Biblical Unitarians: Who and What Are They?

Bill Schlegel lived for 30 plus years in Israel teaching Hebrew and Biblical Geography. It is not easy to dismiss him when he shares the plain meaning of the scripture. 

Father Matthew Williams Has "Formerly Resigned"

Father Matthew Williams has reportedly been allowed to resign his rectorship. His family, from which he is reportedly estranged, has been ordered not to attend either of the parishes formerly under his charge.

Even though ROCOR has taken some action in the matter of the alleged sexual crimes and misconduct of one of their priests, they seemingly did so via the current mounting pressure from numerous accusers. One might wonder however, why ROCOR allowed this suspended priest to resign rather than make an ecclesiastical decision to remove him. So, it was his choice? Is ROCOR about to do the RC thing and heal him, restore him, and send nim back into a parish as a changed man?

This begs the question: What must a priest do and how many victims must come forward for you to determine that a ROCOR shepherd is a wolf?

In recent communications from ROCOR representatives the word "healing' is often used in regard to the victims of the recent event. (Although they are still deathly silent on the former matter of the alleged rape of the Stephens girl) ROCOR might garner more trust from its parishioners if they were to have said, "Father Matthew Williams has been removed from his rectorship."  ROCOR will only garner the trust of the victims, many of whom hold them accountable for their decade-long lack of action, if they finally say, "Father Matthew Williams has been defrocked and is no longer a ROCOR priest."

The JTO blog is a small media outlet but within the last few weeks has had over 14,000 views from over 40 countries/territories. Other outlets are now picking up the story such as Orthodox Christian Sexual Abuse Facebook Page. The JTO series Rape and the Holy Man was also recently linked on Donald Trump's Truth Social.

ROCOR, the world is watching, but more importantly, our Father Yahweh and his son and our messiah, Yeshua, the head of the church- your head- is watching.

ROCOR, in case you have forgotten, in case you lean more heavily on your tradition or policy in these matters, please remember that the Holy Scripture is the foundation of every tenant of faith and Saint Paul said, "I am writing so that you know how a person must conduct themselves in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth."

ROCOR, you don't have to guess! Once your "court" determines the validity of the accusations toward ANY clergy, Bishops included, this is the only template for action:

1 Cor. 5

"It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is intolerable even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been stricken with grief and have removed from your fellowship the man who did this?

Although I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, and I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, along with the power of the Lord Jesus,

hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord.

Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old leaven, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old bread, leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and of truth.

I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people.

I was not including the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.

But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother but is sexually immoral

or greedy, an idolater or a verbal abuser, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. What business of mine is it to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. 

Expel the wicked man from among you.”

"They Look Like Men"

 Full Article Here

"He said that at Protestant churches, the majority of the leaders “aren’t good, strong men”, whereas the Orthodox church leaders are more like “father figures”. He said: “They look like men. They look like fathers, they’re strong, spiritually, mentally, physically... I think young men right now are yearning to follow a good father.”

With the exception of ROCOR which knowingly ordains pedophiles and sexual abusers, and which has a Sexual Abuse Policy that favors the protection of the clergy rather than the victims? 

Father Seraphim, will you enlist some of those masculine men to encourage ROCOR to change their policy and to advocate for the protection of the clergy abuse victims? Apparently, some of their clergy have been allowed for years to be less than masculine fathers and anything but strong, spiritually, mentally and physically whole. ROCOR has a history of ignoring the petitions of the weak and fatherless and those who would advocate for them. Perhaps the ROCOR Hierarchy will listen to men with muscles?

Stand When Others Won't

My first B.A. degree was earned at a Baptist University. We were required to attend a chapel service which occurred once a week.

One such chapel service was honoring the ROTC program and its students. Several faculty and others were seated on the stage, and I was sitting toward the middle of the packed auditorium on the aisle seat.

At one point in the short one-hour service, the ROTC Color Guard, carrying the United States flag, began to process down the middle aisle. I immediately stood to my feet, as is the custom, out of respect and honor of our nation's emblem. A girl sitting next to me stood up when I did. I was surprised when no one else in the auditorium stood and thought that surely, at any second, a member of the faculty would issue the instruction for others to stand. The moment passed and no one did.

So, this left me and my cohort in an unintended act of patriotic rebellion, the only ones standing in a crowd of about 1000 during what seemed to be the longest ROTC Color Guard procession in history. Once the Color Guard stopped, my female friend, whom I had not previously met, joined me in sitting back down in our seats.

