Pastor arrested on child molestation charges

mercury news ^ | 09/13/2007 11

[Coleus]

The pastor of Sierra Heights Baptist Church was arrested on felony child molestation charges, according to police. Jail records showed John Bonine, 43, was arrested Monday and was still being held in Fresno County Jail Wednesday night as the congregation met to organize a leadership team to deal with the issue. The charges involve two children, both female, who were allegedly molested over several years.

Mansel Trimble, youth pastor at Sierra Heights, met with church members Wednesday to discuss what he called a "difficult and painful" episode for the church and for Bonine's family.

"We are looking for any way that we can be supportive to our pastor's family," he said. "We also recognize that our congregation is a victim." Bonine's bail is set at $500,000 dollars.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

This case reveals the flaws in the Baptist system and how it fails to protect kids. "The nation's second-largest faith group needs a centralized office that keeps track of reported clergy perpetrators, investigates reported incidents and provides objective information readily to churches," SNAP says.

I agree with this. That's why I'm a Presbyterian.

The Presbyterian form of church government is not vertical, as in the RCC, nor is it horizontal as in the SBC. It's diagonal with a built-in system of checks and balances, and a representative form of government (all of which served as the pattern for our own state and federal governments.)

So the difference here is that in a Presbyterian church, the pastor would be tried and if found guilty by the presbytery (and later, if he appealed and lost to the General Assembly) he would be publicly asked to resign from his church. The judgment here of the Presbytery/GA is transparent and public.

In the Baptist churches, the guilty pastor could still find another church because one congregation protected him and chose to keep it quiet.

In the RCC, the guilty priest can find another church because the entire magisterium protected him and often actively works to find another church for him.

[PAR35]

So the difference here is that in a Presbyterian church, the pastor would be tried and if found guilty by the presbytery (and later, if he appealed and lost to the General Assembly) he would be publicly asked to resign from his church.

While I won't speak as to all Presbyterian denominations, in the PCA a resignation might not be needed; the presbytery can remove him:

"34-9. When a minister is deposed, his pastoral relation shall be dissolved; but when he is suspended from office it shall be left to the discretion of the Presbytery whether the censure shall include the dissolution of the pastoral relation.

[lexington minuteman 1775]

Of course there are hypocrites in the church. They are everywhere if you have not noticed. There are many broken sinners in all congregations. The church is NOT a haven for hypocrites as much as it is a hospital for sinners.
You may not need to go to church to get to heaven. But you also certainly won’t go to hell if you find a congregation of believers.
There are people who bathe all around us all the time. And you dont have to take a bath to get to heaven, but you will have more friends if you do.Hang out with the saints and see how good it is to be with the Lord’s folks.

[Coleus]

Sounds like that church is following the RCC’s example. Shame on all of them. >>

yea, and shame on your post #50. you “intimated” the RCC in your statement not revealing that most of the major religious groups have done the same thing. You and some other freepers are no different than the bias, drive-by media by not pointing out the non RCC pastors and and hierarchy who have done the same thing.

[dighton]

If the evidence shows him guilty and is convicted, he should get the book thrown at him.

Tip o’ the hat for using that underemployed word, if.

A cautionary tale.

[put-the-onus]

“I find it disgusting that he seems more concerned about the offender’s family and the congregation as a whole than about the two girls and their families.”

---

I don’t believe that’s the only thing said by the spokesman. The quote you based your comment on STARTED with “We also ...”

ALSO - as in something was said before that. Your rage obviously is coming from somewhere else.

[caseinpoint]

My rage is coming from the article, not some Freudian notion as you imply. Any information we have is that the pastor was concerned about the offending pastor’s family and “also” considered the congregation as a whole victims. Nowhere does it say he stated any concern about the abuse victims. Now I would hope he expressed it at some point but that isn’t what the article indicated and that doesn’t appear to be what the “also” implied.

[Coleus]

If Baptists allowed their ministers to marry, this wouldn’t happen. >>

good one.