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Pastor Jack Schaap's profile has been removed from the web site of the First Baptist Church.
CHICAGO - The former pastor of an Indiana Baptist megachurch is being investigated for sexual relations with a teenage girl, and the church is cooperating with authorities probing whether any of the behavior was criminal, a church official said Thursday.
Jack Schaap, 54, pastor for 11 years at the First Baptist Church of Hammond, confessed to having sex with a member of the church when she was 16, said Eddie Wilson, director of public relations for the church.
The church, located in the Chicago metropolitan area, has 40,000 members and typically has 15,000 people in church on any given Sunday, Wilson said.
Adultery is grounds for dismissal under the church's bylaws, and Schaap was fired on Monday following an internal investigation, Wilson said. Schaap and his wife are trying to reconcile their marriage, he said.
The age of consent in Indiana is 16. FBI became involved because Schaap is accused of taking girl across state lines to Illinois -- where the consent age is 17 -- when she was 16, NBCChicago.com reported.
"It was starting to be a difficult decision, but when we found out the facts, we had no choice. We had to do what was right," the NBC affiliate quoted Board of Deacons Chairman Jerry Duff as saying.
The deacon's board reported the information to Lake County Sheriff John Buncich first thing Tuesday morning, Wilson said. Buncich was not immediately available for comment.
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Schaap, who could not be reached for comment, had been employed by the church and associated Hyles-Anderson College for about 30 years, Wilson said. Wilson said the ex-pastor was "in seclusion" with his wife, Wilson told Reuters.
Schaap's wife is the daughter of Jack Hyles, the pastor who built the church, NBCChicago reported.
Trisha Kee, who said she is a victim advocate for people abused at Independent Fundamental Baptist churches and had attended Hyles-Anderson College, told Reuters that Schaap's behavior was discovered accidentally at a youth conference last week.
More on this story from NBC 5 Chicago
She said Schaap left his phone on the pulpit. A deacon found it, and a text came through from the girl that revealed the relationship, said Kee, who runs a Facebook group for ex-congregants.
One parishioner told NBCChicago that while he was heartbroken he would not hold a grudge against his leader.
"I know God put him in that position for a reason and what he did is a mistake, and God will forgive him," parishioner Jesus Perez said.
Reuters and NBC News staff contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
This is why man made laws exist, he should not have to wait till death, to be judged for his actions. How many others have yet to come forward. I am a Christian. It is not my place to judge hs actions; however IF he had done this to my daughter, man made law wouldn't have an opportunity to be applied...
I'm an atheist, and I stand right with you on this one, brother.
Just saying you are a christian doesn't actually make you one.
If you don't believe me look at the post by Devin the athesit right under yours.
Just saying you are a christian doesn't actually make you one.
Why not? I mean you just ask for forgivenss and you get it.
Why can't you just proclaim yourself a Christian and be one?
WilliamofRrights
Just saying you are a christian doesn't actually make you one.
You are absolutely right, and I appreciate this point of view. Actions speak louder than words, and I am so thankful it was not my daughter... Can I hear an, AMEN?
William that is one of the most ridiculous posts I've read. You imply that because an Athiest agrees with a Christian than that person is not a "true" Christian. You do not have to be a "Good Christian" to have a working moral compass. The 2 are not mutually exclusive, or do you not believe it's possible for someone who doesn't follow Christ to be able to do something a Christian would believe to be the right thing?
don't let your kids be around clergy!!!
I love these stories. Goes to show just how easy it is to con people into believing a false prophet. Anyone attending these mega-churches deserves to lose very dime they give to these churches. This guy, the "I'm not gay" minister in Atlanta, Ted Haggart "No, really, I'm not gay!" Puh-lease...It will never end. Maybe some day all you evangelicals will wake up to the fact that you've been taken and fooled all your lives.
In light of the "gay marriage is evil" and "good thing the boy scouts keep their kids away from evil gays" stories recently, this story is just another example of how ignorant so many people are by focusing on "the gay menace" because they all "know" that gays are pedophiles blah blah blah...when statistically its the "nice married guy next door" and family/relatives who poses the greater risk to your kids.
