About Church Dispute

If you are new to this WebPage let me explain that my intended general discussions of parish conflict resolution has been swamped by a series of ‘Stop Press’ articles on systematic abuse by those in authority in the church.

First I was approached by friends who asked me to look into the case of a minister friend of theirs who they said had been falsely accused of adultery. The false accusation was in fact just a dishonest but devastatingly effective stratagem in a parish power-play. In the end the church authorities reluctantly admitted that he was innocent. But they showed no remorse that they had been part of a dishonest stratagem in a parish power-play. No remorse that they had hounded an innocent man for nearly two years, that they had caused incredible pain to him and his wife, and to the equally innocent woman who was accused of being ‘a partner-in-sin.’

It made me doubt our church authorities. It produced a series of articles which are available for you to read here under the general title of John’s Story:

Overheard in Gloria Jean’s… The Anglican Church’s Blacklist Louise Greentree, 27th October 2007  outlines the basic plot in a ‘fictionalized’ setting

‘Abusing Power and Process: a New Look for Christian Men.’  This article looks at some of the men involved in this case, although the identities and the location of the Parish have been kept anonymous.

‘False Zeal and Hard Hearts: a New Look for Christian Women?’ This article contains an exposé of some of the key women players.

‘Beyond False Zeal, Hard-heartedness and the Abuse of Power & Process.’
The Next Episode: the Victimisation Goes on… and on… This was written when, even after he was acquitted, they kept on after him!

And, finally: the young woman so grievously slandered by these people wrote about her own experience of this abuse of her trust and Christian fellowship by the clergy, parish staff and others in the parish and beyond: please read ‘Cathy’s Story’.