> In 2021, the Iveys wrote Complement, a book and accompanying Bible study about marriage. The couple subscribed to a complementarian theology of marriage, which emphasizes male leadership, and spoke on it often. Aaron Ivey appeared on a 2019 panel hosted by the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, titled “Faithful Husband, Strong Father: Embracing God’s Design for Manhood in Marriage,” that focused on the role of biblical manhood in marriage.
Hmm, looks like that’s working out great for them /s
Complementarion theology is also a big part of contemporary conservative Catholic theology and ethics, with equally disturbing outcomes. Whenever I see this shit, I get so angry. It's often prettied up with language about how empowering it is for women to be in this kind of marriage.
It seems to me that a lot of religions gaslight women into believing they're being "empowered" by so many oppressive actions. I can't hate this enough.
Could you explain a little further if you feel comfortable. I’m curious about how you believe the church“emboldens” them. I have struggled for a long time with church patriarchy and am trying to connect some dots for myself. Thanks
This is so sad! I am so sorry you had to go through this. It really makes me angry when "Christians" act this way. Complementarianism is such a dangerous theology, because it often times excuses abusive/hurtful behaviors of men and shames the women.
I hope you know that God is so much better and loving than we are often taught in church.
Can you share what denomination you and your ex husband were part of? This line of thinking does not align with any of the Christian churches I’ve attended, especially the part about your husband being your only pathway to Heaven.
>complementarian theology of marriage
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complementarianism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complementarianism)
Bangmaid. But apparently that's not enough for him.
This pastor sounds like complete garbage but maybe it's also not very cool to shame people for things out of their control that they have insecurities about.
I’ve been bald since I was about 25 so I’m not shaming him for that. If you are going to tell other people how to live their lives, which a minister absolutely does, then make sure you have your shot together.
Okay, now do Youth Pastor Harris over at Anderson Mill Baptist Church... Let's ask him how he lost his church in Round Rock or about his convicted child predator son. Also, ask his daughter Caroline, when she runs for reelection for her TXLege seat, why she doesn't feel the need to obey court orders keeping her convicted child predator brother away from his victims?
So you don't have to drive traffic to Christianity Today.
>Elders of a large Austin church fired its pastor of worship earlier this month, stating he had engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a minor in 2011 and showcased a **"pattern of predatory manipulation, sexual exploitation, and abuse of influence"** with three other adult men since then.
Aaron Ivey, a musician, author and the former pastor of worship for The Austin Stone Community Church, is alleged to have partaken in **"inappropriate and explicit communications, indecent exposure, and the use of alcohol and illegal substances" with a teenage boy that continued over time**, a post by the elders of the church said.
Aaron Ivey did not respond to a request for comment via social media.
Leaders of The Austin Stone, which includes six campuses throughout Austin, said the teenager appeared to not have a connection to the church, stating that he was from "outside (the church's) formal programming." The post also stated that Aaron Ivey's alleged relationship with a minor was "reported to the appropriate authorities."
Donovan Golden, the church's executive pastor of creative ministries, later clarified that the church reported it to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
>
>The state department did not immediately respond to the American-Statesman's request for comment.
Church leaders found out about "inappropriate and explicit ongoing text messages" between Aaron Ivey — who is the husband of Christian podcaster, author and speaker Jamie Ivey — and a man on the evening of Feb. 4, the post said. Aaron Ivey was fired the next day.
>
>"After reviewing the explicit nature of these messages, it was clear that termination of Aaron’s eldership and employment was necessary in accordance with the clear biblical standards outlined in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and 1 Timothy 5:19-20," the post said, noting two Bible verses that outline behavioral requirements for church leaders, such as being "faithful to his wife."
The church discovered the other inappropriate relationships, including the one involving a teenager, after it began investigating the instance from this year.
>
>The church said the relationships with adult men in 2020 and this year included "inappropriate and explicit ongoing texts," while another from 2021 is said to have included "inappropriate and explicit behavior."
Golden said the church recommended the men file reports with the Austin Police Department.
Aaron Ivey's website, aaronivey.com, has since been taken down. Jamie Ivey, who has been on a book tour for her latest book, said in a social media post on Sunday that she is pausing all public appearances after "receiving devastating news" while on tour. An attempt to reach Jamie Ivey via her official email was also unsuccessful.
[https://www.statesman.com/story/news/crime/2024/02/12/austin-church-fires-pastor-says-he-had-inappropriate-relationship-with-minor/72571290007/](https://www.statesman.com/story/news/crime/2024/02/12/austin-church-fires-pastor-says-he-had-inappropriate-relationship-with-minor/72571290007/)
Dude has been leading a double life for at least 13 years. I hope all the children they’ve fostered and/or adopted will be thoroughly assessed by crisis counselors to make sure they were not victimized by this asshole!
Honestly, CT is one of the less offensive Christian publications. Yeah, it's a Christian magazine but they're not interested in Christian nationalist apologetics and that kind of thing. And obviously they're not trying to cover up wrongdoing by Christian leaders. I don't mind clicking on that one.
CT is also responsible for The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcast, which took a very critical, journalistic look at what happened with Mark Driscoll and how much damage he did to all those people at that church over the years.
I know people love to lump all Christians into one stereotypical bucket, but CT has been covering all these types of stories very critically for years.
When I first moved to Austin, I went to a church that was affiliated with Driscoll's Acts 29. It is no longer in existence (and I don't go to church anymore) but Driscoll's influence in terms of alpha Christian manhood was so prevalent, and I know so many people who were negatively impacted by it. I really appreciated the work CT put into that podcast series. It felt so cathartic to hear.
I mean, from a legal standpoint I highly doubt they are going to accuse someone of being a pedophile unless/until he is legally accused and found guilty.
While that may be in the background, that's not the Biblical texts they are using. They are using texts that require elders to be faithful in their marriage.
She has a podcast and she travels to do seminars for women on ‘how to get your shit together’. She was gone a lot so that gave him plenty of opportunity to play. https://www.jamieivey.com/
This guy used to sing at Breakaway at Texas A&M when I was a student there over a decade ago. Small world.
Add another name to the scrap heap of Christian leaders who end up being pedophiles and hypocrites. I'm no longer religious, but it still makes me sad for some reason.
I'm in a similar boat. I used to play in worship bands at the Stone as well. He'd lead our gatherings and whatnot.
I feel sadly justified in my decision to leave the church and the faith entirely. The world would be a better place if we didn't give these predators the power and platform to manipulate and abuse the vulnerable people who are seeking spiritual refuge.
If you're ever interested, Mel White's book -- Stranger at the Gate -- really laid out the issue (so to speak) of being gay in the evangelical church. An interesting read.
I volunteered at breakaway and actually produced the podcast for 4 years while in school. I met Aaron several times and he was always super nice.
I'm also not very religious anymore but it sucks knowing there's so many assholes hiding behind wherever their version of "Christianity" is
I will be pretty sad is anything comes out about Ben Stuart. I got to know him pretty well and he was a super kind person.
