BishopAccountability.org
	Column about Bad Preachers Struck a Nerve By Bob Ray Sanders Star-Telegram [Fort Worth TX] September 8, 2006 http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/local/15469451.htm While having lunch with an out-of-town friend at an Arlington restaurant last week, I was interrupted four times by people who just had to tell me what they thought about one of my recent columns. Immediately, I knew which piece they were talking about. I was not at all bothered by the intrusions, which I've come to expect, particularly after I've written controversial columns on sometimes not-so-popular topics. Besides, I found their comments refreshing and reassuring. Not a day has gone by since that Aug. 25 commentary on preacher misconduct that I have not been stopped on the street, buttonedholed in a store, telephoned or otherwise contacted by people who needed to tell me what they thought of the column and/or what they were doing in their own churches regarding the matter of bad pastors. The column was published on Friday the week that the Rev. Terry Hornbuckle, former pastor of Agape Christian Fellowship in Arlington, was sentenced to prison after being convicted of three counts of sexual assault. Headlined "Hornbuckle isn't the only bad pastor out there," the column hit a nerve with readers unlike any I can recall in recent years. The messages, by phone and e-mail, started arriving before 7 a.m. that day. By far, the prevailing sentiment -- even from some who are usually my harshest critics -- was that my assessment was on target: There are too many bad preachers doing too many bad things, and too many people who know about it do nothing. Many people lately have been curious about reaction to the column, which is the reason for this account. It seems people are still talking about it passionately, and a few wondered whether I feared for my safety. The response has been overwhelming, and some readers' stories have been so compelling that I fear the problem of ministerial misconduct is far greater than even I had imagined. Many of those who responded simply said, "Amen, brother. Amen!" Several named other ministers they said were just as guilty as Hornbuckle, and named other churches where the lay leadership permitted abuses. A few, of course, chastised me for judging others and for condemning all ministers for the actions of some. But the most gratifying comments have come from people who said the column caused members of their churches to begin to talk about how their congregations were governed. They have begun to talk about the quality of their leadership, both lay and clergy, and have begun to question people who profess to be "called" to preach. If that kind of discussion is under way in religious institutions all over North Texas and beyond, it may be the best thing that could happen. As I pointed out in the column, too many church folk know what is going on -- or at least suspect it -- but remain silent or in a constant state of denial. The male lay leadership is often miserably weak or boldly compliant. I was accused by some of being overly harsh on the black church, although I thought I made it clear that such pastoral misdeeds are found in all religions and denominations and across all racial and socioeconomic lines. The readers' responses confirmed what I have long known to be the truth. So, for the few of you ministers who feel I owe you an apology, I simply say I have nothing for which to apologize. The only thing I'm sorry about is that conditions in so many of our religious institutions are so bad, and that too many "people of God" don't do anything about it. Coming Sunday: Comments from readers on this difficult subject. Bob Ray Sanders' column appears Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 817-390-7775 bobray@star-telegram.com.
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