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Reporting the Truth.
Restoring the Church.

Pastor Who Oversaw Anthony Moore’s “Restoration” Resigns from Cedarville Church

By Julie Roys

The pastor who oversaw the “restoration process” of admitted voyeur and former Cedarville University professor, Dr. Anthony Moore, has resigned.

In a letter to members this week, the elders of Grace Baptist Church in Cedarville, Ohio, announced that Pastor Craig Miller had resigned as lead pastor effective on June 19. 

They write:

“In the midst of several weeks of ministry discussions with the elders, Craig concluded that for the unity and strength of Grace Baptist Church, it would be best for him to resign. The Council of Elders has accepted his conclusion and his resignation. We know that this will come as a shock to many of you, and we want to assure you that we have not taken this process lightly. We have spent many hours in meetings, deliberations, and prayer.”

Pastor Miller came under fire this spring when it was revealed that he had participated in the controversial “restoration process” of Dr. Moore, which was prescribed by Cedarville President Dr. Thomas White.

Moore was fired from Cedarville in April, soon after news of his past voyeuristic behavior became public. A week later, the Cedarville Board of Trustees placed White on administrative leave, pending results of an investigation into Cedarville’s handling of the Moore affair. 

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Miller not only met regularly with Moore for “personal accountability” during Moore’s time at Cedarville, Miller also allowed Moore to preach at his church, and to speak at area youth events. 

Pastor Craig Miller introduces Anthony Moore before Moore preaches at Grace Baptist:

 

In a private letter to his congregation in May, Miller denied that he knew all the facts of Moore’s past, which reportedly included making multiple, secret videos of a male youth pastor showering in Moore’s home. 

However, Jeff Jamison, an elder at Moore’s former church—The Village Church (TVC) in Fort Worth, Texas—disputes Miller’s account. Jamison says TVC Fort Worth elders fully informed Miller about Moore’s past. Jamison added that in October 2018, TVC Fort Worth elders told Miller that Moore’s victim was reporting Moore to authorities in Tarrant County, Texas, for “invasive visual recording,” which is a felony.

According to Grace Baptist elders, Miller, who’s pastored the church for 15 years, will preach his last sermon as lead pastor this Sunday. 

UPDATE: Elders announce they plan to give Miller severance of one year’s salary and another three months if Miller is not employed by the end of a year. (Announcement is at 1:21:34):

 

Letter from Grace Baptist Church Elders on Pastor Miller’s Resignation:

GBC_Elder_Announcement_-_Craig_s_Resignation (1)
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34 Responses

  1. Since one of the Elders is Jason Lee, he should follow suit and resign as an elder and from Cedarville University.

    1. Literally no one at the Bible department knew the depth of Moore’s sins. Admins to the school didn’t know either. They were told it was a minor problem and most faculty assumed it was a pornography addiction. Don’t come for Lee. I’m not defending Miller or White because they both knew, but seriously don’t come for people who didn’t have full info.

  2. Pastor Miller did the right thing and resigned after being caught in a lie. Dr. White should do the honorable thing and resign as well. He was the one who initiated the fast track process to “restore” Dr. Moore. If not, the Cedarville Board should fire him immediately.

  3. GJ, it seems you have access to information that informs your judgment. Can you be specific about Miller’s lie and evidence for it? Is restoration a Biblical principle? What is it about White’s restoration attempt that demands his resignation?

    1. “Is restoration a Biblical principle?”

      That’s a good question, RP. Do you find something in the Bible to suggest that, when a person in authority in the church secretly takes video of a young man in his shower, the other authorities should rally around him so that he continues to receive a salary, prestige, authority, and free access to young men in personal spaces?

      1. No, that’s not the definition of restoration i find in the Bible. Is Anthony Moore a candidate for any kind of restoration? Or is his sin unforgivable? I don’t think CU should have given him the opportunities they did. At the same time, by all accounts, including that of Craig Miller, Moore was abiding by the rules and boundaries that had been set for him. Miller, who has a track record of empathy for victims, is here being condemned for participating in working to “restore” Moore.