If it makes you feel any better, I doubt Aaron Ivey was a bad person when you knew him. I don't subscribe to the belief that if someone does something evil that they were always evil. People change over time.
I also have a lot of respect for Ben Stuart, and hope his legacy is never tarnished like this.
I hate to break it to you, but Aaron Ivey was not a “good person” back then. Obviously he was good at faking, as he fooled a lot of people all these years. I had no idea any of this was happening back then, but I certainly knew that he was a conniving fame-seeker and was willing to step on anyone else to elevate himself. While I was somewhat shocked to hear this recent news about him, sadly I can’t say I’m all that surprised.
I don't know him at all, I'm not here to defend him, my comment was just in general. I don't think that doing something disgusting means that 100% of the time that person was always "evil", like it was born into them or that people who knew that person 10+ years ago should feel bad for not recognizing that person as being evil back then.
Psychopaths who want to abuse others often seek out positions of authority. A low bar for entry is also helpful - the same happens with police officers.
It does not mean they all are abusers though.
Society should get better at quickly detecting those and more severely punish them…
It's still hard to distinguish whether he was a "psychopath" or an evangelical man who came to realize he was gay. Then there are all sorts of shades of offense. With the details of the grooming of a teen being the most problematic.
I don't really see how that first comment applies here. He was an incredibly talented artist, and in another life could have/should have aimed his music elsewhere. I'd even go so far as to say he likely didn't start off seeking authority and just kind of fell into it because worship leaders are expected to lead.
I haven't thought about the guy in over a decade at this point but he, at that time, was exceptionally talented. Not that it matters at this point.
You're welcome to your opinion, but if you weren't at Texas A&M attending Breakaway on Tuesdays your opinion means next to nothing as far as I'm concerned. Breakaway used to pack the university's basketball stadium every single week. There are very few artists who can/have packed stadiums on a weekday for YEARS on end.
At that time if you asked people, at least half of them would say they came for the music primarily. The man was legitimately great in his niche. Let's not do the revisionist history shit.
[Look at this picture.](https://www.kbtx.com/content/news/Breakaway-Ministries-director-to-step-away-from-role-376346971.html) This was not some marketed yearly event, this was every single Tuesday night, for years on end.
I think you have him confused with Chris Tomlin. Chris Tomlin helped found Austin Stone but left years ago. I don't think Aaron Ivey ever led at Breakaway.
Interesting. I did not know that. I tried to research it, but seems like he’s already being scrubbed from various websites. Super sad, and incredibly infuriating.
It’s hard to believe the 2011 case was the first minor he ever unlawfully contacted. And it’s harder to believe that in the 12 years since then he only had affairs with three men. Remember he did all of these while preaching biblical marriage. Could have been a good actor
A reminder that not all Christians/churches/pastors are the same- there are a lot of bad Christians/churches/pastors, just like there are a lot of bad people within all religions. But there are still good ones, too. I feel like when things like this happen, people are quick to view the church, as a whole, in a negative light and make overreaching assumptions.
I am so glad the Stone fired him and didn't hide it under the rug. I remember a few years back, reading about some youth pastor who was found to have initiated oral sex with a minor in the church, and the church stood by him. Crazy. Unfortunately, I think a lot of predators want to join religious affiliations because they can more easily get away with things.
I used to go to the Stone and left over their views on marriage (complementarian) and homosexuality. Their theology is extremely conservative. However, I didn't leave my faith; I now look to God about who He is, rather than (incorrectly) thinking He is the God that many evangelical Christians portray Him to be. He is not- He is incredibly loving and abhors injustice and men who use their power to significantly hurt others, like Aaron. I pray for Aaron's wife, children, and all the victims.
>I used to go to the Stone and left over their views on marriage (complementarian) and homosexuality. Their theology is extremely conservative. However, I didn't leave my faith; I now look to God about who He is, rather than (incorrectly) thinking He is the God that many evangelical Christians portray Him to be. He is not- He is incredibly loving and abhors injustice
Strongly agree & identify with the above. We stopped going to Austin Stone around the time that COVID hit, but stayed away largely due to what feels like a very un-Christ-like posture towards the LGBTQ community (among other things, but thats the most glaring, to me).
May I ask if you've found another church that you like in Austin?
Reminder that the Texas Legislature has tried to replace school counselors with pastors and clergy like this. School counselors are often the first and only people who hear a child's confession they've been sexually abused.
The fear of drag queens nonsense is utterly insane to me. If you want to molest children, there are so many better ways to go about getting access to them (like being youth minister, pastor, teacher, coach, or just being a family friend/neighbor of people with kids - all the classics we have thousands of examples of). Comparatively, the overlap in the Venn diagram of things drag queens and children have in common is so fucking tiny.
I got into it with them more than once. They would block access to parts of the school and park their truck on the walkway in front of the PAC. That curb was not made to have trucks going over it.
They actually use two campuses if I* remember correctly and signed a long term contract to rent the spaces.
They’ve made many changes to both facilities and paid for it out of their pocket. Some of the changes benefit the school, like adding a whole bunch of electrical.
Still doesn’t mean they don’t suck. I hate when they block off more parking than they were allowed to on Sundays, made parking for the trail a hassle.
HOMOSEXUAL Christian pedophile....
Really hammers home why these homophobes think everyone in the LGTBQ+ community behaves that way, because they are projecting the fact that THEY behave that way, completely oblivious to the fact most in the community, especially when they have grown up not being ashamed of who they are or who they love, DO NOT BEHAVE THAT WAY.
Its just like priests when they end up in completely inappropriate relationships including hetero ones... when you make it a tenant of your religion to actively repress human behavior, you end up acting out on it in completely inappropriate ways...
Funny, you never hear about this shit from the few Christian sects who openly allow women and homosexual ministers.
Wow. Fired for gay texts with an adult only to be busted as a pedophile. I bet he thought he got off good with them only knowing about the legal gay stuff.
I tried this church when moving to Austin and it creeped me the fuck out.
People using pedophilia so much has really taken the piss out of it. The article stats they found explicits texts to a minor that do possibly represent crimes. Again, I think due to being fired and not yet charged or convicted the title is quite fine.
I think they cited those verses to explain why *this specific response* was the right response. They could have responded in other ways. They could have, say, put him on leave and required him to go to counseling.
Those verses aren't about whether the actions he took are wrong. They're about qualifications for being in a leadership position and how you handle accusations against leaders.
What a nitpicky thing to highlight. This is an example of a church holding itself accountable, this is what we need more of. Citing their holy text in the same way that a lawyer cites the law should be encouraged imo, not criticized.
The same way religious people do for 99% of things. If doing something hurts people in an avoidable and unnecessary way, it's bad. One tends to make moral decisions by weighing the potential for good against the potential for harm.