For a brief moment, I wondered if I had erred somehow. Should I have sat back down when I saw others weren't standing? I certainly didn't intend to make a statement but was doing what was the right thing to do. I quickly concluded that it was the 1000 students and our faculty who had erred. After the service, one of the faculty made a b-line for me and said, "Thanks for standing. We should have. We missed it there."

The righteous man does good even when no one is watching and sometimes when they are. Are you willing to Stand When Others Won't?

"So whoever knows the right thing to do 

and fails to do it, for him it is sin."

Freedom in Caring for Others

Brothers and sisters, if a person gets entrapped in some transgression, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of meekness, watching out for yourself so that you also will not be tempted. Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he is deceiving himself. But let each person examine his own work and then he will have reason for boasting in himself alone and not in another. For each person will have to carry his own load. The one who is being instructed in the word should share fully with the one who is instructing him in all good things. Do not be deceived: God is not mocked; for whatever a person sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the spirit will from the spirit reap life in the age to come. Now let us not grow weary in doing what is good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up. So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, but especially to those who are of the household of the faith. Galatians 6: 1-10

Appeal To His Eminence NICHOLAS

 

His Eminence NICHOLAS

Metropolitan of Eastern America & New York,

First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia

Your Eminence,

Your people are hurting. It is partly due to the spiritual failures of your predecessor who ordained sexual predators even with much evidence of the nature of their character. It is also partially due to ROCOR's existing Sexual Abuse Policy that leans heavily toward protecting the clergy rather than the victims of sexual abuse in your churches. Rebuke, rewrite and retrain. This systemically flawed design in dealing with sexual predators in your ranks has trickled down to the clergy on every level. Those who would report the perpetrators of sexual abuse are met with obfuscation, intimidated and threats. Surely this is not what you want. Surely you can be the Shepherd who puts in place biblical principles regarding this leaven in the body of Christ and truly protect your sheep.

Your people are hurting. Lives are being destroyed, and souls are being lost under your watch. What will you now do? I appeal to you to take this matter out of the hands of those to whom it has previously been delegated and personally direct ROCOR toward true holiness.

I appeal to you to publicly confess the failures of ROCOR (regardless of what your attorneys or advisors may tell you). Be transparent/public in announcing a plan to correct this failure. To do otherwise at this juncture will assure that ROCOR continues its rapid trajectory toward civil humiliation and accountability.

"Come to an agreement with your accuser quickly, while you are with him on the road to court, otherwise your accuser may deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I say to you, you will absolutely not get out of there until you have paid the last quadrans."

Respectfully,

Nathan Lee Lewis

JTO Editor

NOTE: Public letters, such as the one posted here, have a better chance of bypassing the gatekeepers that are in place in such religious institutions. Those who have been personally affected by past or recent sexual abuse events in ROCOR may consider contacting:

Eastern American Diocese

140 E Ridgewood Avenue

Ste 415, S Tower

Paramus, NJ 07652

Diocesan Telephone: 201-940-7340

E-Mail: office@eadiocese.org

It is recommended that a second contact be made if there is no response, then a third, then a fourth...if need be.

"And he spoke a parable to them about the necessity for them always to pray, and not become discouraged. He said, “In a certain city there was a certain judge who did not fear God and showed no regard for people. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my opponent.’ And he would not for a while, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard people, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, lest she wear me out by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his chosen ones, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I say to you, that he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find trust on the earth?”

Hey ROCOR, Do You Concur?

By: Andreozzi & Foote

March 15, 2022

Sexual Violence in Religious Institutions

In recent years, several high-profile investigations have uncovered a scale of sexual abuse in religious institutions that most Americans struggle to comprehend.

It is estimated that in the Catholic Church alone, tens of thousands of children worldwide may be affected.

Sexual abuse is one of the most serious violations of any person’s rights – let alone a child’s rights.

It is rightly condemned in all quarters of society but when it happens in religious institutions in which we place our trust and faith, it seems all the more horrific.

As further reports come to light, the main questions that need answering center on how to tackle sexual violence in religious organizations, hold the perpetrators accountable for their actions, and provide justice and support to the victims?

Child Sexual Violence In The Catholic Church And Beyond

Child sexual violence is not just wrong. It is a human rights violation that sickens most right-minded Americans and may even be a violation of the UN’s Convention Against Torture.

