Interesting Read [Updated...And Beyond]

Apparently there has been an issue that I was sorely unaware of...Check out http://mrsbinoculars.com/to get up to speed (see Little Geneva the non-existent antithesis).

Apparently R.C. Sproul Jr. has been defrocked and there is plenty of muckraking taking place.

http://hushmoney.org/RC_Sproul_Jr-defrocking-docs.htm
http://rc-sproul-jr.blogspot.com/
http://rc-sproul-jr.netfirms.com/cnt_rc_sproul_jr_meditation.html

Apparently Vision Forum/Doug Phillips is being called to question.

http://ministrywatchman.com/

Apparently the CREC is too.

http://hushmoney.org/crec_commission_report.htm

The "Sproul" side of the story found here gets a lot of heat.

I had no clue that any of this was going on. I think that the charges made by people in the blogosphere are harsh and they are made because they aren't staring someone in the face as they make the accusations. Personally I have a hard time being dogmatic about third hand information and will relegate myself to the sidelines until things get clearer.

What I do not like is the tone of the anti-Sproul/Phillips/Wilson crowd. I have in the past myself been very critical of others and am now very critical of this pastime.

What I would like to see from the anti-Sproul/Phillips/Wilson crowd is fair and balanced reporting. There is no need in mixing opinion with fact when there is a need to disseminate information.

Here is where the muddy water becomes clearer. And check out their newer blog. They have several links to Vision Forum responses, the MrsBinoculars.com site, etc. So now I've come full circle.

Also see Kevin Swanson on the controversy.

Since this controversial matter continues (even now) to be controversial I have for the third time wandered through the wilderness to search for more answers. One of my reasons for remaining skeptical of Sproul's defrocking was that initially I actually thought it was a hoax. After several more hours though I began to realize that it had spread too far across the internet and would otherwise have to be an extremely elaborate hoax.

Thus according to my parsimonious reasoning (i.e. Occam's Razor) I concluded that it must have actually occurred and that without my knowledge. I was mystified. And in any case the burden of proof is always on the accusers (innocent until proven guilty). Thus I remained unconvinced.

Some might point to the well documented case against Mr. Sproul, but I could not simply accept even that at face value (I question almost everything, or do I?). I have some experience with logic and debate and have learned to question the legitimacy of a source. It is something that needs to be established before the discussion may continue.

Up till now I had not yet delved into answering the lingering questions of mine (Why not? Not enough time for one; I finished this post late at night and couldn't take any more of wading through the muckraking). Why does only hushmoney.org have all the documentation? Who are they? Why do they care? Well I answered those questions today and have tentatively concluded that the documentation they provide may be taken at face value.

Sources: Read Peter Kershaw's (runs hushmoney.org) statement on poohsthink.com (I have linked to google's cache of this page, so get it while it's hot.). And most importantly note that the RPCGA's website links to hushmoney.org (aka. Heal Our Land Ministries). This latter source establishes the credibility of hushmoney.org as a primary source and more than likely unbiased.

This answers one question but still leaves more: What is Doug Wilson/CREC's connection and why (i.e. what does it mean?)? Why do the critics of Sproul/Wilson appear to stand shoulder to shoulder with the critics of Doug Phillips?

If it was a simple scenario: "Sproul did bad stuff and is being punished" then I could say "Well I'm glad that's over with." But it gets more complicated than that. Apparently the CREC got involved and it didn't get access to the entire case file so was uninformed about the entirety matter. Does this mean that the CREC committed wrong doing and should be shunned? Should Sproul be shunned? Is he still trying to pass himself off as a Pastor? What does defrocking truly mean in all of its illustriousness?

Are the answers too difficult to discover? NO. But do I have the time to answer all of them? NO. So is it fair to accuse me of disservice to others? Keep in mind that I did not cast a judgment one way or the other. I had and still have too little information to make sense of the entire affair; I will not be happy, nor was I ever, in making sweeping judgments based on insufficient data.

If anyone is willing to answer my questions please do. But I do not take information simply asserted. Provide the links from unbiased sources (where possible). With more and more [true] information the muddy waters become clearer. Thanks for reading.

Vision Forum links to Mrs. Binoculars, an endorsement (I presume). Mrs. Binoculars says that there is no connection between Phillips and Sproul (debacles, etc.).

Last Edited: Thu, Aug 28, 2008.