A MEGA CHURCH IS BACKING ONE OF ITS PASTORS WHO WAS
ACCUSED OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING A 17-YEAR-OLD BACK IN THE 1990S.
ANDY SAVAGE IS THE NAME OF THE PASTOR IN QUESTION AND HE
IS CURRENTLY EMPLOYED AT HIGH POINT CHURCH WHICH AGAIN HAS
DECIDED TO STAND BY HIM DESPITE THESE TERRIBLE ALLEGATIONS.
THE ALLEGATIONS WERE FROM A WOMAN BY THE NAME OF JULES
WOODSON WHO SAID SHE WAS ASSAULTED BY HIM WHEN SHE WAS
17 YEARS OLD.
THEY WENT TO THE SAME CHURCH AND HE WAS A
YOUTH PASTOR
THERE AT THE TIME.
AFTER THAT HE PANICKED AND REALIZED HE COULD GET IN
TROUBLE.
HE GOT OUT THE CAR AND BEGGED HER NOT TO TELL ANYONE AND
ASKED HER TO TAKE IT TO THE GRAVE WITH HER AND IT
REALLY HIT HER THAT WHAT HE HAD DONE WAS WRONG.
HE ADMITTED TO DOING WHAT HE DID AND SAYS HE IS SUPER REMORSEFUL
ABOUT IT BUT THAT CHURCH BRUSHED UNDER THE RUG AND HE WAS NO
LONGER WORKING THERE.
LATER HE GETS HIRED BY HIGH POINT CHURCH AND APPARENTLY THAT
CHURCH IS NOT WORRIED ABOUT THESE ALLEGATIONS AT ALL.
LET'S GO TO GRAPHIC 74.
A DIRECT STATEMENT FROM THE MEGA-CHURCH WAS:
THEY BASICALLY SAID, IF YOU THINK THIS IS A SERIOUS THING
THAT WE SHOULD CONSIDER, ARTIE CONSIDERED IT AND DON'T CARE.
I'M IN, IT CERTAINLY FITS IN WITH THE PATTERN OF
BEHAVIOR ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND ACROSS THE WORLD FOR THE
PAST FEW DECADES.
THEY'LL MOST NEVER SEEM TO ACTUALLY CARE WHEN IT WOULD
BE RELATIVELY EASY TO THROW SOME OF THESE PEOPLE ASIDE TO
SHOW, THEY WANT TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THEY ARE MORALLY
RIGHT, IN SOME CASES MORALLY SUPERIOR.
YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN OPPORTUNITIES TO DO THAT YOU CHOOSE NOT
TO TAKE THEM.
YOU HAD THE THING ABOUT THE OTHER SEXUAL ASSAULT CLUSTER
GO AHEAD, TALK ABOUT IT.
APPARENTLY A CHURCH AFFILIATED WITH HIGH POINT
CHURCH IN 2016 WERE ACCUSED OF COVERING UP SEXUAL ASSAULT
BY ANOTHER YOUTH PASTOR.
I GET IT AFTER THE FIRST TIME.
IF YOU WERE GOING TO DO ANYTHING YOU'RE GOING TO DO IT THEN.
THE SECOND TIME MAYBE IT DOESN'T BOTHER YOU AS MUCH.
THE SEXUAL ASSAULT AND THE PREDATORY BEHAVIOR WITHIN THE
CATHOLIC CHURCH WAS SUCH A BIG STORY AND REALLY TAINTED THE
IMAGE OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND I FEEL LIKE WE'VE LEARNED
NOTHING FROM IT.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS JUST A SMALL STORY, UNDER THE RADAR, I DON'T
EVEN REMEMBER HOW I CAME ACROSS IT BUT IT WAS JUST SHOCKING HOW
BRAZEN HIGH POINT CHURCH IS IN REGARD TO THESE ALLEGATIONS
WHICH AGAIN, THE PASTOR ANDY SAVAGE HAS CONFESSED TO BUT HE
IS SAYING I AM REMORSEFUL AND I ASKED FOR REDEMPTION AND
JESUS GAVE ME REDEMPTION SO IT IS FINE.
I WANT TO GIVE YOU HIS EXACT STATEMENT.
HE SAID:
HE ALSO ALLEGED THAT HE CALLED THE VICTIM'S FAMILY AND
ASKED FOR FORGIVENESS AND THE VICTIM SAID NO.
THAT DID NOT HAPPEN.
IT DIDN'T EVEN HAPPEN.
IT WOULD'VE BEEN WEIRD IF IT DID.
