I do believe that such clouds have silver linings. I think that it is sobering a whole lot of Christians to the fact that words mean nothing compared to deeds (unless, of course, you are a liberal, but so few of them are Christians anyway, in my opinion).
It is time to clean house, if you truly fear God and desire justice.
Despite what others here might think, if people like this were delivered to "true" Christians for justice, I suspect the punishment would be more sure and swift than otherwise. I do believe that "true" Christians, hungering and thirsting for truth as they do, desire justice like they desire water and air.
http://www.news8austin.com/content/top_stories/?ArID=39463
Pastors accused of beating boy turn themselves in
Updated: 7/9/02 8:58 PM
By: Jitin Hingorani
Joshua and Caleb Thompson turned themselves in Tuesday afternoon.
Police arrested two pastors of Capitol City Baptist Church accused of beating an 11-year-old child. Now, former church members are speaking out about child disciplinary practices they say were delivered in sermons.
With their lawyer present, the Thompson brothers surrendered to police after arrest warrants were issued Monday. Police say the pastors beat an 11-year-old boy with a tree branch last week because he wasn't taking his Bible studies seriously.
The boy is still hospitalized, after being in intensive care for five days; his mother wants justice.
"He gets me angry, so angry because he didn't have no right to hold him down, and the other one to beat him,” said Norma Arellano. “They don't have a heart."
The men's father is the head minister at the church. News 8 Austin asked him what he knew about the incident.
The boy's injuries, five days after the incident.
"My son would've used a thin switch,” Thompson said. “That I'm positive of. I'm sure of that. I just know my boys that well. My policy would've never been on the back like that, ever. It would've been on the bottom."
One woman, who wants to remain unidentified to protect her business, says she's familiar with the church's child disciplinary practices. She said they were preached in Senior Pastor Thompson's sermons.
"He would explain how you had to use a rod because the belt didn't do it, because it would just leave lashes. But the rod would get into the soul, would get deep down into the skin," she said.
The woman said she was a member of Capitol City Baptist Church for 10 years, but said she left soon after she understood the church's philosophy on what she called "breaking" a child.
"Everybody had a different way of telling you how the will is broke,” she said. “Some of them would say the will is broke if they don't move anymore; some of them would say the will is broke if they just faint, if you just spank them until they have no more energy. And I left because I just couldn't take it."
Former church members told us if you obey the rules, you can earn a book, What the Bible Says About Child Training, which advocates using a rod as a means of punishment, you could also get your own paddle with holes to inflict more pain.
"I don't do this to my children. My husband don't do this to my children. Why should anybody else do this to my kids?" Arellano said.
It’s a question police are asking the suspects in this case.
Joshua and Caleb Thompson have been charged with injury to a child, a first-degree felony. If found guilty, the men could be sentenced from five years to life in prison.
Police are asking anyone who is familiar with the church's disciplinary practices to call (512) 834-3890.