Deep Thoughts: Pastor Bill Wininger - I smell a rat

Friday, November 01, 2013

Pastor Bill Wininger - I smell a rat

Baptist pastor Bill Wininger stepped down from his post at King’s Way Baptist Church amidst allegations that he molested a girl at another church 20 years ago. The abuse started at age three.

“We want to prayerfully inform everyone that we have been informed that our pastor has resigned and will be submitting his formal resignation immediately,” Dr. Ray Conway, King’s Way Christian School administrator, wrote in the Oct. 18 letter. “Pastor Wininger will no longer be involved in the ministry of The King’s Way Baptist Church and King’s Way Christian School. As many of you already know, our pastor has inflicted life-threatening harm upon himself and we would prayerfully ask that you pray for his well-being.”

Source: Pastor out at King's Way as 1990s allegations of abuse in Michigan resurface by Mitch Sneed

Wininger wrote a book titled A Church Falsely Accused. He published about the time as his alleged abuse. It told the story of unproven allegations of sexual abuse at his Michigan church. I bought a used copy for my library.

The victim in this case went public and is my hero. She is Bethany Foeller Leonard. She started the Facebook group Justice for the Victims of Bill Wininger. Please join her group if you are able. We need more voices, and more heroes, demand justice. You can read her story here in a letter she wrote describing the abuse.

There was no questioning him; he was never wrong. You did not tell him “no”…kids, adults, nobody. He had an anger that could send chills down your spine, whether it was the screaming from the pulpit or the intimidating words he could offer face-to-face. So when he told me that I was bad, I knew he was right. After all, in the IFB realm, the adults were always right. They held all the power and the kids held none. Parents were taught to always side with the authority, to never let their kids see adults be undermined.

I read the whole thing. It’s chilling.

The Facebook group reads like there are more victims that have yet to come forward. I’ll do my best to keep current on the story here.

Comments (16)

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Anonymous · 597 weeks ago

Anonymous said...
You obviously have not read the book or actually know this man and all the facts. a woman trying to con the church was behind the incident written about in that book. mrs. leanord is the daughter of the original man accused. do all your homework. we don't know what he's done for sure yet. he has been a good pastor and deserves a fair investigation. that is all it is right now.

3 replies · active 596 weeks ago

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Mojoey 107p · 597 weeks ago

Hi - I "obviously" have not read the book. I say as much in the article. I ordered the book and I intend to read it. I think it is ironic that the daughter of the man originally accused is the one making accusations now. As for your pastor being a good man I'd say that time will tell. I hope the the investigation is able to establish what actually happened.

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Sick of Hyles · 597 weeks ago

Dude, i have been doing my homework on Hyles and Wininger for years. It is high time you and the others there starting putting Christ above these fundamentalist charlatans. Jack Hyles was the bain of the fundamentalist movement. I believe he, alone, was used by the devil to destroy the movement by sending little clones out into the world. "Hhhmmmppphhh! There's two things I can't stand, and both of them are..., I don't know what is is but I know what itsnot!" He was not even funny the first time I heard him in chapel at TTS. Like his mentor, William Max Winninger is thoroughly evil.
As far as Bill being a good pastor, he is the very worse kind. Using the sacred pulpit to build his image while he secretly preyed upon innocents. He has had affairs with numerous women there, some of whom are still there...even on staff!

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NSCS · 596 weeks ago

You are an idiot. I attended that school and she would not do this lightly. She is the last person to make a false accusation, since she had to live through it.

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Jeri Massi · 597 weeks ago

He has not been a good pastor, but yes he does deserve a fair and full church investigation, but to avoid that, he staged a fake suicide attempt, and then the church let him walk away with total immunity. It's not a good church! I think that honest people would love it if the church would do the right thing, let Wininger speak, let witnesses speak, and document everything before making a decision. It's Wininger and King's Way Baptist Church that won't do that.

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Debbie Green · 597 weeks ago

Jeri Massi, I need to get your book:

"Schizophrenic Christianity: How Christian Fundamentalism Attracts and Protects Sociopaths, Abusive Pastors, and Child Molesters."

"Using case study after case study of Independent Fundamental Baptist pastors accused, indicted, or convicted of child molesting, the author shows that these men continue to serve in the ministry unhindered. With surprising quotes from public leaders of Christian Fundamentalism such as the late Jerry Falwell, the author shows that many ultra-conservative Baptist churches grant their pastors total immunity and blame and isolate their victims instead.

