outlandish, untrue quotes from Donald Trump, MAGA supporters, and Right Wing media. If you come across a quote for this series, please send it to me with a link to the news story that contains the relevant quote.
They say separation between church and state … I said, ‘All right, let’s forget about that for one time.
They said, really there’s separation. I don’t know. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I’m not sure, but whether there’s separation or not, you guys [Evangelical Christians] are in the White House where you should be, and you’re representing our country, and we’re bringing religion back to our country, and it’s a big deal.
Recent Evangelical prayer meeting at the White House
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
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.
Ernest Reddick, the treasurer of Lisburn Baptist Church in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, was sentenced to one year in prison for stealing £410,000 from the church.
A 60-year-old man has been jailed for a year after he admitted defrauding a church of £410,000.
Ernest Reddick of Diamond Road in Dromore, County Down, pleaded guilty to 12 counts of fraud by false representation and one of false accounting.
Detectives said donations from the congregation of Lisburn Baptist Church were being used to “prop up” Reddick’s accountancy business.
At Craigavon Crown Court on Thursday he was given a two-year sentence, half of which will be spent in prison and half on licence.
Det Insp McCarten said police were contacted by a pastor from the church in November 2021.
The pastor said that a member of his congregation had admitted to taking money from the church bank accounts and making false accounts to disguise it.
The police investigation found Reddick had been acting as a treasurer for the church since 2012 and had used his position of trust to create a “web of false transactions”.
An earlier hearing heard that Reddick, a director with CMC Accountants in Lisburn, “destroyed, defaced, concealed or falsified” a certain account record which had been “made or required for an accounting purpose”.
The investigation found that Reddick later paid back the money in full, but Det Insp McCarten said “the impact of his offending on those who put their faith in him” should not be underestimated.
Reddick committed the offences between 1 January 2012 and 30 November 2021.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
Evangelicals generally believe that their deity — the trinitarian God of the Bible — created everything. Further, he is sovereign and controls everything that happens. These statements apply to God, the Father, God, the Son, and God, the Holy Ghost. If this is so, Evangelicals have a big problem on their hands.
Luke 22: 39-42 says:
And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
Is the Father God? Yes. Is Jesus God? Yes. If God is the super-duper, co-equal, three-in-one Christian deity, shouldn’t the Father and the Son have the same wills? Yet, in Luke 22, we see Jesus’ will at odds with the Father’s. Jesus, the co-eternal, co-equal son of God, didn’t want to die on the cross. Which is odd since Jesus knew from before the world began that the Father would one day punish him on a Roman cross, leading to his temporary, forty-eight-hour death. For thousands of years, Jesus knew that at an appointed time he was going to be executed. Being co-equal with the Father, he knew when and how everything would unfold.
What we clearly see is that Jesus’ will in Luke 22 was different from that of the Father. How can this possibly be? This story seems to suggest that at least two parts of the Godhead were at odds with each other concerning Jesus’ death.
I can’t wait to see how Evangelical commenters explain the dueling wills between Jesus and the Father
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
Yesterday, I received an email from a Calvinistic Evangelical named Bob (all spelling, grammar, and punctuation in the original):
Bruce, I spent 40 years as an Armenian before God saved me and regenerated me. I came off a ventilator after saying my goodbyes. I wasn’t supposed to live.
My first thought was: What does God want us to know and understand?
I began listening to doctrine lessons and was converted to Augustin and predestination, Gods sovereignty and Election.
I’ve been in 4 yrs of doctrine and church history studies.
I’m a Reformed Baptist 2LBCF confessional covenental believer now.
It’s a real thing.
Reconsider my friend!
For readers unfamiliar with Calvinism, Calvinists adhere to what is broadly called the five points of Calvinism or the doctrines of grace.
The TULIP acronym represents the five points:
T= total depravity U= unconditional election L= limited atonement (particular atonement) I= irresistible grace P= perseverance of the saints (preservation of saints)
Calvin’s five points were a response to the claims of Jacob Arminius. Arminians generally believe:
Classical Arminianism is a protestant theological view that asserts God’s prevenient grace for regeneration is universal and that the grace allowing regeneration and ongoing sanctification is irresistible.
