Posted on 11/29/2023 12:12:06 AM PST by Morgana
The national director of Chi Alpha Campus Ministries, the official Assemblies of God (AG) college outreach ministry, has resigned in the wake of an ongoing sex abuse scandal and alleged coverup involving sex offender Daniel Savala.
E. Scott Martin, who had been national director of Chi Alpha Campus Ministries since 2014, is no longer on-staff at the AG ministry as of last week, as first reported by The Christian Post. In a statement to The Roys Report (TRR), an AG spokesperson said the organization does not comment “on matters relating to personnel.”
No reason was given for Martin’s resignation. However, the AG press office directed media to a statement regarding the Savala scandal. It states in part that AG leaders are “heartbroken to hear allegations related to Daniel Savala and the pain his reported actions caused. The Assemblies of God stands in strong opposition to the teachings and practices he followed.”
The statement also references the denomination’s governing body, adding: “The General Council continues to take appropriate actions, including dismissal of ministers, in response to the investigative findings.”
The statement adds that leadership of Chi Alpha, an AG ministry which operates on 300 college campuses, had been aware of Savala’s status as a sex offender at least back to 2018. “National Chi Alpha . . . made relevant Chi Alpha leaders aware of his status and warned them to cease contact and not permit students or leaders to be around him,” it stated.
Savala has been accused of raping or sexually assaulting at least 13 men connected to Chi Alpha over more than two decades.
He was arrested in June and indicted in September, along with his former protégé Chris Hundl, for sexual abuse of two minors. Hundl, an ordained AG minister, had led Baylor University’s Chi Alpha chapter. Additional charges against Savala were added in October, alleging other child sex abuse crimes.
Several other leaders within the Chi Alpha ministry have been removed from leadership over their alleged involvement in sexual misconduct or cover-up.
Will Robinson, former Chi Alpha chapter leader at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, was arrested last July on child sex abuse charges and will soon answer the charges in court. In May, former Chi Alpha North Texas District Director Eli Stewart was dismissed from his College Station church and Eli Gautreaux, Chi Alpha South Texas Director, was suspended from his position.
Pastor J.R. Armstrong of Mauriceville All Gospel Church in Orange, Texas, has called the AG’s response to the decades-long abuse scandal “shameful.” In an August sermon, he urged several AG leaders to resign including Martin.
In a statement to TRR, Armstrong called Martin’s resignation a “first step from the Assemblies of God national leadership team in taking responsibility for a systematic failure.” The Texas pastor added that leaders failed “to follow up on reports of a known sexual predator operating in our campus ministries, with the cover of multiple missionaries and campus pastors that were under Martin’s supervision.”
Ron Bloomingkemper Jr., a graphic designer in the Houston area, has been among the most vocal recent whistleblowers about Savala’s conduct. In April, Bloomingkemper and a few other survivor advocates founded online forum XA & The Lions Den to expose Savala’s misdeeds and web of connections. savala
The whistleblower posed a question when asked about his response to Martin’s resignation. “Why was he allowed to resign?” asked Bloomingkemper. “The fact that he wasn’t terminated speaks volumes about the internal rot of this organization.”
Monica Roeger, a moderator at the forum, also noted the lack of any direct comment from Martin—and that notice came during the Thanksgiving holiday week. “I think every time I’ve seen an email announcing someone’s resignation, it has always been forced,” she said. “If the email comes from the person, then they helped make the choice.”
According to his bio, Martin had been on staff with Chi Alpha for more than 33 years. As national director, his role was to oversee and develop Chi Alpha around the U.S. and assist in planting Chi Alpha chapters around the world.
The investigation by the AG and by law enforcement continues. Texas pastor Armstrong said he prays that any leader “with direct knowledge of Danial Savala’s ongoing access to students and children would step down immediately,” he stated.
“Our credibility, ability to govern going forward—and, indeed, survive as a fellowship—depends on full accountability at the National and District levels,” said Armstrong.
