whatyareckon

This situation at Cedarville University is  not something unique to Cedarville. This is simply the way the Good Ole Boy’s Club works. Whether it is in churches, missions, schools, politics etc. there is always the Good Ole Boy’s Club.

What are the qualifications to become a member of this Good Ole Boy’s Club? Well, for one example, let us go back to a situation concerning the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE) and the handling of Dr. Donn Ketcham.

A lot of the information concerning the ABWE Good Ole Boy’s Club is at https://sadsaga.wordpress.com/ . What a tangled interconnected web flows from the ABWE Good Ole Boy’s Club!  There were at least four members of the ABWE Good Ole Boy’s Club at that time. They were: Wendell Kempton, Russ Lloyd, Russ Ebersole, and Donn Ketcham! Here is a pdf that pretty much explains most of what was allowed to occur due to the ABWE Good Ole Boy’s Club, the-silence-of-the-lambs. 

Then there is the Final Report by the Profession Investigation International (PII) 2016-04-15-abwe-ketcham-final-report3

Let’s take a few moments to consider some of that situation with ABWE and its cover-up of Donn Ketcham and the tangled web of characters (the Good Ole Boy’s Club) that played out in that on-going saga of deceit and cover-up. On page 7 of the PII pdf we read concerning Russ Ebersole, the Far East Administrator for ABWE that ‘In the case of an extra-marital relationship which began in 1972, Donn Ketcham was confronted by his peers on the field who cautioned him regarding the impropriety of his actions and reported the situation to local ABWE Field Council leader, Jesse Eaton, in 1973. The local leaders relayed knowledge of the situation to Russell Ebersole, the Field Administrator for Bangaldesh, who notified Dr. Wendell Kempton, President of ABWE.’

Now we move on from 1972 and Donn Ketcham continues his ‘ministry’ with ABWE in Bangladesh as a missionary doctor. Then ‘In July 1989, the then 14-year old abuse victim reported the abuse to her pastor who alerted ABWE leadership.’ Now, ‘After receiving the allegations, rather than investigate the accused abuser, Russell Ebersole, the ABWE Executive Administrator for the Far East, together with Donn Ketcham’s nouthetic counselor, Russell Lloyd, spent two days questioning the victim to try to determine if she was telling the truth.’

Then, ‘After two days, convinced that she was not making up the accusation, Russell Ebersole and Russell Lloyd escorted the victim, without her parents’ understanding of the circumstances, from the United States to Bangladesh.’ These two men took this 14 year old abused by a pedophile missionary out of the United States all the way to Bangladesh! Why? So the 14 year old girl  ‘…could confront Donn Ketcham with the accusations in a way that Donn Ketcham could not deny.’ How would you as a parent react to this situation if this was your 14 year old daughter?!

Now, ‘After an emotionally and physically exhausting journey, the victim was not allowed to meet privately with her parents. Instead she was required to explain the situation to her parents with Russell Ebersole and Russell Lloyd in attendance. Prior to this the parents had no knowledge of the abuse…’

Then, ‘…afterwards she was required to be present with Donn Ketcham and his wife while Russell Ebersole and Russell Lloyd confronted her abuser with the allegations.’ Now DO NOT FORGET this is a FOURTEEN year old girl!

It was then during ‘…the confrontation, Russell Ebersole and Russell Lloyd encouraged the victim to forgive her abuser and to seek forgiveness for her role in the abuse. Later during the same timeframe, but not in front of the victim, Russell Ebersole and Russell Lloyd assured Donn Ketcham’s wife that Donn Ketcham had not seduced the victim, and that the victim was a “willing partner” in the abuse.’

As to this day the pedophile ABWE covered up for so long has never been brought to justice. It is suggested that you go to https://sadsaga.wordpress.com/ to read the rest of that disgusting story.

It was asked earlier ‘What are the qualifications to become a member of this Good Ole Boy’s Club?’ One certain qualification is being a friend. Ebersole and Ketcham were that; friends, close friends! White and Moore were friends from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Sometimes friends overlook things that they would not in another person.  Sometimes friends are doing the same thing!!!

A SECOND qualification is AUTHORITY. The members of the Good Ole Boy’s Club all seem to have some authority over others either through employment or as an adult over a younger person. Those two will suffice for now.

There does seems to be a common thread that runs through how these Good Ole Boy’s Clubs operate and that thread may be discussed in another article.