Cases related to Bob Gray and Trinity Christian Academy.

Bob Gray was arrested on charges of child molestation back in May of 2006. This blog has kept tabs of all the major developments in the trial; however, the fact that I am a graduate of Trinity Christian Academy's Class of 1980 (the school Gray founded), and a former member of Trinity Baptist Church (the church Gray once pastored), might have affected my objectivity a bit.

Maybe I'll write about that one day!

Thankfully, Christa Brown of stopbaptistpredators.com was astute enough to create a page devoted to the major issues involved in the various cases against Trinity Baptist Church.

Conservative Babylon also gives a very thorough account of the Bob Gray saga.

Visit Baptist Scandals: Trinity Baptist in Jacksonville, Florida, or Rev. Bob Gray to bring yourself up to speed on this sad drama. However, keep visiting 'Christian School Confidential' for updates on the future trials.

Three are waiting.

Here are the complaints that have been filed, including those that have been tossed:

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The Civil Trials against Trinity Baptist Church:

Download as PDF files:

All of these cases, except two, have been tossed. Jane Doe #2 and #3 appear to still be on the dock.

Jane Doe #1
Jane Doe #2
Jane Doe #3
Jane Doe #4.
Jane Doe #5.
Denise Green

Civil Cases Tossed
(from Duval County Clerk, if you wish to research).

NOTE: Dates refer to when they were posted on the Duval County Clerk's web page. They do not refer to when the decisions were made.

Jane Doe is tossed, 3/19/2008
Jane Doe appeals, and still tossed.
Jane Doe #4, 12/6/2007
Jane Doe #4 is tossed. The above document contains the lines:

The Court concludes that the Plantiff's claim "the Defendant's silence and/or inaction in the face of an affirmative duty to disclose their knowledge of Rev. Gray's sexual behavior constitutes fraudulent concealment. . . for purposes of deflecting the statue of limitations" is without merit.

Jane Doe #4, 1/25/2008
Jane Doe, #5, 10/26/2007
Jane Doe, #5, 12/17/2007
Jane Doe, #5, 1/11/2008
Denise Green, 4/28/2008

Depositions:

Four depositions were used during the writing of Our Pastor Molested Me, Now What?. They may be obtained by contacting Official Reporters, Inc., 201 East Adams Street, Jacksonville, Florida 32202, (904) 358-2090. You must give them the case name, number, and division. That information is listed below.

CASE NAME:
State of Florida vs Robert Calhoun Gray
DIVISION:
CR-E
CASE NUMBERS:
16-2006-CF-07704-AXXX
2006-CF-7704-AXXX
16-CF-2006-07704-AXXX-MA
16-2006-CF-07704-AXXX-MA (Division CR-E/SAD)

Federal Hate Crime Law signed today.

Excerpt from Spring Break Missionaries:

The Moral Majority once again came to Trinity Baptist Church.

Our first period class had been cancelled due to the presentation, AMERICA, YOU'RE TOO YOUNG TO DIE. It was difficult to tell who was meant to be converted. The students were already on Falwell's side, after all, we wrote letters for him twice that year!

We gathered to watch a multi-media presentation complete with singing, dancing (fundamentalists called them 'stage movements'), and video clips of senators, congressmen, aborted fetuses, and grind houses. The feeling received after such a presentation was, "I'm glad I go to a Christian school where drugs and violence are not a part of everyday life!"

After the presentation, we returned to our homerooms waiting to be dismissed to our second period class. A student expressed disgust over a photo of two homosexuals.

"In my day, we knew how to deal with faggots." a teacher said, "They used to gather at Friendship Fountain. When I was going to high school, a bunch of my friends used to go over and pick on them. We once knocked a guy's head into the side of the fountain! He was bleeding like a squashed tomato."

"That's awful!" said a girl.

"They were queer!"

The boys nodded their heads.

"They're still hanging out at Friendship Fountain." One guy said, "I would have done the same thing."

Something about my teacher bragging about violence bothered me.

"There's a teacher at Trinity who brags about beating up gays. Do you think we should tell Brother Gray?" I asked a youth leader.

"Why should it concern you?"

I asked a teacher his opinion.

"Are you thinking of turning gay, Dwayne?"

"A gay person cannot be saved." It was explained to me, "The Book of Romans teaches that God gave men up to unclean lusts. When God gives men up and withdraws His Spirit from them, nothing will stop them from perverting God's plan. Once they step over the boundary into homosexuality, they cannot be saved---even if they want to! As far as God is concerned, their souls are dead. God looks upon them as animals."