WHAT IS INTERESTING ABOUT THIS IS WHILE WE BEEN TALKING ON
THE SHOW TODAY ABOUT THIS MOMENT THAT WE ARE IN SOCIALLY WHERE WE
ARE TRYING TO FIX SOME OF THESE LONG-STANDING ISSUES WHERE WOMEN
ARE HARASSED AND ASSAULTED, PEOPLE DON'T LISTEN, DON'T FIND
OUT ABOUT IT WHEN THEY DO THEY DO NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
THERE'S BEEN IN HOLLYWOOD OBVIOUSLY STORIES GOING BACK
DECADES BUT I WOULD SAY THAT INSIDE OF CHURCHES THAT IT'S
REALLY BEEN THE MOST EGREGIOUS ONE AND YOU HAD THESE HUGE
INVESTIGATIONS OBVIOUSLY, SPOTLIGHT IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF
A MOVIE GOING INTO SOME OF THAT AND THE LACK OF CONSEQUENCES BUT
EVEN NOW THAT THE REST OF SOCIETY IS STARTING TO
CATCH UP, THE CHURCH WHICH HAS BEEN DEALING WITH THIS FOR
FAR LONGER STILL DOESN'T REALLY CARE.
GO AHEAD.
I DON'T KNOW INSIDE OF THIS PARTICULAR CHURCH BUT THERE ARE
TWO WAYS THIS GUYS CAN GO DOWN.
EITHER THE
LEADERSHIP CAN TAKE HIM DOWN OR THE PEOPLE IN THE PEWS COULD
TURN AGAINST HIM.
THEY COULD CHOOSE TO DO THAT AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE NEWS IS
GOING TO BE OUT THERE.
I DON'T KNOW THE PEOPLE OF THE CHURCH.
MAYBE THEY WILL AND MAYBE THEY WON'T BUT I SUSPECT THAT
THEY WILL NOT BECAUSE AGAIN, LIKE I POINTED OUT BEFORE,
WE ARE TERRIBLE AT IDENTIFYING THE GREATEST THREATS TO US.
WE ARE ALSO UNFORTUNATELY, REGARDLESS OF EVERYTHING
ELSE ABOUT HUMANITY, WHERE LARGELY TRIBAL PEOPLE WHO
BELIEVE OUR GROUP, HOWEVER WE DO FIND IT IS RIGHT AND MORAL.
OUR LEADERS ARE THERE FOR A REASON AND WE ALL TOO OFTEN
DON'T QUESTION.
THEY ARE 100% BEHIND THEM.
YOU SHOULD NEVER BE 100% BEHIND ANYONE IN THE WORLD.
YOU ARE NOT 100% BEHIND ME?
KNOW I'M LIKE 97%
BEHIND YOU BUT YOU ARE ALSO HUMAN AND I'M EXERCISING
HUMAN JUDGMENT AND THAT I DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU.
YOU KNOW A LOT ABOUT ME BUT LET ME BIGGER WITH HALF OF
WHAT YOU SAID.
YOU ARE RIGHT THAT THERE'S SOME PORTION OF THE POPULATION
THAT IS TRIBAL AND THEIR THINKING THEY WILL PROTECT
THEIR OWN ANY AT ALL COSTS AND I THINK THAT IS INCREDIBLY
EVIDENT WITH RIGHT-WINGERS SO HEAR ME OUT ON THIS.
I'M NOT TRYING TO MAKE THIS POLITICAL.
I THINK IT'S JUST THE RIGHT WING.
IT CROSSES OVER, LOOK AT PEOPLE'S OBSESSION SPORTS
TEAMS AND STUFF.
DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A POLITICAL IDENTITY THAT WE ARE TRIBAL
IN REGARD TO DAIKON ALL TOO OFTEN BE RELIGIOUS, ALL
SORTS OF STUFF.
THAT'S FAIR BUT GOING BACK TO THE POLITICAL ASPECT OF IT
BECAUSE I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT.
LOOKING HOW THE RIGHT WING PROTECTED THEIR OWN.
IT HAPPENED WITH ROY MOORE, A HAPPENED WITH THE CATHOLIC
CHURCH.
IS CERTAINLY HAPPENS WITH CHURCHES TODAY WHICH IS EVIDENT
FROM THE STORY THAT I JUST PRESENTED YOU GUYS BUT YOU DON'T
SEE THE SAME THING ON THE LEFT WHEN IT COMES TO THESE ISSUES.
WITH THE LEFT, IF SOMEONE WROTE A BLOG DECADES AGO THAT MIGHT
SEEM MISOGYNISTIC PEOPLE IN THE LETTER LIKE NO, WE REJECT YOU.
