TRIGGER WARNING: This article references instances of sexual assault involving minors, and reveals disturbing accounts of victim-blaming and gaslighting.

In 2013, Jack Schaap, 62, pleaded guilty to taking a 16-year-old girl he was counseling at First Baptist across state lines for sex. He used his position as a spiritual leader to force her into a sexual relationship. He texted her over 600 times, telling her that this was "exactly what Christ desires for us." The ongoing rapes continued, even in his office during a youth conference. (Source: https://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/The-312/March-2013/The-top-five-revolting-x-from-the-latest-prosecutor-filing-in-the-Jack-Schaap-case/)

Jack's guilty plea apparently wasn't enough to lose the favor of his devoted followers.

140 letters – written by family, staff, and parishioners – were submitted as exhibits to be reviewed by the judge as he carried out sentencing. They pleaded for lenient sentencing.

I have recently acquired these documents, which may be downloaded in their entirety here.

The statements made in these 140 separate letters paint a chilling picture of the cult mentality that was so clear within the First Baptist Church of Hammond.

This article features some of the strangest statements from the first 82 exhibits that were entered.

For sake of brevity, I have selected only a sentence or two from each letter – some of which were 4-5 pages long originally.

Keep in mind that there were 140 letters attached to the document, so there were an additional 58 letters from parishioners that aren't included in this list.

As you read, look for patterns in statements, groupthink, and much in the way of victim shaming and defense of the abuser.

Church/College Faculty & Staff

• I ask for leniency in determining Jack's sentence. He has spared all affected parties much grief and shame by offering this plea. I ask that you also take into account his many years of faithful service to his church and this community. Jack and his family have lost much as a result of his actions. – Stuart Mason (President)
  
  
• I still have the same high opinion of Mr. Schaap which I have always had for more than three decades. – Wendell Evans (President Emeritus)
  
  
• Without trying to minimize the seriousness of his recent crimes I would like to ask the court to consider the fact that he had been a contributing member of society for many years. Hopefully he will be able to return to that role after having served the appropriate amount of time in incarceration. – Ray Young (Vince Chancellor)
  
  
• There are a lot of people that do not like our church and our religion that want him to pay for the bitterness that they feel about events or policies that are un-related to this case. While Schaap has committed a heinous crime, he has not always been this way. I do not believe that he deserves to serve a sentence beyond the minimum 10 years in jail. – Thomas J. Vogel (Superintendent of Education, Hammond Baptist Schools)
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• I attribute my approach to marriage and child rearing and ministry and civic duty to his continued influence of nearly 30 years. – Dr. Bob Marshall (Director of Hammond Initiative)
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• Many people slip and make mistakes in their lives. I'm sorry it had to be Bro. Schaap. – Jerry Smith (Faculty, HAC)
• Brother Schaap's character is impeccable. – Doris M. Smith (Teacher)
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• I do not think that an extended jail sentence is necessary to further punish him, nor to make him realize he was wrong. He already knows that. He has been humiliated and penalized tremendously already in the court of public opinion. With the internet, he and his offense will be known wherever he goes for the rest of his life. Please allow him to continue his life with his wife and family. – James Jorgensen (Retired Administrator, HAC)
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• ... this was not an affair that had gone on in secret for many years. In fact, they really got close to each other (unbeknownst to me at the time) within a timeframe of about two to three weeks. It is bizarre to me that 37 years of an incredible career and wonderful reputation could be traded within two to three weeks. Jack Mitchell (Executive Assistant, FBC Hammond)
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• I personally believe the pressure under which he lived would break anyone in one way or another.– Jean Sheaffer (Church Secretary)
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• I feel that Jack Schaap has fallen prey to an act that many have fallen to. That many have seen no way out of. That many will fall to again, and that many have no one to turn to to know how to deal with it. That act is the act of loving too deeply. I know that Jack Schaap is not a predator of little girls as some might try to portray him. He is not a monster that needs to be locked up in a cage and the key thrown away. He is a man that loved a girl deeply in a desperate time for them both. – Steven McGraw (Chief of Security, FBC Hammond)
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• Someone of long ago once said, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone." I believe Mr. Schaap is hurting a thousand times over for the mistake he has made. – Bruce D. Campbell (Staff Member)
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• In my opinion, Jack Schaap has always held a high personal standard of moral excellence, honesty, integrity, and a strong work ethic. – Lorinda Campbell (Sunday School Teacher)
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• The sin he committed does not define or describe the man I have known for the past twenty years. – Mrs. Linda Boyd
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• Jack Schaap was always very open about his life. We all have respected him so much because we could see right through him. – Holly Doring (Former Admissions, Dept.)
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• May I say, in my opinion, he has paid plenty for what he's done. - David Jorgensen (Publications Department)
  
  Editor's Note: This is an ironic one, because David Jorgensen himself would later be discovered to be a pedophile: READ: Pleasant Valley Baptist Church is also being sued in local court for a 2002 incident where then-teacher and associate pastor David Joseph Jorgensen committed lewd acts on a female student when she was 14.
  
