Last Friday, I posted a story in Leading Off about Chris Tynes, a Plano man who is currently in a bit of a kerfuffle with his church, Prestonwood Baptist. Twenty years ago, a music minister for the church admitted to sexual contact with young boys; recently, Tynes posted something about the incident on the church’s Facebook page, asking for a response. His post was promptly removed, and since then Tynes has demanded answers. That’s where things get tricky. The church says his tactics are threatening, Tynes disagrees.
In a post Friday on the People Against Prestonwood’s Silence on Allegations of Sexual Abuse Facebook page, Tynes lays out points made in the original WFAA story, ending with this:
In the end, Prestonwood sought to use WFAA to portray me as a bad guy, even trotting out the volatile word “terrorist” to cloak itself as a guardian of its staff members. Where was this guardian when those children needed it? I guess if your goal is to keep secrets, you will say just about anything.
Don’t stop asking questions. If you are a member of Prestonwood, I challenge you to ask the same questions I am. To this end, I have a dedicated and public Facebook Page: “People Against Prestonwood’s Silence on Allegations of Sexual Abuse.”
Why don’t I just let this go? Because one of my friends, a church deacon (who unsurprisingly now appears to be shunning me), essentially told me that “even the victims are over it by now.” Sadly, it is my belief this deacon is merely engaging in wishful thinking. Learning to cope with such trauma is not the same as being free of it.
So now here is my Call to you: Do the right thing. Yes, You.
So, read Tynes’ post and make up your own mind.