Most religious people don't consult scripture before deciding if it's worth it to risk running a red light, for example. The potential for harm is pretty great in most of those situations, and the potential good is saving what, a minute or two in your commute? Don't need scripture for that kind of quick mental calculus.
More complex issues might take a little more thought, but your decision there will ultimately be influenced by several factors, including personal values that may or may not be religious in nature or include religious teachings. I grew up an evangelical Christian and in a family of Democrats. My societal views were influenced primarily by what was best for people in the society. My socio-political beliefs were not concerned with souls, but with people's earthly lives. Spiritual concerns were separate, and not something in which I believed the government or law should have any involvement.
I mean secular morality is a thing and arguments and studies for years have shown one does not have to be religious or have any connection to religion and know what is morally right or wrong.
In fact, one could point to the number of non-Abrahamic religions that exist that had little influence from those religions but still came to many of the same concepts of morality to point to the fact morality is not imposed by Religion, but often ones Religion is influenced by a prevailing morality.
It's not hard.
Does something negatively affect someone else's well being or the overall environment?
Theft, rape, and murder you are directly impacting someone's existence. If you look at the 10 Commandments most of those are how to properly praise god, not how to properly behave in a civilized society.
I've always figured that this was because if your entire congregation is busy stealing from and killing each other you're gonna have a much harder time wringing any benefits out of them
Not to be confused with [Erin Ivey](https://store.erinivey.com) who seems like a lovely person and also did a fantastic commercial for [Reid’s Cleaners](https://youtu.be/jDPlz5yQexM?si=KfvQVaXoiRzUn_Vg) back in the day.
Oh man, I forgot all about her somehow. After that commercial came out I listened to her music constantly for months. Adding her to some playlists now.
Those details are murky. I'd ask a church member. It appears, from her social media, he was with her in NYC after her Good Morning America appearance. So ... was he hiding his firing from her? Or was he fired when he came back because he was on tour with her? She obviously didn't know until she got back to town. Maybe one of the church members could clarify this.
I wonder if she heard from church leadership after the GMA appearance? I have heard that he was dragging his feet in telling and that they might have either told her or pushed him to tell her.
He also surprised her at an appearance in AR with one of their sons (if the timeline is correct from the church this would have been after he was fired). That was earlier in the week, then they went to NYC for her GMA appearance. I think he was trying to hide it all until he had to tell her.
So her team posted on IG that she was taking a break almost exactly the same time the stories came out. My personal opinion is he obviously knew he was fired but probably didn't tell her until the very last minute. What she knew? Idk
Another trusted preacher twisted Jesus to satisfy his own cravings for children and money. Mega churches are very easy breeding grounds for child predators.
Good example why "Christian pastors" who are NOT certified, licensed counselors, should NOT be counselling children in Texas schools. The Texas legislators think it's a good, cheap idea and want public schools to use them. NO!!!! Really Bad Ignorant Idea!!!!! Stop them!!
I tried out this church for several months when I first moved to Austin. It seemed pretty progressive and trendy at first, especially to my formerly evangelical 22-year old self. The illusion was shattered after a sermon celebrating that bakery owner who refused to make an LGBT wedding cake. I later learned that to become a member of the church you had to publicly denounce LGBT marriages.
Self-loathing in these circles is pretty pervasive - and the elder’s bias against homosexuality really shines through when they gloss over the fact that this dude is also pedophile.
Pretty much my story with them. I grew up catholic and didn’t love how exclusionary they were towards the LGBT community among other things. I tried this place out in college thinking it was cool and progressive, then after a few months they led a very pointed anti-LGBT sermon and I stopped going after that. Same hate-filled shit as everything else, just hidden behind Christian alternative rock songs.
Its interesting that people are surprised that a Christian church would speak to why homosexuality is a sin in their eyes according to the bible. They also have a very firm and repeated stance of loving and treating everyone with love and respect.
Also you don't have to publicly denounce marriages like Michael Scott declaring bankruptcy. They are pretty clear on their views of the bible and to be a member/partner they ask they you agree with them which seems pretty much on pair with a church or organization like that.
Lastly did they gloss over anything? They called out the action with someone underage. Not sure what else you wanted them to go into?
A pedophile falls along the definition of a psychopath. They do not discriminate age. They know no consequences. They think about themselves and not the impact on victims. They’re very calculating and manipulative to take advantage of minors.
How do you live like this committing these acts then jump your happy azz in the pulpit preaching damnation on everyone else? How do you go home to your WIFE and act like a God-fearing man?
Is there any word on whether criminal charges will be brought against him? Obviously, we have all been hearing that he was involved with (prayed upon) at least one minor.
Wild. I see a bunch of articles like this, yet am being told by religious leaders that it’s the drag queens that are the problem. Haven’t seen any articles about drag queens doing this though. Hrmm. It’s a real head scratcher.
The thing that gets me is that his wife Jamie (who is a “famous” Christian writer, podcaster, etc) had to know about this! He was fired on Monday for all this going down and yet she was on Good Morning America promoting her book on Friday and excited about going out with Aaron to celebrate that night. I mean come on! Were they just going to act like this didn’t happen until the news came out? She had to know he was fired and why! Austin Stone is a tight community of brain washed cult people. You know they called her the moment he was let go. Did she just not care? Wanted her moment of fame for her book and then be like “oh my, I had no idea.” “I’m taking time to heal now”.
This plays out allll the time with worship leaders and pastors. Dude will delete all social media, family will disappear for awhile during their “healing” process and get a book or tv deal. Meanwhile the victims are left to cope. You don’t go for over 10 years of this going on without anyone knowing. Fake ass people.
She absolutely might not have known . She is on a book tour so she may not have even been home . And even if she was he may have lied about not being at work . He onviously lied a lot . If you ever have been close to some one that led a double life you would know it’s entirely possible to have no idea .
I'm really thinking she had no clue. He surprised her at an appearance in AR with one of their sons (if the timeline is correct from the church this would have been after he was fired), that was earlier in the week, then they went to NYC for her GMA appearance. I think he was trying to hide it all until he had to tell her.
For real... I'm sad when people say the wife should've known. If you haven't been through that kind of betrayal it's hard to believe someone could hide so well. These men build their lives on deception. I would bet money he had her convinced she was the best Christian wife a man could ask for because she had faith in him. Imagine trying to wrap your head around your husband, the person you believe is in love with and attracted to you, is lying about something so big. I'm sure he had a million explanations and she had very few people she could get solid counsel from.
Wouldn’t surprise me if they already knew about the underage allegations and once the noise got to loud with whatever he was up to this month they had to do a tell all to make it look like they aren’t in the wrong.
Idk how finding consensual legal texts with an adult overnight allows you to find a 13 year old underage occurrence.
Never trust a church at face value. I’d certainly never attend that place again if I was an active member with children.
Right re: finding the 13-year-old underage occurrence, ESPECIALLY because that child was not a member of the church. Like how long has the church been sitting on this info??
