Pastor sold stolen Bibles on eBay; started "Sunshine Find" then raided it

[Bluebear]

...the minister told his congregation Sunday that criminal charges accusing him of stealing and selling an antique set of leather-bound Bible books from his former church are the result of a misunderstanding. All of the nearly 100 people in attendance gave the Rev. William Shrout Jr. a standing ovation. "This congregation is behind him 100 percent," said Cheryl Keifer, president of the consistory at Trinity United Church of Christ. (Note: Idiot.)


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A pastor charged with swiping antique Bibles from a Royersford church in Montgomery County and peddling them on eBay is now facing another charge: stealing money intended for needy families from a fund he established at the church.

When confronted, the Rev. William Shrout Jr. admitted taking the money from the fund at First United Church of Christ and using it for personal purposes, according to a news release Monday from Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor...

As pastor of First UCC, Shrout set up ''The Sunshine Fund'' to help needy families. Shrout had sole control of the fund to keep the recipients anonymous, the news release said. As investigators worked on the charges that Shrout and his wife, Carla, stole antique Bibles from the church, they learned Shrout had stolen from the fund, the news release said. Shrout served as pastor at First UCC from 2003 to 2005. The month he left, an old cedar box and leather-bound Bibles, some of them dating to the 1920s, disappeared.

They then appeared on sale on eBay, and were spotted by a church member. That member successfully purchased them, and the package came with Shrout's return address in Upper Mount Bethel Township, where he moved after leaving First UCC.

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-2revdec20,0,1867075.story?coll=all-newslocal-hed

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. I love to see schmucks like this fellow

fall from grace.

Makes me wish there really is a hell for them to go burn in.

[MADem]

2. What an asshole....a genuine, full bore, asshole!!!! NT

[crikkett]

5. assholes actually have a useful function.

[SalmonChantedEvening]

3. What a scumbag.

Bibles? Stealing Bibles? Man I hope Castor* puts this creep away for a long, long time.


*Castor is my D.A. a very competent and dispassionate man who does his job well.


Hiya Blue! HOHOHO and stuff!! :hi: :pals:

[Hubert Flottz]

4. Send him to Rehab(fellowship) with bro. Haggard and clense his

evil soul. I got a hell of a deal on a holy grail, on dealtime last week! $2.00 and $45656789098769.99 shipping.

[Vinca]

6. The congregation gave him a standing ovation????? WTF??

This speaks volumes about the intelligence level of the fundie loons.

[valerief]

7. Or the power of Big Pharma that must medicate them. nt

[pitohui]

8. similar case around here

i won't give names because i don't think they ended up charging the dude, but a local catholic priest who was greatly beloved turned out to be stealing right and left and had to be sent away wherever they send these priests away to "recover" from their problems, many of the parishioners insist that he is a good guy and somehow it is all a big misunderstanding -- and this old boy wasn't just taking the bibles, he had (so i'm told) taken over $100,000 in cash

so much for those vows of poverty!

but parishioners can be very loyal to a clergyman who seems to care and to be one of "them"

[Bluebear]

9. 'one of "them"

Indeed. Talk about hoodwinking the flock.

[Selatius]

10. This is what I object to most, blind faith.

"Oh no, it can't happen here. It happens in other churches and parishes but not here. Our guy is a good guy."

Bullshit. If your guy were so damn good, he'd at least tell you that each and every individual has the power to determine for himself or herself the proper path to walk in life and that the church has no authority on earth whatsoever to do it for you.