Tommy Shelton Vindicated!, I hope. Options

[Pickle]

PB,

The only one I know of that Walt's words could possibly apply to is Brad Dunning, and he told me that Tommy had never apologized to him at all. Tommy called him a liar instead.

That's all I'll say for now.

This post has been edited by Pickle: Jan 7 2007, 10:32 AM

[sonshineonme]

PB,

The only one I know of that Walt's words could possibly apply to is Brad Dunning, and he told me that Tommy had never apologized to him at all. Tommy called him a liar instead.

That's all I'll say for now.

Bob,

Do NOT be surprised by ANYTHING that "board" does or says - for remember, it's not really them at all, is it?

[Pickle]

Mr. Unnamed Person, for whom this thread was started,

You hoo! Where are you?

You accused Glenn Dryden of jealousy, right? I gave you an opportunity to vindicate Tommy Shelton, right? How come you've been so long in making some sort of attempt at it?

You have defended him in the past, haven't you? When that letter was sent to Tommy on the letterhead of the General Assembly of the Church of God in Illinois, dated October 25, 1985, you with a number of others wrote letters of support for Tommy, did you not? You didn't believe Brad Dunning's tale, correct?

Well, if you defended him back then, please inform us why you are so slow to do it now.

And remember, we still have that seventh alleged victim in the wings, getting his thoughts together, pondering whether he should put it all in writing or not.


To everyone else,

If anyone thinks the above is out of character for me, you'll understand why I wrote that shortly, in my next post.

If you've ever raised kids, you know that there have to be consequences for wrong behavior. No consequences? That is one of the most unkind, unmerciful things you can do. And if you raise kids that way, you are only preparing them for the fires of hell, for they will grow up thinking that they can sin all they please and God won't give them any consequences either.

Ellen White wrote, "A law that has no penalty is of no force." How true. Have a rule in the state, home, church, or school that has no penalty, or a penalty that never gets enforced, it is as if the rule wasn't even there.

We want mercy for Tommy Shelton as well as justice. But no consequences for such deeds is neither just nor merciful. It is the most unloving thing a person can do.

This post has been edited by Pickle: Jan 7 2007, 10:08 PM

[Pickle]

Okay, I confess. The reason Mr. Unnamed Person, the one who was angry at me nine days ago and who threatened Dryden shortly thereafter, the reason he hasn't risen to the occasion and vindicated Tommy is rather simple.

• He to this day believes Dryden was jealous of Tommy.
• He is a brother of alleged victim Roger Clem.
• He came across BSDA by accident and was shocked to find his brother mentioned by name and got angry.
• On last Monday he wrote Gailon and me and apologized.
• On Tuesday night he called me and told me that for the first time in his life, just an hour before, he had told someone that what Tommy did to Roger he had done to him as well.

In other words, Mr. Unnamed Person who we had hoped would vindicate Tommy is in fact our seventh victim.

I just got done talking to him on the phone, and he says that what Brad Dunning says Tommy told him, Tommy also told our seventh victim.

Consider the implications: Tommy's chief defense is that Dryden was jealous. Here is a fellow, brother of Roger Clem, who still believes Dryden was jealous, and yet he testifies that the allegations against Tommy are TRUE. Thus, Tommy is left without a defense!

More to come.

This post has been edited by Pickle: Jan 7 2007, 10:44 PM

[Pickle]

Here is another letter from the other brother of Roger Clem, and brother of the seventh victim.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: In Response To Your Message....
Date: Thu, 04 Jan 2007 12:15:17 -0600
From: Scott Clem

Hi, Bob!

I am contacting you in response to your telephone message of Wed., Jan. 3. My apologies for being so long in getting back with you.

...