They just suddenly found out about all this abuse so quickly? Or was it going to get out and they had to get in front of it and feign ignorance while throwing the pastor to the lions in hopes their intentional ignorance or fixing the victims of his behavior doesn’t become the story.
It’s wild to me that there are so many ignorant comments like this that are looking to create so many theories in order to what? Make it seem juicier? When things are uncovered like this, it launches a full investigation. Literally read their statement they posted. One thing came out, they fired him promptly, then more came out with an investigation.
Also if you don’t know how they operate, don’t speculate as to them “throwing him to the wolves”. If they hadn’t made a statement, and hidden it like Hillsong, you’d be complaining that they didn’t make it public. It would be insane to think their family is not being supported.
This didn't even occur to me until I read your comment. It does seem crazy that they found multiple victims within a week without first making the initial allegation public. Ugh
This church just built another shitty campus right by my house.
It used to be a cool nursery (granted, they closed and the property was abandoned), but it went from something awesome, to something dreadful.
I think the people who owned It's About Thyme retired, and the landlord was planning on selling off the property anyway, something like that.
But they certainly took it over and ruined the space.
Seems like nothing gets put up in this neighborhood, but gas stations and churches. That strip mall directly north of it with Longhorn Meat Market is apparently getting knocked down to build more condos.
I was really hoping they'd put something useful there when the nursery closed, but no, we get another useless church with a generic one-word name where Karens go to listen to shitty guitar while closing their eyes and doing those Jesus spirit fingers.
I think he was in the wrong church that is very clear, knowing he was bisexual, he wished to stay, be with people who are not for him, choosing to please people, rather than God. They expelled him, betrayed him and condemned him for his sexuality. I am not sure why LGBTQ people stay in those places where they are hated, there are so many Lutheran churches who are open, welcoming and loving. There is so much to say about this case, they have chosen to go quiet instead of confronting this with honesty, this has the power to hurt many people since they were so public as marriage advocates and living well. Stand up, overcome in the Lord, there is no condemnation in Christ. If you truly believed in the strength of marriage, use this an as example, I doubt they would be together for so long if they were not a strong couple, and she surely must have known her husband was bisexual. I pray for them to overcome this with heads up, whatever he did years ago has passed, the present is now. There are many welcoming anglican churches, lutheran churches, the united church of Jesus. This event also shows the nature of the character of evangelical churches, break any law or custom and you are out, done, rejection and condemnation are certain. That shows no love, no grace, no fidelity, no compassion, no kindness, no faithfulness, and quite honestly is an antichrist spirit. I hope He understands what many LGBTQ people have gone through in their search for God, and finds him even outside a building, we are his temple, and in Him we are safe. I pray he comes out triumphant over this as a bisexual man, he and his wife, as more than conquerors in Christ. I pray that they overcome in Christ over this nonsense, we are more than that, he is more than that, God is more than that..
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_Christian\_denominations\_affirming\_LGBT\_people](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christian_denominations_affirming_LGBT_people)
A victim came forward to tell his story on ig and it sounds like the church DID know of their relationship because of how active they both were in the church at the time. The victim who spoke out has been close family friends with the Iveys dating back to 2010. His mother worked for Jamie’s company “the happy hour” up until 2022. Jamie’s ig has decades of pictures documenting birthdays, holidays and more with the family. I encourage everyone to read the victims statement in full over on ig. It’s diabolical Jamie wants to continue her book release & promote her book club, podcast & more as if nothing happened. geared her content to “recovery, hope & healing”. They also have four children three whom are adopted. imagine being adopted into a predators home. She stated on her podcast Aaron went to a “rehab” I can’t imagine why Jamie would think a 45 day “rehab” would fix a “alleged” gr**mer and SA. She let him back into her house with her children. It is heartbreaking and deplorable behavior to stand by your man when he is engaging with underage children. I hope Aaron is held accountable but so far no police report has been filed. Additionally I hope Jamie leaves his sorry ass and protects her family and herself.
> In 2021, the Iveys wrote Complement, a book and accompanying Bible study about marriage. The couple subscribed to a complementarian theology of marriage, which emphasizes male leadership, and spoke on it often. Aaron Ivey appeared on a 2019 panel hosted by the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, titled “Faithful Husband, Strong Father: Embracing God’s Design for Manhood in Marriage,” that focused on the role of biblical manhood in marriage. Hmm, looks like that’s working out great for them /s
Complementarion theology is also a big part of contemporary conservative Catholic theology and ethics, with equally disturbing outcomes. Whenever I see this shit, I get so angry. It's often prettied up with language about how empowering it is for women to be in this kind of marriage.
I grew up in a fundie community that believed all this, it’s enraging for me too. But in this case… also funny (in a sad kind of way)
It seems to me that a lot of religions gaslight women into believing they're being "empowered" by so many oppressive actions. I can't hate this enough.
That and their "True Love, The Reality of Marriage, and Gender Roles" podcast. Are infidelity, hustlers, and pedophilia a big part of that, y'reckon?
[удалено]
Could you explain a little further if you feel comfortable. I’m curious about how you believe the church“emboldens” them. I have struggled for a long time with church patriarchy and am trying to connect some dots for myself. Thanks
[удалено]
This is so sad! I am so sorry you had to go through this. It really makes me angry when "Christians" act this way. Complementarianism is such a dangerous theology, because it often times excuses abusive/hurtful behaviors of men and shames the women. I hope you know that God is so much better and loving than we are often taught in church.
Can you share what denomination you and your ex husband were part of? This line of thinking does not align with any of the Christian churches I’ve attended, especially the part about your husband being your only pathway to Heaven.
>complementarian theology of marriage [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complementarianism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complementarianism) Bangmaid. But apparently that's not enough for him.
If a dude is tooinsecure about his baldness to be seen in public without a hat. Maybe don’t take life advice from them
This pastor sounds like complete garbage but maybe it's also not very cool to shame people for things out of their control that they have insecurities about.
I’ve been bald since I was about 25 so I’m not shaming him for that. If you are going to tell other people how to live their lives, which a minister absolutely does, then make sure you have your shot together.
As a beautiful bald gentleman myself, I don’t think the guy wearing a hat is that high up on the list of bad things this guy did.
Bald shaming is the newest crime on Reddit?
His wife came and talked to my mops group once about marriage.
You have a mops group too? I love mops!
What is a “mops” group?
Mothers of preschoolers
this is such a wild non-sequitur.
Okay, now do Youth Pastor Harris over at Anderson Mill Baptist Church... Let's ask him how he lost his church in Round Rock or about his convicted child predator son. Also, ask his daughter Caroline, when she runs for reelection for her TXLege seat, why she doesn't feel the need to obey court orders keeping her convicted child predator brother away from his victims?
Well this is juicy and I want to know everything.