        Without looking for a fight or inviting the wrath of the message board, I simply wonder where any of us would be without the restorative grace of Christ. We can debate and discuss how that is applied in a particular situation, which might be more productive than blanket condemnation based on conclusions that may not be fact-based.

        1. To RP. Why the rush to “restore” to public ministry? Let leaders who have fallen in serious ways get a regular job and be involved in a a healthy church. A person can be forgiven, but certain leadership roles will be ruled out due to the nature of the offense.

        2. There’s a lot of middle ground between considering a sin “unforgivable” – Why even bring that up? – and considering a person who makes video recordings of another man in the shower to be an essential Christian leader. Everyone is a sinner who needs to be forgiven his or her individual sins. No individual is so essential that any type of perversion should ever be swept under the carpet to keep the predator on his career path.

          And that, in my opinion, is what this sort of “restoration” is all about: men protecting one another’s careers, no matter what they have done, because they can. It’s not related to “the restorative grace of Christ” in any way.

          1. Cynthia, well said: “…and considering a person who makes video recordings of another man in the shower to be an essential Christian leader.”

            At this point, Moore should get a regular job and he should stay involved in a local church, but not in a leadership role. No one should feel “entitled” to be in a leadership role.

  4. I attended Grace Baptist Church for 10 years and know Pastor Craig Miller well. He is an honorable man, an empathetic shepherd (especially for abused and neglected wives!), and a wise leader. He is the exact opposite of Thomas White and Jason Lee. His resignation from GBC is a massive loss for the church. I also worked at Cedarville U for 18 years—under Presidents Dixon, Brown, and White. I have written elsewhere about my time at CU and the destructive changes under White’s leadership. I cannot speak to why Pastor Craig consented to the “restoration” process of Anthony Moore the way he did. I was truly shocked and saddened when I learned of it. But Pastor Craig has now owned his mistake. And as Roys says in her article, Dr. White “prescribed” the plan. He should have been the first to resign. Lee should have been right behind him, as well as everyone else involved. The fact that Pastor Craig has resigned, but Jason Lee still sits on the elder board is a grievous injustice. Cedarville University trustees should be held accountable, too, as their decisions and complicity with White’s actions have now caused great harm to the surrounding community. Craig Miller is a CU alumnus, but as the new leaders show, they care only about their tight-knit, thick-as-thieves SBC group.

  5. Doesn’t anyone in the Christian community have any brains anymore or is it that we just make it up as we go along? I’m on the verge of giving up on the church altogether. I’m tired, I really am tired.

    1. Sams, do not give up hope. There are good people and good churches out there. The SBC seems to be a bit tone deaf at this time. There are other denominations and Independent churches that you might want to consider. There are no perfect fits, and you may have to deal with some secondary issues that you disagree with, but there are true and faithful shepherds out there. I speak this as that has been my experience.

    2. I agree completely with Vinnie. Don’t allow Satan to discourage you into isolation. That is exactly where he wants wants you. Find (or stay in) a church with godly leaders where the Bible is taught and honored. You may not agree with everything but be generous in overlooking non-essential differences. The main thing is for you, and all of us, to be in a church where we can encourage one another to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24-25).

      Praying for you!

    3. Sams

      You might NOT realize it but…
      Right now… You are in an excellent place…

      Questioning Todays Religious System.
      And how it operates.

      You know something is wrong with
      “The Religious System” of Today.

      And Jesus did NOT reform “The Religious System”
      Of His day.

      He left it…

      And “called out” of that System **His Disciples.**
      Into a relationship with Him.
      ——-

      We are warned many times to NOT trust in man.
      False Apostles. Many False Prophets. False Teachers.
      But to trust in The Lord. Ps 118:8.
      ——-

      Jesus will teach you ALL truth. :-)

      John 6:45
      It is written in the prophets, And they shall be ALL taught of God.

      John 14:26
      But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost,
      whom the Father will send in my name,
      he shall teach you ALL things…

      John 16:13
      Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come,
      he will guide you into all truth…

      Deuteronomy 4:36
      Out of heaven he made thee to *hear His voice,*
      that *He might instruct thee:*

      Psalms 32:8
      I will instruct thee and teach thee
      in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.