First of all, I want to make you aware that I know a little about who you are, having read your posts at Maritime SDA Online. I want you to know that I fully support your efforts to clean up the mess at 3ABN, and that my prayer is for successful results for the good of 3ABN and it's viewers, and most importantly, for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I wish to make it clear that, though I am Southern Baptist, I hold nothing against the Seventh Day Adventist Church, any of it's members, or 3ABN personally. My problem, as I am sure is the same with you, is the un-Christian conduct so rampant at 3ABN. Such conduct serves no purpose but to undermine the original intended objective of 3ABN and to embarrass the SDA Church. Those responsible for this misconduct must be exposed and dealt with, and I applaud your efforts to do just that.

As you now know, both of my brothers are victims of past molestation by 3ABN vice president Tommy Shelton, who served as our pastor at Ezra Church of God at the time that the molestations took place. There is also evidence that my brothers are not the only victims. While I have never been a victim of any type of sexual abuse, I am greatly enraged by such actions, particularly as such a despicable act has been perpetrated on my brothers by someone in whom our entire family had placed so much trust and confidence for so many years. Few things in life have cut me so deeply as this situation, and the human side of me wants to see Tommy Shelton fall to the most harsh and swift justice known to man in response to his devilish actions. It is my feeling that the Lord, though he still loves Tommy, also desires that he pay for his actions. Tommy's conduct is clearly not of God.

I am equally pained by the fact that our late mother, who died of cancer on Dec. 1, 2001, left this world never having known that two of her children were victimized by Tommy in this way. She remained steadfast in her support of Tommy due to this lack of knowledge. At the same time, I consider everyone involved in this ordeal, with the obvious exception of Tommy, to be completely blameless. Mom never knew the truth, and I can guarantee you that if she had, she would have turned on Tommy in the blink of an eye. As well, while I cannot say that I truly understand what my brothers went through, I can somehow understand why they waited so long to come forward. Feelings of guilt and embarrassment are commonplace with victims of sexual abuse for many years after the abuse has taken place. I also know that my brothers were fearful of hurting Mom or other family members by coming forward with this information, and/or of what might happen in the aftermath. Our family is hurt and angered by this, but this pain and anger is not directed at, nor is it the fault of, my brothers. I am just glad that they have both realized the importance of coming forward, as it will be a major step on their road to recovery and toward bringing Tommy to justice for what he has done. Simply put, it is my observation that, of all the numerous people involved in this terrible situation, the blame for it's entirety rests solely on one person, and that would be one Tommy Shelton. May God, in this situation, forego His endless mercy and leave Tommy to face the consequences that he really deserves!

As for the other information that I may provide for your continuing investigation, .... [What follows is a legal matter that I would like to verify before posting.]

Again, I state that I have nothing against 3ABN personally, but I support and applaud your efforts to get a stranglehold on the situation as it stands now. I wish to see 3ABN become a great powersource for the furtherance of God's Kingdom, but I can no longer believe that this will happen under the leadership of Danny and Tommy Shelton. It appears to me that, in order for 3ABN to move forward as a ministry, Danny and Tommy must be ousted. While we should continue to pray for them, it is clear that the situations in which they have placed 3ABN will necessitate their removal. Otherwise, 3ABN will surely fall, and I really do not believe that it has to come to that.

On an added note, some of these situations, if placed for investigation by the federal government, could result in the revocation of 3ABN's licenses. Perhaps the best course of action would be to recommend to Dr. Walt Thompson that steps be taken in the very near future to remove Danny and Tommy so that 3ABN will have a fighting chance to save it's authority to broadcast. At this point, it could be in serious jeopardy.

To tell you the honest truth, I would very much welcome an opportunity to work with 3ABN in whichever ways ..., but I will not even make an attempt at such an arrangement as long as 3ABN is under the facist thumb of Danny Shelton and his child molester brother Tommy. God does not honor such things, and I refuse to do so as well. As a past volunteer at 3ABN, I would love to re-establish a friendship with the network, and my hope is that, in the foreseeable future, I will be able to do so. As things stand right now, this just cannot happen.

Again, my best to you and those working with you to bring back some order to 3ABN. It is my hope and prayer that your investigations will bring Danny and Tommy and all other guilty parties to justice and restore 3ABN to her former self for the glory of God. If you need anything else from me, please do not hesitate to contact me.

