Tom Chantry was found guilty on two counts of aggravated assault of children in August 2018 and sentenced. He was also found guilty on four counts of sexual molestation in May 2019 for which he will be sentenced this Friday by Judge Bradley Astrowsky in the Arizona Superior Court for Yavapai County.
Here’s a little background.
A score of top leaders in the Association of Reformed Baptist Churches of America (ARBCA) learned about Tom Chantry’s beating of children in 2000. He was also molesting children. Instead of reporting him to law enforcement, they covered up his crimes and forsook the victims and their families. I’ve documented this evidence in hundreds of pages. It is indisputable. For over 2½ years, I’ve been sending this evidence to the ARBCA pastors. For the most part, they have condemned me as a false witness for violating the Ninth Commandment and labeled my documentary evidence as “slander” and “gossip.”
That has changed now. Some men in ARBCA are investigating what happened in December 2000 when an Informal Council from ARBCA comprised of Tedd Tripp, Rich Jensen, and Marcus “Mike” McKnight did an internal investigation and then covered up their findings. The cover-up continued for the next 18 years. It is now unraveling!
On July 5, 2019 (12 days ago), three letters containing highly incriminating evidence of a criminal conspiracy to cover up the abuse of children by “pastor” Tom Chantry were sent to over 60 pastors in the Association of Reformed Baptist Churches of America (ARBCA). These letters from 2002 & 2003 were intentionally hidden until now. You can see the originals at these links.
Letter from Earl Blackburn to the Informal Council
April 18, 2002
Letter from Tedd Tripp to Earl Blackburn
August 26, 2002
Letter from Rich Jensen to Earl Blackburn
January 21, 2003
I’ve converted these letters into Word documents for easy reading. You will find them below. I’ve added important comments.
The first letter is from Earl Blackburn. He has been the Chairman of the ARBCA Administrative Council eight times since 1997 when it was founded. For example in 2000, 2001 and 2002 when the internal investigation was done and these letters were written. And again in 2016 and 2017 when it was all being covered up in earnest after Tom Chantry’s was arrested for aggravated assault and sexual molestation on July 27, 2016.
No one has been more powerful in ARBCA over the last two decades than Earl Blackburn. He pastored Trinity Reformed Baptist Church in La Mirada, CA from 1984 to 2006. He pastored Heritage Baptist Church in Shreveport, LA from 2006 until the present.
NEWS ALERT. Blackburn just announced his retirement on June 30, 2019. Read here. How convenient! He is on the run with the help of Jim Renihan, Steve Martin and his staff. He is even relocating to North Carolina from Louisiana. There will be no church discipline or removal from ministry for his unbelievable lying, deceit and cover-up of abuse by Tom Chantry! These men are disgraceful.
In 2000-2002, Earl Blackburn worked with Walt Chantry, Don Lindblad, David Dykstra, Bob Selph, Jamie Howell, Steve Martin, John Giarrizzo, Dale Smith, Larry Vincent, Tom Lyon, Fred Malone and others in covering up Tom Chantry’s crimes. Part of his plan included the discrediting of the Informal Council (IC) and the elders from Miller Valley Baptist Church (MVBC) where the abuse occurred.
On April 18, 2002 he wrote a letter to Tedd Tripp, Rich Jensen, and Marcus “Mike” McKnight that was highly critical of their work. Tripp responded on August 26, 2002. Jensen responded on January 21, 2003.
In the process of defending himself, Tedd Tripp articulates the criminal conspiracy he, Jensen and McKnight designed to cover up Chantry’s crimes and protect him from certain prosecution. That plan involved the withholding of evidence from the victims’ parents and the MVBC elders. It also involved the deceitful promise to parents that Chantry would never return to the ministry. That assurance was extremely important to them.
Tripp should be arrested and prosecuted along with Jensen and McKnight for their criminal conspiracy. So should Blackburn and Don Lindblad. I have forwarded this evidence to the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office in Prescott, AZ. I have also written Tripp.
Facebook
July 11, 2019 12:09 PM
Hello Tedd.
The evidence against you continues to mount. I hope you will quickly acknowledge you covered up Tom’s abuse of children (cf. “We have been so merciful and magnanimous in designing a solution.”) and forsook the victims.
You should contact Deputy Attorney Eazer and work to resolve the matter in a just and honest manner. You must accept responsibility for your actions which were against the law and harmful to the victims and their families.
I hope you will finally obey Scripture and clear your conscience.
Brent
Here is Tripp’s letter. I’ve added comments and separated paragraphs by using ## as markers. I’ve also underlined for focus and emphasis.
August 26, 2002
Dear Earl,
I am writing to respond to your letter of April 12, 2002.
There are twelve paragraphs in your letter; I have numbered those paragraphs and will reference the paragraph to which I am responding in each comment. I am not distributing this [letter] to Walter Chantry or Dale Smith, only to my elders and the other members of the informal council.
Comment: Tedd Tripp gave this letter to the elders of his church. They did not hold him accountable for reporting Chantry’s crimes to law enforcement as required by the law. They enabled him to carry out the cover-up. His current pastor, Chad Bennett has done the same thing. I’ve written him many times but he refuses to take any disciplinary action. Tripp remains Pastor Emeritus of Grace Fellowship Church in Hazleton, Pennsylvania.
##
Paragraph 2.
It is not fair to state that the informal council did not allow Tom Chantry to speak fully and address all issues that were of concern to him. We did allow him that right both in writing and during the informal council. You may not know that he sent us written statements outlining his interpretation of the actions of the elders’ in response to him. Where we thought the elders of the church in Prescott were wrong, we addressed the elders in our report. The claim, that we were unfair to Tom Chantry is an essential part of his “smoke and mirrors” strategy to avoid acceptance responsibility for his actions. Sadly, you, Don [Lindblad] and Walt [Chantry] have fallen for it and thus fallen into Tom Chantry’s clever attempt to make himself the aggrieved party. Accordingly he has turned himself into a victim and we, the informal council, who acted in good faith, and with much mercy, into bad guys.
Comment: Tripp is fully aware of Chantry’s devilish “smoke and mirrors” tactic to make the Informal Council the bad guys in order to avoid responsibility for his abuse of children. Chantry makes himself out to be the victim. It is the same wicked tactic he unsuccessfully used in both trials. He claimed he was telling the truth while the children and parents were lying because they did not like him.
##
Paragraph 2
Walter Chantry [Tom’s father] could not know whether the council had acted fairly since he was not present and has responded only on the basis of the “smoke and mirrors” strategy Tom Chantry so cleverly employed. Walter Chantry should not have spoken to you about these matters but with the informal council members. You should not have listened to his slander of your brothers, nor sought to judge matters concerning which you had neither authority nor access to the full report.
Comment: Tripp doesn’t know it but Don Lindblad had given Blackburn “the full report” two years earlier. It contained all the evidence. Blackburn knew all about Tripp’s concern that Chantry used “this method of punishment for his own pleasure” and “punished children for his own pleasure.” I think Blackburn was scheming with Walt Chantry, Tom Chantry and Don Lindblad to blame the IC and the MVBC elders and then spread rumors in ARBCA as needed to discredit their work and promote Chantry.