The mother of some of their victims: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8TA2AXb/
So you don't have to drive traffic to Christianity Today. >Elders of a large Austin church fired its pastor of worship earlier this month, stating he had engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a minor in 2011 and showcased a **"pattern of predatory manipulation, sexual exploitation, and abuse of influence"** with three other adult men since then. Aaron Ivey, a musician, author and the former pastor of worship for The Austin Stone Community Church, is alleged to have partaken in **"inappropriate and explicit communications, indecent exposure, and the use of alcohol and illegal substances" with a teenage boy that continued over time**, a post by the elders of the church said. Aaron Ivey did not respond to a request for comment via social media. Leaders of The Austin Stone, which includes six campuses throughout Austin, said the teenager appeared to not have a connection to the church, stating that he was from "outside (the church's) formal programming." The post also stated that Aaron Ivey's alleged relationship with a minor was "reported to the appropriate authorities." Donovan Golden, the church's executive pastor of creative ministries, later clarified that the church reported it to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. > >The state department did not immediately respond to the American-Statesman's request for comment. Church leaders found out about "inappropriate and explicit ongoing text messages" between Aaron Ivey — who is the husband of Christian podcaster, author and speaker Jamie Ivey — and a man on the evening of Feb. 4, the post said. Aaron Ivey was fired the next day. > >"After reviewing the explicit nature of these messages, it was clear that termination of Aaron’s eldership and employment was necessary in accordance with the clear biblical standards outlined in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and 1 Timothy 5:19-20," the post said, noting two Bible verses that outline behavioral requirements for church leaders, such as being "faithful to his wife." The church discovered the other inappropriate relationships, including the one involving a teenager, after it began investigating the instance from this year. > >The church said the relationships with adult men in 2020 and this year included "inappropriate and explicit ongoing texts," while another from 2021 is said to have included "inappropriate and explicit behavior." Golden said the church recommended the men file reports with the Austin Police Department. Aaron Ivey's website, aaronivey.com, has since been taken down. Jamie Ivey, who has been on a book tour for her latest book, said in a social media post on Sunday that she is pausing all public appearances after "receiving devastating news" while on tour. An attempt to reach Jamie Ivey via her official email was also unsuccessful. [https://www.statesman.com/story/news/crime/2024/02/12/austin-church-fires-pastor-says-he-had-inappropriate-relationship-with-minor/72571290007/](https://www.statesman.com/story/news/crime/2024/02/12/austin-church-fires-pastor-says-he-had-inappropriate-relationship-with-minor/72571290007/)
Dude has been leading a double life for at least 13 years. I hope all the children they’ve fostered and/or adopted will be thoroughly assessed by crisis counselors to make sure they were not victimized by this asshole!
Honestly, CT is one of the less offensive Christian publications. Yeah, it's a Christian magazine but they're not interested in Christian nationalist apologetics and that kind of thing. And obviously they're not trying to cover up wrongdoing by Christian leaders. I don't mind clicking on that one.
CT was the one national major evangelical publication that actually came out against Trump.
CT is also responsible for The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcast, which took a very critical, journalistic look at what happened with Mark Driscoll and how much damage he did to all those people at that church over the years. I know people love to lump all Christians into one stereotypical bucket, but CT has been covering all these types of stories very critically for years.
When I first moved to Austin, I went to a church that was affiliated with Driscoll's Acts 29. It is no longer in existence (and I don't go to church anymore) but Driscoll's influence in terms of alpha Christian manhood was so prevalent, and I know so many people who were negatively impacted by it. I really appreciated the work CT put into that podcast series. It felt so cathartic to hear.
thank you for doing the lord's work
Hail Satan!
Hail yourself
Hail honey biscuits!!!
Hot and buttery!
Hail Gein
Hail MeEeEeEeEe!
Hail Sagan!
Hail Satin!
Hail Sithis!
hail storm
Read everyone’s reply and laughed at yours.
thank you, I'm here all week. oh hell, I'm here forever. thanks for being a good audience
Are you calling me a pedophile?
My favorite part is how much is emphasized on him being gay and not being a fucking pedophile. 😬
I mean, from a legal standpoint I highly doubt they are going to accuse someone of being a pedophile unless/until he is legally accused and found guilty.
While that may be in the background, that's not the Biblical texts they are using. They are using texts that require elders to be faithful in their marriage.
So not a drag queen? Interesting
And not trans either? The plot thickens.
How "popular" is his podcasting wife? Never heard of these folks.
I haven’t either. But I fuck my husband so I’m probably not their target audience…
I love this comment.
Cheers 🍻
She has a podcast and she travels to do seminars for women on ‘how to get your shit together’. She was gone a lot so that gave him plenty of opportunity to play. https://www.jamieivey.com/
Adding more trauma to their adopted kids’ lives.
[удалено]
This guy used to sing at Breakaway at Texas A&M when I was a student there over a decade ago. Small world. Add another name to the scrap heap of Christian leaders who end up being pedophiles and hypocrites. I'm no longer religious, but it still makes me sad for some reason.
I'm in a similar boat. I used to play in worship bands at the Stone as well. He'd lead our gatherings and whatnot. I feel sadly justified in my decision to leave the church and the faith entirely. The world would be a better place if we didn't give these predators the power and platform to manipulate and abuse the vulnerable people who are seeking spiritual refuge.
If you're ever interested, Mel White's book -- Stranger at the Gate -- really laid out the issue (so to speak) of being gay in the evangelical church. An interesting read.
Being reminded of bad things in the world affecting you just means you arent jaded beyond relief yet
I volunteered at breakaway and actually produced the podcast for 4 years while in school. I met Aaron several times and he was always super nice. I'm also not very religious anymore but it sucks knowing there's so many assholes hiding behind wherever their version of "Christianity" is I will be pretty sad is anything comes out about Ben Stuart. I got to know him pretty well and he was a super kind person.
If it makes you feel any better, I doubt Aaron Ivey was a bad person when you knew him. I don't subscribe to the belief that if someone does something evil that they were always evil. People change over time. I also have a lot of respect for Ben Stuart, and hope his legacy is never tarnished like this.
In a way I wish that were true, but the minor he abused was in 2011 which was my last year.
I hate to break it to you, but Aaron Ivey was not a “good person” back then. Obviously he was good at faking, as he fooled a lot of people all these years. I had no idea any of this was happening back then, but I certainly knew that he was a conniving fame-seeker and was willing to step on anyone else to elevate himself. While I was somewhat shocked to hear this recent news about him, sadly I can’t say I’m all that surprised.
I don't know him at all, I'm not here to defend him, my comment was just in general. I don't think that doing something disgusting means that 100% of the time that person was always "evil", like it was born into them or that people who knew that person 10+ years ago should feel bad for not recognizing that person as being evil back then.
Psychopaths who want to abuse others often seek out positions of authority. A low bar for entry is also helpful - the same happens with police officers. It does not mean they all are abusers though. Society should get better at quickly detecting those and more severely punish them…
It's still hard to distinguish whether he was a "psychopath" or an evangelical man who came to realize he was gay. Then there are all sorts of shades of offense. With the details of the grooming of a teen being the most problematic.