Well-stated, vermontguy
vermont ...... dont confuse this with a pedophile and ephebophilia, entirely two seperate issues. There is also the issue of the female being of legal age of consent. The only legal problem here is taking her across state lines to where she can not legally give consent yet. Morally this individual is repugnant using a position of authority to seduce a niave (presumably) young female. An entirely different issue from the revulsion a normal individual has to the genetic defect of same gender sexual attraction.
dennis: I didn't say this incident was pedophilia (because as you point it, it technically isn't). My point is just how ignorant and angry people are whenever they can somehow claim something is a "gay menace" incident..when in fact "normal straight men" are by far the bigger threat to children in general.
Dennis,
You seem to be stating that being gay is genetic, which means a person is born that way, cannot help it and cannot change. Wow, and you still find it acceptable to dislike a person who is harming no one for how they are born and discriminate against them because they are different? Do you treat other "different" people the same because of how they were born? My nephew is left handed. No one else in the family is, how did that happen? He can't help it and he doesn't hurt anyone else because of it, but you would still dislike him because he's different from the other 90% of the population? A couple hundred years ago they thought being left handed was evil and a sign of the devil-not making that up. It's only in the last 40-50 years they stopped trying to make them write with their right hand in school. Some day, opinions like yours about gay people will be abandoned and people will look back in the same utter amazement that gay people were once disliked and discriminated against.
yeah, well, dennis is indeed a homophobic bigot by his post. I love how he claims to speak for all "normal people" about their "revulsion" on gays. lol.
I wonder who died and made him king? :)
and he's the world's expert on molecular biology and genetics too! He knows EXACTLY what genetic "defects" cause people to be gay! I'm impressed! ROTFL. :)
Wasn't it Jesus who said "Love your neighbor as you would love yourself"? I don't recall his statement including exceptions like "unless they are gay", etc. Now it's been a while since I read it, but doesn't the Bible also say you're not judge other people for that is their god's job?
Whaddaya know! Another Baptist poster child for the "Sanctity of the Institution of Marriage"! What a joke these hypochristians are! Wonder if he took her to chik fil a for dinner?
I really need to start a mega-church.
Is there a DVD I can buy or an infomercial to get me started??
Love it!!!! That is what they do!
then when they have their mega church they turn into .....Jim Baker, Jimmy Swagart and the guy from Colorado Springs, who was seeing a male prostiture in Denver.
They all massed ginormous amounts of money, along with "power and influence" because they stood at a podium with the band playing and their Bibles thumping and shaking in the air. For Heaven's sake, it is brain washing to a certain extent, as the money goes flying out of the wallets of those who believe that they are going to be saved, or get to sign up for a purposeful retreat and weekend marriage counseling.
Then these men, show up on Oprah looking for some kind of redemption as their silly wives hold their hand as the speak of "being in therapy" . Give me a break...these pastors are snake oil salesman, and throw in Joel Osteen and all the other "religious gurus" including Benny Hinn.
People in this country can not stand on their own. They need to have happiness spoon fed to them by seeking a rellgious experince- and the "preachers" laugh all the way to the bank. Then they exclude everyone that is not like them. Thank goodness, I am not. Where is my Friday morning martini? LOL
@THOUGHT.....
You took the words right out of my mouth....its funny how this group of religious people always comeback saying god has cured me the devil is gone. Please send money to help us help people like me who do the devils deed and need help...
What a crock. No different the a killer saying the devil made me do it but now i have god so I'm good now.. let me out....
Just sayin..
You should start your own mega church......remember, God wants YOU to be rich, God wants ALL OF US to be rich.
Just send me $250 for your free video of how to start your own mega church and become rich.
"I know God put him in that position for a reason and what he did is a mistake, and God will forgive him," parishioner Jesus Perez said.
Would Mr. Perez have given the same benefit of the doubt to Jeffrey Dahmer? Or James Holmes? Does his Christian forgiveness extend to all sinners, just his own favorites, or just those that hide behind a religious robe?
I wonder how Mr. Perez would feel if it was his daughter that the pastor was playing with... Its funny in life how its always ok to forgive someone when it has nothing to do with your family...
Just sayin..
Another hypocritical adulterous Baptist minister? No surprise here. I bet he went to Chick Fil-A yesterday to trumpet his Christian values.
LOL best post ever... so true...
Does this mean he can't use the Gulfstream anymore?
Love these contradictory bible thumpers who preach the gospel while stroking the golden calf. The word "sin" is Christian terminology I believe. Dude...you simply f**ked up.
He should run for Pope. He has all the qualifications.
According to the bible.....He was 'taking a wife'.