##
Paragraph 2
When Tom Chantry arrived at your home after the informal council and told you he was not treated fairly, you should have demanded a formal council. That would have served all people well. The informal council acted in good faith, accepting Tom Chantry’s signing of the document and Don Lindblad’s counsel to Tom Chantry to sign it as meaning that we had an agreement. Since you, Don Lindblad and Tom Chantry all thought that matters had not been properly handled, you should have called for a formal council. It is my belief that had that been done, Tom Chantry would have been found guilty and formal legal charges would have been filed by the parents of some of the abused children. There is no doubt in my mind that Tom Chantry would have been found guilty in a legal proceeding and may even be in jail today. You should have demanded a formal council rather than discussing the informal council with Walter Chantry for the next several months.
Comment: For the past 18 plus years, Blackburn has claimed he was uninvolved in the investigative process and knew nothing about the findings of the Informal Council. In reality, he was counseling Lindblad and Chantry before, during and after the December 13-16, 2000 investigation and had all the evidence in his possession. We learn for the first time in this letter that Chantry traveled from Phoenix, AZ to Blackburn’s home in La Mirada, CA which is a 5½ hr. drive.
The Informal Council negotiated “an agreement” with Chanty that protected him from prosecution. That constitutes a criminal conspiracy. Tedd Tripp is explicit. “There is no doubt in my mind that Tom Chantry would have been found guilty in a legal proceeding and may even be in jail today.” That is why the Informal Council withheld evidence from the parents and the MVBC elders in 2000. They never sent them the Level 1, Confidential Report and Recommendations or the Level 2, Report, Recommendations and Conclusions (i.e., the agreement). If a Formal Council was called back then, all of the evidence would have come out and some of the parents would have prosecuted.
In addition, Tripp, Jensen and McKnight deceived the parents by falsely promising Chantry would never return to ministry. They also instructed the victims, parents and elders to forgive Chantry, drop church discipline charges, and let the Informal Council/ARBCA handle things internally. All of this is concrete evidence of a conspiracy to cover up the abuse of children. They need to be prosecuted.
None of this information from Tripp is news to Blackburn. Tripp didn’t have to explain. He assumes Blackburn’s full knowledge of “the abused children” and the legal jeopardy facing Chantry. From 2000 to the present, Blackburn has always claimed he was “in the dark.” He knew everything!]
##
Paragraph 2
What you have done, dear brother, is hold an “informal council” of your own on our informal council. You have heard one witness and have judged the informal council to be wrong and have published your findings to others. I cannot judge the motivation for this. I hope it has not been to placate Walter Chantry who should be filled with gratitude for what we did for his son.
Comment: There is no question Blackburn was trying to “placate Walter Chantry.” He was nationally known and could do great harm to ARBCA or to them individually. He “should be filled with gratitude for what we did for his son.” This is a second admission of guilt in context. Tripp, Jensen and McKnight agreed to cover up evidence and not report a known child abuser to law enforcement. That is a conspiracy under the law (“what we did for his son”) which is far more serious than not following mandatory reporting laws as individual clergyman. They were co-conspirators in decidedly covering up horrendous crimes.
##
Paragraph 4
The bottom line in this paragraph is that you believe Don Lindblad and do not believe the members of the informal council. Surely you understand how this undermines the Association. How can we go on from here? If you believe that three elders who serve in churches in the Association are not men of truthfulness, then the Association is undermined.
Comment: Tripp was on the Administrative Council with Blackburn and McKnight when this letter was written in 2002. He and his church left ARBCA the same year but he never spoke out against all the atrocities and corruption in ARBCA. His letter makes clear the Informal Council are “not men of truthfulness.”
##
Paragraph 5
To complete the idea the first sentence should read, “Apart from Don’s veracity, there is further evidence to support my belief that you men of the informal council are not truthful and reliable.” If what I have written in italics is a fair way of completing the sentence it is a very serious charge to make against two pastors and an elder in Association churches.
Comment: None of these men were “truthful and reliable.”
##
Paragraph 6
Tom was given opportunity to express his concerns. We knew all of Tom Chantry’s issues with the elders and everything that Tom Chantry had suggested about the unraveling of his relationship with the elders of the Prescott church. Tom Chantry had sent several typed pages very clearly laying it all out. We had all seen it and came to Prescott with this knowledge through Tom Chantry’s written testimony. There was no need for fact finding about it; he had written it out for us. None of Tom Chantry’s counter-charges against the elders in Prescott mitigated the matter we addressed, namely Tom Chantry’s abuse of the children in the church. It had no bearing on the things Tom Chantry had done, but was just part of the “smoke and mirrors” strategy. It was a brilliant strategy; it worked with you. As a result the guilty man is a victim and the informal council members are called to repent.
Comment: In other words, the issues with the elders were totally unrelated to “Tom Chantry’s abuse of the children” brought by the victims and parents. As I said above, I think Blackburn was part of the “brilliant strategy.” It is important to note that Tripp is extremely aware of Chantry’s wicked and deceptive strategy. The Informal Council knew they were dealing with a sociopathic liar who beat children. Why would they ever allow him to go free?
##
Paragraph 7
When Tom Chantry came to your home after the informal council and after agreeing in writing to all we had concluded and you realized that Tom Chantry was not satisfied and thought he had been unfairly treated, that was the time for you to act. You should have insisted on a formal council. If you had I do not believe that Tom Chantry would be teaching children today or teaching an Adult Sunday School in an Association church. Ironically, Tom Chantry had managed to be out of legal jeopardy through the process we established and is in a position to rehabilitate himself and the informal council members are being charged by the Chairman of the Association's Administrative Council with not being truthful and called to repentance in order to restore their integrity. We are victims of a clever strategy.
Comment: “You should have insisted on a formal council.” No, no, no! Tripp should have insisted everyone report to law enforcement! Chantry relocated to Providence Reformed Baptist Church in University Place, Washington where Tom Lyon is the lead pastor soon after the Informal Council completed its work on December 16, 2000. Lyon knew Chantry was a serial and sadistic child abuser but had him “teaching children.” No one in the church was ever told about Chantry’s abuse of children. Tripp acknowledges the criminal conspiracy a third time. “Tom Chantry had managed to be out of legal jeopardy through the process we established.”
##
Paragraph 8
Walter Chantry is bothered by something that is not true. His son did receive a full and fair hearing. If there have been prolonged problems in the Carlisle eldership, they have been caused by Walter Chantry’s unbiblical response to something which bothered him. His concerns should have been directed to the members of the informal council, not a pastor in California [i.e., Blackburn] who has not even seen the confidential report issued by the informal council and signed by Tom Chantry. I am curious about the number of ARBCA pastors who have heard and are concerned. From whom have they heard? Have they heard from you, from Don Lindblad, from Tom Chantry, from Walter Chantry? Not one has spoken to me and I have not spoken to anyone except you and the elders who watch over my soul. I have been baited by a couple of pastors who have obviously heard the rumors, but believe that it would be wrong for me to breach the confidentiality of the report. I had assumed that everyone concerned kept all things confidential. Evidently this has not been the case since a number of men have heard and are concerned. How do you know they have heard and are concerned? Have you been discussing private matters with other men?
Comment: “The Carlisle eldership” is a reference to the elders in Grace Baptist Church in Carlisle, PA where Walt Chantry was the senior pastor and Marcus “Mike” McKnight was an elder. It was the flagship church for ARBCA. The church is voting to leave ARBCA tonight (July 17).
Blackburn had “seen the confidential report” nearly two years earlier but Tripp has no idea. All kinds of people who were covering up for Chantry knew about the beatings.