Calvinism and Arminianism are incompatible with each other, though both theological schools appeal to the Bible as justification for their beliefs. Just remember, the Bible can be used to justify almost anything. Within Calvinism and Arminianism, there are various internecine battles over subtle, minor points of doctrine. Generally, Arminians consider Calvinists as fellow Christians, whereas Calvinists think Arminians believe a false gospel and are unsaved. Years ago, I co-pastored a Calvinistic church in Elmendorf, Texas. Tracts were circulating among the congregation that posited great Evangelical Christian preachers such as D.L. Moody, Charles Finney, and John Wesley were unsaved. I remember one discussion I had with a church member who believed these notable preachers were lost. I asked him, “Are you saying that the five points of Calvinism are the gospel; that someone must believe all five points to be saved?” The church member, with nary a thought, replied, YES! Of course, this position has all sorts of problems that I will perhaps address someday.
As do many Evangelical Calvinists, Bob believed he was a false Arminian Christian for forty years; that it wasn’t until he heard the “true gospel” and God regenerated him and saved him that he became a True Christian. I remember struggling with whether I was a True Christian. After all, I was saved in an IFB church that thought Calvinism was heretical. Was I a false Christian? Eventually, I made sure I was a True Believer — Calvin-style.
Bob asks, “What does God want us to know and understand?
Bob answers this question with anecdotal stories from his own life:
He began listening to doctrine lessons from notable Calvinistic preachers. I wonder if he listened to cassette tapes from Chapel Library, as I did decades ago. (Please see Short Stories: The Chapel Library Tape Lending Library
He was converted to Augustinian predestination, the Sovereignty of God, and election.
He is now a Reformed Baptist (Particular Baptist, Calvinistic Baptist, Sovereign Grace Baptist).
Bob preaches the gospel of right beliefs. Believe these things and thou shalt live. Calvinism is the straight way and narrow gate that few people find, and Aminianism is the wide gate and broad way that leads most of humanity to eternal damnation. (Matthew 7:13-14)
Without evidence, Bob claims Calvinism is a real thing — real in the sense that it is the true gospel. Bob asks me to “reconsider.” Reconsider what, exactly? I know the theological claims of Calvinists inside and out. I am one of the few people who have read Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion from cover to cover. To this day, my interpretation of the Bible skews towards Calvinism and reformed theology. That said, I now see how harmful Calvinistic theology can be, especially among Evangelicals. So, Bob shouldn’t expect me to return to Calvinism. Of course, since God’s grace is irresistible, if God wants me to be saved, I will be saved. If I am never saved, it is because I was not one of the elect — those chosen in Christ from before the foundation of the world.
Note that Bob did not share the gospel with me. He doesn’t mention the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus one time. Why is that? Isn’t that the gospel that saves, and not The Gospel According to John Calvin?
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
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.
Daniel Champ, pastor of First Baptist Church in Bel Air, Maryland, stands accused of stealing $135,000 from the church. First Baptist is an Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) congregation.
A Maryland pastor has been charged with stealing approximately $135,000 from his church, with him allegedly using the funds on sports betting and food deliveries.
Daniel Champ, 42, is charged with theft of over $135,000 and embezzlement from First Baptist Church of Harford County, CBS News affiliate WJZ-TV reported last week.
According to authorities, Champ is slated for a court appearance later this month and has been removed from the church’s account. He has also been ordered to leave his residence on the church’s property.
One congregant spoke to WJZ under the condition of anonymity, expressing disappointment with a reported lack of transparency on the part of church leadership.
“I was very disappointed that they didn’t come out honestly and tell us what was happening, why they weren’t forthcoming and honest,” said the church member.
“Because money goes to that church, that’s the people’s money. And why weren’t they honest? Why didn’t they just tell people? … I think they need to come clean and be honest with the people. I think the people need to know.”
Champ was charged early last month, according to court documents, with the Maryland resident posting a $15,000 unsecured personal bond on April 11.
The pastor is accused of having stolen the money from around January 2019 until last October, when church officials noticed that there were dubious bank charges and missing funds.