  According to the anonymous plaintiff’s complaint, Jorgensen initiated inappropriate contact on her 14th birthday in April 2002. She claims he exploited her immaturity and abused his position of authority at the church to take advantage of her.
  
  Jorgensen pleaded no contest in May 2003 to two felony counts of committing lewd acts upon a child, according to online court records. After he completed probation, he sought to have the crimes reduced to misdemeanors and had his record expunged in September 2006.
  
  The victim is suing the church and [senior pastor] Tim Ruhl for being negligent in hiring and supervising Jorgensen. She also claims that Ruhl failed to report Jorgensen’s actions when she told him about it. The woman also alleges that Ruhl retaliated against her by expelling her six months before graduating high school and later claiming she was having a child out of wedlock.
  
  According to Baumbach, when the allegations first came to light, the woman was forced to repeat her claims in a meeting with Ruhl and Jorgensen. Jorgensen denied the claims and accused her of lying.
  
  Eventually, the woman’s mother had her take a polygraph, which she reportedly passed.
  
  According to a deposition of Ruhl, Ruhl said he confronted Jorgensen after the mother reported the results. Jorgensen admitted to the allegations and was terminated. (Source: Chico ER)

• He has always impressed us as a most law-abiding citizen who encouraged others to follow the law, also. – Mike Fish (Faculty Member)
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• I believe that his expressions of remorse are sincere. – Rena Fish (Faculty Member)
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• He has helped many more people than he has hurt and his positive influence will continue in the lives of hundreds of thousands of people all around the world who are better people because of Jack Schaap. – Anthony Collins (Administrator)
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• I have known Jack Schaap to be one of the most sincere, generous, compassionate, and productive individuals to have ever occupied my experience. And, in spite of his troublesome offense, I am of the same opinion still. – David Lutz (Faculty Member, HAC)
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• Looking at the big picture of Jack Schaap's life and all the thousands of people he has loved and helped, I do not believe that the man, Jack Schaap, deserves anything more the minimal sentencing from the courts, due to the recent conviction. – Zana Reichen (Secretary)
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• If you know Jack Schaap, you know you have a friend for life, and I greatly desire my children and future grandchildren to get to know the friend my husband and I so deeply love. – Valerie L. Morales (Assistant to Cindy Schaap)
• The estimation of a man's life, however, should never be measured by one grave error. –Dave McCroskey (Assistant to Ken Schaap)
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• He is not a threat to society and not likely to be a repeat offender. – Robert Weer (Deacon)
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• One of his favorite sayings was, "God's business is the greatest business in all the world." He truly believed it and loved it. – John Nocito (Deacon)
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• I do not believe this crime characterizes Jack Schaap. – Chip Dowdey (Teacher, Hammond Baptist Schools)
• I understand the nature of the crime, yet I request the Court to be lenient in sentencing Jack Schaap due to the impeccable character he has demonstrated through many decades. – Dianne Dowdey (Reading Center, Hammond Baptist Schools)
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• We were totally shocked by Bro. Schaap's sin and could only conclude that Bro. Schaap had had some type of mental and emotional breakdown. – Paul & Barbara Burke (Deacon)
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• His book, How to Resist Temptation, helped me going through college and I have even taught a few lessons to others from it myself because it was such a help to me. – Robert Osgood (Resident Hall Director, HAC)
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• I think that this was a horrible mistake he made in a weak moment. – Esther Osgood (Secretary)
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• We believe his character level will rebound his life to useful service for others once again. – Joseph & Jeanne Hackett (Visual Arts Specialist & Faculty)
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• He is an honest man, a good man, a generous man, a compassionate man, a godly man, and a family man. – Joe Wittig (Vol. Bus Route)
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• What Jack Schaap did with that girl recently was totally out of character for him. – Linda Wittig (Faculty Member)
• An investigation by Attorney David Gibbs conducted for our church has revealed no other inappropriate contact with a minor. – Luke Lukehoff (Sunday School Teacher)
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• The public good would not be best served by keeping this man in jail for an inappropriate length of time. – Cherlyn Lukenoff (Finance Office)
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• Jack Schaap is a very diligent and hard worker at getting things done, as is evidenced by our new auditorium and the many added ministries of outreach to our community. – Tim & Tory Sullivan (Bus Route Driver/Sunday School Teacher)
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• I, William Jastreboski, think so highly of Jack Schaap that I asked him to be the best man at my wedding and he accepted. – William Jastreboski (Vol. Bus Route)
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• In my opinion, the court would do well to be lenient as possible for the greater good that could yet be accomplished through Pastor Schaap's vision of a world made better through the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. – Johnny D. Colsten (Assistant Pastor)
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• Jack Schaap would go to the children Sunday School classes and have pictures taken with the children that read their Bible verses. He loves FBC Hammond and his heart is there. – Daniel & Hazel Morris (Sunday School Teacher)
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• I know Jack Schaap trusted Christ as his savior when he was 5 years old. He has lived his life well helping many others to change course and live respected lives. – Phil Stuart Collins (Buildings Manager)
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• Mr. Schaap has done much to make our community, and this world, a better place. – Brittany Paugh (Dir. Little Learners)
  
