Paul Schmidt (Comment on thouarttheman.

org)
September 14, 2018

Bob Selph states that Providence Reformed Baptist Church “assumed the
full responsibility of (Chantry’s) oversight and guidance. As mentioned
above, the Tacoma church received the complete packet with all the
documents and testimonies.”

Selph erroneously makes the scenario sound as if the entire membership

of PRBC knew the reasons why Tom Chantry suddenly showed up one day
in 2000. We didn’t. We were told in essence to not ask questions (“Nolite
quaerere,” the unofficial motto of PRBC, by the way). Information was
intentionally concealed from us, information that could have protected us
and our children had Chantry given in to his twisted proclivity while among
us.

Nor did we assume “full responsibility” for him; Pastor Tom Lyon did. It’s
troubling to me that the congregation of PRBC at that time should be
lumped in with Tom Lyon’s decision to bring a deviant predator into our
midst, without so much as a “by your leave.”

Further compounding the matter was that PRBC elders, namely Tom Lyon,
recommended Chantry for membership knowing what he had done to
children in Arizona. He was not “accepted” into membership; Chantry was
in essence rammed down our throats, with no opportunity to question him,
then he was given space in the pulpit not long afterward.

This past Sunday, Sept. 9, Tom Lyon attempted to clarify PRBC’s

involvement with Chantry from 2000-2002. He first condemned
“muckraking” blogs that are “damaging the reputations of good men,” then
scolded the congregation for reading them, then conveniently neglected to
mention his continued support of Chantry, including Chantry’s installation
as pastor of Christ Reformed Baptist Church in Hales Corners.

Four questions that I respectfully challenge Tom Lyon (and all other ARBCA
pastors) to answer:
1) When you express more concern about the reputation of men than the
suffering of Chantry’s victims, how is that not an indication that something
is wrong?

2) When you admonish your congregation for looking at blog sites to seek
information about the Chantry matter, yet ARBCA somehow escapes your
admonishment for withholding information of crimes (even a trial judge says
ARBCA is guilty of a coverup) and for the bumbling, incompetent way it’s
handled this entire situation, how is that not an indication that something is
wrong?

3) When that same judge must admonish your friend, Pastor Don Lindblad,
for giving evasive answers under oath, how is that not an indication that
something is wrong?

4) When you can speak at Chantry’s installment as pastor at Hales Corners

church, knowing what you knew about Chantry’s past behavior, while the
Hales Corners church apparently knew nothing, how is that not an
indication that something is wrong?

Clearly Chantry did not meet the Apostle Paul’s instructions to Timothy that
an elder “must be without reproach” (I Tim. 3:2).

I hope I have not been overly harsh, Tom. But as you are so fond of saying,
someone has some ‘splainin’ to do.

(My wife and I were members of PRBC from 1994-2008, then began
attending again in May 2017 with knowledge of the Chantry matter, thanks
to this blog. We ceased attending PRBC on Sept. 9.)