Children turned away from church while sex offender preaches

[gb93433]

Can someone explain the following story to me. I just do not get it. Doing a search on the preacher's name reveals many strange actions.
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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (ABP) – A Baptist church in Florida is barring children from attendance where a registered sex offender has been preaching since the end of January.

Jacksonville television station WJXT quoted a woman Feb. 19 who said she was turned away on a recent Sunday when she tried to bring a 2-year-old boy she babysits to services at Christ Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church.

"They said for the next two weeks, no children are allowed," said Wanda Evans. "This is the second Sunday, no children, so next week's Sunday, kids will be able to be allowed."
Darrell Gilyard

The congregation on Jacksonville’s north side has had to make adjustments since opening its pulpit to Darrell Gilyard, who recently served three years in prison for sex crimes with two girls committed while he was senior pastor at Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in Jacksonville.

As a registered sex offender, Gilyard, 49, is not allowed to be around minors. His attorney withdrew a motion Feb. 11 seeking a change in Gilyard’s probation status to allow minors in the sanctuary when he preaches after a judge called it “premature” pending input from a licensed therapist.

Gilyard vowed in a text message to the Florida Times-Union to somehow prove “that life isn’t over when one has committed a crime for which he receives this heinous label.”

“You don’t have to languish on the fringes of society,” Gilyard said.

Gilyard’s return to the pulpit prompted sidewalk protests by a group calling itself the New Black Panther Party. "A minister who has done such evil should not be restored to the pulpit until his repentance is as notorious as his sin," George Harvey, pastor of nearby Mt. Charity Baptist Church, told WJXT.

Gilyard, once seen as a rising star in preaching circles, including the Southern Baptist Convention, has a ministry long marred by scandal. Prominent Southern Baptists including Paige Patterson, Jerry Vines and Jerry Falwell were all strong supporters until a falling out in 1991 when Gilyard resigned from a church after admitting to several extramarital affairs. That was after allegations of sexual misconduct at three previous churches.

The rest story is at http://www.abpnews.com/content/view/7164/53/

 

[preachinjesus]

Gilyard’s return to the pulpit prompted sidewalk protests by a group calling itself the New Black Panther Party. "A minister who has done such evil should not be restored to the pulpit until his repentance is as notorious as his sin," George Harvey, pastor of nearby Mt. Charity Baptist Church, told WJXT.

On this we agree. It is a pox on this church and community that this person should be allowed in a pulpit.

 

[HAMel]

This "New Black Panther Party" should point fingers. Yes, an admitted sex offender will raise eye-brows and I wonder if I would attend church under such circumstances.

I can also see where an addiction such as this guy has is probably more profound as one helplessly addicted to drugs. What a terrible burden to carry around.

On the other hand, if we have a country wide listing of sex offenders why don't we have a similar listing of those convicted of other crimes?

 

[annsni]

So the apparent timeline from what I can see:

Previous to 1991 - allegations of sexual misconduct at three previous churches
1991 A rising star but resigned because of several extramarital affairs
1993-2008 - Pastor of Jacksonville’s Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church
2008 - resigned from SMBC after he was charged with lewd and lascivious conduct for sending inappropriate text messages to two underage girls
Sometime between 2008-2012 - spent 3 years in prison for the above charges?

Already now back in the pulpit? So he is no more than one year out of prison and he is allowed back in the pulpit? This church leadership should have their heads examined.

 

[jonathan.borland]

But he grew the congregation from 5 to 120 in just weeks. God must be with him. Seriously, though, reject the little children so you can listen to a repetitive sexual offender impersonate a minister? I don't think so.

 

[abcgrad94]

Surprise, surprise. A REPEAT sex offender not only allowed in church, but allowed in the pulpit.

I predict some responses from BB posters:
Some, like myself and the OP, will be disgusted.
Some will protest that it would never happen in their particular church.
Some believe his sins are under the blood so he's free to dupe more believers.
And some may even post links to bad "studies" that show sex offenders don't repeat their behavior.

And I wonder, in the meantime, how many more victims he has silently hiding in the shadows, too young or too scared to come forward because the jerk is still being allowed a place of honor and authority in the church.

Disgusting.

 

[th1bill]

gb,
I cannot begin to imagine! Yes, our God is a god of second chances but this pervert appears to have had a number of second chances but there also comes a time for Romans 16:17,18 and several other like passages to be exicuted. We must get over the world and their perverted interpretation of Matt. 7:1-14 and learn to judge righteously.

This man should not only be banned from the pulpit but should also be relegated into the Men´s Class as a student and always be accompanied by trust worthy Christian men or else... kick him out of the church. He´s a pervert that needs help and he is not called of God to teach or to preach.