McKnight is a lawyer and was Chairman of the Informal Council. He knew Chantry was a serial liar and child abuser. He ended up being silenced by Walt Chantry. He left the church but has never spoken out or addressed the criminal cover-up he led. Walt Chantry hated him for putting his findings in reports even though the reports were sealed and the findings intentionally watered-down to protect his wicked son. I‘ve written McKnight several times appealing for his repentance but he, like all the others, has been unresponsive. As a lawyer, he knew he was conspiring to cover up serious crimes and could be charged with a felony if caught. There’s a reason he has kept quiet! He should be prosecuted.
The "confidential report...signed by Tom Chantry" was covered up because it “managed” to keep Tom Chantry “out of legal jeopardy through the process we established.” Once again, Tripp is referring to Report, Conclusions, and Recommendations. The report deceitfully refers to his criminal abuse of children as “inappropriate physical discipline.” That terminology was part of the deal cut with Chantry.
##
Paragraph 9
Your statement that we were not fair and merciful in dealing with Tom Chantry’s concerns is simply not true. Tom Chantry’s strategy was to throw enough dust in the air by charging the elders in Prescott with their failings so that the matter would be an issue of disagreement between elders. Tom Chantry, a trusted pastor, abused children in the Prescott church. It would have been ludicrous for us to investigate whether the elders had followed every point of the church’s constitution in dealing with their pastor when the real issue was the pastor’s abuse of children. We did not cooperate with Tom Chantry’ s attempt to divert the focus away from his actions and the fall out of those actions, to matters of procedure and process with the elders. There were some process and procedure things in which we disagreed with the elders. They are addressed in our report that you have not seen.
Comment: Tedd Tripp is matter of fact, “Tom Chantry, a trusted pastor, abused children in the Prescott church.” He should have testified at the 2018 and 2019 trials but refused to even return phone calls from Susan Eazer, the prosecutor and Deputy Attorney for Yavapai County, AZ. That is reprehensible!
Tripp has shown absolutely no concern for justice and absolutely no concern for the victims and their families. They have suffered for nearly two decades. He is only concerned about being prosecuted for his own crimes or sued for his injurious actions against the victims. He has never contacted them despite my repeated appeals.
Blackburn had seen the IC report right after it was produced in December 2000. He received a copy from Don Lindblad.
##
Paragraph 10
I am very sad that you have undertaken to hold a private, “informal council” on our informal council. I do not believe that you had the authority to do this or that it has served our Association. You have not made private judgments and come to me personally, but you have made private judgments and also published them to Don Lindblad, Walter Chantry and Dale Smith. You have called on me to repent for things concerning which I have not been wrong and you have done that before other brethren. You have even said that my integrity needs to be restored.
Comment: Dale Smith is another ARBCA scoundrel who has denied all knowledge of the charges against Tom Chantry. Yet he was on the Administrative Council in 2000, 2001 and 2002. He was also Chairman of the powerful Membership Committee in 2002. He was fully involved by Blackburn and knew all about Chantry’s abuse of children.
Furthermore, Tom Lyon sent Tom Chantry to Dale Smith’s Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Rockford, IL in 2002. Two years later, Chantry was investigated for the battery of a five year old boy. The parent’s pulled the child out of Christian Liberty Academy but chose not to prosecute. Chantry also battered other children at the school even though he promised his professional counselor, Devon Berry, in 2001 he would never spank a child again under any circumstances.
##
Paragraph 10
The question before us is how do we go on in relationship and work within the Association if I do not agree with your private opinion that you have shared concerning me with other men? Not only must I live with the fact that you believe my integrity must be restored, but you also have spread that opinion to other brethren. You have judged me. I can either repent of wrong I have not done, or be a bad guy and fail to repent. There is no way but Earl’s way. To you and unnamed pastors waiting for me to repent, I am not a man of integrity.
Comment: Tripp is far too concerned about his reputation and totally unconcerned about doing what is right. At this point, he should have contacted all the victims and their families, filled them in on all the evidence, encouraged them to report Chantry’s crimes to law enforcement and pledged his complete support of them. He wasn’t willing to stop a totally unrepentant sociopathic liar and sadistic child abuser. Nor was he willing to expose Blackburn’s “no way but Earl’s way” abusive leadership.
##
Paragraph 10
I do believe that the council made a serious mistake. When we met with Tom Chantry, after he had verbally agreed to everything in the report of the informal council, he said that he was thankful that we have been so merciful and magnanimous in designing a solution that resolved things and yet did not preclude his eventual return to the ministry. He then went on to say that he thought we had mishandled things and not given him the right to say his piece. We replied that nothing had yet been signed; he was free to say whatever he wished. He declined. At that point I wish we had torn up the document, recommended a formal council and gone home. I firmly believe that the result would have been legal action taken against Tom Chantry for abuse of the children. The formal council would have found that Tom Chantry’s actions with the children bore no relationship to the breakdown with his elders. And I would not be writing this letter.
Comment: I have no respect for Tedd Tripp. This is the fourth time he confesses to a criminal conspiracy “in designing a solution that resolved things.” In context, he means they came up with a “merciful and magnanimous…solution” that manipulated the parents so they did not take “legal action taken against Tom Chantry for abuse of the children.” Tripp, Jensen and McKnight were “merciful and magnanimous” to a sadistic pervert! They showed no mercy or magnanimity to the victims or future victims! Their “recommendations” made it easy for Chantry to become an elementary school teacher in 2002 and then return to the ministry in 2005.
##
Paragraph 10
Earl, I love you and appreciate your able and sacrificial work for Christ and our Association. I bear you no personal ill will. I have enjoyed our acquaintance and years of service together in the Association. It is my prayer that we will get through this matter and have many years of service in the future. Your letter places me in the impossible situation of either being seen by you and others as unrepentant or repenting for what I regard as faithful service to the Association, Tom Chantry, the Prescott church and the children who were abused and are, I fear, forgotten in all this. I can only ask that you withdraw your letter of April 18, 2002.
Comment: Tripp is only concerned for how he appears before men. “The children who were abused” were “I fear, forgotten in all this” because of him, Jensen and McKnight! He met with the children and parents on December 13, 2000. That was the first and last time he had any contact with them. They were totally forsaken by him. I have written Tripp many times and asked him to confess his sin and reach out to victims and their families. This excerpt comes from my first message to him 11 months ago. He has never responded or done anything to “shepherd the hearts” of the victims and families. He has only devoured them like a wolf by his utter indifference. His priority was keeping Chantry out of jail and getting him back in ministry to placate Walter Chantry, etc. He violated the law and he violated all the children and their parents. His mercy and generosity were licentious, criminal, full of deceit and hateful toward the victims!
Facebook
Thursday, August 2, 2018 6:11 PM
Hello Tedd,
You were a mandatory reporter under the law in 2000 when you did the investigation of Tom Chantry with Mike McKnight and Rich Jensen. Do you plan to go public and acknowledge your fault for not reporting? Will you ask forgiveness of all the victims and their families? Will you publicly expose the conspiracy that existed then and of recent? I hope so.
I also hope you can persuade Mike [McKnight] and Rich [Jensen] to join you. And also Bob Selph, who picked the three of you to do the investigation but did not report your findings to law enforcement even though he was the ARBCA Coordinator. He too should acknowledge his fault, ask forgiveness, and expose the conspiracy not to report Chantry. …
Tedd, I’d recommend you contact WORLD or CT [Christianity Today] or The Christian Post and tell them the whole truth. It would accomplish so much good. I know it won’t be easy but repentant conspirators must expose unrepentant conspirators. The truth about ARBCA must be told. You are best suited to do it.