BY.
WE DON'T LIKE YOU ANYMORE, YOU ARE DONE.
IN THE CASE OF SOMEONE LIKE WOODY ALLEN, HE WAS PROTECTED.
ALL THE PEOPLE PROTECTING HIM WERE NECESSARILY LIBERALS
OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, BUT A LOT OF THEM PROBABLY WERE.
WOODY ALLEN IS IN A SIGNIFICANT POSITION OF POWER.
I KNOW, THAT IS TRUE.
I WOULD ARGUE THAT THIS MEGA-CHURCH PASTORS FOR THE
POWERFUL INSIDE OF HIS COMMUNITY 2.
I JUST THINK THERE IS A DIFFERENCE.
I'M NOT SAYING THERE IS NOT ONE BUT I AM SAYING IT IS NOT
100% DIFFERENCE EITHER.
I THINK THAT THERE HAS BEEN, FOX WAS SORT OF FORCE TO GOVERN
OF SOME OF THEIR HOSTS, LIBERALS HAVE BEEN MUCH MORE WILLING
I THINK TO COME TO GRIPS THE
THEY FOLD IMMEDIATELY.
AND SHOULD IN MOST OF THOSE CASES, I AGREE BUT I THINK THAT
WE DON'T ALL SEVER FROM THIS IS TO THE SAME DEGREE BUT I THINK
THAT IT IS UP LOVE OUR SPECIES, THAT WE ASSUME THAT IF WE ARE
PART OF A GROUP, WE ARE PART OF THAT GROUP BECAUSE IT IS THE
RIGHT THING TO BE AND DO I SEE ALL AROUND ME.
THAT IS INTERESTING.
I GUESS I'M A VERY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.
I THINK THAT THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WITH A CERTAIN IDEOLOGY
THAT ARE WILLING TO REJECT THEIR OWN IMMEDIATELY AS SOON AS THERE
IS A LITTLE BIT OF CONTROVERSY OR A LITTLE BIT OF BACKLASH AND
THAT IS CONCERNING BECAUSE WHILE I AGREE THAT THE MAJORITY OF
PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN ACCUSED OF SEXUAL ASSAULT AND RAPE AND IT
HAS BEEN PROVEN SHOULD BE REJECTED AND SHOULD FACE THE
CONSEQUENCES, I FEEL LIKE THERE BEEN A NUMBER OF CASES WHERE
SOMEONE MADE A JOKE OR WROTE SOMETHING THAT WAS MAYBE
ILL-ADVISED AT THE TIME AND THEY IMMEDIATELY GET REJECTED BY
PEOPLE THAT THEY SHOULD NOT BE REJECTED BY BUT
NONETHELESS, THAT IS JUST MY TAKE ON IT.
I WOULD ARGUE THAT WHILE I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT
FORMS OF THIS, I THINK THAT INSIDE OF A CHURCH, ONE OF THE
REASONS YOU SEEN IT SO MUCH IS THERE'S VARIOUS FORMS OF POWER
BUT FOR SOME REASON RELIGIOUS LEADERS AND NOT JUST INSIDE OF
CHRISTIANITY BUT IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT GROUPS ARE GIVEN A
SORT OF POWER THAT SEEMS NOT COMMONLY NECESSARILY BUT MORE
COMMONLY TO LEAD TO THE SORTS OF ABUSES WHERE ENTERS INTO
RELATIONSHIPS AND SEXUALITY AND STUFF LIKE THAT I DON'T KNOW
EXACTLY WHY THAT IS BUT WE'VE BEEN SEEING THIS SINCE
BEFORE WE WERE BORN.
THESE WITH US HER SISTER IS COMING OUT.
WELL, I HOPE THAT THE PEOPLE WHO GO TO HIGHPOINT CHURCH ARE
AWARE OF WHAT'S GOING ON AND THAT NO ONE LEAVES THEIR
DAUGHTERS ALONE WITH PASTOR ANDY SAVAGE BECAUSE I CERTAINLY
WOULD NOT DO
UNFORTUNATELY HISTORY IS ANY INDICATION, THE PERSON THAT
IS LIKELY TO BE HURT AS A RESULT OF THIS IS THE PERSON WHO
TOLD THE STORY.
HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN OSTRACIZED IN THE
COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY BECAUSE THEY
BROUGHT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST POPULAR LEADERS THAT
I KNOW, AND HOPEFULLY THE VICTIM HERE IS IN FACING ANY
BACKLASH AT ALL BUT YOU ARE RIGHT, THAT IS USUALLY THE WAY
THINGS PLAY OUT.