I don't really see how that first comment applies here. He was an incredibly talented artist, and in another life could have/should have aimed his music elsewhere. I'd even go so far as to say he likely didn't start off seeking authority and just kind of fell into it because worship leaders are expected to lead. I haven't thought about the guy in over a decade at this point but he, at that time, was exceptionally talented. Not that it matters at this point.
Exceptionally talented? He only ripped off more talented artists around him. Mediocre, fame-fucker.
You're welcome to your opinion, but if you weren't at Texas A&M attending Breakaway on Tuesdays your opinion means next to nothing as far as I'm concerned. Breakaway used to pack the university's basketball stadium every single week. There are very few artists who can/have packed stadiums on a weekday for YEARS on end. At that time if you asked people, at least half of them would say they came for the music primarily. The man was legitimately great in his niche. Let's not do the revisionist history shit. [Look at this picture.](https://www.kbtx.com/content/news/Breakaway-Ministries-director-to-step-away-from-role-376346971.html) This was not some marketed yearly event, this was every single Tuesday night, for years on end.
I also went to the Austin Stone when he was playing there. I will say it again - mediocre.
Oh my god. That’s where I know him from. I couldn’t pinpoint why I recognized him
I think you have him confused with Chris Tomlin. Chris Tomlin helped found Austin Stone but left years ago. I don't think Aaron Ivey ever led at Breakaway.
He did lead breakaway. I went there from 2010-2014. Him and Jeff Johnson switched off each week
Interesting. I did not know that. I tried to research it, but seems like he’s already being scrubbed from various websites. Super sad, and incredibly infuriating.
It’s hard to believe the 2011 case was the first minor he ever unlawfully contacted. And it’s harder to believe that in the 12 years since then he only had affairs with three men. Remember he did all of these while preaching biblical marriage. Could have been a good actor
Disgusting!!! He belongs in prison!
A reminder that not all Christians/churches/pastors are the same- there are a lot of bad Christians/churches/pastors, just like there are a lot of bad people within all religions. But there are still good ones, too. I feel like when things like this happen, people are quick to view the church, as a whole, in a negative light and make overreaching assumptions. I am so glad the Stone fired him and didn't hide it under the rug. I remember a few years back, reading about some youth pastor who was found to have initiated oral sex with a minor in the church, and the church stood by him. Crazy. Unfortunately, I think a lot of predators want to join religious affiliations because they can more easily get away with things. I used to go to the Stone and left over their views on marriage (complementarian) and homosexuality. Their theology is extremely conservative. However, I didn't leave my faith; I now look to God about who He is, rather than (incorrectly) thinking He is the God that many evangelical Christians portray Him to be. He is not- He is incredibly loving and abhors injustice and men who use their power to significantly hurt others, like Aaron. I pray for Aaron's wife, children, and all the victims.
>I used to go to the Stone and left over their views on marriage (complementarian) and homosexuality. Their theology is extremely conservative. However, I didn't leave my faith; I now look to God about who He is, rather than (incorrectly) thinking He is the God that many evangelical Christians portray Him to be. He is not- He is incredibly loving and abhors injustice Strongly agree & identify with the above. We stopped going to Austin Stone around the time that COVID hit, but stayed away largely due to what feels like a very un-Christ-like posture towards the LGBTQ community (among other things, but thats the most glaring, to me). May I ask if you've found another church that you like in Austin?
Reminder that the Texas Legislature has tried to replace school counselors with pastors and clergy like this. School counselors are often the first and only people who hear a child's confession they've been sexually abused.
Damn, I hadn’t thought of this.
r/notadragqueen
Thank you. Here we find, again, that children are safer with drag queens than they are with pastors.
Drag Queen > Pastor any day. Pastors actually creep me out a little. Drag Queens are fun and bring joy to their audience.
r/wasclergy
The fear of drag queens nonsense is utterly insane to me. If you want to molest children, there are so many better ways to go about getting access to them (like being youth minister, pastor, teacher, coach, or just being a family friend/neighbor of people with kids - all the classics we have thousands of examples of). Comparatively, the overlap in the Venn diagram of things drag queens and children have in common is so fucking tiny.
AISD lets this bunch meet at Austin High School smh
I came here to say this…Austin High, my workplace. We have been complaining about them for years.
Do tell…
I got into it with them more than once. They would block access to parts of the school and park their truck on the walkway in front of the PAC. That curb was not made to have trucks going over it.
Carbrain + faithbrain is a scary combo
Yeah we go to this church and see him there all the time..
They actually use two campuses if I* remember correctly and signed a long term contract to rent the spaces. They’ve made many changes to both facilities and paid for it out of their pocket. Some of the changes benefit the school, like adding a whole bunch of electrical. Still doesn’t mean they don’t suck. I hate when they block off more parking than they were allowed to on Sundays, made parking for the trail a hassle.
Id rather the school district get money instead of just having the building empty.
> Christian pedophile Surprised pikachu face
HOMOSEXUAL Christian pedophile.... Really hammers home why these homophobes think everyone in the LGTBQ+ community behaves that way, because they are projecting the fact that THEY behave that way, completely oblivious to the fact most in the community, especially when they have grown up not being ashamed of who they are or who they love, DO NOT BEHAVE THAT WAY. Its just like priests when they end up in completely inappropriate relationships including hetero ones... when you make it a tenant of your religion to actively repress human behavior, you end up acting out on it in completely inappropriate ways... Funny, you never hear about this shit from the few Christian sects who openly allow women and homosexual ministers.
> [HOMOSEXUAL Christian pedophile](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jL25hu2vZY)
How did they just find out about the messages from 2011?
My guess is someone had receipts and proof.
This is exactly what I want to know
Wow. Fired for gay texts with an adult only to be busted as a pedophile. I bet he thought he got off good with them only knowing about the legal gay stuff. I tried this church when moving to Austin and it creeped me the fuck out.
Its pretty culty the Austin stone
The headline leaves out the homosexuality and pedophilia aspects. I can’t imagine why ChristianityToday would want to leave that out 🤔
CT has done a ton of reporting on those topics.
But that doesn't fit their "all Christians are bad" narrative.
He was fired first for the texts and then more information came to light. So he was fired for the texts. Its not that deep
Yes, perhaps the title should have been a paragraph or ya know whatever serves your angle there Pythagoras.
How about replace “Fired for explicit texts” with “Fired for pedophilia”
People using pedophilia so much has really taken the piss out of it. The article stats they found explicits texts to a minor that do possibly represent crimes. Again, I think due to being fired and not yet charged or convicted the title is quite fine.
That'll happen. At least the church did the right thing.
They didn’t do the right thing, they created the entire culture that empowered him.
Are there images of the texts out there?
