MISSOURI
Riverfront Times
By Danny Wicentowski Tue., Jul. 28 2015
The church flyer promoting former state representative Rod Jetton’s speech was heavy on inspiration and light on details.
“Rod’s candid way of explaining his mistakes and pointing out the dangers of putting
his career in front of his faith and family will be of great benefit to fathers focused on accomplishing their professional goals,” the flyer read. Hosted by First Baptist Church in Arnold, Jetton’s speech was to take place during a men’s-only prayer breakfast on August 15.
The flyer continued: “His ability to identify the early warning signs of pride, bitterness and paranoia in his life are exactly the type of cautionary advice anyone who is experiencing success needs to hear.”
But it wasn’t pride and bitterness that tarnished Jetton’s legacy as a lawmaker and Missouri House Speaker: In 2009, after leaving office due to term limits, Jetton was charged with felony assault when a woman alleged that a night of sadomasochistic sex had turned dangerous and violent. Jetton later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge. (A year later, Jetton found himself the subject of a federal investigation into whether he’d been bribed to weaken a proposed regulatory bill.)
For David Clohessy, director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), the fact that Jetton was being trotted out as a moral lighthouse, at a church no less, was an outrage.
In an email sent last week to First Baptist Church, SNAP urged the church’s leadership to withdraw Jetton’s invitation:
“Please don’t claim this invitation is about forgiveness,” the email read. “We can forgive a drunk driver but shouldn’t give him school bus keys. We can forgive someone who commits violence but shouldn’t give him a gun. We can forgive someone who assaults someone but shouldn’t give him a speaking role in a church.”
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