Justice

Back on April 12, I mentioned an episode of ABC's 20/20 that made me really angry. Not because I was angry at the report, but because of what happened to the women in the report.

Well, yesterday one of those women got justice.

Her name is Tina Anderson, and at age 15, she was raped twice by an usher in her Fundamental Baptist church. The second rape resulted in a pregnancy. Her mother - married to a convicted child- abuser and molester - took her to the pastor. The pastor made both of them stand before the church and ask for forgiveness - her for 'allowing a compromising situation to happen" and him for being "unfaithful to his marriage vows." Witnesses say there was no connection made between the two. Then she was whisked away from her home in NH to CO, where she lived with friends of the pastor until she gave birth, and gave the baby girl up for adoption. She returned home, and went back to the church... where her rapist still served in a position of authority.

Fast forward fifteen years, and Tina was happily married, with three children. A former church member from NH mentions her story on a Facebook board for survivors of Independent Fundamental Baptist church abuse. This sets things in motion, and Tina suddenly gets a phone call from the police in Concord, NH, asking about her past.

Long story short, Tina went on national TV, on 20/20 (turning down Oprah and other news venues) and told her story. Her rapist, Ernie Willis, was arrested and charged with several charges, of which he only pleaded guilty to one: sex with a minor. He went to trial this week on four related charges, most of them dealing with whether or not it was forcilble rape. I followed the trial through live updates from the Concord news station. The case went to the jury Thursday afternoon, and Friday he was found guilty on all charges. (You can read some of the live updates and the wrap-up of the case here.

The pastor involved was a prosecution witness, and his notes - still available at the church he used to work with - were handed over without his knowledge. The defense wanted those notes covered by "clergy/congregant privilege". Problem is, the pastor was busy "setting the record straight" on his website, and a lot of what he said was contradicted by his own notes from the time. The notes also contradicted what Ernie said.

Tina's mother, though a prosecution witness, was also on Ernie (and the pastor's) side. Much of her testimony made the mothers following the case incensed. Words like "adolescent" and "narcissistic" were used to describe her. Her decision to spirit her daughter away was soundly denounced. There is speculation that they could be brought up on obstruction of justice charges.

There are still those who take the pastor's side, who see Tina as guilty of her rape as Ernie Willis is. But a jury of his peers didn't see her that way, and justice was done.

My FB friends' list is still dissecting all this, while the pastor's supporters are still trying to deflect criticism of him (and still, in some cases, trying to give at least a portion of the blame to Tina - as a way of justifying the pastor's actions). I just want to see the pastor finally admit that he handled Tina's "church discipline" wrongly, apologize to her for that, apologize for not following up more with the police... but I know he won't.

He doesn't see that he's done anything wrong; he followed the letter of the law and made the call to the police. He kept a man he knew was guilty and unrepentant in his church, contrary to Bible teaching. And he still deceived his congregation about the nature of this man's crime. For that, I believe he has forfeited the right to be a pastor at all. But nothing will happen to him. Not unless God humbles him.

I hope things will simmer down a little in my circles now that justice has been served.