Don Boys, Ph.D.
A November 11 report on First Coast News in Jacksonville revealed that an audio recording has been discovered that supports the molested victims of Dr. Bob Gray who died recently of a heart attack!
The husband of one of the victims made the recording a couple of weeks before Gray was arrested in May of 2006. Both the husband and his wife attended Trinity Christian Academy and they are not part of the civil suit or demanding money from the church. The husband said, “I want people to understand we’re not out to take a ministry down.” Present at the meeting were some of his family members, Trinity pastor Tom Messer, and two Trinity leaders, including a deacon. All knew that the meeting was recorded.
Ann Steward, now a North Carolina pastor’s wife, and former member of Trinity was featured on the newscast and repeated what she told me and my wife: She was molested by Gray many times while a young child, and at age 21, went to Tom Messer, hoping to expose the truth. She told him about the incidents, but her words were twisted to “lie to the congregation.” Ann told me that on the Sunday night following her meeting with Messer, the church was told that Gray had committed an “indiscretion that was neither sexual nor immoral,” suggesting to gullible members that nothing serious happened. And that is the mantra that has been shouted (or whispered) at Trinity since 1992. Ann told Jeannie Blaylock (who has been incredibly fair) of First Coast News, “It was just a cover-up.” However, it was supposed to be church discipline, but it was a farce and fraud.
Dennis and Pat Cassell, former longtime Trinity members and employees at Trinity Academy, were also featured on the newscast. The Cassells told me that they resigned from Trinity and walked out when it was obvious that Pastor Messer was manipulating the events to cover up Gray’s sin and to mitigate the church’s legal exposure. Pat Cassell, told First Coast News, “The victims are vindicated. The kids are vindicated. Tom (Messer) knew and covered it up for years.”
Dennis Cassell says, “The truth is finally out and that’s what we’ve been praying for for many years.” He was Trinity’s coach for many years.
Trinity’s legal team subpoenaed the recording and has refused to make a statement because of the impending litigation. Trinity is still listening to their lawyers instead of their Lord. Confession is good for the soul and it is good and necessary for the church. The Bible teaches in I Peter 4:17 that judgment must begin at the house of God but judgment in the Gray matter has been as biblical as concubines.
Adam Horowitz, the victims’ attorney who filed the six suits, says the tape is the “smoking gun.” Horowitz says, “It establishes that Tom Messer and other leaders were in conspiracy with Bob Gray to conceal the truth from the parishioners and cover up wrong doing.”
Pastor Messer is heard on the tape saying of the 1992 “discipline” of Gray’s “indiscretion that was neither sexual nor immoral”—“No, I’ve never doubted that what he [Gray] said that first night was inaccurate. I’ve never doubted that. Um, and I wouldn’t sit here and say that today.” Later Messer is heard to say to the victim’s husband, “You want the erroneous statement that was made by Dr. Gray to be corrected.” Note that Tom admits that Gray’s “confession” was “erroneous.”
The victim’s husband wanted Messer to admit to the church that Gray was a child molester since many church members don’t believe that he did anything wrong. Messer said, “I have a draft statement,” although he did not guarantee that such a statement would be made. It was to be made on May 21 but Gray was arrested three days earlier.
The victims want Messer to resign since he is perceived as the puller of the strings or master manipulator in the cover-up. His resignation will satisfy some of the victims; however, it will do nothing to settle the civil action. That will take money, probably more than a million dollars per victim! Tom has indicated that he is determined to go down with the ship but there will be hundreds of innocent people going down with him.
Lessons to be learned: sin must be dealt with biblically showing concern and compassion, but no compromise or cover-up. Guilty preachers should be held to a high standard and not given special treatment “because they are preachers.” Laymen must understand that they are not robots but thinking men who must give an account for their decisions. They must demand accountability of a pastor. If he is innocent, they must stand by him if it costs them everything and if he is guilty, they must be willing to require a full accounting if it costs them everything. The church membership must realize that principle is more important than reputations, attendance, or money. Trinity is losing all three.
Trinity has been dragging this decaying corpse around since 1992, and it is time to repudiate Gray, repent of a botched, weak, deceitful cover-up, and reconcile with the victims. Then maybe the church can begin to rehabilitate its image and become a church that honors Christ and will hold every member accountable for unconfessed public sins without conducting a witch-hunt.
PREACHER HELPS by Evangelist Don Boys, Ph.D.
Copyright 2007, Don Boys, Ph.D. #93
Evangelist Don Boys, Ph.D.
P.O. Box 944
Ringgold, GA 30736
706 965 5930
Websites: http://www.cstnews.com; www.muslimfact.com.
The Thompsonian Times 
You put it very well. People in Christian leadership need to remember that they are an example of what a Christian should be. My son started first grade at Trinity and we had to remove him because of Bob Gray’s extreme punishment. I do not have words for that man. It’s surely is in the Lords hands now, and he is not only a loving God but a (just )God. By the way my Son grew up to man Bob Gray would not qualify to clean his shoes.
I am sad, how could this happen to a Christian environment?
It is because many of these “Christian leaders” are frauds and not REAL Christians. They are power hungry money-lovers.
Q. Where did Dr. Boys get his Ph.D from?