Bishop Accountability
Abuse Tracker
Daily guide to media coverage of clergy abuse worldwide, and especially in the US Roman Catholic church. More than 100,000 articles blogged since 2006.
https://www.bishop-accountability.org/
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The Roman Catholic Church is a major offender in the nationwide scandal of child sex abuse. Abusive priests misused their authority to sexually abuse children. High-ranking church officials often covered up these horrific incidents. In some cases, these cover-ups perpetuated the cycle of abuse in other parishes and dioceses.
https://www.abuselawsuit.com/church-sex-abuse/
List of Abusive Priests and Clergy Members
https://www.abuselawsuit.com/clergy-abuse-consultation/
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Home/News/World»US’ Largest Protestant Sect Releases 205-Page List Of Accused Abusers
US’ Largest Protestant Sect Releases 205-Page List Of Accused Abusers
News18.com, May 28, 2022
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Child Sex Abusers in Protestant Christian Churches: An Offender Typology
Loyola University, New Orleans
January 2, 2023
https://www.qualitativecriminology.com/pub/osa148h6/release/2?utm_source=pocket_saves
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Full List of Texas Pastors Charged With Abusing Children This Year
Newsweek, December 9, 2022
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How Protestant Churches Hid Sexual Abuse
Southern Maryland Chronicle
April 8, 2021
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Sexual Abuse in Protestant Churches
White Law PLLC
https://www.whitelawpllc.com/faqs/sexual-abuse-in-protestant-churches/?utm_source=pocket_saves
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Add these to your list
https://www.jewishcommunitywatch.org/wall-of-shame-gallery
http://nuchemisright.blogspot.com/p/wall-of-shame.html
as I find more I’ll send them your way
“Add these to your list . . . as I find more I’ll send them your way”
Please do. Thank you.
And as always there is the elephant in the room. What is the nature of the alleged sexual encounters? What are the sexual proclivities of the accused people?
Self-avowed “homosexuals” are something like 5 times as likely to be sex offenders.
You will likely find the answer to Mr. Bloomingkemper’s question “Why was (Zavala} allowed to resign?” when you identify the sexual proclivities of everyone involved.
AoG sure does have a lot of these issues
When you see the word Ministry, run! There’s no accountability, no scholarship, no fellowship. “Upon this rock I will build my ministry” is something Jesus never said. They are a pathetic replacement for a church. The AG is always a little slow on the their response to scandal, especially when the money is flowing in. How long did it take them to dump Jimmy Swaggart? The real scandal wasn’t the prostitute, it was him chasing the prostitute’s thirteen year old daughter. He will repent, and be back with the children shortly.
It’s not the religion they profess, it’s the Evil One they do not. Man’s concupiscence. God is so humble, he uses man to spread his word (B16). But man falls, by free will and original sin.
We must all keep situationally aware: of ourselves and those new and those we respect even greatly. Evil attacks us always. We each reject Christ every time we sin. It is but a matter of degrees for graver sin, but the same, we reject him and worship ourselves.
Pray for self and all, and keep situationally aware, ever looking out for the self-worship, from within, and around us.
About twenty years ago, the 17 year old son of my sisters good friend, went on an out of town AG church trip to perform with one of the church’s musical groups. When they checked into the motel, the musical director told the kid that there weren’t any more rooms left, but that he would have to share a room with him. During the night, the director crawled into bed with the kid and made advances to him. The kid jumped up and left the room, and called his mom to come and get him. Hits mom reported this to the church. They moved to fire the director, who instead, quit and accepted another AG musical director position in Arizona, and threatened to sue the pants off the AG if they outed him. The AG backed down to “avoid bringing scandal on the church”. I hope those board members repented before they died, because otherwise, “It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones”.
A faggot.
Again.
That doesn't work.
Ever.
For anybody.
A thoughtful reflection on the human condition and the constant struggle against evil. Staying situationally aware and praying for self and others indeed form a meaningful approach to navigate through these challenges.
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