In Christ,

Scott Clem

This post has been edited by Pickle: Jan 7 2007, 11:16 PM

[roxe]

I think the time is far past when any action from 3abn persons could make enough "apologies" or take any "appropriate steps" that would make the issues "disappear" from "widespread, public scrutiny". There needs to be a complete and permanent website where all these things are put on public display and left there.... not only for the latecomers who have not yet heard what has been going on at 3ABN, but also as a reminder to all who come to look at how evil was once harbored in an SDA supported institution, thus serving as a deterent to those who take those first steps of covering up and excusing sin. It also needs to be there as source material for the historians who will need to have the basic information available as they sort through it and do their varied analyses on it for the benefit of future generations, as well as today's readers.

As to what you have heard about what the board may be going to say.... I think we should hear about it here.... many hands make light work when there is sifting of truth from falsehood. If it is an untrue rumor, maybe someone here will prove it to be so. If it is truth, then we need the warning ahead of time that you could give, for if, as you seem to imply, this is not something which will aid in an actual cleanup of 3abn... then all need to know about it while there may still be time to prevent it happening.

As for "fuel to the fire".... I am recalling the fires of Battle Creek.... maybe it is in the Lord's provision that enough fuel be added so the fires, when they come, will completely consume all that needs to be consumed. In recalling the fires of Battle Creek, I am also recalling the statement made by one of the firemen whom my father knew personally.... that it seemed to those who fought the fires as though they were pouring kerosene on the fires rather than water. These Battle Creek firemen knew from experience that God's fires consume water. Remember Mt. Carmel.

i agree...
you said it good, WB!!

This post has been edited by roxe: Jan 8 2007, 12:11 AM

[lurker]

It should be clear now that this was not just a gossip session. Without the warm welcome of the "Boss" and of Daryl to those who needed a place for open discussion, the brother(s) would not have come forward.

[Pickle]

It should be clear now that this was not just a gossip session. Without the warm welcome of the "Boss" and of Daryl to those who needed a place for open discussion, the brother(s) would not have come forward.

Just for clarification, Roger came forward in his community in 2003, so that was unrelated to BSDA.

But it was BSDA that let us know what church Tommy had pastored in Virginia, which then allowed us to contact Pastor Dryden last August. And that eventually put us in touch with Roger Clem. All this stuff posted at BSDA and Maritime convinced Roger's brother to come forward.

Now everyone who hasn't gone through all of what they have can just keep silent. Imagine what it takes to come forward, all the horrible memories that come back and the shame of it all. Imagine the thoughts that haunt you: Should I have come forward sooner? Would another victim have been spared if I had? Should I come forward now? Might it help save a child from a predator if I do?

Thank God you don't have thoughts like these to wrestle with if you don't. And if you don't, PLEASE refrain from some of the totally senseless comments that have been made heretofore if you are tempted to criticize.

This post has been edited by Pickle: Jan 8 2007, 09:42 AM

[Daryl Fawcett]

Yes, this does show that what is being posted here and at the Maritime forum is productive in this known way and probably also in ways not yet known to us.

[simplysaved]

**Professional Counselor Cap On**

As a victim and survivor of abuse personally and a counselor/clinician for over 12 years (including batterers and sex-offenders, I know what I am speaking to and have treated. No matter how wrong and sinful the allegations are, if the behavior has occured he IS sick and needs help as much as those who have been hurt. If alleged perpetrators do not receive help, the cycle continues and there is no healing. Healing needs to happen both for the survivor and alleged perpetrator--as most perpetrators were victims themselves.

**Professional Counselor Cap Off**

Please, please, don't give me the 'mental illness line'. Some people might be mad. Others are just plain BAD!

Many years ago, I 'nursed' a Methodist Minister, who had been sexually abusing his daughter from when she was 6 weeks old. Apparently, his wife was part of the sorid actions.

He was supposed to be 'my patient', and I was told that I'd just have to learn to be objective, when I said that I'd just turn him over to the Police. I believe that I was and am still objective. They did find someone else who would be 'his nurse and counsellor'.

