{"id":3154,"date":"2012-04-26T17:00:26","date_gmt":"2012-04-26T21:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/?p=3154"},"modified":"2014-07-21T10:13:32","modified_gmt":"2014-07-21T14:13:32","slug":"keeping-our-mouths-shut-in-7-different-languages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/keeping-our-mouths-shut-in-7-different-languages\/","title":{"rendered":"Keeping Our Mouths Shut in 7 Different Languages"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently the Journal & Courier<\/a> newspaper and WLFI<\/a>, our local television station, reported on an event that allegedly occurred near our church’s property after school hours several weeks ago.\u00a0 Two juveniles are being accused of behaving in ways that were both unbiblical and illegal toward another juvenile.\u00a0 It has been publicly confirmed that the two accused juveniles, while members of other local churches of our town, were students at Faith Christian School.\u00a0 They have since been dismissed from our school.<\/p>\n

I alluded to the event in my Sunday sermon after the event was reported in the paper.<\/p>\n

Some have wondered why we haven\u2019t said more about this publicly<\/strong>.\u00a0 That is a fair question, and it deserves a careful answer.<\/p>\n

Generally speaking, whenever Faith does or does not do something, there are clear reasons behind the choice.\u00a0 We often deliberate vigorously among our leadership team and frequently seek counsel from attorneys and other professionals.\u00a0 There are several reasons why Faith has taken a careful, measured response to this event.<\/p>\n

1. We Respect The Investigative Process<\/h2>\n

The parents of the victim of this event rightly contacted the police.\u00a0 We are very thankful for our local authorities and believe we have a biblical responsibility to submit to their leadership and direction.\u00a0 The police officers involved have been very thorough, but their investigation is ongoing.\u00a0 We have also been in contact with our juvenile judge and seek to comply with her wishes and respect the court\u2019s place in this process.\u00a0 It would be inappropriate for us to make comments about an ongoing investigation until all the facts are in.\u00a0 As James said, \u201clet every man be swift to hear, slow to speak\u2026\u201d (James 1:19).\u00a0 Some followers of Christ would appear to reverse those commands.\u00a0 We do not want to be counted among that number.<\/p>\n

2. We Wish to Protect the Victim<\/h2>\n

A human being was significantly harmed in this situation.\u00a0 Protecting this individual and providing an environment for healing and hope is our highest goal.\u00a0 Sometimes in situations like this, \u201cinquiring minds want to know.\u201d\u00a0 Our response would be, \u201cWhy?\u201d\u00a0 Is it really out of concern for the person, or is to be in a position to pass the nugget of gossip down the line?\u00a0 Solomon exhibited his God-given wisdom when he wrote, \u201cHe who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy conceals a matter\u201d (Proverbs 11:13).<\/p>\n

Our various ministries work daily with people who have been victimized in all sorts of wicked and painful ways.\u00a0 There are reasons why our counseling center buys Kleenex by the case, literally.\u00a0 But we take confidentiality seriously for many reasons, including the fact that we will never give into the temptation to gossip, because doing so could add pain to a victim\u2019s life in a way that is simply shameful and despicable.\u00a0 Salacious gossip has no place in a ministry that claims the name of Christ.<\/p>\n

3. We Pray for the Perpetrators<\/h2>\n

The persons who committed these actions are paying, and will continue to pay, a heavy price.\u00a0 As James said just prior to the passage quoted above, \u201cWhen lust has conceived, it brings forth sin, and sin when it is finished, brings forth death\u201d (James 1:15).\u00a0 Those words are coming true in living Technicolor.<\/p>\n

However, as the Man our school is named after once famously said, \u201cHe who is without sin cast the first stone.\u201d\u00a0 Yes, this event was reported to the proper authorities, and it should have been.\u00a0 The students were disciplined for their own good and the protection of our student body.\u00a0 Future discussion will be held with our staff and students to learn any and all lessons the Lord may have for us through this tragedy.<\/p>\n

But the former students involved in these actions are not the only people who have ever messed up.\u00a0 If you would like to dispute that statement \u2013 feel free to contact me.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be happy to feature your story in my next blog post\u2026right after I talk to your mom.<\/p>\n

We hope the young people involved will move from sinful choices to repentance, forgiveness, and change.\u00a0 This is a bad chapter for sure, but it does not have to be the final chapter.\u00a0 The gospel calls us to treat one another with grace.\u00a0 The day may come when you, or one of your children, may need it\u2026badly.\u00a0 Maybe that\u2019s why James ended his book with this admonition: \u201cMy brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.\u201d\u00a0 That\u2019s what people in Christian ministries do.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recently the Journal & Courier newspaper and WLFI, our local television station, reported on an event that allegedly occurred near our church’s property after school hours several weeks ago.\u00a0 Two juveniles are being accused of behaving in ways that were both unbiblical and illegal toward another juvenile.\u00a0 It has been publicly confirmed that the two… read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":3155,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[94],"tags":[4260,8244,8964,4425,4424],"yoast_head":"\nKeeping Our Mouths Shut in 7 Different Languages - Faith Church Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/keeping-our-mouths-shut-in-7-different-languages\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Keeping Our Mouths Shut in 7 Different Languages - Faith Church Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Recently the Journal & Courier newspaper and WLFI, our local television station, reported on an event that allegedly occurred near our church’s property after school hours several weeks ago.\u00a0 Two juveniles are being accused of behaving in ways that were both unbiblical and illegal toward another juvenile.\u00a0 It has been publicly confirmed that the two... read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/keeping-our-mouths-shut-in-7-different-languages\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Faith Church Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"-0001-11-30T00:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2014-07-21T14:13:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/faith-blog-assets.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/20170523133638\/Quick-to-hear.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Steve Viars\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Steve Viars\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/keeping-our-mouths-shut-in-7-different-languages\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/keeping-our-mouths-shut-in-7-different-languages\/\",\"name\":\"Keeping Our Mouths Shut in 7 Different Languages - 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