American Christian Fundamentalism shows how it has departed radically from historic Christian belief into a gender-based, externalized pietism that evaluates spiritual success in terms of numbers and political power. She paints a frightening picture of a religion gone horribly wrong, in which child molesters can easily pick up the lingo, amass a following, and hold themselves above accountability by merging into a system that refuses to police itself or institute rules of behavior for its clergy."

3 replies · active 597 weeks ago

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Jeri Massi · 597 weeks ago

Thank you, Debbie. I hope you read it and review it.

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Mojoey 107p · 597 weeks ago

Thanks for the tip. I just picked up a copy from Amazon.

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Jeri Massi · 597 weeks ago

Mojeoy, I'm not sure if you mean my book or Wininger's book. But if you read SCHIZOPHRENIC CHRISTIANITY, I would welcome a review.

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Sick of Hyles · 597 weeks ago

Ms. Massi. I am a founder of KWBC. I left the church in 1979 when they called the first of the Jack Hyles influenced pastors. I tried going back several years ago, but soon discovered what Wininger was. It is unfathomable that the church leaders did not know they were harboring a criminal, but their brainwashing by Hyles and others allowed them to submit and obey in the face of evil.

It is very doubtful that the current interim pastor or any of the leaders will publicly chastise Wininger so that healing can begin. Instead, most will accuse his victims of lying to "hurt God's man". These people are as blind as the followers of Jim Jones who led them to their deaths in Guyana in the 1970's. I know them all. They are like robots.

Sick of all things Hyles

1 reply · active 597 weeks ago

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Jeri Massi · 597 weeks ago

So far, King's Way Baptist Church has followed the typical IFB protocol of letting the pastor get away with immunity. There is a discussion going on in the TOPIX forum (http://www.topix.com/forum/city/villa-rica-ga/T8C81422IHTU3TSTR), and more truth is getting out there, as well as the Facebook group, JUSTICE FOR THE VICTIMS OF BILL WININGER

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Anonymous · 595 weeks ago

Bill Wininger is definitely guilty. He has never denied any allegations made against him. Since 2010, after his first suicide attempt, his inner demons has been unleashed and all that he has tried to hide for years has surfaced. New evidence of inappropriate behavior has been acknowledged by women at King's Way Baptist Church. His own family has made the statement that they are tired of this and didn't want to go through this again. THERE IS TRUTH to allegations that have recently been made. 20 women can not have the same story almost word for word without there being truth to what has gone on. The only problem is that the women in Douglasville do not want to be considered or looked upon as harlots. They have been mentally abused and tortured on a daily basis by Bill Wininger. They have been told not to tell, because it would hurt the ministry. These women are afraid for their safety and mental sanity and those that are employed with the church are in the position of possibly losing their job with the school because the church is more concerned with protecting it's image and it's money than it is in taking care of it's members and the victims of the church. If not, why has the church hired a law firm to frighten the victims into silence instead of trying to help these women and get them counseling . It seems the church is more concerned with protecting it's image, in other words, it's money. The church should remember God's word in Luke 8:17 "For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad." This church is a business. If the victims and their families leave the church, will King's Way feel they can bring Bill Wininger back? After all, he did bring in the money. Those of you who are in places of authority with the church, please remember, trying to cover this up is aiding and abetting and makes you just as guilty as him.

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tim · 595 weeks ago

What have the "20 women" claimed?

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Rusty Shackleford · 595 weeks ago