According to investigators, Champ used the stolen money for various personal expenses, including sports betting, food deliveries via DoorDash, and PayPal.
Based on the church’s Facebook page, the last Sunday sermon Champ gave at First Baptist was on Sept. 8, noted The Roys Report, with the church’s website presently being down.
During his message, Champ preached about 1 Thessalonians 2, which warns against preaching the Gospel with “a cloak of covetousness” or giving an exhortation that is “of deceit.”
When discussing the biblical passage last September, Champ talked about preachers who are proclaiming the Gospel “for monetary gain, for some kind of gain for ourselves.”
“They’ll come, and they’ll preach to you, and even though some of what they say is truth, they’re doing it out of the wrong heart,” he said.
“They’re not doing it sincerely because they care about your soul. They’re doing it because the more people they get on their side, the more money they make.”
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
Christians are, without question, the most persecuted religious group in America.
During 12 of the last 16 years under the anti-Christian Obama and Biden regimes (with a four-year reprieve during Trump’s first term), Christians were explicitly and relentlessly targeted by the life-crushing power of the government. If it wasn’t the feds, it was hostile blue states like Colorado, Virginia, New York, and others that did the devil’s dirty work. And if it wasn’t the feds or the states, it was universities, corporations, and the media.
Oh my, poor persecuted Christians. Require them to obey the law, and Evangelicals scream persecution. Evidently, they believe that the laws of the land don’t apply to them, even though the Apostle Paul stated:
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. (Romans 131-2)
As a pastor, I taught church members that we were duty-bound to obey man’s law as long as it didn’t conflict with God’s law. In Acts 5, we find Peter and his fellow apostles at odds with the high priest:
Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow. Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people. Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned. And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
The High Priest demanded that Peter and the other apostles stop preaching about Jesus. The apostles replied: We ought to obey God rather than men. Sadly, many Evangelicals interpret this verse to mean that if any law, rule, or regulation conflicts with what they think God wants them to do, they should obey God, and not man. This errant thinking has led to all sorts of conflict between church and state. I gladly stand with Christians if and when the government demands they stop preaching the Bible. However, this is rarely why church and state come into conflict. No, these skirmishes come when Evangelicals think the government is getting in the way of them doing whatever they want to do. They wrongly believe that their beliefs supersede man’s law — without exception. Years ago, I was friends with a man who started a church in southeast Ohio. He dragged a modular home onto a plot of land and turned it into a church — complete with alterations. I warned him that he would run afoul of building codes, but he ignored me, saying that he was “following the will of God.” This preacher eventually learned that hearing voices in his head is no match for the law. He refused to comply, leading to the county demolishing his ramshackle church building.
In 1989, I started a non-chartered, tuition-free, private Christian school for our church’s children. As an unchartered religious school, our school, Somerset Baptist Academy, was not subject to state education laws. One day, an inspector for the Ohio EPA showed up at our school to inform me that our school fell under the regulations for public water supplies. We were required to test our water every three months for contaminants and submit the report to the state. Was the government “persecuting” us? Of course not. There was nothing in the law and its enforcement that hindered our practice of Christianity.
I was a street preacher for many years. My public ministry on street corners led to frequent conflict with law enforcement and community leaders. I was threatened with arrest more times than I can count. I always stood my ground. Why? The government was trying to stop me from exercising my faith — a clear violation of the First Amendment. I refused to bow a knee to Caesar. Had a police officer demanded I move my car because it was parked illegally, I would have complied. Why? The Bible commanded me to obey the laws of the land.
I never had a problem differentiating between God’s law and man’s law. Sadly, many Evangelicals think that they are free to disobey man’s law anytime they want. After all, it is easy to come up with a Bible verse to justify illegal behavior. This is especially true with anti-abortionists. Many communities have laws regulating pickets at abortion clinics. Anti-abortionists wrongly think that they don’t have to obey these laws, and when arrested, they scream PERSECUTION! Persecution, my ass. They are free to picket the clinics. All they have to do is stand a certain distance away from the clinics, limiting harassment of clinic users and staff.