Therefore, I hope you will be an outspoken and contrite voice against the self-serving and illegal concealment of assaults upon children by you and ARBCA leaders. You could also exhort pastors to learn from your mistakes and follow the law.
Chantry’s victims have suffered extraordinary harm the past 18 years because his crimes went unreported. It should have ended in 2001 and the victims should have received extensive care and been restituted for harms. Instead, they were forgotten. Moreover, Chantry should never have been allowed to teach elementary children or return to the pastorate. But like happens so often, the victims were betrayed, the victimizer protected, and children were put in harm’s way because pastors were looking out for themselves.
I sincerely pray you will stand with the victims! Your personal humility, advocacy and involvement could have a dramatic impact upon them for the good. As it stands, they have been devasted by those who claim to follow Jesus Christ but done great evil.
Speaking out would also bring much glory to God and set an example for others to follow like C.J. Mahaney and Sovereign Grace Churches, Inc. who continue to cover up their 30-year history of not reporting.
I would appreciate knowing how you plan to respond to the Lord, the victims, ARBCA, and the evangelical church.
For the sake of Christ,
Brent
This is what Tedd Tripp says this about himself on his website. “Tedd is known around the world for the best-selling child rearing book, Shepherding a Child’s Heart, and as the presenter of Shepherding a Child’s Heart Ministries.” Tripp has not shepherded his own heart nor has he shepherded the hearts of those who were abused. He is a hypocrite.
##
Paragraph 10
“This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.” (Phil 1:9-11).
Sincerely in Christ,
Tedd Tripp
Pastor
Comment: This is my prayer for Tedd Tripp. May his “love…abound more and more” for the victims and their families and may he be “filled with the fruit of righteousness” by confessing his sin to them, making restitution, and turning himself into law enforcement. That would demonstrate what is “best,…pure and blameless” in the sight of Christ.
#####
RICH JENSEN LETTER TO EARL BLACKBURN
January 21, 2003
Pastor Earl Blackburn
Trinity Reformed Baptist Church
14407 East Rosecrans Avenue
La Mirada, CA 90638
Dear Brother Earl:
It was good to hear from you last week. As we discussed I am sending you this letter, which I had drafted back in October of 2002. The goal of this letter is not merely to answer your letter of April 18, 2002 but to bring unity to the body of Christ and glory to His name. It is my prayer that this letter will be a foundation for our future discussions on this matter.
I want to preface my remarks by acknowledging that I am a rather newcomer to the Reformed Doctrines, that we hold so dear, compared to you and many other pastors in ARBCA. I have sought to sit, watch and learn from those more experienced than I am. I attended the meeting in Mesa, Arizona when ARBCA was constituted as an association in 1997. I was very impressed with what I observed at that meeting. Earl, you may not realize it, but you played a very big role in my decision to present ARBCA to our church. I was impressed by the professionalism and the humility that you displayed when you conducted those meetings. As I got to know you better, I was moved by your obvious love for our Lord and Savior. And I watched as you dealt with some very difficult circumstances in the association with dignity and compassion. I place a high value on our friendship as it has developed over the years.
Comment: ARBCA was constituted in 1997 and Blackburn conducted those meetings. That illustrates his long term power and influence.
##
It is for these reasons that I was so saddened and grieved by your letter. I have wrestled over how to respond, how much to should say and how I should say it. To be honest with you, besides being saddened and grieved, I was also quite angry when I read the letter. It is my prayer that this letter is a step toward a resolution of the matter at hand.
Comment: He was right to be “quite angry.” Blackburn was turning the focus away from Chantry’s abuse of children by accusing the Informal Council (IC) of lying and the Millersville Valley Baptist Church (MVBC) elders of being the problem.
##
I will begin by trying to clear up a point I believe to be at the heart of the whole matter. The informal council, after reading all the documents submitted to us, set up a priority for the work we were asked to do in a limited amount of time. The number one priority was to find out what happened to the children Tom had supposedly spanked. The rest of the complaints from both sides were to be put aside until that objective was achieved. Was Tom told by me that all of his complaints were irrelevant as Don has stated in his “report?” That is only half true. Tom was told they were irrelevant for the first issue at hand, the abuse of children. He was repeatedly told that he could say anything he wanted but in the order and time we set forth, not him. Tom repeatedly tried to bring in his complaints with the Elders of Miller Valley to mitigate and even justify his actions. He was not allowed to waste precious time doing that. Don states that all of his complaints were dismissed one by one by me. That too is not accurate. Some of them we readily conceded were true and were in fact acknowledged by the Elders of Miller Valley. It was very clear that Tom Chantry wanted to steer the investigation of the Informal Council away from his culpability for possible crimes and shift it to the deteriorating relationship with the Elders. I want to say this in the strongest possible language. The council was well aware of what Tom was trying to do and would not allow it. It is unfortunate that Don Lindblad did not see what Tom was doing, and therefore he viewed the actions of the Informal council in a negative light. As I have reviewed the actions of the Informal Council in this regard, far from being a mistake, I believe it was one of our greatest strengths.
Comment: “After reading all the documents submitted to us.” That included letters from four parents and a victim documenting the horrendous abuse. Jensen knows the “supposed” spanking of children was really the physical abuse of children. That’s why it was “the number one priority.” Jensen was a former FBI trained homicide detective from Long Island, NY. He knew he had no business investigating Chantry’s “culpability for possible crimes.” That is the work of law enforcement. He also knew he broke the law by not reporting the crimes for which he had overwhelming evidence. He was fooled by Lindblad when he says, “Lindblad did not see what Tom was doing.” Unquestionably, Lindblad was helping Chantry carrying out the plan to “shift it” to the elders.
##
In your letter, you place the word of Don Lindblad against the word of the members of the Informal Council. In your mind, Don is truthful, and we are not. You may argue that that was not your intent, but that is the only logical conclusion based upon what you have written. I love and respect Don as a brother in Christ. I do not question his integrity nor his veracity. I do not question your statement that, “he has always been ‘Judgment Day’ honest with me.” Yet I believe that Don’s perception of what occurred was seriously flawed. It was very obvious to me from the very beginning that Don was quite upset with the events in Miller Valley, including the actions of Tom Chantry. It was also clear that Don has a great deal of affection and love for Tom. But it also became evident to me that Don did not understand what the council was trying to do. Due to those factors, Don’s view of the events of that weekend were very biased. Don prejudged and read into the motivations of the members of the council. His comment, “It appeared they had already unfairly (italics mine) come to a conclusion about matters before hearing Tom,” on page two of his report,” is such an example.
Comment: Don Lindblad has shown himself to be a serial liar. It has been constant. For example in his statement to Christ Reformed Baptist Church in January 2017, during his telephonic deposition in March 2018, and under oath at Chantry’s first trial in July/August 2018. He could have been charged for perjury. All of this and much more is documented in other articles. Lindblad is “Judgement Day” honest like Blackburn is “Judgement Day” honest. Not! They even lie about being honest! Jensen was duped.
##
Early in our investigation, it became obvious that Don was acting as a “defense attorney” for Tom and not an impartial friend. Several times before Tom would reply to a question, he asked for time to speak with Don alone. I do not believe that Don Lindblad had any improper motives, but I believe he was blinded by his love for Tom Chantry. I also believe that he was swayed by hearing only Tom’s side of the story. Remember, Don never spoke to the Elders of Miller Valley, nor the children involved, nor their families.