"I know they can't be saved." I argued, "But what about public relations? Wouldn't it hurt our testimony if people knew we were beating up gays? It might keep them unsaved."

"Why should we worry about what the world thinks?" another friend shrugged, "God does not want us to be cruel to animals, but if it happens God won't send anyone to Hell for being cruel."

NOTE: To this day, whenever the scene comes up in Bible Madness where my fundamentalist alter ego expresses the same sympathies, I still have people, who knew me then, and should know better, treating this viewpoint like it was an aberration on my part.

"You won't go to Hell if you're gay! When did we ever say that?"

Plenty of times! In those days, however, I wasn't going around with a video camera documenting people's opinions.

Talk to any gay person who went to a fundamentalist school during the seventies and listen to what they say!

How can fundamentalists have such short attention spans when it comes to their history of gay bashing? They'll conveniently forget how they stood against inter-racial marriages, condemned gays to hell, yet still remember everything the Catholic church did to Baptists hundreds of years ago.

Interesting.

Now, if we could only pass some legislation regarding corporate responsibility regarding child abuse in places heavily frequented by children.

Rape Apologism

Excellent article about victim's testimonies being discounted in favor of 'preserving the legacy' of the rapist/molester. Its starting point is Mackenzie Phillips confession about being abused by her father. It ends with a general summary of what rape/molestation victims go through when their attacker is famous or well respected.

from Rape Apologism and the response to Mackenzie Phillips.

Excerpt:

All survivors experience backlash by going public — that backlash is only going to grow tenfold when the abuser is famous. It’s this backlash that makes coming forward so difficult, but also so significant. People don’t like to hear that their heroes can also be rapists, and that rapists can also be heroes. People don’t like to hear that rapists can have separate qualities worth admiring, can have talent, and depth, and people who love them. People don’t want to hear anything about rapists that doesn’t involve them being evil, slimy, instantly identifiable monsters, who have absolutely no worth or humanity. People don’t want to hear it because it makes rape easier to ignore, deny, forget, and believe could never happen to them, could never be committed by someone they know.

That is precisely why people need to hear it.

Mike Crain slices watermelon off Michael Jordan.

from: Jordan's brush with death by samurai sword?

Excerpt:

But Jordan was more skittish than most — and emphatically said, "No." Crain wasn't fazed. He worked the thrill-hungry crowd of inmates to his advantage, and when he began hinting to Jordan that maybe he wasn't quite man enough to handle the job of human cutting board, the 19-year-old responded to the challenge just the way you would expect. He climbed up the wooden platform and laid himself back on a weight-training bench that had been used in an earlier act. And Crain placed the melon on Jordan's belly.

Click photo to see bigger picture.

Mike Crain scandal goes back to 2007.

This thread goes back to 2008:

Mike Crain of Ft. Bluff fired.

Excerpt: 07-15-2008, 08:38 PM
4thetruth
Just Gettin' Started

Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 1

Mike Crain
Our church went recently and we were told that he had to leave. It involved a 9 year old daughter of one of his staff.

This thread is followed by people piling up on 4 the truth.

This is the same manner the Bob Gray situation was introduced on the FFF. One person comes out before the news media catches on, everyone piles on him. Knocks him. Gives him 'red', etc. Although, the FFF did not have 'red' back then.

I remember the first time the Bob Gray situation was mentioned on the FFF. It was eons ago, before the current ownership of the FFF. People replied to the post by saying 'I believe the situation was handled correctly, etc.' along with 'why don't you call them?'. One person from those days actually did call, got a straight answer from Trinity, then posted it on the FFF, and people STILL didn't believe him.

It appears the same dynamic is at work with the Mike Crain saga. People discussing the matter a year or so before his arrest. In this case, stories about him getting fired began in 2007. Word about molesting a girl didn't get discussed until 2008. Heart attack and dementia then, as now, used as an excuse.

Okay, reality check! If this has been going on since 2007, I can't keep defending these people. If this had been recent, I could understand. Sounds like they've been down this river before. Now, it's reached the trial stage.

Let's see what happens.

More Mike Crain

The Fort Bluff camp, founded by Mike Crain, is being remarkably open about the situation involving the arrest of their founder for molestation. What's interesting is the three acts of molestation occurred after Crain suffered a heart attack, thus reducing his mental capacity to that of a 6 year old. So far, it does not look like any acts of molestation occurred before his heart attack.

We'll see if anyone crawls out of the woodwork with any accusations that might have occurred before the heart attack.

This reminds me of an incident at Trinity someone pretty much warned me against discussing. I was specifically told not to blog about a similar situation that happened over a decade ago with a former TBC bus worker.

