- All but one of the four candidates for presiding bishop have prior Title IV cases against them. What does this mean for the upcoming elections at General Convention? Stay tuned.
- Anglican Watch opposes the candidacy of Robert Wright due to his corrupt handling of Title IV complaints. See below.
- We are investigating allegations that Atlanta Robert Wright is covering up misconduct in a Title IV case involving the rector of Christ Church Kennesaw, former political candidate Ben Day. Our preliminary findings strongly suggest that Ben Day was in a pastoral relationship with the engaged couple whose relationship he allegedly ended by marrying the female church member. Nor did Wright provide the requisite pastoral response to complainants. More to come as we file FOIA requests and continue to dig deep.
- The SBC and TEC are more alike than either would admit. For instance, both refuse to fund a database of abusers, despite previously approving these measures and a professed desire to end abuse in the church. This needs to be fixed at this General Convention.
- We’re tired of dealing with Todd Ousley and his corruption. Hopefully, the next Presiding Bishop will send him packing immediately. More to come.
- Word on the street is that Dio Bethlehem just sent around a pastoral directive barring a well-known pedophile from churches in the Diocese. Inquiring minds want to know: What took so long? And where was Bishop Sean Rowe until now?
The Buzz: News we’re working on
Interesting…Ben Day sent me a lengthy and rather indignant email denying the affair. He even agrees that a priest engaging in a relationship with a parishioner is sexual abuse no matter what. Moreover, on May 28, 2024, he escalated matters by threatening that he “forwarded my name and IP address to the Kennesaw Police Department,” in response to my calling out his lies. This was his email reply to me rationalizing the scandalous specifics:
“As for the insinuations about my moral character in relation to my role as a husband, pastor, or priest, I find them offensive! In today’s climate, where accountability is paramount, and the “me too” movement has exposed so much real pain and abuse, your suggestion that I have abused my role is truly out there. I urge you to familiarize yourself with the Episcopal Church’s stringent anti-exploitation policies, notably “Safeguarding God’s Children” and “Safeguarding God’s People” and ask yourself, is there any way I would still be a functioning pastor and priest if I had engaged in such abuse? My wife has never been affiliated with Christ Church or any congregation I’ve served prior to our marriage; any rumors suggesting otherwise are not only false but also malicious and beneath the dignity of elected office. To clarify, we met through our children’s school, and our relationship has always been rooted in mutual respect and shared values–beginning as a friendship as single parents and progressing from there.”
Ben Day’s response also omits an obvious possibility, which is that the Diocese of Atlanta is acting corruptly. So far, everything we have seen suggests Ben had a pastoral relationship with her prior to having sex with his eventual wife.
Moreover, he has not responded to any of our efforts to hear his side of the story. That begs the question: If he has nothing to hide, why the silence? Wouldn’t he want his story to be told?
There’s also some very troubling behavior on Ben’s part that, while possibly not violations of Title IV, are disturbing. For example, we have yet to encounter a political campaign that requires NDAs of vendors, yet he claims his previous consulting work is covered by NDAs.
More to come.
Will Anglican Watch be making endorsements for Presiding Bishop?
We’re mulling it over. Generally speaking, we’re underwhelmed by the slate. Our inclination right now is toward Sean Rowe, who generally has a good track record on clergy discipline. We also believe him to be an efficient administrator, something sorely in need after years of chaos at 815. That said, we have some reservations about Sean Rowe, including his initial efforts to sandbag marriage equality by referring it out for study—despite an early mentor who was a lesbian.
Readers: Your thoughts?
Re: the barring of Bernard Schade, what do you mean “took so long”? The directive was issued almost immediately after he started appearing at Diobeth churches, which happened just after his release from prison.
He should have been barred the moment credible accusations arose. Indeed, if the Diocese needs someone to bring Schade communion, I’m sure we can find someone to put on a hazmat suit and do it. But he needs to stay the heck out of churches.