Comment: Jensen is naive. Of course, Lindblad had “improper motives.” He knew Chantry was guilty of abuse and was trying to keep him out of prison and get him back in ministry. He was advising him before answering so he did not incriminate himself or undermine their plan. Lindblad said at trial he was handpicked by the “Chantry family” to be Tom’s advocate. He was acting like a corrupt defense attorney. He was also secretly in contact with Earl Blackburn to get “advice and counsel” on how to negotiate a deal with the Informal Council.
##
Quite frankly, I believe he missed what was going on. This is clearly seen in his comment on page 3 of his “'report.” He says, “Imagine our surprise, then, when we were asked to meet with the investigators about an hour later. Instead of pressing for some form of church discipline or civil charges, they told us they wanted to give Tom back his life.” Don may be a gifted preacher but he severely misjudged the actions and motivations of the Informal Council. I want to say this again as strongly as I can. On our last meeting with Tom and Don, Tom was given the opportunity to say whatever he wanted to say. He was told by members of the council that we agreed with some of his complaints and had already addressed some of them with the Elders. In particular, they were wrong in trying to keep Tom in the pulpit as long as they did. But any such discussion had no bearing on his actions with the children in question. It was at that time that Tom made the statement, “Then it doesn’t matter anymore.” This statement confirmed our suspicions that Tom was trying to cloud the issue with his complaints against the Elders of Miller Valley. However, we believed that he would be content and live up to the agreements in the documents he signed. While not a perfect solution, we honestly felt that it was a biblical solution to a very difficult situation.
Comment: “I believe he missed what was going on.” No, the exact opposite was true. Chantry and Lindblad fully expected McKnight, Tripp and Jensen to be “pressing for some form of church discipline or civil charges” but instead “they told us they wanted to give Tom back his life.” Chantry and Lindblad were stunned when the Informal Council let him off the hook. The “biblical solution” was obvious! Exercise church discipline because he was not repentant (Matt 18:15-17). Turn him over to law enforcement because he broke the law. This is an earlier article I wrote about the IC giving Chantry his life back (i.e. protecting him from prosecution).
Don Lindblad’s Recently Discovered Review of Informal Council Investigation for Chairman Earl Blackburn Proves Intentional Cover-Up of Tom Chantry’s Crimes by Marcus “Mike” McKnight, Tedd Tripp and Rich Jensen
Friday, June 7, 2019 at 11:19AM
##
Now let me address some of the comments in your letter. You state that Don called you during the investigation by the council, and you gave him certain counsel. You told him to insist on certain things. You told him to phone Tedd and plead with him. You also warned him of your concerns of “serious and unsettling ramifications.” I find this behavior highly irregular and questionable. The AC had sent an Informal Council to investigate certain allegations, and in the middle of the investigation, you, as chairman of the AC, give counsel to a man who is for all practical purposes, “representing” one of the parties. The next paragraph on page two of your letter is even more troubling. Tom drove to your house and the number one concern on your mind was not whether or not a resolution had been obtained but whether or not Tom had his say. That troubles me greatly. Then you again talk to Don Lindblad. You have apparently spoken of this matter with Walt Chantry and others as well. Yet, you chose not to speak with any of the members of the council regarding what you considered to be a serious problem and something that bothered you greatly. By this I am also troubled.
Comment: Blackburn’s behavior was not “highly irregular and questionable. It was altogether deceitful and illegal. He is helping to devise a plan to protect Chantry from prosecution and assure his return to ministry. He is not neutral. He is fighting for Chantry, not justice and certainty not the victims.
It is so grievous! NO CONCERN is ever expressed in Jensen’s letter or Blackburn’s letter for the victims, their families, or Miller Valley Baptist Church in Prescott, AZ. Tripp makes one passing reference about the children in his letter but did absolutely nothing to love or care for them. These men were only concerned about their own interests and reputations. They express no regret for covering up crimes or abandoning the victims and their families.
##
Let me list several of my concerns over your involvement in this matter. First, of course, is that you never called one of us to voice your concern. If it were as bad as you say, it seems only right that you should seek to remedy the situation as soon as possible. Remember, when the Council left Prescott, we all believed that a resolution had been achieved. If you knew otherwise, you were obligated to contact us. Second, if the council’s actions were improper, the remedy was very simple. Call for a Formal Council to be constituted. Had you called me, I would have supported that move based upon the attitudes of Tom and Don after they signed the documents. Third, I am disappointed by the fact that it appears that you too were taken in by Tom’s attempt to cloud the issues. When you state that, “the entire incident not having taken place in a vacuum,” it shows a bias toward Tom. Problems within the Eldership of Miller Valley Baptist Church can in no way be considered mitigating circumstances in the inappropriate spanking of children by Tom Chantry. And that was the conclusion of three impartial elders [Jensen, Tripp, McKnight] who had no allegiance to either party. Fourth, it also appears to me that, you, Don Lindblad and others, believe that Tom is truly repentant for his actions. I do not. The actions of Tom Chantry while with the Council, and apparently his actions afterward, are not the actions of a repentant man. If Tom were so distressed by our “lack of hearing his concerns,” then he should have refused to sign the documents. But by signing them, he was bound to adhere to the conditions and accept them. He has not. Instead he has fostered contention and strife within the body of Christ. Tom was pleased with the outcome of the investigation but was not pleased that he was unable to pull the wool over our eyes. And he has used Don, his father, and you to do harm to the body of Christ in general and to our association in particular.
Comment: This paragraph condemns Jensen. He explicitly states Chantry was unrepentant in 2000 during the investigation and still unrepentant in 2002. Read these statements again.
“It also appears to me that, you, Don Lindblad and others, believe that Tom is truly repentant for his actions. I do not. The actions of Tom Chantry while with the Council, and apparently his actions afterward, are not the actions of a repentant man. … By signing them, he was bound to adhere to the conditions and accept them. He has not.”
Why is this important? First, Jensen signed “a resolution that had been achieved” knowing Chantry was unrepentant child abuser. He negotiated a deal with the devil. Second, he knew Chantry had not fulfilled the conditions in the binding agreement.
He refers to Chanty’s crimes as “the inappropriate spanking of children” but he knows differently. He is being careful since this is a written document.
“Remember, when the Council left Prescott, we all believed that a resolution had been achieved.” Jensen, Tripp and McKnight worked out an arrangement with Chantry and Lindblad that covered up his crimes and would get him back in ministry. “Tom was pleased with the outcome of the investigation.” No kidding!
##
In your letter you ask us to consider three responses to your letter. I will address each of them. First, you ask us to prayerfully to search our hearts to see if Don is correct and we are wrong. I have certainly given much prayerful consideration and have searched my heart. I stand today even more fully convinced that the Informal Council was correct in their methodology. I am more fully convinced that Tom Chantry is not repentant for what he has done to the Church of Jesus Christ. I do acknowledge one mistake, (and I am sure there are others). In light of the lack of repentance, I regret allowing Tom to sign the documents.
Comment: Jensen knows he was terribly wrong for ”allowing Tom to sign the documents.” Why? Throughout the December 13-16, 2000 investigation, Chantry adamantly denied ever abusing any of the children. They knew he was lying. Jensen, Tripp and McKnight make clear in their report they fully believed the children. Read “Confidential Report and Recommendations.” And yet they were willing to protect a sociopathic liar and sadistic child abuser and forsake the victims and parents in the process. That is evil and it is criminal.