The same applies to Evangelical pharmacists, nurses, and doctors who object to prescribing abortion drugs. They shouldn’t be forced to prescribe these drugs, but since prescribing them is a job requirement, they have a choice: prescribe or quit. It is not persecution to require them to do their job. We see similar skirmishes over issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples or baking cakes. If religious beliefs keep Evangelicals from doing their job, they need to choose another profession. It is not persecution if you lose your job for refusing to obey the law or follow your employer’s rules.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
Anyone who claims to be an Atheist should immediately lose any and all credibility with rational men, for an Atheist can be at most two of the following things: alive, rational, and honest. Naturally, this means that a living Atheist must be irrational or dishonest. The logic behind these conclusions is as simple as it is compelling: If there is no soul, this life is, in the end analysis, wholly and totally devoid of meaning. In the face of a meaningless existence, the only logical action is not to act. However, avoiding personal pain and suffering is also rational, so suicide (in order to avoid the pain and suffering entailed by simply waiting to die) is the most rational choice.
….
In the end analysis, then, the only rational choice for the Atheist is suicide. He can make an irrational choice or lie to himself (and to others) about his decision (i.e., be dishonest), but the logic is inescapable. For the Atheist, the following simple proposition shakes his worldview to its core and unseats his beliefs from what he believed was a foundation:
Atheist, [(alive)⊻(died of natural causes)]→[(rational)⊼(honest)]
Given an Atheist who is alive (or who died of natural causes), he cannot be (nor can he have been) both rational and honest. The Atheist must abandon reason or lie to himself and to others. Of course, he can also ‘opt out’. The Atheist who yet draws breath betrays his irrationality or his dishonesty with each and every breath. For the rest of us, we can remain secure in our belief that an Atheist should never be taken seriously.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
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.
James Henry, pastor of Crossroads Assembly of God Church in Delight, Arkansas and a foster parent to over 70 children, pleaded guilty to 11 counts of possessing child sexual abuse material and was sentenced to 110 years in prison.
An Arkansas pastor has been sentenced to 110 years in prison after he plead guilty 11 counts of possessing child sexual abuse material.
The pastor, James Vincent Henry, received 10 years per count, which he will serve consecutively for a total of 110 years.
….
A warrant for Henry’s arrest was issued on October 14, 2024, after two cyber tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children were made regarding Henry’s activity on the social messaging platforms Snapchat and Kik.
The pastor, who worked at the Crossroads Assembly of God Church in Delight, Arkansas, originally faced 100 counts of Possession, Viewing, and Distribution of Child Pornography.
James Vincent Henry, pastor of Crossroads Assembly of God in Delight, Arkansas, has been charged with 100 counts of possessing, viewing, and distributing child sexual abuse material.
According to the church’s website, the 43-year-old pastor has been married to his wife Brittney for 12 years, and the couple has three children.
Henry’s wife is also listed as a pastor of Crossroads Assembly of God.
Before becoming pastor of Crossroads Assembly of God, Henry served as a youth pastor at four different churches: Lacey Assembly of God, McGehee First Assembly of God, Mountain Pine First Assembly of God, and Newsong Church in Centerton, Arkansas.
An Arkansas State Police (ASP) Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigation led to the arrest yesterday (Oct. 15) of James Vincent Henry, 43, of Delight, for 100 counts of crimes related to the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM),” ASP said in a statement. “Henry is the pastor of [a] church in Delight.”
ASP reported that on Wednesday, Sept. 25, “Special Agents with the ASP ICAC Task Force executed a search warrant in Delight in reference to two cyber tips from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children made through the online messaging applications Snapchat and Kik.”
Agents then reviewed “digital evidence” before obtaining an arrest warrant on Monday (Oct. 14). Pike County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Henry less than 24 hours later.
Henry has been charged with “100 counts of Possession, Viewing, and Distribution of Child Pornography (CSAM).”
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
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.
Benjamin Felix Guerra, a youth pastor at an unnamed church in Outlook, Washington, stands accused of child rape.
Prosecutors charged an Outlook youth pastor with raping a teenage girl he knew.