Yes God put him in a position to ruin a young girls life, that was His plan all along right... But let's say something stupid like God will forgive him, the criminal perpetrator. Typical Baptist ignorance!
dm ........ the young female was of legal age of consent and this is not even close to being pedophilia. It may be repugnant morally but it was not illegal nor was it pedophilia.
I'll put it this way, if a 54 year old man violated my 16 year old daughter the FBI investigating him would be the least of his worries. Pastors are in positions of trust and even if the girl was of age of legal consent he is wide open to take a fall. He's a piece of crap!
If you want to say you would give him a pat on the back if he did your 16 year old because it's not pedophilia or illegal then you have issues.
She wasn't of legal age in the state it occurred in. Re-read the story.
Awesome, I think everyone should double up on their tithes and offerings to help with his court costs and to offset his income which is probably in the neighborhood of $500K-$1M per year. Churches have become mockeries of society and should be taxed the @!$%# out of. Keep throwing your money away to make men and women rich all in the name of God!
I Love when the parishoners say " God will forgive him". How convenient. If you "sin", there's always the "God forgives" card. So, maybe before these idiots f-up, they think "it will be ok, God will forgive me." I guess it's the Christian version of a " Get out of jail free" card.
Kind of like the healing joke. I had some cancer surgery recently and luckily the doc got it all. Ran into a member of the church I used to go to and she says "God worked to heal you"... I said oh, you mean the same God that gave me cancer to start with right. Churches are nothing more than big business preying on people like fools to take their money. They use scare tactics to get people to comply just like any of the other thugs of the world.
The devil made him do it. God will forgive him and he can now preach to the believers about the tempations of the devil. I love how easily the believers can be scammed.
The only temptation he can say he succumbed to is cheating on his wife. The female was of legal age of consent except for crossing the state line a god may forgive him for one transgression, the "state" will not.
except for crossing the state line
So I guess in the state he crossed into he is guilty of illegal temptation besides cheating on his wife.
Duh!
John .. no he is guilty of having sex within the state with a female under the age of consent. The sin thing is between him and his mythical supernatural omnipotent entity.
The devil made him cross the state line.
Dennis,
You're not making sense. How can she be "of legal age except for crossing the state line?" The state line is what determines the legal age, and she was under it when he took her into the other state. That means she wasn't legal age-thus the crime!
Dennis,
How can you acknowledge that he took her into a state where her age was illegal to have sex and say he's not guilty?
The only way he's not guilty is if he somehow proves he didn't have sex with her in that state.
If he had sex with her across state lines, then it's statutory rape.
Is that clear enough?
Guy deserves to be probed and not in a way he would like. Church leaders are being caught in this kind of activity every day. So this story did not surprise me in the least. It is the do what I say but not what I do mentality of church leaders that is getting them into trouble.
dm ........ you would have a much stronger position if you did not incorrectly use pedophilia as an example. It does not apply in this case.
Dennis- Once he brought her to IL it became a case of statutory rape and pedophilia,17 is the age of consent here, not 16
technically it isn't pedophilia at this age. There are several kinds of sex crimes/behavior, depending on the age of the child, etc.
It doesn't make it right..just different that legal pedophilia.
Dennis, Well in my book when a man of that age and statue has sex with a girl who is 16 I consider that man to be a pedophile, So if he was in IL when he first had sex with her at 16 he would be a pedophile... I dont care if he got of on a technicality, he is still a sic man...
Just sayin..
You world has taken a turn for the worse and thats a fact JACK!
"Authorities probing whether any the behavior was criminal" Duh, he is 54 and she is 16!?!
I bet he was doing some probing of her.
Let us pray to God for his forgiveness and mercy according to his free gift -- charis.
Wow .... so many judgemental comments ... our only place is to forgive and just let it be to the higher authorities.
we his peers are the judges their is no higher authority
all religion is evil
I have long held the belief that there is nothing wrong with belief. I am an Athiest myself, but I could always be wrong. I do object to organized religion though as I do see it as the corruption of faith.
It just strikes the wrong chord in me to hear some of the comments regarding Christianity that are completely founded in lies and generalizations. Because this man claimed to be a follower of Christ and did something bad, that means that all Christians are doing the same thing? We need a reality check, we all are bad people, and bad people do bad things. I can use the terms "sin" and "sinners," but with the flat-out rejection of any moral absolutes those terms mean nothing. So riddle me this then, if we are all innately good people, then why is there so much bad coming from us?
No, just most of them. Just kidding.
They that shout loudest against evil, are the people whose resistance to it is the weakest.