That abuse has affected many children within the Catholic Church around the world is now widely accepted – but the abuse stretches far beyond the jurisdiction of The Vatican.

The Church is an institution that parents, children, and people in all walks of life have historically placed a huge amount of trust in – and many still do.

In recent years, the institution has been pressured into releasing more details about sexual abuse against children by Catholic clergy but, in many cases, it has been less than transparent.

In the worst cases, rape and other forms of sexual violence against children have been uncovered.

Children have a right to bodily integrity, freedom from violence and sexual exploitation. The actions of employees and leaders in the Catholic Church violate children’s rights on many levels and this needs to be treated as a criminal act.

Victims frequently carry their experiences into their adult years and suffer psychological and behavioral problems as a result. Obtaining justice can bring a small measure of comfort.

Unfortunately, more information has come to light about the extent of the cover-ups and denials of justice for victims, serving to make the problem even worse.

The well-documented problems within the Catholic Church have also led to a light being cast upon other religious organizations in America and around the world.

This light is only getting brighter and has implicated institutions like Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Mormon Church, Jewish Synagogues, and others in child sexual abuse claims.

The Cover-up Of Abuse In Religious Institutions

The extent of the abuse problem within respected organizations in our society has surprised many.

Cases of sexual violence are not merely isolated incidents. A culture of impunity has helped the problem grow in religious institutions everywhere.

Perpetrators have been permitted to continue with their despicable acts due to a lack of accountability and transparency, entrenched power structures that do everything possible to protect the “status quo”, and a propensity to simply “sweep the problem under the carpet” rather than addressing it.

It is unfathomable for most Americans that, in many cases, the leaders of the institution in question were aware of a problem existing but did not act to stop it or simply “relocated” the problem elsewhere.

In many cases, the institution itself (including prominent and powerful leaders at the time) knowingly harbored perpetrators of sexual violence against children or covered up what they knew.

The Urgent Need For Accountability, Justice And Reform In Religious Institutions

There has never been a greater need for more transparency and accountability within organizations that are meant to present our values as a society.

Our children’s right to protection from violence must be upheld at all costs.

This starts with holding perpetrators accountable for their actions, bringing justice to victims, compensating them for their losses, and then reforming institutions to reduce the chances of the same mistakes being made in the future.

Religious institutions – and all organizations that we entrust our children to (including educational and sporting institutions) – must be scrutinized more closely to prevent the types of cover-ups we have seen in the past.

All religious institutions are against violence and should be prepared to change in order to practice what they preach rather than maintain outdated policies that have not worked to protect children in the past.

The Catholic Church recognizes that the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child is “the most important among the rules of international law”.

Yet, the Church and many other religious organizations have shown a historic failure to deal effectively with people who repeatedly violate the basic rights of children.

If the Church is serious about its human rights obligations, it must hold itself to the tenets of the convention – and other religious organizations must also commit to them. It should start by choosing full disclosure of information over the self-preservation strategies that it has chosen in the past.

The more that victims come forward and seek justice, the more pressure will be put on religious institutions to introduce policies that affect real change – rather than just paying “lip service” to the idea of change.

The lawyers at Andreozzi & Foote are committed to helping victims of sexual violence and child abuse hold their institutions to account.

Rest assured that if you contact us, all the information provided will be treated confidentially, including your identity.

Start with a free and confidential consultation with one of our sexual abuse attorneys.

Agency in the Bible: The Human Person Jesus "was" The Father

William (Bill) Schlegel taught Bible history, geography and Hebrew in Israel for over three decades. He is the author of The Satellite Bible Atlas, making the scripture relevant to the geographical locations of the Holy Land. Bill moved to Tennessee, USA after he came to the Biblical Unitarian understanding of the scripture. He currently is the Hebrew translation scholar for the on-going REV Bible translation, as well as a speaker and podcaster.

The audio podcast below is from the Bill Schlegel - YouTube. Bill shares a rarely discussed topic of the role of the Messiah Yeshua as the agent of his father, Yahweh. Bill suggests that a failure to understand the principle of agency has led many, especially Trinitarians, to wrongly misinterpret some scriptures to say that Yeshua/Jesus was God the Son, rather than the Son of God.

Jesus Wasn’t Lying When He Said, “My Father Is Greater Than I”

Did God Wear Diapers?

...and, no, you can't say "it is just Jesus' human nature talking", because your own Council of Chalcedon established that Jesus' two (proposed) natures could not be divided.

"...be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ."