Saturday, April 11, 2009

A tale of Baptist hypocrisy

Robert King of the Indystar.com wrote the story, Hope Baptist pastor Rev. Jerry Hillenburg accused of sexual harassment. It is a compelling account of Jim Huneycutt publically accusing his pastor of sexual harassment, and his families subsequent exile for speaking out. The story highlights the problem of accountability within independent churches. I think it captures the heart of the problem; Baptists create an environment where predators and the power hungry can thrive.  By most accounts, Pastor Hillenburg is a disgusting stain with a long history of problems. Yet his church united to stand behind him. He disserves public scrutiny, a lot of it too.

Hillenburg admits to sending this message,“"Text me something dirty." He claims…

…the woman had been changing the dirty diapers of babies that day. "He was trying to cheer her up," he said. "She was having a horrible day."

Seriously? Does pastor Hillenburg take us for idiots?