      It does take a step of faith to believe and trust
      that Jesus “can speak to you” and **teach you** “ALL” truth.

      Jer 50:6
      “My people” hath been “lost sheep:”
      **THEIR shepherds**
      have caused them to *go astray,*

      1 Pet 2:25
      For ye were as *sheep going astray;*
      BUT are now returned to
      the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

      {{{{{{ Jesus }}}}}}

  6. From the carefully prepared and awkwardly delivered statement from Elder Bob Rohm (with no mention of Anthony Moore), this decision has come after “countless hours over the past 2 – 3 months working through this”… this timeline would indicate that as soon as Julie started inquiring in Cedarville about Anthony Moore, that Craig Miller began working on an exit strategy since Julie’s story was first posted on April 24 – just over 7 weeks ago – not 2-3 months ago.

    It is also ridiculous that the church would be “generous” and provide a 1 year full salary and benefits with the option (if not employed) of a 3 month extension to that. Where in the real world of work can one resign from their job and receive a 1 year full salary and benefits? Is he resigning of his own free will or offered the opportunity to resign or be fired? This may explain the severance.

    On another note, Bob Rohm was a former Vice-President of Christian Ministries at Cedarville University and served with integrity and distinction. He was ousted when Dr. White came and replaced, with some restructuring, by Jon Wood, another SBC crony who worked with Dr. White when he was at Southwestern. I am thinking Mr. Rohm was assigned the task of delivering the news because out of all of the Elders, he is the one with the longest history at GBC and most credibility. Mr. Rohm, I’m sorry a man of integrity like you was swept up into this mess!

    Thank you, Julie, for your diligence in reporting.

    1. Will Grace Baptist Church members actually vote to support Miller’s sweet severance package? Wouldn’t members be livid about Moore being placed among them to prey (no pun intended). And will the vote for Miller’s package even be legit? Wouldn’t the elders be counting the votes? Jason Lee??? Has Lee spearheaded this “package” for Miller to protect his boy in the club? Is Miller facing lawsuits and trying to skate away? How can Lee even step foot into Grace Baptist again? The audacity!

  7. I am a Cedarville grad, and my experience there was a good one. That was over 40 years ago. Craig Miller was a classmate, and he was at the top of the heap academically and in every other way. I would never have considered him to be one whose eyes could have the wool pulled over them. I have been saddened beyond belief at everything that has come to light recently. Admittedly, I haven’t been involved (or even in the area) for decades. Still, I cannot understand how someone like Craig could not have known about Anthony Moore’s activities. If he truly didn’t know, what was the “restoration” and accountability process he was supposedly spearheading all about? Why would it have been necessary? TVC says that they made it very clear that Moore was unfit for ministry of any kind, and they also claim that they explained in full what the reasons were. While I am not going to claim that a person can never be “restored,” I also know that fitness does not occur overnight. And from everything I’ve read about the so-called process, he was not to be in any kind of direct ministry (or even in direct contact with anyone placed in his care) for quite a long time. But it seems that he was very quickly given a platform again in direct conflict with the stated plan. Not only by Thomas White, but also by Craig Miller – whose own brother was on staff at TVC during the time of Moore’s activities. Are we to believe that Craig Miller would take on a responsibility like this with a former colleague of his own brother and yet be completely uninformed? None of this makes sense to me at all. There is no way that all of these principle players can be telling the truth. It just isn’t possible.

    I watched the end of the Grace Baptist service online Sunday and was absolutely stunned by the proposal of the elders to give Craig Miller a full year’s salary and benefits with a possible extension of 3 more months. I have the same questions posed by others here. These talks were going on for 2-3 months prior to the announcement? Before any of the Anthony Moore debacle became common knowledge? Who initiated this? The narrative implies that Craig Miller initiated this for the sake of the unity of the church. But why then is there a severance package? I’ve never heard of a severance package being given to someone who voluntarily left their position. And I’ve certainly never heard of one that gives an entire year (and possibly more) of full compensation including benefits, regardless of the circumstances. There has to be more to this story.