Ah, ya' gotta love the South and it's bordering neighbors like Texas and Tennessee!

Growing up there's a lot like growing up in Disneyland.

Gotta be careful what you talk about. Nobody ever gets ill. Or dies on premises. Or gets molested.

And mental illness? Surely, you jest!

So, knock me all you want! Things like this have happened before and were quickly hushed up.

That's why I'm glad to see Tim Walterback speaking up about this. Because of his openness, I'm 'almost' willing to give Crain a break (that is, if there are no other accusations stemming before his heart attack). It wouldn't be the first time someone, in the fundamentalist world, who had a real mental illness, overstepped his boundaries.

The only caveat I make concerns one of the victims who was molested twice. Did she tell anyone between incidents? Who did she tell? Did officials try to cover it up the first time?

After praising Marty Braemer to high heaven, then having it revealed, through the FFF, that some were intimidated from speaking out about his situation (adultery, leaving the pulpit to pastor in Florida, etc), I'm a little nervous praising too many people.

Article: Founder of Fort Bluff Charged With Sexual Battery.

Mike Crain may be best-known nationwide for a poster several years ago showing his Karati skills, or one where he sliced a watermelon on the stomach of a young Michael Jordan.

Article: Christian Camp Director Accused of Sexual Battery.

Excerpt:

"He was an icon, everybody loved Big Mike," Tim Walterbach, the Executive Director of the Fort Bluff Camp, says.

Tim Walterbach says that's why Mike Crain's recent arrest on three counts of sexual battery astounded people across the country.

"They're shocked and saddened by the situation as we are and yes a big part of my job has been mending broken hearts,"

Mike Crain arrested.

This brings back memories! He chopped ice blocks off people's stomach's in church services and when we witnessed on Daytona Beach during Spring Break. I remember our youth director, Ron Reilly, telling me about sleeping on the floor with Mike Crain during the early days of Trinity Youth Camp (I believe?).

It was a long time ago! Crain is definitely one of the 'golden agers' when it comes to the history of Trinity Baptist Church. He also founded the Fort Bluff Camp and the National Association of Christian Athletics.

His lawyers are allegedly threatening a blogger over the use of an image on his vinyl records. If you want to see vintage Mike Crain, click here.

Mike Crain was arrested on three counts of sexual battery on October 13, 2009. One of the assaults happened while the victim was asleep. She awoke to find Crane allegedly assaulting her.

The defense argument appears to be "progressive cognitive dementia".

Article: Mike Crain turns himself in to sheriff's department.

What's the deal here? Is this a matter of just 'bide your time' and everyone you ever saw behind the pulpit will eventually be arrested for some sexual crime? Okay. . .whose next?

Come see my movie, and the Art Show it inspired!

My movie is Wrestling Then and Now, which screens on November 7, 2009, along with Arthur Cauty's Hard Knocks:

It inspired this art show, which will open at the Antelope Valley College on October 29, 2009:

See ya' there!

Hypocrites.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Rape-Nuts
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Ron Paul Interview

I'm getting really tired of the hypocrisy.

This clip from the Daily Show illustrates what I'm talking about. All the conservatives getting worked up over ACORN and the sting involving the fake prostitutes, but nobody seems to care when a woman is gang raped by Halliburton employees. The Republicans, currently in office, have denied this woman the opportunity to hold those people accountable. Fortunately, the Democratic majority over ruled them.

Why is it I don't hear criticism about this from those attacking fundamentalist preachers who have sexually abused children and/or adults? Most of those institutions that have sheltered abusive fundamentalist preachers have been very involved in conservative politics. Yet, those advocating for victims seem to be so bent on showing how they haven't become 'apostate' or 'liberal'. They suddenly become quiet when conservative politicians help shield abusers.

I first noticed this when McCain released his ad accusing Obama of wanting to teach sex education to kindergartners. Obama really was endorsing a program that warned children about sex predators and how to deal with them. Did I see one web site, which took a stand against fundamentalist apathy regarding abusive preachers, set the record straight? Nope. Not one. Most victims of religious abuse, at least those on-line, still backed McCain and seemed to ignore how education is a weapon against sex predators.

Those who complained about their words being twisted by fundamentalist preachers did not seem to care how a program designed to stop child sex predators was also given a false description, by the same conservative politicians endorsed by their abusers, as 'sex education for kindergartners'.

And now, everybody's all ticked off about the ACORN scandal, but few seem upset that Republicans do not want to hold Halliburton employees accountable for gang rape.

What a mixed up country we live in!

It's like those 'drink responsibly' quotes that you keep seeing after liquor commercials! After awhile, you stop taking them seriously.