 

[gb93433]

gb,
I cannot begin to imagine! Yes, our God is a god of second chances but this pervert appears to have had a number of second chances but there also comes a time for Romans 16:17,18 and several other like passages to be exicuted. We must get over the world and their perverted interpretation of Matt. 7:1-14 and learn to judge righteously.

This man should not only be banned from the pulpit but should also be relegated into the Men´s Class as a student and always be accompanied by trust worthy Christian men or else... kick him out of the church. He´s a pervert that needs help and he is not called of God to teach or to preach.

What bothers me most is whoever told him, "No" until the laws of society did? I am unable to find anyone who did.

 

[gb93433]

But he grew the congregation from 5 to 120 in just weeks. God must be with him. Seriously, though, reject the little children so you can listen to a repetitive sexual offender impersonate a minister? I don't think so.

I preached at a church years ago and while I was in the city I noticed an ad for free coupons to MacDonalds on the fence of a local fundamentalist church. I asked the pastor about that and he said that the church was giving out coupons at the church services and more people were coming.

 

[seekingthetruth]

God can restore anyone.

But after such a long time of immorality, I would question even his salvation,

Even much more his ability to preach.

John

 

[mandym]

I preached at a church years ago and while I was in the city I noticed an ad for free coupons to MacDonalds on the fence of a local fundamentalist church. I asked the pastor about that and he said that the church was giving out coupons at the church services and more people were coming.

Did they hear the gospel when they got there?

 

[annsni]

Seriously, it would be one thing if this had been years later, the man had been in serious counseling, had repented and had proven himself to be a "man above reproof" but he had been out of prison no less than one year and he's in the pulpit?? Please!!!

 

[seekingthetruth]

Seriously, it would be one thing if this had been years later, the man had been in serious counseling, had repented and had proven himself to be a "man above reproof" but he had been out of prison no less than one year and he's in the pulpit?? Please!!!

Which brings us back to the question of a previous thread.

Why do we judge the ones that got caught harsher than the ones that committed the same crime, but never got caught?

What is worse? The sin itself, or getting caught?

John

 

[mandym]

He should not be in the pulpit. Not yet anyway. He should have to start from scratch proving his character over a period of many years before taking the pulpit. And the accommodation of not allowing children in the sanctuary is just weird and ungodly.

Having said all of that it seems this is also one more attempt to attaching something negative to the convention.

 

[Arbo]

That a church would turn away children to accommodate a convicted sex offender taking to the pulpit speaks to the character of its members.

 

[jonathan.borland]

God can restore anyone.

But after such a long time of immorality, I would question even his salvation,

Even much more his ability to preach.

John

The man can preach (I heard him several times as a kid, including his later falsified sob story of childhood), but that doesn't mean anything. The best heretics can mesmerize the crowds and pull every emotion out of them. So what?

 

[preachinjesus]

I'm all for those who fall into sin being restored to fellowship. Perhaps we deny an essential aspect of the Gospel when we hold others' sins against them without the recourse of correction through forgiveness.

However, I am completely convinced that any person in a position of spiritual leadership/authority who commits sexual sin against or with anyone has lost the ability to ever again assume a senior leadership position in any church.

This is not to say they cannot attend, participate in, become a member...but a pox on the house that allows them to preach from a position of authority and leadership without the due process of lengthy and humble separation that leads to restoration.

As a pastor at a church and having come from a family where a relative who was a pastor of a church committed such acts, there is no other position that is line with our call to protect our lambs from the wolves.

I am also mindful of the previous poster who noted that this individual can "preach" well, yet that some of the most loquacious preachers have been some of the most vile heretics.

 

[padredurand]

"A minister who has done such evil should not be restored to the pulpit until his repentance is as notorious as his sin," George Harvey, pastor of nearby Mt. Charity Baptist Church, told WJXT.

Bring the kids back and let Pastor Harvey preach.

 

[gb93433]

Did they hear the gospel when they got there?

I have no idea.

 

[gb93433]

However, I am completely convinced that any person in a position of spiritual leadership/authority who commits sexual sin against or with anyone has lost the ability to ever again assume a senior leadership position in any church.

This is not to say they cannot attend, participate in, become a member...but a pox on the house that allows them to preach from a position of authority and leadership without the due process of lengthy and humble separation that leads to restoration.

It seems like nobody put their foot down until the police did something. While man may focus on the master manipulator preacher God does not need masters at that but men who know God. Where were those who knew the man when he was first accused? It appears to me that they supported him and never checked out anything except to disregard those who said something.