  Editors Note: Brittany has redacted this statement and has offered the following statement: When everything happened with Schaap in 2012 I was working for the ministry and was considered a "Department Head" because I was the Executive Director for the two Daycare Centers the church had at the time. My husband at the time was also working for their mission board, FBMI. We were told so many different variations of what was happening/had happened in the first few weeks it was nearly impossible to navigate. Add to that the interviews/investigations with the FBI, IRS, and numerous attorneys. I felt like I was living a nightmare (I actually still go to therapy for PTSD from my time there and the events that unfolded). Anyway, the "Pastoral Staff" and Deacon board put pressure on us constantly to support Jack, or if we couldn't do that to AT LEAST support Cindy. I put off writing a letter for weeks because I honestly couldn't stand Jack and was glad he was gone. But Cindy was devastated and 2 days before the hearing (where he ended up pleading guilty) I was given a paper pleading for a character reference and to request leniency in his sentencing. They said that without these letters he would get 25yrs-life. My heart was broken for Cindy and her kids and grandkids. At this point Jack was insisting he had been framed (I didn't believe that for a second), but his family truly believed, and thus led us to believe, that this had been a completely consensual affair and said that the girl was even going to testify stating the same thing. I was so conflicted. If this was truly an affair should he really be in prison for life? So against my better judgement I typed up a general letter, called Cindy and got the attorneys info, and sent it. When Jack pleaded guilty and they released the information surrounding his "affair" (abuse & manipulation) of this girl I was sick. I called the attorney's office and insisted they withdraw my letter. They told me it was too late and wouldn't confirm if they would even use my letter. I was beyond livid as well as completely devastated. I've never prayed so hard in my life that God would punish someone. Thankfully Jack still went to prison, but I've forever regretted the decision to "help". I felt so betrayed and manipulated and realized and it set into motion a very traumatic chain of events over the next 4 years that I wouldn't want to relive, but that I wouldn't change either. Because of those events my eyes were fully opened to how this type of abuse is so easily continued in the IFB movement as well as it's many false teachings.
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• I also firmly believe that his wrong doing was a lapse in judgement and not indicative of his lifelong character.– Mike Ortiz (Teacher)
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• Globally, he has helped our church increase our missions giving, and spearheaded the idea and formation of team missions, that is still active and reaching many hundreds around the world. – Darin & Jennifer Scudder (Employees)
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• As a student under his teaching I saw his concern for others. – Jarrell Price (Vol. Bus Route
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• He has a charismatic personality and was liked by the businessmen of our community and by pastos and churches around the world. – Karen Kalapp (Secretary)
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• The last conversation I had with Jack Schaap, your Honor, was by phone; he was very remorseful for the actions he had done. – Danny Brannon (Asst. Pastor)
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• ...what has happened in the incident to which Jack has confessed is a single blight on his character. – Darrell Moore (Missions Pastor)
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• After speaking at a Bible conference four or five years ago, he gave me a very nice suit. A year ago, he gave me a $100 Visa gift card at the beginning of each school year. – Philip Pins (Faculty Member)
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• I am grieved over this current situation, and can only believe that the stress of his work and/or health issues must be the cause. – Joyce Pins (Faculty Member)
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• Allow Jack Schaap to be reunited to his wife where they can begin the healing process and mend their marriage and salvage the remaining years of life together. – Ronald Moore (Deacon)
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• The Bible tells a story of a woman caught in adultery and Jesus' words to her accusers were this, "Ye without sin, cast the first stone at her." – David W. Velickoff (Employee)
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• He is a sinful human just like you and me. Given the right situation in life, we could each make a blunder that would ruin our good names. – Holly Velickoff (Switchboard Operator)
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• Brother Schaap had tremendous character and restraint. – Tim & Bonnee Reay (Deacon, Vol. Bus Worker)
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• My oldest two daughters babysit his grandchildren and were around him numerous times without anything inappropriate. – Trina Reynolds (Employee)
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• Please consider the millions he has helped. – Jary Storm (Secretary)
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• I'm not asking you to dismiss his crime. I am asking you to consider his over 30 years of good service in sentencing. Danny Clubb, Jr. (Faculty Member)
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• I still consider him a sincere, dedicated, compassionate, and sacrificial human being. – Bill Flowers (Employee)