This letter was written on January 21, 2003. Jensen has lived with guilt for the last 15 plus years. I still hope he, Tripp and McKnight come clean, contact Susan Eazer the Deputy Attorney and prosecutor in the case, publicly confess their sins and make restitution to the victims and their families.
##
And with all the hindsight that has now been made available through your letter and Don’s “report,” I would have ended the Informal Council with the recommendation to convene a Formal Council. But we did not have all that information until now. Earl, you did. You should have spoken to us and then called for one. So there is no admission of wrongdoing forthcoming concerning the methodology of the Council.
Comment: Blackburn is at the center of the conspiracy also. He never told the Informal Council about his extensive involvement in advising and counseling Lindblad and Chantry. Nevertheless, he did not sign the binding agreements that covered up the crimes committed by Chantry and protected him from prosecution.
Jensen may have recommended a “Formal Council” but Blackburn and his corrupt cronies on the Administrative Council would have prevented it from happening. At this point in time, Jensen, Tripp and McKnight should have contacted law enforcement because a serial child abuser was on the loose. In short order, he would batter children again at Christian Liberty Academy in Arlington Heights, IL where he was a schoolteacher. Walt Chantry got him the job through his contacts at the school. Insane!
##
Second, you ask us to individually write a letter to Tom Chantry acknowledging our wrong in this matter and ask for his forgiveness. I find this suggestion highly offensive. Tom Chantry was treated very graciously by the Informal Council. He was treated with respect and given every opportunity to clear his conscience, to confess his sin, and seek forgiveness from those whom he sinned against. I find his actions reprehensible and his attempts to mask his culpability equally distasteful and sinful. If you truly love Tom, I suggest that you use all the biblical wisdom and influence you have to bring about his true repentance.
Comment: The treatment of Tom Chantry by the Informal Council had nothing to do with being “very gracious.” He didn’t clear his conscience, confess is sin or seek forgiveness. That requires church discipline. He should have been excommunicated and turned over to Satan. Grace doesn’t cover up unrepentant sin in a deceitful manner and fail to report horrendous crimes to law enforcement as required by Scripture.
Jensen is full of bluster. He never did anything to stop Chantry and expose “his attempts to mask his culpability.” If he “truly love[d] Tom” (and the victims), he would have reported him to law enforcement. As a result, Tom would have gone to prison and the victims would have received help from professionals.
##
Third, you ask that we do the same with Walt Chantry. Walt Chantry has never spoken one word to me in this entire matter. I did not know that he had an offense against me until the 2002 General Assembly in Bremen, Indiana. Walt has taken up an offense for his son unjustifiably. Far from being angry with us, Walt should be very grateful for the treatment of his son. He too should be seeking to help Tom instead of giving ear to his sinful dialogue. If Walt wants reconciliation, he should contact me and first explain the offense he has to me personally.
Comment: Walt Chantry knew his son was a child abuser in 2000. He had all the evidence. But he was angry and covering up. He modeled self-righteous anger and deceitful behavior for his son. Tom Chantry had no character when he became the pastor of MVBC at age 29. Within two weeks of his arrival in 1995, he punched a 12 year old boy in the face and knocked him to the ground at a July 4 church picnic for squirting him with a water gun. Where and from whom did he learn all this vile behavior?
##
This whole matter has left a very bad taste in mouth. I believe it speaks very badly for ARBCA and some of its members. I have some very serious concerns resulting from this whole affair. I am concerned about the fact that other men from ARBCA may have a bad view of the Council’s actions. How did they hear about the actions and why? We strove very hard to maintain confidentiality to protect all the parties of the complaint. Now I find out that it has been the subject of gossip. And no one has come to me to find out anything about my actions. If someone has a bad opinion of me based upon rumors and gossip and never comes to me personally, I can do nothing about it.
Comment: I have repeatedly seen “confidentiality” agreements used by church boards, peace makers, ministry safe lawyers, and ambassadors of reconciliation to cover up serious sins and even crimes. That is how they get business and keep business. I’ve never seen them church discipline their clients or report crimes committed by their clients to the police. I’m sure there are exceptions but I have been at this for a long time.
In context, Jensen confesses to a criminal conspiracy. The Informal Council knew Chantry was a child abuser but they “strove very hard to maintain confidentiality to protect all the parties” including themselves! They did not want any of the charges or any of the evidence to leak. And they didn’t want anyone to know they negotiated a deal that covered up Chantry’s crimes. They were protecting “all the parties.”
It is also extremely important to note that their criminal conspiracy continued to the present day. They intentionally withheld all the evidence in their possession from the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office for past three years. They could have made the prosecution of Chantry so much easier but they were determined to cover up their own crimes! They also withheld this information from ARBCA pastors who wanted to know the truth. They have allowed so much evil to prevail and inflicted so much harm upon the victims and their families.
##
I am also concerned about some other things pertaining to this matter. The Informal Council recommended strongly that the elders of the church Tom attended should contact one or more members of the Council that they may have the full facts concerning this matter to help in Tom’s restoration. That was not done. The counselor that Tom went to makes some rather bold statements and disagreements with the council according to Don’s “report.” I find this incredible if it is accurate. A man makes sweeping judgments and never hears the facts other than from the man who was accused of them. Again if this is true, that counselor has acted in a very irresponsible manner. Proverbs 18:17 says: “The first to plead his case seems just, until another comes and examines him.”
Comment: Tom Chantry “attended” Providence Reformed Baptist Church in University Place, Washington where Tom Lyon and Mark McCormick were the elders. They violated the letter or the spirt of all the binding “recommendations” in the agreement. That included not contacting the Informal Council “that they may have the full facts concerning this matter.” This is an extremely important statement.
Jensen, Tripp and McKnight did not put “the full facts” in their reports concerning Chantry’s abuse of children. They intentionally withheld all the evidence (“facts”) in their possession. It was too dangerous to write down because it would clearly show they were covering up crimes.
Devon Berry was the counselor. He too broke the law when he did not report Chanty to law enforcement knowing he was accused of abusing multiple children. He also acted in a corrupt manner. His report was pathetic. It was all part of the cover-up.
##
You may have noticed that every time I have mentioned the document that Don Lindblad wrote at your request, I put the word report in quotation marks. I did so because his document is clearly not an objective report. It most closely resembles an appellants brief submitted to a court of appeals. I have already pointed out several areas that I disagree with Don’s assessment of the situation. His closing paragraph is one final example that I believe shows the absolute bias of Don Lindblad in this affair. He states: “This matter did not end as all the principals wished, which is unfortunate. It should be noted, however, that Tom Chantry fully complied, as did his church, with both the letter and the spirit of the document he signed. It is hoped that everyone else will do likewise.” I could not disagree more fervently with his conclusion. I do not believe that Tom has complied with either the letter or the spirit of the document he signed. Instead he has sown seeds of discord among the churches. And Don, though I do not believe he acted maliciously, has done the same.
Comment: Lindblad will and has lied whenever necessary. Even under oath at Chantry’s trial in 2018 when he defended him as perfectly innocent. “The absolute bias” was absolute spin.
##
I want to close with some personal observations from the within the council. I have never worked with two men of greater integrity than Tedd Tripp and Mike McKnight. I barely knew either of these men before the Council in Prescott. These men are committed to Christ and have a strong love for His Church and especially those in ARBCA. These men were very professional, competent, and compassionate in their work throughout the council. We spent many hours in prayer during that weekend. The goal was to bring glory to God and peace to the Church of Jesus Christ. These men worked hard to attempt to accomplish that goal. I would encourage you to listen to these men, to place as much faith in them as you apparently have for Don Lindblad. I suggest that you turn from the notion that Tom Chantry was somehow wronged and call for his complete and full repentance. Only then will there be true restoration. But more important than that, I urge you to strive with all your might for the sake of Tom’s eternal soul. I fear for him because of the trouble he has caused in the church.
