Wash, rinse, repeat (UPDATED)

A cry from the heart on leadership misconduct from a Christian blog:

Pastor Resigns Amid Allegations

The subtitle of this newspaper story tells it all: “The man who led Shiloh for 14 years was also accused at his last church”. Why, oh why, does this happen over and over in churches all across the country? Why, if a man, who also calls himself a preacher, is accused of sexual misconduct and the evidence is strong, is he allowed to take another church in another part of the country? Who would hire him, and why? In my past work with Churchstaffing.com, I know that there are literally hundreds of pastors applying for some of the same jobs at any given time. Why would (if you were looking for a pastor) you give a pastor accused of sexual sin a shot at being your pastor? I’m convinced that many churches are unaware of the pastoral candidate’s past (either because of clever hiding of the candidate, the turning of the backs of denominational leaders, or the laziness of not running a background check). But some hire these guys willingly, and then are surprised when the behavior returns. I don’t get it. End of rant. Here’s the story...

Skeez of the day update:

Attitudes like the following don't help. The backstory: Bishop Earl Paulk has finally pled guilty to lying under oath about his sexual misconduct after a DNA test proved that he had fathered a son (the church's current minister!) with his brother's wife. Here's how his lawyer characterizes the court's decision to give Paulk probation (!!!) for years of stonewalling and threats after eight women gave sworn depositions that he pressured them into sex:

''It was a fair and just resolution of the case for a man who has lived his whole life and done wonderful things but made a mistake,'' said Earl Paulk's attorney, Joel Pugh. ''He's ready to move on.''

Reprehensible.