Clergy & Missionaries

• ... it is doubtful that there is any punishment which could be inflicted by man that could equal the agonizing pain of the guilt, shame, dishonor, losses, and regrets already inflicted upon his conscience by the Spirit of God – Jim Binney (Pastor – Unnamed Church)
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• I still consider him to be a good man as I cannot write off a life of such good based on one incident. – Daniel Gross (Assistant Pastor, Montecito Baptist Church, California)
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• I do not excuse the wrong done, but also do not forget the many "rights" done. – Bruce Goddard (Pastor, Faith Baptist Church, California)
  
  Editor's Note: Bruce Goddard is no stranger to covering for sexual abuse. He has had numerous cases within his Wildomar-based church. READ: https://www.preacherboysdoc.com/faith-baptist-church-of-wildomar-a-safe-haven-for-abusers
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• Any man, at the wrong place, at the wrong time, would do the wrong thing, and he did. – Leonard Ludwick (Pastor, Old Time Baptist Church, West Virginia)
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• Granted, this one "chapter" of his life is not a pretty one, but I believe that his life as a whole is worthy of your consideration of a more lenient sentence. – Rick Finley (Pastor, Fellowship Baptist Church, North Carolina)
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• I believe that Jack was under too great of pressure to succeed. – Bryan Miller (Pastor, Somerset Bible Baptist Church, New Jersey)
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• Even the thought of being incarcerated for the final years of my life would be heart-breaking torture. My prayer is that my old friend, Jack, will not have to spend his last years in that situation. – Johnny Pope (Pastor, ChristChurch Baptist Fellowship)
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• I also believe that he still wants to please the Lord with his life, though he made some grievous errors. – Charles Osgood (Missionary, Ghana, West Africa)
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• It is my professional opinion that one contributing factor in Jack Schaap's fall from his own standard was how much selfless giving of himself and how little care for himself he practiced for more than ten years. – Jonathan Bratton (Pastor, Unnamed Church)
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• I realize that this could happen to any of us, whether we are a person in authority or not. – Dave Barna (Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church, Wisconsin)
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• I have never hurt so much for a friend as I have for Jack, because no man has done so much good in his good days as Jack has done. He is like a high performance Indy car that hit the wall. Those cars are too valuable to ever be totaled. They always rebuild them. I believe that Jack is worth rebuilding. – Zane Abberger (Pastor, Unnamed Church, Michigan)
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• Unfortunately, there are mean-spirited people with ulterior motives who would like to use this one, horrible mistake to forever tarnish everything Jack has ever done. – Geronimo Aguilar (Pastor, Richmond Outreach Center, Virginia)
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• Jack Schaap is an honest, sincere, caring, self-sacrificing, hardworking, friendly man. – Joe Vassak (Pastor, Northeast Baptist Church, Connecticut)
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• Punishment is deserved but we are asking that the court be lenient in its sentence. – Rachel White (Missionary, Ghana, West Africa)
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• Dr. Schaap conducted my ordination service and signed my certificate of ordination; that piece of paper is still precious to me. – Michael Sarver (Missionary, Ghana, West Africa)

What were your main takeaways from this list? Were there any names listed that particularly surprised you? Leave a comment below.