“If this were a trial of an ARBCA cover-up they would be convicted.”
-Judge Astrowsky, 8/14/2018 @0918
Day 11 of the Thomas Chantry trial.
“We have no illusion that this report will somehow suddenly solve all the conflicts, answer all the questions, and heal all the wounds the events of the past twenty years concerning this case have brought upon us. Some have urged us not to publish this second report, believing that the report itself might cause even more harm. However, we believe that, if our association is going to grow stronger and if we, as churches, are going to learn to live in ways more honoring to the Lord of the church through a more robust understanding of associational life, the only path toward these noble goals is one of transparency and striving for truth in all matters.“
-Quote from the Preface of the ARBCA Administrative Council report titled, “ARBCA Membership Process of Christ Reformed Baptist Church Hales Corners, Wisconsin, and the Case of Thomas J. Chantry”
On October 29, 2018 the ARBCA Administrative Council published a report on the Thomas Chantry sexual abuse scandal. In my opinion their report was a convoluted conglomeration of lies and half-truths intended to deflect blame away from their Association and protect them from potential civil lawsuits. If the ARBCA Administrative Council had actually strove for transparency and truth in all matters their resulting report would have been a document worthy of a Christian Association; as published the ARBCA Administrative Council would have been well served to heed the advice given them, urging them not to publish report because it would just cause more harm. Indeed it has. Since it’s publication the reports effect seems to have been to hasten the number of church resignations from ARBCA.
Below is just one example that makes you scratch your head and wonder where the truthful transparency is. This first document was culled from prosecutor Susan Eazer’s deposition of ARBCA leader Don Lindblad. The deposition took place on March 21, 2018.
And here is what the ARBCA report, published on October 29, 2018 states:
“None of the documentation relating to Mr. Chantry’s tenure at MVBC or the work of the informal council in December 2000 was available to the current Administrative Council or accessible until after the completion of Mr. Chantry’s trial. Moreover, we have continued to pursue documentation that has only become available during the drafting of this report.”
-page 3
The ARBCA quote simply is not true. I could give you many more examples as the ARBCA document is riddled with them, but I will instead refer you to a document Brent Detwiler has authored in response to the ARBCA report.
This document should be mandatory reading for all pastors whose churches belong to ARBCA. It is a thorough, albeit lengthy report. Detwiler wrote this document primarily for the benefit of ARBCA pastors attempting to discover the truth about the Association of Reformed Baptist Churches of America (ARBCA), specifically, did they or did they not cover up the facts of the Thomas Chantry child abuse scandal at Miller Valley Baptist Church? It is for this reason that Detwiler’s report is a detailed, paragraph by paragraph analysis of the ARBCA report.
I believe lay people, whether attending an ARBCA church or not, will find Detwiler’s detailed report most helpful. I fully expect it to become the “go to” document for anyone looking to combat what I consider to be the shameful lies told by ARBCA leaders.
Part 4: Exposing the Exte… by on Scribd
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