Comment: Jensen, Tripp and McKnight showed no integrity (not greater integrity). If they were “very professional” they would have reported the crimes. If they were “very competent” they would never have negotiated a deal with child abuser. It they were “very compassionate” they would have followed up with the victims and families after their December 13, 2000 meeting. People should read their victim impact statements and responses to ARBCA. One of the victims put it this way for Judge Astrowsky.
“As a child growing up in a church, these “concerns” were brought to the council, and the cries for help and guidance fell on deaf ears. The promises made to us for the pain we went through were eventually broken, and so today I am presenting my personal experience on this matter.”
##
Brother Earl, my love and respect for you remain strong, but I believe you are absolutely wrong in your assessment of this matter. I can only believe that your eyes have been blinded because of your love for Tom and the Chantry family. As noble as that may be, you have exacerbated the tragic results of a grievous sin in the body of Christ. I know this is not the response you were looking for, but it is the only response I can give. And I do so with a clear conscience. I am willing to discuss this matter with you at any time to bring about a biblical resolution. I ask you to consider the things I have said carefully for Tom’s sake, for the sake of our association, and above all, for the sake of Jesus Christ and His beloved Church. May God be with you as you do.
Comment: Blackburn is “absolutely wrong” but Jensen doesn’t realize he is to blame. Here’s what I mean. Chantry was never repentant in 2000 and yet Jensen, Tripp and McKnight negotiated an agreement with him and Lindblad that was counseled by Blackburn and involved a criminal conspiracy. Of course, Chantry was going to continue lying and scheming!
If Jensen was concerned for Tom, the association, Jesus Christ, and his church he would have blown the whistle and gone to law enforcement! Notice, nothing is for the sake of the victims. He knows in 2002 that Chantry was still a deceiver and sociopathic liar. Nothing has changed! My goodness, he is an FBI trained homicide detective from Long Island, NY. He had to know the sadistic beating of children by Chantry would continue just like the lying! That takes no discernment. Once more, he does nothing to stop it.
Jensen and his church remained in ARBCA for 17 years. They just voted to leave on February 1, 2019. Why? “Events that have transpired over the last few years have caused us to reevaluate our membership in the association.” Really? That is so helpful.
The investigation of Chantry began in July 2015. A year later he was arrested for aggravated assault and child molestation. For four years, the Administrative Councils including Earl Blackburn and Don Lindblad argued that Tom Chantry was innocent, there was no conspiracy and all civil laws had been followed in 2000. Jensen knew they were deceiving all of ARBCA but did not speak out. Like Tedd Tripp, he should have testified at the 2018 and 2019 trials, acknowledged his role in the criminal conspiracy, and exposed the pervasive corruption that exists among the top leaders in ARBCA. I have written him with appeals to repent and sent him all my evidentiary articles.
In Christ’s love,
Richard A. Jensen
#####
EARL BLACKBURN LETTER TO THE INFORMAL COUNCIL
Trinity Reformed Baptist Church
14407 East Rosecrans Avenue
La Mirada, California 90638
April 18, 2002
Mediators of Informal Prescott Council
Pastor Rich Jensen
Elder Mike McKnight
Pastor Tedd Tripp
Dear Brethren,
Warmest greetings in the name of our great King and Savior. I trust each of you is prospering in the particular tasks assigned to you in the kingdom of God’s dear Son.
My purpose for writing involves our discussion on Thursday morning, March 7, 2002, in Bremen, Indiana at the General Assembly. I would like to revisit that in the context of this letter. That morning, during the meeting you requested, Mike McKnight asked me if I agreed with the informal Council. I told you that I wanted to carefully choose my words and I then replied, “Yes and no.” By that I meant, as I explained, that you sought to be generous and kind to Tom Chantry by giving him an opportunity to deal with matters and, hopefully, in time, reenter the ministry. For that I was and am thankful. However, as I explained, the situation in Prescott did not develop in a vacuum. I expressed that I did not agree with you not allowing Tom to speak fully and to address all issues that were of concern to him. All of you immediately spoke up and said that was not the case at all. You then told me that Tom had the opportunity on two different occasions, during your meetings in Arizona [Dec. 13-16, 2000], to say whatever he wanted to say. Frankly, I was stunned at your response. I then stated that what you were telling me was contrary to what Tom Chantry, Don Lindblad, and Walt Chantry had told me. You reassured me that Tom did have every opportunity to address his concerns. We finally finished our discussion and then went to lunch.
Comment: Blackburn knows the Informal Council gave Chantry “an opportunity to deal with matters” by withholding evidence from the parents and elders and by not reporting his crimes to law enforcement.
##
The final day of GA [General Assembly] was busy as usual and I had no time to speak with Don Lindblad at the Bremen church. That night I saw him in the hotel and briefly told him what you had told me during our morning meeting. He immediately stated that you were not correct in your claim. He said that he didn’t have time to explain everything. I asked him then, and later followed up that request with a phone call, to write a report of the meeting and send it to me. I have enclosed for each of you a copy of that report.
Comment: The Lindblad report from April 15, 2002 included incriminating statements like this one.
“Instead of pressing for some form of church discipline or civil charges, they [Tripp, Jensen, McKnight] told us they wanted to give Tom back his life. They believed he had not been forthcoming, that he was far guiltier than what he was willing to admit, but they also believed he was a gifted young man and should return to the ministry someday.”
They gave “Tom back his life” by not pursuing church discipline or civil charges even though they knew he was lying to them about not abusing the children. They wanted him back in the ministry not in prison for his horrendous crimes. Read this article for additional information about the criminal conspiracy.
Don Lindblad’s Recently Discovered Review of Informal Council Investigation for Chairman Earl Blackburn Proves Intentional Cover-Up of Tom Chantry’s Crimes by Marcus “Mike” McKnight, Tedd Tripp and Rich Jensen
Friday, June 7, 2019 at 11:19AM
##
When I read Don’s report, I was troubled. What you told me and what he wrote do not match up. After reading his report, I phoned him to ask if he could substantiate his claims. He told me that he has “pages of detailed notes” which he took before the informal Council and during it. I have known Don for many years and he has always been “Judgment Day” honest with me. There have been times when he has been truthful to his own hurt. I trust him implicitly. Furthermore, I know him to be meticulous, almost to a fault, and very precise in what he says and writes. In other words, brothers, I believe his written report.
Comment: Blackburn is “Judgement Day” honest like Lindblad and Chantry are Judgement Day” honest. Lindblad could have been charged with perjury at the 2018 trial. The judge warned him and told him to answer the questions and stop being evasive under oath. I was there. It was reported in the press.
Blackburn helped Lindblad and Chantry negotiate the deal with the Informal Council that prevented church discipline and civil charges and made a way for ministry.
##
Apart from Don’s veracity, there is further evidence to support my belief. During the informal Council, Don phoned me two or three times seeking advice and counsel. He told me two different times that you were not allowing Tom Chantry to voice his concerns. I told Don that he must get you mediators to allow Tom to address all his concerns or there would be serious and unsettling ramifications. Each must be allowed to have his “say,” even if no one agrees with him. It was then that I encouraged Don to do what he was already planning to do: to phone Tedd and plead with him to allow Tom the opportunity to speak all of his concerns. He said he would do so and this he did.
