Chuck Phelps, Ernie Willis - Part II

[Away-From-The-Umbrella]

This post from Crystal Evans-Pradhad on the DoRightBJU site was very disturbing:

Chuck Phelps lied to his congregation.
I was a member of his church.
I was friends with Phelps' daughter.
I was friends with Tina.
I also babysat Ernie Willis' kids.
After the "confession" my mother went to Linda Phelps to see if it was still "okay" for me to babysit. She told my mother she had nothing to worry about...

I DID have something to worry about. A rapist doesn't usually stop with one victim. Ernie started stalking/sexually harassing me later on. But I KNEW what happened to Tina when she told someone. So instead I moved 400 miles to get away from him (I was 18 and actually left Trinity at 18 primarily because of how this was handled. I was a child but I KNEW it was wrong). I also went to the police first and explained what happened to me. As soon as I moved he moved on to another person (outside of Trinity). When that woman's pastor went to Phelps about it (after she heard about Tina) Phelps said that person was "not a reliable source" since she was not a member of his congregation. I'm sure that person was not his last victim either. But PHELPS KNEW AND ADMITTED IN COURT THAT ERNIE SAID HE WAS THE 'AGGRESSOR' - and did NOT do his part to get a perp off the streets. I sat in the court room in May, watching my former pastor shed tears for the RAPIST and continue to BLAME THE VICTIM. He testified that Ernie said he was the aggressor - and that it happened twice - yet he still called Tina a liar on the stand. Her story has NEVER changed in the 15 years since her rape. NEVER. Phelps story changes hourly - often conflicting his own "website" - his testimony in court, statements he made to the congregation, his own notes from 1997, etc.

Phelps also knew about another classmate of ours being sexually abused by a step father. again, no police reports from this person exist either. this crime was in another town so you can't say the Concord Police Dept failed twice.

[P D]

And yet Chuck Phelps told me no one had anything to worry about in response to my question about unsuspecting parents allowing their daughters to babysit for Willis. But your story proves him wrong. Phelps knew that Willis was a continuing threat to young 15 year old kids and he did nothing about it.

Another lie by Chuck Phelps.

[notdrinkingthekoolaid]

I saw the original post on FB. The post was bad enough, but to think there are still people arguing that Phelps is lily white in all of this and that nothing needs changed....that's appalling too.

[Tiarali]

So many people just want it all to blow over.

[Away-From-The-Umbrella]

(12-03-2011 01:11 AM)notdrinkingthekoolaid Wrote:  I saw the original post on FB. The post was bad enough, but to think there are still people arguing that Phelps is lily white in all of this and that nothing needs changed....that's appalling too.

I agree. Totally appalling.

I wanted to post her comments here 1) just in case the DoRightBJU page shuts down in the future, and 2) because it shows just how careless Phelps was about the safety of the children in the church.

He needs to step down from the pastorate.

[Away-From-The-Umbrella]

A follow up post from Crystal Evans-Pradhan:

But my mother directly ASKED the Phelps if it was still safe for me to babysit. Convicted or not, do you think she has the right to know if I was at risk in Willis' house?

It was NOT a safe situation for me to go into. I was specifically told it was "okay" as well. I was confused as hell, but was a kid. at 15 - I still didn't know what "sex" was, let alone rape. How could I have protected myself against rape if I was so sheltered that I didn't know what Rape was?

Additionally, Ernie continued to chaperone field trips at the school (part of the church). Every child was at risk. and phelps knew there was a previous accusation -- and documented in his OWN notes that Ernie admitted to it TWICE and that he was the aggressor. Conviction or not, Ernie admitted it HIMSELF to Phelps.

[Away-From-The-Umbrella]

http://www.wmur.com/r/29913246/detail.html

News coverage of Phelps' resignation. I hope other stations pick up this story.

[Tiarali]

Notice the news reporter ASKED Phelps to call him. He didn't return their calls. I guess they can't report on the story if they haven't spoken to both sides of the story, right? /facepalm

[pastor's wife]

This make me so ANGRY!!!!

It's what I've been saying: I have a 13 year old daughter. Had I been in that church and her Ernie confess to unfaithfulness to his wife, I would never have known that my daughter could be at risk. Especially considering the extreme sheltering common in the IFB, how would a young teenager know how to respond when confronted by a sexual predator like this?

This is disgusting and horrible. Oh, God!!! You said those who hide sin will not prosper!! You've said that you despise those who harm the weak and helpless. You are a defender of the weak! Purify your church of those who call good evil and evil good, of those who for whatever reason fail to protect the defenseless, for those who cover up their failure with a facade of self-righteousness.

How DARE they?????

[Tikatu]

This is what kept me up all night, the fact that Chuck Phelps knew - as shown in his notes taken at the time - that Ernie Willis was both a pedophile and a rapist. He KNEW this, and he allowed Willis to lie to the congregationm about it, as well as restored an unrepentant man to full fellowship based on that lie. A truly repentant man would have gone to the police and turned himself in. Ernie Willis didn't do that, and Chuck Phelps allowed him to live out the lie told to the congregation.

If nothing else, THIS is where Chuck Phelps is blameworthy. (I'm not downplaying what he did to Tina - that was horrible and wrong and I believe every word she said - but THIS is something that the IFB can't deny, as much as they try to.) And this is where BJIII has NOT done due diligence and has glossed over wrongdoing, saying Chuck is a humble, Godly man.

A bishop (pastor) is supposed to be blameless before the world. Chuck Phelps isn't even blameless before his fellow believers, never mind the world.