Dr. Chuck Phelps resigns from BJU Cooperating Board
Will those who publicly lambasted him for re-joining the board now publicly praise him for resigning as per their wishes?
Brenda, I didn't publicly lambast PHELPS for joining the board, my concern was with BJU for the approval of him they implicitly and explicitly gave him in that move--confirmed by their public statement last week. They officially approve of Chuck Phelps and his handling of Tina's case, except for the minor things "he would have done differently." His resignation from the board is meaningless on that front. Even in his resignation, they remain approving of him, even though they still haven't asked Tina for her side of her interaction with him. This was a PR move aimed to relieve immediate pressure without actually addressing the real problem.
Brenda, I didn't publicly lambast PHELPS for joining the board
Then my question was not addressed to you.
I'd be happy to be wrong.
Susan, Wow, you think in 3D and color! I guess time will tell whether you are wrong or not.
I think that people who were opposed to Phelps are genuinely happy that he is no longer on the board. But, I think they also know that it's something of a partial victory. The real point was not to get one person to give up an administrative duty. The point was to get an organization to change its attitude and mode of operation regarding minors, crime, and transparency. Did that happen? No. But awareness of opposition is itself a beginning.
The weakness of 'obedience by coercion' is that no one will ever know if true change has been affected, or compliance is simply a way to get folks to shut up already. There is also that contingent that will never be satisfied with any response, because restoration is not on their agenda.
@ Brenda- sometimes a picture is truly worth a thousand words!
Good for BJU, who can now distance themselves from this mess, and good for Phelps for resigning. He's got bigger issues to deal with, which I will not rehash at this point since I'm sure everyone else has (and will yet again).
I think he was wise to remove his name. Regardless of the facts of the circumstances, his presence was bringing unnecessary pressure upon both him and the school.
When we have the spirit of a servant, we are going to ask, "What is best for the people I serve ?" If that involves moving to the background, then we should make that move.
As I have read some of the posts, there has been a pretty sharp edge to some of them. I sat under Dr. Phelps for a module on church leadership. While I have chosen to lead in a different way, there are things I learned from him. We must remember the "let him who stands take heed lest he fall" principle. Sitting on the sidelines, it is easy to take shots at how the work is done. Looking from hindsight, it is easy to criticize. Once you lead a church through a traumatic time, there are great lessons to be learned, and you will walk with a softer step.
Let us seek the Lord's face and immerse ourselves in His Word, that we might soak up and emulate the character of Christ, and that we might have His wisdom as we face our future decisions.
A resource that might be helpful is a book by (I believe the author is Anderson) "When Child Abuse Comes To Church" It is an account of a pastor coming to a new work, only to have a case of long standing child abuse reveal itself. The book walks through how they handled the situation, and has some good suggestions on how to deal with this most difficult of situations.
The two places a child should be safest are home and church, and we need to be proactive to do what we can to make this happen.
Three things:
1. I feel sad that it came to this.
2. It was the absolute right thing to do.
3. It will be interesting to review the various predictions about whether this will satisfy various constituencies, some on this blog and some on others.
Pastor Phelps remains on the board of The Wilds. Are camp counselors mandatory reporters?
Will those who publicly lambasted him for re-joining the board now publicly praise him for resigning as per their wishes?
Pastor Phelps remains on the board of The Wilds. Are camp counselors mandatory reporters?
It will be interesting to review the various predictions about whether this will satisfy various constituencies,
I cannot imagine this satisfying anyone with a strong opinon on this subject. If Dr. Phelps has done nothing wrong, why bow to satisfy malcontents and haters? If he bears enough fault to step down "for cause", why no admission and apology?
This has the appearance of expediency for the sake of expediency.