The John Smyth “Bible basher” case has further ensnared the former activist’s pastor son.
The elders of Covenant Life Church in Maryland‚ US‚ where PJ Smyth recently took the reins after 10 years at the network of GodFirst churches in Johannesburg‚ have issued a statement correcting an open letter by Smyth.
In the letter‚ the pastor said he knew a delegation of parents and pastors had insisted on “adjustments” at church holiday camps in Zimbabwe where teenage boys were allegedly beaten and made to parade naked by Smyth.
But he said he “was not involved with those interactions”. The elders said they had since established that Smyth attended a meeting with pastors in June 1993.
“However‚ we also believe PJ was seeking to communicate honestly and in a timely way what he remembered. We believe he acted in good faith but his recollection of these earlier events was flawed‚” their statement said.
A month ago‚ a storm erupted around John Smyth after a TV documentary in the UK claimed he administered savage beatings to teenage boys attending Iwerne Trust Christian holiday camps at Winchester College‚ Hampshire‚ in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The documentary said Smith was encouraged to leave the UK after a report into his “technically criminal” activities was hushed up. He moved to Zimbabwe‚ where he was later charged with culpable homicide after a 16-year-old boy’s body was found in a swimming pool at a holiday camp.
The charge was dropped and in 2001 Smyth moved to South Africa‚ where he launched the Justice Alliance to campaign for “the highest moral standards in South African society”. He was asked to step down in the immediate aftermath of the documentary‚ and told to stay away from his church in Wynberg.
Church-on-Main pastor Andrew Thomson said elders began investigating Smyth last September after learning he was showering naked with young men in the congregation and discussing sex with them.
Thomson told TimesLIVE this week that he was frustrated that Smyth‚ 75‚ who lives in Bergvliet with his wife Anne‚ was not “acting with dignity” by refusing to return to the UK to face the consequences of his actions.
He said his last contact with Smyth was via WhatsApp a week ago‚ when “I again urged him to go back”.
The Covenant Life Church elders’ statement said they were convinced PJ Smyth had not been deceitful when he denied knowledge of the 1993 meeting in Zimbabwe.
“In addition‚ family‚ friends and ministry colleagues who have known PJ for many years affirm his consistent pattern of integrity and honesty.”
Hampshire Police said they were still “investigating allegations of non-recent physical abuse involving a senior figure at the Iwerne Trust. We have contacted those victims whose information has been provided to us”.
Ex-Joburg pastor dragged further into 'Bible basher' scandal
The John Smyth “Bible basher” case has further ensnared the former activist’s pastor son.
The elders of Covenant Life Church in Maryland‚ US‚ where PJ Smyth recently took the reins after 10 years at the network of GodFirst churches in Johannesburg‚ have issued a statement correcting an open letter by Smyth.
In the letter‚ the pastor said he knew a delegation of parents and pastors had insisted on “adjustments” at church holiday camps in Zimbabwe where teenage boys were allegedly beaten and made to parade naked by Smyth.
But he said he “was not involved with those interactions”. The elders said they had since established that Smyth attended a meeting with pastors in June 1993.
“However‚ we also believe PJ was seeking to communicate honestly and in a timely way what he remembered. We believe he acted in good faith but his recollection of these earlier events was flawed‚” their statement said.
A month ago‚ a storm erupted around John Smyth after a TV documentary in the UK claimed he administered savage beatings to teenage boys attending Iwerne Trust Christian holiday camps at Winchester College‚ Hampshire‚ in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The documentary said Smith was encouraged to leave the UK after a report into his “technically criminal” activities was hushed up. He moved to Zimbabwe‚ where he was later charged with culpable homicide after a 16-year-old boy’s body was found in a swimming pool at a holiday camp.
The charge was dropped and in 2001 Smyth moved to South Africa‚ where he launched the Justice Alliance to campaign for “the highest moral standards in South African society”. He was asked to step down in the immediate aftermath of the documentary‚ and told to stay away from his church in Wynberg.
Church-on-Main pastor Andrew Thomson said elders began investigating Smyth last September after learning he was showering naked with young men in the congregation and discussing sex with them.
Thomson told TimesLIVE this week that he was frustrated that Smyth‚ 75‚ who lives in Bergvliet with his wife Anne‚ was not “acting with dignity” by refusing to return to the UK to face the consequences of his actions.
He said his last contact with Smyth was via WhatsApp a week ago‚ when “I again urged him to go back”.
The Covenant Life Church elders’ statement said they were convinced PJ Smyth had not been deceitful when he denied knowledge of the 1993 meeting in Zimbabwe.
“In addition‚ family‚ friends and ministry colleagues who have known PJ for many years affirm his consistent pattern of integrity and honesty.”
Hampshire Police said they were still “investigating allegations of non-recent physical abuse involving a senior figure at the Iwerne Trust. We have contacted those victims whose information has been provided to us”.
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