An Ohio church has been forced to apologize after an Easter lesson crossed the line and went horribly wrong.
Christianity
Rev. Jaddeus Dempsey of Impact City Church in Pataskala, Ohio was leading a group of middle and high school students last week during an after-school program when he decided to teach them an extreme lesson about Jesus and Easter.
“I’m going to ask you to do something that might seem a little crazy, but if there’s anyone here that would like to spit in my face, you can do so without any repercussions,” Dempsey told the shocked pupils. Eventually, several students decided to take him up on his offer.
Next, Dempsey told the students to slap him across the face — and they did.
Finally, Dempsey pulled out a steak knife and instructed the students to cut him in the manner Jesus was cut. By now feeling emboldened, one student took the knife and sliced the pastor’s back.
Naturally, several students captured the entire exchange on their mobile phones and took to social media with videos of students lining up to spit on and degrade the pastor.
“I’m doing it,” a random student was heard saying in the posted video. “Do it,” others responded.
“Can I do it again?” another asked.
“Make me bleed,” the pastor was heard urging the students.
“I thought it was very weird and awkward,” 12-year-old Ai’Janae Parker told authorities. “I took part because I thought it was OK because it was coming from an adult.”
It wasn’t!
Once the social media posts went viral, parents were understandably outraged and demanded answers.
In a formal apology, lead pastor Justin Ross said that although Rev. Dempsey was only attempting to teach a “very important topic about the crucifixion,” he acknowledged the chosen methods went too far.
“Many of you were disgusted, many of you were hurt by this, many of you were very confused,” Rev. Ross said, adding that even though the “intent was honorable,” the activity was inappropriate.
After letting them spit on, slap and cut him, Dempsey talked with the students about Jesus, his trial and crucifixion and how he was “beaten, he was broken, he was whipped, he was crucified and he died as an innocent man,” Ross said.
“[Jesus] chose to allow them to spit on him and beat him and crucify him in order to take the payment of our debt that we call sin,” Ross said. “So Jaddeus, in an effort to share that message of love through the Gospel and the story of Jesus’ crucifixion, he shared this illustration and tried to share some of the pain that Jesus took on that day.”
Ross added that the church does not condone students or anyone spitting on or slapping others, or “using a weapon to harm anyone or to harm themselves.”
For his unorthodox stunt, Rev. Dempsey was remorseful.
“I am so sorry for misrepresenting the community, the church, the parents, the students and anybody that I hurt,” Dempsey said. “It was not my intention. My intention was just to show them how much Jesus loves them and I love them.”
Church board of directors are planning to conduct a formal review and investigation.
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Hmmm. Well I’ll tell ya DJ…as much as I don’t like to think this…let alone say it……..
To me this entire incident sounds like ole Rev. Jaddeus Dempsey may have actually used the kids to play out a sort of masochistic fantasy he’d been having.
Whatever the reason for the “extreme lesson” he was supposedly teaching the kids I’d say the man needs to lose his position. NOW! And never be allowed to teach “lessons” again.
At best, what he had those kids do to him was deeply disturbing.