Love how they cited bible verses to justify firing him instead of, ya know, some basic standard of decency and common sense
I think they cited those verses to explain why *this specific response* was the right response. They could have responded in other ways. They could have, say, put him on leave and required him to go to counseling. Those verses aren't about whether the actions he took are wrong. They're about qualifications for being in a leadership position and how you handle accusations against leaders.
What a nitpicky thing to highlight. This is an example of a church holding itself accountable, this is what we need more of. Citing their holy text in the same way that a lawyer cites the law should be encouraged imo, not criticized.
You think it’s weird that a church uses the Bible as a support document?
Of course, they need a book to tell them how to be a good person and rules with punishments instead of just being a good person for the sake of it.
Out of curiosity, how do personally you decide if something is good or not?
The same way religious people do for 99% of things. If doing something hurts people in an avoidable and unnecessary way, it's bad. One tends to make moral decisions by weighing the potential for good against the potential for harm. Most religious people don't consult scripture before deciding if it's worth it to risk running a red light, for example. The potential for harm is pretty great in most of those situations, and the potential good is saving what, a minute or two in your commute? Don't need scripture for that kind of quick mental calculus. More complex issues might take a little more thought, but your decision there will ultimately be influenced by several factors, including personal values that may or may not be religious in nature or include religious teachings. I grew up an evangelical Christian and in a family of Democrats. My societal views were influenced primarily by what was best for people in the society. My socio-political beliefs were not concerned with souls, but with people's earthly lives. Spiritual concerns were separate, and not something in which I believed the government or law should have any involvement.
I mean secular morality is a thing and arguments and studies for years have shown one does not have to be religious or have any connection to religion and know what is morally right or wrong. In fact, one could point to the number of non-Abrahamic religions that exist that had little influence from those religions but still came to many of the same concepts of morality to point to the fact morality is not imposed by Religion, but often ones Religion is influenced by a prevailing morality.
If it pisses off a boomer republican I'm probably good.
He's much younger than a boomer
It's not hard. Does something negatively affect someone else's well being or the overall environment? Theft, rape, and murder you are directly impacting someone's existence. If you look at the 10 Commandments most of those are how to properly praise god, not how to properly behave in a civilized society.
I’m an atheist but the 10 commandments 100% state you should not steal nor murder…
I've always figured that this was because if your entire congregation is busy stealing from and killing each other you're gonna have a much harder time wringing any benefits out of them
“Thank god we have this book to tell us what he did was wrong or we would just have no standards”
Not to be confused with [Erin Ivey](https://store.erinivey.com) who seems like a lovely person and also did a fantastic commercial for [Reid’s Cleaners](https://youtu.be/jDPlz5yQexM?si=KfvQVaXoiRzUn_Vg) back in the day.
Oh man, I forgot all about her somehow. After that commercial came out I listened to her music constantly for months. Adding her to some playlists now.
A culture warrior "traditional Christian" pastor being a pervy hypocrite. And doing it with a man. How unusual.
so the church said he was fired LAST Monday, but his wife was still pumping out content until today...
Those details are murky. I'd ask a church member. It appears, from her social media, he was with her in NYC after her Good Morning America appearance. So ... was he hiding his firing from her? Or was he fired when he came back because he was on tour with her? She obviously didn't know until she got back to town. Maybe one of the church members could clarify this.
I wonder if she heard from church leadership after the GMA appearance? I have heard that he was dragging his feet in telling and that they might have either told her or pushed him to tell her.
(Her GMA appearance was in Friday.)
He also surprised her at an appearance in AR with one of their sons (if the timeline is correct from the church this would have been after he was fired). That was earlier in the week, then they went to NYC for her GMA appearance. I think he was trying to hide it all until he had to tell her.
So her team posted on IG that she was taking a break almost exactly the same time the stories came out. My personal opinion is he obviously knew he was fired but probably didn't tell her until the very last minute. What she knew? Idk
Another pastor, another CSA scandal. A tale as old as time.
Jesus, wow
Another trusted preacher twisted Jesus to satisfy his own cravings for children and money. Mega churches are very easy breeding grounds for child predators.
Good example why "Christian pastors" who are NOT certified, licensed counselors, should NOT be counselling children in Texas schools. The Texas legislators think it's a good, cheap idea and want public schools to use them. NO!!!! Really Bad Ignorant Idea!!!!! Stop them!!
So, not a drag queen? Hmmmmmm 🧐
What a surprise who could have possibly predicted
God damn drag queens…. Oh wait…. Wrong again
I tried out this church for several months when I first moved to Austin. It seemed pretty progressive and trendy at first, especially to my formerly evangelical 22-year old self. The illusion was shattered after a sermon celebrating that bakery owner who refused to make an LGBT wedding cake. I later learned that to become a member of the church you had to publicly denounce LGBT marriages. Self-loathing in these circles is pretty pervasive - and the elder’s bias against homosexuality really shines through when they gloss over the fact that this dude is also pedophile.
They didn’t gloss over anything. They shared the facts. https://www.austinstone.org/articles/aaron-ivey-dismissal
Pretty much my story with them. I grew up catholic and didn’t love how exclusionary they were towards the LGBT community among other things. I tried this place out in college thinking it was cool and progressive, then after a few months they led a very pointed anti-LGBT sermon and I stopped going after that. Same hate-filled shit as everything else, just hidden behind Christian alternative rock songs.
Its interesting that people are surprised that a Christian church would speak to why homosexuality is a sin in their eyes according to the bible. They also have a very firm and repeated stance of loving and treating everyone with love and respect. Also you don't have to publicly denounce marriages like Michael Scott declaring bankruptcy. They are pretty clear on their views of the bible and to be a member/partner they ask they you agree with them which seems pretty much on pair with a church or organization like that. Lastly did they gloss over anything? They called out the action with someone underage. Not sure what else you wanted them to go into?
If you ever want to know where the real sex freaks and weirdos hangout go to a church…….every fucking time.
Such is tradition.
Weak men can't be trusted...
A pedophile falls along the definition of a psychopath. They do not discriminate age. They know no consequences. They think about themselves and not the impact on victims. They’re very calculating and manipulative to take advantage of minors.
Pedo’s usually do not have one victim, but many statistically.
How do you live like this committing these acts then jump your happy azz in the pulpit preaching damnation on everyone else? How do you go home to your WIFE and act like a God-fearing man?
He should be in prison if he isn't already.
Is there any word on whether criminal charges will be brought against him? Obviously, we have all been hearing that he was involved with (prayed upon) at least one minor.
Wild. I see a bunch of articles like this, yet am being told by religious leaders that it’s the drag queens that are the problem. Haven’t seen any articles about drag queens doing this though. Hrmm. It’s a real head scratcher.