    I have nothing personally against Craig Miller. I’m simply trying to understand how he could possibly have been unaware of Moore’s transgressions and how all of this fits with a 2-3 month lead-in to a resignation which gives him possibly 15 months of full pay and benefits. And if Craig moves on to another ministry position, will it be with complete disclosure as to the reasons for his departure from Grace Baptist? Or will it be another case of the new employer “not being aware”? In this day and age of the free flow of information, how can all of these occurrences even be possible? Stunned and grieved.

    1. Money always seems to be an effective option to “keep people quiet”. Maybe this whole rotten story will be unveiled when one in the good ole boys club has a change of heart and is brave enough to no longer keep hush. However, they all must have a lot to hide and there are risks whichever way you look at it for these buds. How long can these shenanigans last? Just a matter of time…

      1. “they all must have a lot to hide”

        Duped Parent, I believe you have hit the nail on the head.

    1. JH, please don’t rile us parents of CU students with an insinuation of barging in where we have no business. We have a vested interest in what goes on at CU, even if not directly involved in “this situation.”

      1. I am glad you are interested in your childrens’ situation at CU. You should be. I am urging people to not take the speculations in the comments as accurate. There are many inaccuracies in the comments. People are playing private investigators and coming up with conclusions that seem so obvious to them. They are wrong. If people think that the care of their college student is in jeapordy because of things that are happening at Grace Baptist, then the biblical action to take would be to call the church and ask to speak to an elder. Not bite and devour your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

        1. JH

          You write…
          “There are many inaccuracies in the comments.”

          I would be interested in knowing what these inaccuracies are.

          Can you name, point out, at least three inaccuracies?

          Thanks

          1. Yes, I can point out three inaccuracies in these comments but I don’t think this is the appropriate venue. If you need to know for someone’s care or safety, call the church.

        2. JH

          Why should I call Grace Baptist?
          I do NOT know the “inaccuracies,” you do.

          And, why should I trust Grace Baptists elders/leaders?
          To do the right thing?

          Maybe you haven’t noticed but church elders/leaders…
          Ain’t been doing so good lately…
          Ain’t been very honest…

          Maybe you should call Grace Baptist?
          And let them know there are inaccuracies in the comments?
          And have them point out the inaccuracies in the comments?
          ——-

          You said these so-called inaccuracies are in the comments.

          I’m-a-thinkin, the appropriate venue…
          To point out the inaccuracies…
          Is the comments.

  8. Knowing the person Mr Moore violated personally makes this all so very heartbreaking to me. When something of this nature happens to one of these men’s family members (God-forbid but statistically it could) they will shamefully regret their behavior in this situation. My only comfort in all of this is knowing that the person Mr Moore violated doesn’t see himself as a victim but a son of the Most High and from His Heavenly Father he is seeking healing and restoring his life; something Mr Moore should have been made to do in an appropriate therapy setting. We as a church should all do better in protecting God’s people He has entrusted to us.

  9. Sadly, this whole story, even heard second-hand, smacks of poor judgement, cronyism, and conflicts of interest. While I graduated from Cedarville over forty years ago, it’s symptomatic of observations that led to my own decision to allow my kids to round out their educations at secular schools. At least there, one expects to have to navigate this stuff, without the disillusionment caused by so many Christian leaders today. Surely we are living in the End Times.

  10. I don’t know the whole story and I don’t know what should have been done, but some of the replies make me wonder if Christ was wrong to restore Peter to a position of leadership after lying and denying him repeatedly (starting already with a doorkeeper when his life wasn’t at all in danger). In reply to the expert, even if internal change took place, external controls would be necessary since as fallible humans we can’t read hearts and to protect others in case change hadn’t been made. So, admittedly, there is the question of wisdom/judgment here with regard to hiring, but the suggestion that once an abuser always an abuser and therefore forever banished from kingdom work seems to deny the power of God and the reality of Christianity.

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