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Friday, February 8, 2008

Youth Pastor Watch

posted by on February 8 at 10:45 AM

Hawaii:

A 20-year-old former youth pastor, who said in a letter that the devil led him astray, was sentenced to five years in prison for having sexual relations with a minor even after he was repeatedly told not to see the girl.

Second Circuit Judge Joel August also ordered Kaipo Cabanting of Haiku not to have contact with the minor, with whom he developed a relationship from attending church.

August said he takes Cabanting’s religious beliefs seriously but the explanation Cabanting gave in a letter blaming the devil is “not completely satisfactory to the court.”.

Florida:

A North Naples youth pastor charged with flashing a gun at a motorist during a road rage incident last fall was ordered Monday to take an anger management class….

[Christopher] Thompson was arrested at about 4 p.m. Sept. 28 after another driver, Joseph Hunter, told Collier sheriff’s deputies that a man in a white Dodge van flashed a gun at him…. Deputies found Thompson at his home nearby and seized a gun from his white Dodge Caravan. Deputies reported that Thompson told them that he got upset when he was cut off in traffic.

Kentucky:

Sexual-abuse charges against a Bullitt County youth pastor have been dismissed, but a chief deputy said yesterday that the sheriff’s office still might pursue the case.

The charges against Clayton Pruett were dismissed by Bullitt County District Judge Rebecca Ward on Monday after Detective Scott McGaha, the investigator in the case, failed to show up for a probable-cause hearing.

McGaha was expected to testify about his investigation into the allegations against Pruett, who was accused of having sexual contact with a 15-year-old girl at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, where he was a youth pastor.

RSS icon Comments

1

These posts always remind me of the Junior High youth pastor at the church I attended in high school, who married a girl from the grade below me. I started running into them together in public soon after she turned 18 - the first few times he tried to look like he was doing something else while I chatted with her, but it was obvious. Eventually he stopped bothering to pretend they weren't together. I guess he deserves kudos for making an honest woman of her, but it still creeps me out to think that when they met she was maybe 13, and he was 24, a full-grown man.

Posted by Aislinn | February 8, 2008 11:11 AM
2

ugh, these are always so creepy. The thing that amazes me is that there are SO MANY of them.

Posted by catnextdoor | February 8, 2008 11:29 AM
3

The Devil may lead, but he choose to follow. I can't believe he didn't get more time for trying to shirk his personal responsibility.

Posted by Just Some Guy | February 8, 2008 11:32 AM
4

With regard to the Devil making him do it:

James 1:13Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.

14But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust

In other words, we are tempted by our own desires, and that desire isn't implanted. Temptation is only tempting if we want it, and that's evil in us we work out through Jesus.

As He said:

Matthew 15:18 "But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.
19"For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.

We do evil things because we want to. Anyone who says different is fooling themselves. This is why it doesn't matter if homosexuality, alcoholism, lust or anything else is genetic, because what we do we do because of who we are, and nothing will change that but the Holy Spirit.

Posted by Mr. Joshua | February 9, 2008 2:36 AM

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