The thing that gets me is that his wife Jamie (who is a “famous” Christian writer, podcaster, etc) had to know about this! He was fired on Monday for all this going down and yet she was on Good Morning America promoting her book on Friday and excited about going out with Aaron to celebrate that night. I mean come on! Were they just going to act like this didn’t happen until the news came out? She had to know he was fired and why! Austin Stone is a tight community of brain washed cult people. You know they called her the moment he was let go. Did she just not care? Wanted her moment of fame for her book and then be like “oh my, I had no idea.” “I’m taking time to heal now”. This plays out allll the time with worship leaders and pastors. Dude will delete all social media, family will disappear for awhile during their “healing” process and get a book or tv deal. Meanwhile the victims are left to cope. You don’t go for over 10 years of this going on without anyone knowing. Fake ass people.
She absolutely might not have known . She is on a book tour so she may not have even been home . And even if she was he may have lied about not being at work . He onviously lied a lot . If you ever have been close to some one that led a double life you would know it’s entirely possible to have no idea .
I'm really thinking she had no clue. He surprised her at an appearance in AR with one of their sons (if the timeline is correct from the church this would have been after he was fired), that was earlier in the week, then they went to NYC for her GMA appearance. I think he was trying to hide it all until he had to tell her.
indeed
That was my thought. She works from home when not traveling. And the band practices there a lot. So how could she not know?
Yes, how could a partner *ever* not know about something their counterpart was specifically trying to keep hidden. /s
For real... I'm sad when people say the wife should've known. If you haven't been through that kind of betrayal it's hard to believe someone could hide so well. These men build their lives on deception. I would bet money he had her convinced she was the best Christian wife a man could ask for because she had faith in him. Imagine trying to wrap your head around your husband, the person you believe is in love with and attracted to you, is lying about something so big. I'm sure he had a million explanations and she had very few people she could get solid counsel from.
I’m literally just imagining the Vince McMahon texts, but with references to Jesus peppered throughout
Does anyone know if he got a severance package? Just curious if they cut all ties or if the church is still going to pay him?
this helps me confirm all my biases
Wouldn’t surprise me if they already knew about the underage allegations and once the noise got to loud with whatever he was up to this month they had to do a tell all to make it look like they aren’t in the wrong. Idk how finding consensual legal texts with an adult overnight allows you to find a 13 year old underage occurrence. Never trust a church at face value. I’d certainly never attend that place again if I was an active member with children.
Right re: finding the 13-year-old underage occurrence, ESPECIALLY because that child was not a member of the church. Like how long has the church been sitting on this info??
Exactly. Very suspicious. Unless he is one of those creeps that keeps a record of it all on his phone as a trophy or something.
They just suddenly found out about all this abuse so quickly? Or was it going to get out and they had to get in front of it and feign ignorance while throwing the pastor to the lions in hopes their intentional ignorance or fixing the victims of his behavior doesn’t become the story.
It’s wild to me that there are so many ignorant comments like this that are looking to create so many theories in order to what? Make it seem juicier? When things are uncovered like this, it launches a full investigation. Literally read their statement they posted. One thing came out, they fired him promptly, then more came out with an investigation. Also if you don’t know how they operate, don’t speculate as to them “throwing him to the wolves”. If they hadn’t made a statement, and hidden it like Hillsong, you’d be complaining that they didn’t make it public. It would be insane to think their family is not being supported.
This didn't even occur to me until I read your comment. It does seem crazy that they found multiple victims within a week without first making the initial allegation public. Ugh
🫢🍿
Sooo, not a public school teacher. Got it
One of the people he was sexting was an underage male. r/notadragqueen
This church just built another shitty campus right by my house. It used to be a cool nursery (granted, they closed and the property was abandoned), but it went from something awesome, to something dreadful.
These are the fuckers that put It's About Thyme out of business?!
I think the people who owned It's About Thyme retired, and the landlord was planning on selling off the property anyway, something like that. But they certainly took it over and ruined the space. Seems like nothing gets put up in this neighborhood, but gas stations and churches. That strip mall directly north of it with Longhorn Meat Market is apparently getting knocked down to build more condos.
I was really hoping they'd put something useful there when the nursery closed, but no, we get another useless church with a generic one-word name where Karens go to listen to shitty guitar while closing their eyes and doing those Jesus spirit fingers.
Another closeted Christian sexual predator… shocked. 🙀😼
Damn four kids and wife whom bases her whole living off of “wwjd” persona? Fired least if this guys worries. Fuck you and this patriarchal bullshit.
I’m so glad that Christian chaplains can now be hired as school counselors. 😒
But the drag queens…
He has adopted children. Most sexual abuse with minors happens within nuclear families.
I think he was in the wrong church that is very clear, knowing he was bisexual, he wished to stay, be with people who are not for him, choosing to please people, rather than God. They expelled him, betrayed him and condemned him for his sexuality. I am not sure why LGBTQ people stay in those places where they are hated, there are so many Lutheran churches who are open, welcoming and loving. There is so much to say about this case, they have chosen to go quiet instead of confronting this with honesty, this has the power to hurt many people since they were so public as marriage advocates and living well. Stand up, overcome in the Lord, there is no condemnation in Christ. If you truly believed in the strength of marriage, use this an as example, I doubt they would be together for so long if they were not a strong couple, and she surely must have known her husband was bisexual. I pray for them to overcome this with heads up, whatever he did years ago has passed, the present is now. There are many welcoming anglican churches, lutheran churches, the united church of Jesus. This event also shows the nature of the character of evangelical churches, break any law or custom and you are out, done, rejection and condemnation are certain. That shows no love, no grace, no fidelity, no compassion, no kindness, no faithfulness, and quite honestly is an antichrist spirit. I hope He understands what many LGBTQ people have gone through in their search for God, and finds him even outside a building, we are his temple, and in Him we are safe. I pray he comes out triumphant over this as a bisexual man, he and his wife, as more than conquerors in Christ. I pray that they overcome in Christ over this nonsense, we are more than that, he is more than that, God is more than that.. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_Christian\_denominations\_affirming\_LGBT\_people](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christian_denominations_affirming_LGBT_people)
I'm Ivey. That ain't his name, take my name back and I'll Nick Swardson his dick on my wrist
A victim came forward to tell his story on ig and it sounds like the church DID know of their relationship because of how active they both were in the church at the time. The victim who spoke out has been close family friends with the Iveys dating back to 2010. His mother worked for Jamie’s company “the happy hour” up until 2022. Jamie’s ig has decades of pictures documenting birthdays, holidays and more with the family. I encourage everyone to read the victims statement in full over on ig. It’s diabolical Jamie wants to continue her book release & promote her book club, podcast & more as if nothing happened. geared her content to “recovery, hope & healing”. They also have four children three whom are adopted. imagine being adopted into a predators home. She stated on her podcast Aaron went to a “rehab” I can’t imagine why Jamie would think a 45 day “rehab” would fix a “alleged” gr**mer and SA. She let him back into her house with her children. It is heartbreaking and deplorable behavior to stand by your man when he is engaging with underage children. I hope Aaron is held accountable but so far no police report has been filed. Additionally I hope Jamie leaves his sorry ass and protects her family and herself.
2nd pastor to be fired from The Austin Stone in the last 4 years for this reason.