It's amazing how conservatives seem to think gang rape, child sex abuse, and even sexual abuse of adults, can be subject to arbitration without involving government or the police. Even more amazing when victims of fundamentalist abuse, whether as children or adults, and those defending such victims, don't speak out against this.

Save Marriage: BAN DIVORCE!

It's back!

It's back fundamentalforums.com.

Excellent article about Roman Polanksi

For the record: I loved the movie, TESS. I defended Roman Polanksi to a fundamentalist friend back during my Trinity days. I was 18 years old, just 5 years from 13. Considering the arrested development most seem to have in the fundamentalist world, it's no wonder I didn't quite grasp the seriousness of the crime. Today, I'm 48. Still admire TESS, especially the final scenes set at Stonehenge.

I no longer defend the integrity of Polanski, however.

The last two or three years of blogging about the Bob Gray case had something to do with it.

Here is an excellent article centering on Polanski weaving a personal myth. Substitute the name 'Polanksi' with your favorite (or non-favorite) pastor who has been accused of child molestation, and tell me this doesn't fit:

Megan Carpenter's Roman Polanski, And The Making Of A Legend.

An excerpt:

The Rapist is still the disgusting, knife-wielding alley-dweller, the man who can only get "sex" one way, the criminal, the man from whom children and women would shy away. Maybe, in the corners of our collective consciousness, we can believe that The Rapist the lewd guy at the party, the perv, the one who doesn't want to have to put the effort into seduction, the one rejected one too many times to try his hand at obtaining consent. These archetypes, seared into our conscious, ignore one thing: rape isn't about sex, at least insofar as most (normal) people understand sex.

Who would want to perform sexual acts on a crying, protesting, resisting woman? One rendered unconscious or semi-conscious? It's grotesque to think about what rape is: a crying, fearful, unresponsive, protesting woman in pain, or one that simply lies there, unconscious, and must be moved like a rag doll to achieve her rapist's ends. It's not sex as much as its an assault, a penetration with a painful but non-deadly weapon. And people don't want to think about Polanski in that way, for their own reasons--but that doesn't mean it's not exactly what he did to his victim.

Has the FFF been suspended?

Is this just a cyber-burp? Or, has the FFF been suspended?

I clicked on fundamentalforums.com and got a blank page with this URL: http://server9.urljet.com/suspended.page/

Hmmm, gee, wonder why the FFF would ever get suspended? Well, when you got crazy guys talking about praying for the President's death, others being rather gleeful about the killing of George Tiller, and not one person (it would appear) saying these are bad things, it shouldn't come as a surprise.

We shall see. . .

The New Conservative Bible

Article: New Conservative Bible Project.

I doubt seriously this will catch on! Whether it does, or does not, it kinda confirms what I've been thinking for the past decade about fundamentalist churches and schools (especially independent Baptists).

It is possible, I believe, to graduate and totally repudiate everything you were taught in the school, but you will still be embraced as long as you accept conservative Republican values. I've seen it in practice! People who have become Atheists, or even spreading praises toward Anton Lavey-styled Satanism, have been described as 'smart', but let a Christian, who believes the same things regarding salvation as fundamentalists do, venture down anything resembling 'liberalism' and they will be exiled.

I don't think it's a liberal/conservative thing, though. It just seems to be that most conservatives do not like laws that demand accountability from organizations. It doesn't matter whether those organizations are financial firms or non profit churches. They just want to be left alone!

Fundamentalists don't want the government telling their people how to live. Fundamentalists, after all, do that job quite well themselves!

Sooo. . .since it seems to be politics they worship over their own values, doctrines, and what not, why not rip out the story of the woman caught in adultery? According to this article, she will be one of the first victims.

While you're at it, do something about that pesky millstone story.

Hmmm, exactly how do you define 'offend' these little ones?

If you have not inflicted 'pain', then you have not 'offended' the little ones?

Well, that will let a lot of child sex predators off the hook! The possibilities are endless with the new conservative bible!

Of course, as the events of the last two weeks have demonstrated, there really is very little difference between conservatives and liberals when 'their own' are arrested or accused.

Example:

"I am guilty of a transgression, but it was neither sexual nor immoral."
the late Bob Gray, Conservative Independent Baptist, commenting on child molestation accusations against him.

"It wasn't rape-rape. It was statutory rape."
Whoopie Goldberg, liberal Democrat, commenting on Roman Polanksi, who was arrested for drugging and raping a 13 year old girl.

It appears neither side seems to respect sexual crimes when committed against children.

Wonder why that is?

If it involves children, it's neither 'sexual nor immoral', nor is it 'rape-rape'.

Interesting.