Because a person has committed a crime -- for the rest of their lives they will never be able to live down their crime," he said. But, he said, even those guilty of their sins are deserving of forgiveness.
What if these words fell from the sugared lips of a man who had been charged with beating his wife, raping her, violating her with a foreign object, and then prevented her from seeking aid for her injuries? Would his words ring true or would he sound like a hypocrite?
And whose forgiveness are we talking about? God? His wife? His congregation? Or is he just trying to protect his job?
In an unexpected move, Matheney plead guilty to one count of misdemeanor battery.
He entered an Alford plea, under which a defendant admits no wrongdoing, but concedes they would be convicted by a jury if the case went to trial.
An Alford plea? No wrongdoing? Right - it was all about keeping his job or maintaining his status in the community.
Matheny maintained his innocence until the end - that is until he was found guilty. In one interview he raised the specter of politics driving his prosecution, but then admitted to punching his wife. How does one go from "They are just trying to bring me down" to I punched my wife... but she hit me first.
He acknowledges that they fought and that he twice punched her...
Why does anyone go to this man's church? I wonder what the sermon was today?