wow... I've been to Kings Way plenty of times and have family involved with the church. I also have family who have been through the christian school there. I'll preface by saying that I knew Pastor Bill Wininger on an acquaintance level, I'm not tied to any denomination of faith, I enjoy the lessons the bible teaches and do believe that Christ is our savior. With that being said, I have done my fair share of wondering away from a righteous path... As a former critique of fundamental baptist I approached Kings Way with an armor of skepticism. Basically, I felt they were all brainwashed.(even my family) All the women wear dresses, students wear uniforms, no christian bands(just the piano). AS i continued to attend the church,(to make my family happy) I would subconsciously look for things that made them out to be more like the "People Temple" and the pastor to be more like Jim Jones. What I found out though, was that the congregation is diverse group of citizens from all over Douglas and Neighboring counties; Local business owners, teachers, mechanics, and employees and managers of corporations. After talking with a large number of members of the church I couldn't help but come to the conclusion that they were NORMAL people.. This came as a bit of shock, considering that I was expecting something different with "fundamental" Baptist. I honestly believe that people attend Kings Way because they are(as the name implies) fundamentalist... That's it. They tend to have a more simple ideology. They believe the world is an evil place and honestly I agree with them to some extent. yes, they do tend to shelter their children and the wives of the men tend to play a more submissive role, but this type of behavior is seen in a majority of the leading world religions. I know many married couples that attend Kings Way where the man would be quick to point out that his wife runs the roost. Anyway, I believe that people attend church for many different reasons but mainly because it satisfies an underlying sense for humans to understand purpose. Granted, history has proven that it's easy to manipulate large masses of people who are lost, broken, unforgiven, lonely, and that are all seeking purpose. A man could easily manipulate the scripture in the Holy Bible and have everyone signing over their pay checks and drinking cyanide kool-aid while he goes home and enters a lair, pets an evil black cat, and laughs raucously reminiscing on how his evil plan has came together... This is the portrait of Bill Wininger I feel is deplorably being painted... It surprises, although it really shouldn't, that people are so quick to join a Social Networking group that publicly seeks the depredation by accusing them of molesting a 3 year old when the only proof is the eye witness account of a THREE year old 20 years later... (This accusation is by far the most notable one and also the most ridiculous) I would preface that statement with, "In my opinion", but (even though I'm not a superior court judge) I'd be willing to bet there's not a Courthouse in the world that even attempt to bring credit to the memory of a three year old 20 years later... I lost my lawnmower keys a few weeks and still haven't found them... Maybe this girl was molested when she was young. Maybe it was by Bill Wininger.

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Rusty Shackleford · 595 weeks ago

I'm not going to say that I know the man well enough to vouch for his character and say I KNOW he didn't do it, but I'm also not going to be associated with a group who's convinced he did. It just doesn't add up.. I do believe the women who've came out and said that Bill Wininger was acting inappropriate towards them and that these women most likely didn't say anything about it B.C. they were scared they would lose in a moral battle of character against the preacher and wouldn't be believed and most likely lose their job.. That being said, This type of sexual harassment is a huge problem in the world and the exact same situation could just as easily been at a large corporation where Bill Wininger plays the role of CEO. Now, I believe it's logical to assume that if he committed the sexual harassment it becomes more unlikely from a psychological standpoint that he would have also molested a three year old... I agree that the suicide attempt does place a shadow of guilt over him, but we are talking about CHILD MOLESTATION... that's a SERIOUS, if not the most serious, thing a man can be accused of and I think ALL the facts must be considered and be proven withen a shadow of a doubt. Was the suicide attempt just a coincidental bout of depression that's not linked to his current allegations??? unlikely... but it's far from an admission of guilt. I think if he was not guilty he should have immediately got in front of the church and publicly denied the allegations and agreed to a polygraph test. He didn't do this, and his actions since all this stuff has come out makes him look guilty, But just because OJ didn't pull over his bronco immediately didn't necessarily mean he murdered two people, but that's the conclusion that most of the world came to about O.J. before they saw a single shred of evidence. The media painted their portrait and it made for great ratings. I just hope that whatever comes of this the final painting doesn't slander the members of The Kings Way baptist church as a cult with a Jim Jones type leader...

" I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

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j.ashley · 513 weeks ago

I just found this blog/post/forum and can say without any shadow of doubt this man is guilty. How do I know? Because I am one of many women he TRIED to victimize. I am also one of the few who stepped up and told the truth to leaders. The result....I was asked to leave and remain silent, (sorry, cannot do that) made out to be a troublemaker, bitter divorcee, rebellious Christian, shunned and one of them called my place of business, wanting me dismissed for being vocal about the truths going on there. I don't need to read his book, or know anymore about him. I know far too much already and so do many others. I found out later, why all the silence. The worst part, is that those who DID know of the former allegations, CHOSE to allow this man to have unlimited access to anything or anyone in that school and church without any accountability to anyone. No one ever dared question his methods or his actions. Not even his own family. This man is guilty, but there is some responsibility held by those who stood by and did nothing until they blamed and fired teachers rather than try to help them as victims. They chose to see them as liabilities and get rid of them. As the Bible says, ..."be sure your sins will find you out."

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