In addition to five charges each of second-degree rape and third-degree child molestation, Benjamin Felix Guerra, 32, was also charged with three counts of third-degree child rape and a single count of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes, according to a six-page charging document filed in Yakima County Superior Court Monday.
Guerra, who is out of custody after posting $10,000 bail, is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges April 24.
A woman called the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office in late March saying that Guerra had inappropriately touched her 15-year-old daughter, who was part of a youth group Guerra was leading, according to a probable cause affidavit filed by a sheriff’s detective.
The Yakima Herald-Republic typically does not identify sexual assault victims without their consent.
Sheriff’s spokesman Casey Schilperoort said the report did not identify the church where Guerra served.
In an interview at the county’s Children Advocacy Center, the girl described several incidents where Guerra raped and molested her on multiple occasions, the affidavit said. While at a fast-food restaurant with Guerra and members of the youth group, Guerra, she said, wrote a note on his cellphone asking her to prepare for sex with him and telling her to be quiet about what they were doing.
Guerra was arrested at his home in the 2800 block of Gurley Road April 9 and booked into the Yakima County jail.
While a pretrial evaluation recommended releasing Guerra on court supervision, Judge Jeffery Swan ordered Guerra held in lieu of $10,000 bail and, if he posted bail, to maintain weekly phone contact with court staff and report in person twice a week, as well as receive text messages reminding him of further court dates.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
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.
Gregory Jones, pastor of Liberty Christian Fellowship in Mountain Home, Idaho, stands accused of sex trafficking.
New information is coming to light about a Mountain Home man who was arrested over the weekend on charges of sex trafficking.
Gregory Jones was arrested in Mountain Home on April 25 and charged with penetration with a foreign object and sex trafficking. Tips received from community members led CBS2 to uncover that Gregory Jones is the pastor of Liberty Christian Fellowship church in Mountain Home and was the operations director at NXT Dream Center Daycare. Jones can be seen preaching as recently as April 13 via Facebook live stream.
According to a 2013 article in the Mountain Home News, Gregory Jones, a Major in the Idaho Air National Guard at the time, was named Person of the Year during the 24th Annual Black History Banquet.
The Elmore County Sheriff’s Office noted in a public release that the arrest of Gregory Jones was largely made possible due to brave victims and witnesses who have come forward, providing crucial evidence in the case. The Sheriff’s office is concerned that there are more victims out there. Anyone with information related to this case, or who believes they may have been a victim, is encouraged to contact the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office at (208) 587-2100.
Gregory Wayne Jones was well-respected in his community of Mountain Home, Idaho. His work as a director of operations at a daycare and as a pastor made Jones a trusted civilian in the area. That is until he was arrested on heinous accusations.
The investigation into Jones began on January 31, 2025, according to a statement by the Elmore County Sheriff. It was then that multiple alleged victims came forward and provided “critical evidence” for the case against Jones. It’s unclear exactly how many victims have come forward at this point in the investigation.
The pastor was taken into custody on Friday (April 25) and charged with Sexual penetration with a foreign object and Human sex trafficking, according to reports. He is being held at the Elmore County Detention Center in Idaho.
Jones previously worked at NXT Dream Center, which describes itself as “a non-profit 501(c)(3) Community Development Corporation (CDC)” providing community support for veterans, seniors and youth. Jones was listed as the Director of Operations for at NXT.
After news of Jones’ arrest broke, community members came forward to express their shock. “I am disgusted. I’m angry,” Kerstyn Tracy, a parent at NXT told Idaho News 6. “And [I’m] very distrusting of not only the sheriff’s department at this point but daycare facilities in general,” she continued.
According to Tracy, NXT never informed the parents or greater NXT community of Jones’ arrest. Instead, she had to find out through her Facebook friends. “They have yet to put out a statement or address any communication, email, text, phone call, in person,” Tracy said.
She went on to say she knew Jones, and he worked closely with the kids at the daycare facility. “They [NXT] were aware that he’s being investigated for sex crimes. And I feel like that is a possibility of a danger to our children. And I am very upset about that,” she added.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
