Pennsylvania Baptist Church Implicated in Australian Sexual Assault Case Documented on "60 Minutes"
By Nora Shelly
A Valley Forge church has been implicated in a case of sexual assault in Australia documented on the country's version of "60 Minutes." The episode, which aired earlier this week, featured Joy Harris, whose former husband Larry Harris is serving a five-year prison sentence in Queensland, Australia for two counts of rape against her, according to the show. Joy Harris moved with her then-husband, Pastor Larry Harris, from the United States to Australia in 1994, to serve as missionaries for the Valley Forge Baptist Church, located in southeastern Pennsylvania. According to the show, the church was referred to as a "cult" by former members and is a part of the breakaway Independent Baptist Movement. On the "60 Minutes" episode, Harris details the abuse she suffered at the hands of her husband. According to Harris, the church uses the Bible to justify teaching women to submit to their husbands. The church's senior pastor, Scott Wendell, said on the show the accusations against Kevin Harris were not surprising. Once he was informed of the accusations -- Wendell said he brought the couple back to Pennsylvania for marriage counseling. After years of counseling, Joy and Larry Harris moved back to Australia -- where Joy said Larry began raping her again. The Harris' two sons were also interview for the episode. Kevin Harris, who is a pastor at an Independent Baptist Church, said there was "disobedience on both parts" when it came to the case against his father. Kevin Harris eventually walked out of the interview. Joy Harris' other son, Jason, is now supporting his mother's push to have his father arrested in New South Wales -- where Joy Harris says several other rapes occurred -- after he completes his five-year sentence. Jason Harris left the Independent Baptist Movement over the matter. 'You can't tell a woman that was raped it was her fault. It's evil, it's evil,' Jason Harris said. Contact: nshelly@pennlive.com
|
.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.