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Monday, January 12, 2009

Religion Youth Pastor Watch

Posted by Dan Savage on Mon, Jan 12, 2009 at 9:25 AM

South Carolina:

Jim Murray is bringing his sense of mission to the pastoral staff of Grace Brethren Church while he completes his Master of Divinity degree.

Murray, 26, is in the last year of a three-year program at Columbia Biblical Seminary, where he also completed his undergraduate work.... "When I was in high school, I assisted a youth minister here, and I felt God call me to the ministry at that time," Murray said.... He plans to graduate from Columbia Biblical Seminary on May 31 and will be ordained this summer at a date yet to be scheduled.

"I'm excited to see what God is going to teach me, and what he's going to use me for," Murray said.

Texas:

Faith Baptist Church recently announced Gary Early as its new youth minister.... He has worked in youth ministry for more than a decade, serving at churches in Houston, Plano and Hooks, Texas, and most recently at First Baptist Church, Maud, Texas, where he served for more than three years.

The Earlys have been at Faith since early December and he will work in all aspects of the youth program, said the Rev. Milton White, interim pastor.

Pennsylvania:

Robert Cook's 252 Underground Youth Ministry needs some divine intervention.

Cook, the youth pastor who founded the nondenominational ministry that he said attracts teenagers "too wild for most churches to accept," said his organization faces financial straits. He has until the end of January to pay $4,400 in back rent so the 252 Underground Youth Ministry can remain at 3 West Main Street.

Cook said he relies on "relational evangelicalism" to reach at-risk young adults. "As soon as they learn that someone cares about them, the walls come down," Cook said.... Based on the Bible passage Luke 2:52, the ministry hopes to create a "back door relationship with God," according to Cook.

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Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

Well, we have to protect God's virginity.

Posted by Rob on January 12, 2009 at 9:37 AM

Rob, as long as it's "back door," God will still remain a virgin. Don't you understand what "real sex" is?

Posted by jade on January 12, 2009 at 10:10 AM

Dan, it's stupid when you post these profiles with no news value. The segment loses its point. Also, for those of us keeping score, we can't just look at the total number of YPW posts to know how many Xtian pervs got busted and exposed on SLOG. We then have to page through them. Stop posting the ones with no news/criminal content, or else start a secondary stream. YPW+ and YPW-

Posted by I could tell you some stories about my own youth pastor. on January 12, 2009 at 10:17 AM

what? these guys haven't done anything? but they are guilty of.... what exactly? dan, you need to be a leeeetle bit careful of what you are implying, eh?

Posted by spoiler alert on January 12, 2009 at 10:23 AM

YPW has become increasingly irrelevant because Dan seems to have a switch stuck somewhere in his brain and continually insists that ALL youth pastors are somehow inherently evil. Dan, wake up and smell the coffee: They're not.

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty on January 12, 2009 at 10:37 AM

This reminds me of when American citizens get deported to Mexico simply for having an hispanic-sounding name.

Posted by danhowes on January 12, 2009 at 10:38 AM

Look, as I've said before, we're watching youth pastors here. All of 'em. When I post only about evil youth pastors, people complain that there are lots of good, upstanding, decent, non-rapist youth pastors out there. So I did a post about them. And people complain that these youth pastors didn't do anything wrong. Which is the whole point.

Sheesh! There's no pleasing you commenters!

Posted by Dan Savage on January 12, 2009 at 10:45 AM

I would have done anything to get molested by guys from church a la #1

it never happened

Posted by Sadly on January 12, 2009 at 10:50 AM

I liked it. =) Makes a nice contrast.

Posted by wench on January 12, 2009 at 11:26 AM

Please put your kids in school and teach them how to think instead of putting them with these clowns and teaching them how to be irrational, superstitious and myth obsessed.

Posted by Vince on January 12, 2009 at 12:06 PM

back door relationship with god! that is comedy gold. you couldn't have written it better yourself, dan.

Posted by tobes on January 12, 2009 at 12:23 PM

Oh Dan, don't play dumb. The implication here is that these guys need to be watched, that you expect them to perv out on some kids. They have done nothing! And you post their pictures?

This post is not just unfair and mean-spirited, it is verging on slanderous. Innocent until proven guilty, remember?

Argh, I hate it when you disappoint me.

Posted by Irena on January 12, 2009 at 12:34 PM

13 Comment Pulled

"Oh Dan, don't play dumb. The implication here is that these guys need to be watched, that you expect them to perv out on some kids."

::sigh::

I respectfully disagree with the above poster.

Posted by MBI on January 12, 2009 at 1:59 PM

@12. Dan had been accused of being a pedophile before. He knows how that shit feels. I take him at his word. I don't think he means any harm here.

Posted by jade on January 12, 2009 at 2:55 PM

Stupid typos!

"had" should be "has," of course.

Posted by jade on January 12, 2009 at 3:42 PM

At first my hopes were up for...

Then I thought maybe we're building up to...

NOTHING. This went nowhere. What a let down.

P.S. I am greatful that there was perhaps a lack of god's "choosen" molesters today/this week... I however am skeptical. Delve deeper and your sure to find something post worthy.

Posted by wigmore on January 12, 2009 at 3:49 PM

These are the good youth pastors. The point is to show that there are good ones. Dan is trying to be fair. If you infer that he means these men need to watched in fear of future assault possibilities, you are the ones with the prejudice.

Posted by fannerz on January 13, 2009 at 8:11 AM