Comment: Blackburn has stated he was not involved in the process surrounding the Informal Council. In reality, Lindblad is in contact with Blackburn during the actual proceedings that centered on Chantry’s scheming, serial lying, and horrific abuse of children. Lindblad is looking to Blackburn for “advice and counsel.” This letter further exposes Blackburn’s lying. He is concerned Walt Chantry will leave ARBCA and cause major problems unless appeased.
##
After hanging up with Don, I tried to phone him to get Tedd’s hotel room phone number. Since Tedd was the most experienced pastor , I wrongly assumed he was the chairman of the informal Council. I wanted to speak with Tedd and ask him that Tom be allowed to address all of his concerns. Don’s line was busy and I could not get through. After a while, I placed a call to Elder Rich Howe in Prescott in order to get Tedd’s hotel room phone number. Nobody was at the Howe home and I left a message on their answering machine asking Rich to call me back that night, no matter how late, and give me Tedd’s number. He never returned my call. Since there was nothing I could do I prayed, committed the matter to the Lord, and went to bed around 2:00 AM Saturday morning.
The rest is history. The informal Council ended Saturday morning [Dec. 16, 2000] and Tom Chantry immediately drove to my home. I asked him if you allowed him to address all of his concerns (he confirmed that you did not) and Don Lindblad phoned me that evening confirming the same. Now you have Don’s written report. Page one, paragraphs three and four of Don’s report reveal an inconsistent shift [to the abuse of children] on the part of the Prescott Elders and focus on what I had spoken to you about the entire incident not having taken place in a vacuum. Why the shift and why was Tom Chantry not allowed to address this? At this I am bothered.
Comment: There was no “inconsistent shift” by the MVBC elders. They were primarily focused on the abuse of children.
##
Just as I predicted, serious and unsettling ramifications have followed the Arizona meetings. Pastor Walt Chantry is very bothered that his son was not given a full and fair hearing, so much so that he has stated to me via letter and phone that he will never have anything to do with ARBCA again. Also, your refusal to allow Tom Chantry to fully address all of his concerns has caused prolonged problems in the Carlisle Eldership [Grace Baptist Church]. This does not include a number of other ARBCA pastors who have heard and are concerned about your refusal.
Comment: Walt Chantry is “very bothered” but not about his son’s beating of children. Walt instructed his daughter Judy on December 4, 2000 to confiscated the boat oar in Tom’s parsonage knowing it could be tested for DNA and used as evidence. He was complicit in the criminal cover-up. This is part of the court record. Walt has an anger problem like his son.
Marcus “Mike” McKnight was an elder in Grace Baptist Church. He chaired the Informal Council. Walt Chantry “retired in 2002” and left ARBCA. His church remained in ARBCA. He became the editor of The Banner of Truth magazine for seven years. He is known around the nation in fundamentalist, Reformed Baptist and conservative Presbyterian circles. For instance, Sinclair Ferguson dedicated his 2016 book, The Whole Christ to Walt and his wife Joie. He continues to defend his pedophilic son.
##
Please understand, neither I, nor anyone else I know, (including Pastor Walt Chantry), condones in any form or fashion Tom Chantry’s spanking the children. It was as foolish as it was sinful. In dealing with Tom about these matters you sought to be fair and merciful. However, in dealing with Tom’s concerns, I believe you were not. Whether his concerns were valid or not, he had the right to be heard at the proper time. This you did not allow him. Since 1992, I have been involved both directly and indirectly with five church Councils. All of them, except this one, has ended peacefully with no unwarranted and unsettling ramifications. It is my earnest opinion that Don’s report is accurate, that things could have been put to rest, and that there would not have been protracted problems in the Carlisle Eldership if you had only allowed Tom to address fully his concerns at the appropriate time.
Comment: Blackburn is a deceiver. He has had all the evidence of child abuse for 16 months. He knows, like Walt Chantry knows, that Tom Chantry has assaulted and beaten children with boat oars and other implements that have left tremendous bruises and inflicted severe pain that lasted for days. He pretends Tom simply spanked the children in a tutorial setting which was foolish to do. Nor does he say anything about how Chantry terrorized the children with rants and threats of all kinds which was part of the evidence in his possession! All of this is part of the evidence used to get guilty verdicts.
##
What is done is done. We cannot turn back the hands of time. There is, I think, something each of you can do to help put matters to rest and bring about peace. Since you no longer have any authority to act as an informal Council, I ask that you individually consider and act upon my following suggestions.
You, of course, are under no compulsion to do so. One, prayerfully search your hearts and if you believe that Don is correct in his report and that you were wrong, then admit it to yourself and each other. Two, individually write a letter to Tom Chantry acknowledging your wrong in this particular matter and ask his forgiveness. Three, do the same with Pastor Walt Chantry. This would go a long way toward settling matters and restoring integrity in their minds about you and ARBCA. It would also help bring peace to the Carlisle Eldership and keep peace in ARBCA.
Comment: This is asinine. “Restoring integrity” in Walt, Tom and Don’s minds.” They are the culprits. It is all damage control for Blackburn. He wants to “bring peace” and “keep peace” when there can be no peace. He should be working with Tripp, Jensen and McKnight to finally discipline Chantry and report him to law enforcement.
##
I do not write this letter as a lord over you or as one with authority. The Holy Scriptures instruct us not to hate our brother in our heart (Leviticus 19:17). There is no hate in my heart for either of you, nor do I want this matter to cause me to harbor bad thoughts or ill feelings towards you. I simply write as a brother and fellow pastor who loves and esteems you in Christ and who desires to “clear the air” and be “above board” with you in all things. If you believe I am wrong in this matter, I am open at any time to discuss any and all of what I have written. I look forward to many long and prosperous years of laboring together in our beloved Association.
Comment: “If you believe I am wrong…“ ARBCA should hire a law firm to do an independent investigation of Blackburn and everyone else involved in the conspiracy. They can call C.J. Mahaney for advice and a recommendation!
##
May the blessing of the Lord, which makes rich and adds no sorrow with it, be your portion and strength.
Your servant in the best of bonds,
Earl M. Blackburn
Pastor & Chairman of the ARBCA
Administrative Council
200I W. Oak Avenue
Fullerton, CA 92833-3624
(714) 447-3412 (Study)
enclosure:
cc: Pastor Don Lindblad
Pastor Walter J. Chantry
Pastor Dale Smith (Chairman of the ARBCA Membership Committee)
Comment: Dale Smith was on the ARBCA Administrative Council in 2000, 2001, and 2002. He was Chantry’s pastor from 2002 until 2006. He returned Chantry to pastoral ministry in 2006. When asked last year about the events of 2000-2002, he claimed he “did not remember anything about the Chantry situation.” How convenient! Selective amnesia! Furthermore, Al Huber is on Smith’s staff at Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Rockville, IL. Chantry married his daughter, Karen in 2004. Huber has been putting up the bond money and paying the lawyer fees for Tom Chantry. Smith still can’t remember anything about the conflict Chantry had with MVBC elders, the allegations of child abuse by multiple families, the selection and commissioning of the IC by the AC, the actual IC investigation, or receiving this letter from Blackburn in 2002 indicating he was Blackburn’s confidante!
##
Please Help Financially
My efforts are designed to help Christians judge righteously, think biblically, and live courageously. Your financial support makes that possible. Please consider a gift today at BrentDetwiler.com. I could really use your help. Thank you!