Put those 'rock spiders' in the prison system, where they belong, rather than allowing them to come into the 'mental health system'; hiding out, staying there for awhile and then go back into society, to abuse/re-offend yet again.

Please don't insult the victims of these herious acts, by letting the perpetrators get away will an alleged 'mental illness'. Put them where they belong - in prison (and throw away the key).

This post has been edited by simplysaved: Jan 8 2007, 10:46 AM

[awesumtenor]

**Professional Counselor Cap On**

No matter how wrong and sinful the allegations are, if the behavior has occured he IS sick and needs help as much as those who have been hurt.

**Professional Counselor Cap Off**

If the behavior has occurred, the allegations are neither wrong nor sinful.... even if public. If he is unrepentant and in denial about the depraved nature of his predilections, then all secrecy does is enable him to victimize someone else's children.

In His service,
Mr. J

[Skyhook]

simplysaved, isn't it generally believed that pedophiles are not very good candidates for therapy in that they seldom if ever get over thier sexual preferences? From what I have heard and read, it is very predictable that they will offend again even after long periods of incarceration, and supposedly, counseling within the CJ system or places like state hospitals. What is your view on that?
BTW, I have a grandaughter who was molested at age 4 by her father, who did some time and was released on a technicality. He is now wanted for failure to register as a sex offender after leaving the area. My grandaughter is now a young woman, and had a lot of counseling as a child, but is not doing as well as I would like, (or as she would like.)

[Observer]

** Professional hat on**

After 35 years in like positions, I'm still waiting for the 'miracle cure'. I'm yet to see even one.

**Professional hat off**

The Conference in which I live has a convicted child molester as a member of one it it's congregations. He went to prison. He has served his time. He has been discharged.

He tells people:

I did it.

I was guilty.

It was wrong.

I could do it again.

I should not be around children.

You should supervise me at all times when I am either attending church functions, or on church property.

Folks, that man is as close to a cure as I have seen. Yet, he is not cured. But, he has taken responsibility. He has accepted his need to be supervised so that he does not offend again.

And, the congregation has accepted the responsibility to supervise him.

This post has been edited by Observer: Jan 9 2007, 07:13 AM

[Johann]

** Professional hat on**

After 35 years in like positions, I'm still waiting for the 'miracle cure'. I'm yet to see even one.

**Professional hat off**

This is very difficult to deal with. A God-fearing lady preparing to meet her Lord, who had been a widow for about 35 years, told me that her husband had homosexual tendencies. She knew he had severe fights with himself, where God gave him strength to overcome.

It seemed like his fights with himself made him a rather strict and conservative Seventh-day Adventist. But when he faced death he called a number of people to him and asked their forgiveness for how strict he had been towards them. . . And he was in constant prayer until he took his last breath.

Peace with God and your fellow men is what Christianity is more about than any doctrine. This is not possible as long as you make others scapegoats of your own failings, and keep on accusing them falsely to the whole world. But this is where even the worst of sinners can find salvation - by confessing both to God and to those you have done wrong to. And to those you have deceived through TV broadcasts. And thereafter be willing to be under supervision.

Just stating, either 'I have not done it', or that God has fogiven me, so you cannot condemn me for it, does not delete an open sin. God forgives a secret sin that is not confessed openly, but He will not forgive a sin committed against others, nor making others a scapegoat for your sins, unless these sins are dealt with, with asking forgiveness and restitution made to the victims.

It is diffucult for me to tell you that this woman was my own mother. . . I had not known, but recognized the symptoms when she mentioned them. I was there when my father called some of the breathren to his deathbed to make his confession, and I was with him when he said his last word - in the middle of a prayer. I will always be grateful the Lord permitted me to experience this.

This post has been edited by Johann: Jan 9 2007, 08:19 AM

[September]

Johann, that was a beautiful testimony...thank you for sharing that. It's proof that God never gives up and will hold out for one of His children until the very last moment if need be.

Blessings to you!