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Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Youth Pastor Watch

posted by on July 1 at 10:13 AM

Texas:

A divided Texas Supreme Court ruled in favor of a former Colleyville church Friday, saying church members who were involved in a traumatic exorcism that ultimately injured a young woman are protected by the First Amendment.

Schubert’s account of what happened over several days at the Pleasant Glade church in June 1996 is harrowing.

Schubert and her brother were involved with church activities while their parents were out of town. On Friday evening, during preparations for a youth group garage sale, the atmosphere became “spiritually charged” when another youth said he saw a demon.

Under direction of the youth minister, the youth frantically anointed everything in the church with holy oil until, at 4:30 a.m. Saturday, the minister told the exhausted youth that they had finally been successful.

At the Sunday evening worship services, Schubert collapsed. Church members “laid hands” on her and forcibly held her arms crossed over her chest, despite her demands to be set free.

She reportedly cried, yelled, kicked, sweated and hallucinated while also making guttural noises. She was released after she calmed down and replied with requests to say the name Jesus.

Tennessee:

Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention have condemned sexual predators and are urging churches to flush out molesters using federal background checks. But a simple search on the convention’s Web site shows they have yet to purge their own house of predators.

Listed on the site is Steven Haney, the former pastor of Walnut Grove Baptist Church, now Gracepoint Baptist. Haney is accused of having a long-term sexual affair with a teenage boy in his Cordova congregation…. Haney’s case is still pending, along with that of Tim Byars, who also turns up on the site.

A former youth minister at Springhill Baptist Church in Dyersburg, he was charged with raping a 14-year-old girl during a field trip nearly two years ago. Byars is also charged in another case for sexual battery in Davidson County….

Brown says keeping predators and alleged predators on the convention’s Web site gives the impression these are safe ministers. “We’ve got to do more to protect our children,” he said.

Georgia:

Questionnaire: State Representative District 3 candidate Brad Scott bradscott.jpg • Full name: Brad Scott

• Place of birth: East Ridge Hospital, Chattanooga, Tenn.

* Age: 23

• How can voters contact you? (423) 779-2459, Email: BradScottgop@comcast.net

• Do you have a Web site? ElectBradScott.com

• Do you have a philosophy or words to live by? Philippians 4:13- ”I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”

• Hobbies: Church; spending time with family; spending time in the outdoors fishing, hunting, and running

• Current/ past professional / business experience: paraprofessional at Ringgold Primary for 3 years; Fellowship Baptist Church assistant youth director at for 3 years; currently Fairview Baptist Church youth minister; currently a Substitute Teacher in Catoosa County Schools.

And a headline from Florida:

Teens flock to PCB to renew faith

RSS icon Comments

1

Not on topic to this post at all, but where are the Pride Parade winners?

Posted by Enigma | July 1, 2008 10:28 AM
2

God, relgion and religious people are so fucking stupid. Demons? Exorcisms? Really? Must be sad to be so weak-willed and -minded that you need to belive in fairy tales and imaginary sky friends to get by day-to-day.

Posted by Ugh | July 1, 2008 10:38 AM
3

On the last one... would be funny if it said "Teens flock to PCP to renew faith".

But what is funny about PCB? Polychlorinated biphenyls? Pakistan Cricket Board? Printed Circuit Board? Am I missing something?

Posted by rb | July 1, 2008 10:42 AM
4

Doh! I screwed up. I read it as PCP. Sigh. I am dum.

Posted by Dan Savage | July 1, 2008 10:50 AM
5

That exorcism shit is freaky. It's amazing what lengths young people will go to in order to achieve some sort of heightened spiritual state, when recreational drug use is discouraged.

Posted by Hernandez | July 1, 2008 11:05 AM
6

How does that 'exorcism' not count as assault?

Posted by Greg | July 1, 2008 11:16 AM
7

It sounds similar to many instances including the religious histeria that led to burning people as witches. Sick minds love Jesus. Same as it always was.

Posted by Vince | July 1, 2008 11:37 AM
8

@3 PCB is shorthand for Panama City Beach, a Spring Break destination. When teens flock to PCB, it's usually for cheap well margaritas, free hats, Girls Gone Wild exposure, and date rape.

Posted by NaFun | July 1, 2008 12:17 PM
9

if you really want to get freaked out ... rent "Jesus Camp"

I'm curious ... how can one fake-speak-in-tongues via a blog post?

Posted by i'm a demon | July 1, 2008 12:21 PM
10

Can someone tell me the significance of Georgia dude?

Posted by dying of curiosity | July 1, 2008 1:17 PM
11

The boy found a demon at a garage sale? Goddammit! I just paid retail for a new one!!

Posted by CP | July 2, 2008 12:04 AM

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