If you are joining me for the first time, then I strongly suggest that you stop before reading further and familiarize yourself with the published research up to now. You can read about the outrageous and unlawful behavior of this team here and here and here. You can learn about Jennifer Epstein’s many lies and scams designed to smear the reputation of Doug and Beall Phillips, the men and women of Boerne Christian Assembly,1 Vision Forum,2 and Vision Forum Ministries.3 You can discover the perverse philosophy of Jennifer’s intimate colleagues—the Kinists—and their plan to rid America of blacks and Jews. 4 Finally, you can familiarize yourself with what I believe may well be the biggest organized Internet conspiracy to destroy Christian leaders in the history of the blogosphere.
A Plan of Action
If you’ve followed my earlier articles, you are familiar with the excommunication of Jennifer and Mark Epstein.5 After five years of careful and loving counsel by the men and women of Boerne Christian Assembly, the couple was ultimately excommunicated for a number of unrepentant sins, including habitual lying and ongoing cruelty in connection with the fallout from issues related to Jennifer’s pre-conversion adultery (the details of which she later posted to the Internet for all the world to read).6
Now, fast forward to early 2006.
As a careful observer of the campaign to expose R.C. Sproul, Jr. and Ligonier, Jennifer noted the influence of Kinist website LittleGeneva.com and “Frank Vance.”
Seeing an opportunity to satisfy her own revenge, Jennifer resolved to throw in with these men. It was a very simple plan: Jennifer would help “Vance” and Seabrook take on Ligonier, then “Vance” and Seabrook would help Jennifer take on Doug Phillips and Vision Forum.
Rather than aim the brunt of her criticisms at the BCA body whom she had openly criticized previously, Jennifer made the strategic decision to focus her attacks against Doug and Beall Phillips, the most public and vulnerable figures of the local church. Phillips’ high profile made him an easy target. Along the way, Jennifer and Mark would try to pull together every possible malcontent who had an axe to grind against Doug Phillips.7
A Final Threat: My Way or the Information Superhighway
Before going public with her new-found colleagues at Ministry Watchman, the Epsteins attempted to blackmail Doug Phillips. Writing in late May, Mark gave Phillips a two week deadline to comply with their demands—or be ready to suffer the consequences:
Doug, allow me to make it perfectly clear that this issue of excommunication is not going to go quietly away…[Y]ou [have] opened the door for public discussion of your behavior…If I do not hear from you by then, I will assume that you desire I take this issue elsewhere…[Y]ou stand to lose far more than I do….Doug, you know it only takes the touch of a button to find yourself in a similarly embarrassing situation as R.C. Sproul, Jr. Ask your IT folks how easy it is to reduce the … correspondence between us to Adobe [Acrobat] files, and then ask yourself if you want Jennifer’s letter of May 2005 seen side-by-side with your response…8
Phillips refused to be bullied. The rest is history.
Fast Forward to January 2007: Making a Virtue of Necessity
On January 15, Mark and Jennifer Epstein declared on their blogs that they would be pulling their articles and working for peace through the mediation of a local PCA church.9
The first question: What happened? I believe that question has been answered by my previous posts to this site. In sum, Jennifer and Mark Epstein have been caught working with racial bigots in a scheme involving lies, deceptions, and fraud, and they now face serious liability for their immoral and unlawful deeds.
The second question: Isn’t this removal of material from the Internet cause for rejoicing? Doesn’t this mean that the pain and suffering is coming to an end for those the Epsteins and company have sought to destroy? Shouldn’t we all breathe a collective sigh of relief?
The answer to this question is less optimistic.
It is my contention that Jennifer Epstein, Harry Seabrook, and “Frank Vance” are not only in league with each other in one of the biggest blogosphere conspiracies ever launched in the Christian Church, but (1) they are still actively engaged in the conspiracy; (2) their current posture of retreat is highly calculated and necessary because of their exposure and liability, (3) given the opportunity, I have no reason expect that any of them would not continue their Internet assaults; and (4) not a one has demonstrated any real contrition or repentance.
Now let me pull all the pieces together. The following is the public record of how three bitter people became genuine Internet terrorists. For the rest of this article, I will explain the rise and fall of Mark and Jennifer Epstein, “Frank Vance”, Harry Seabrook, and the Ministry Watchman conspiracy.
II. The Case for the Early, Direct, and Coordinated Involvement of Harry Seabrook and the Epsteins with Ministry Watchman
Preliminary Observations: Setting the Stage
Over the last month, I have sorted through a mountain of evidence concerning the relationship between “Frank Vance,” the “Watchman”10 of MinistryWatchman.com; and Harry Seabrook, the self-described “Good-Natured Internet Assassin” of LittleGeneva.com. The evidence I have examined has lead me to the following conclusion: that “Frank Vance” and Harry Seabrook are personal friends who live fairly close to one another and have been working closely together for quite some time11—long before the launching of “Contending for the Truth” or Ministry Watchman.
The evidence I have sifted through also demonstrates that “Vance” has Kinist sympathies, but he keeps those somewhat under wraps in order to avoid the avalanche of negative publicity that would be directed at Ministry Watchman if people knew that he and Jennifer Epstein were allied with white separatist bigots.
My research has also lead me to the conclusion that in early 2006, when R.C. Sproul, Jr. was deposed as an elder from the RPCGA, “Vance” and Seabrook began aiding each other in a campaign against R.C., Jr. that they would sustain for months on end.12
United by a similar worldview and the bond of mutual distain for R.C. Sproul, Jr., Seabrook and “Vance” maintained a carefully managed public relationship—one which allowed for plausible deniability from claims that they were in league together. Privately, Seabrook and “Vance” would share information and strategize. Publicly, they would play online tag-team against their enemies.
When Jennifer Epstein emerged from the shadows, things heated up further. With seemingly boundless energy, Jennifer Epstein became a new research and propaganda machine in “Vance” and Seabrook’s campaign against the Sprouls. Jennifer was adept at taunting, self-righteous posturing, extracting information from phone operators, and many other helpful skills for the campaign against the Sprouls.
At the same time, Jennifer presented herself as a Titus 2 paragon of virtue, an “older woman” who desired to disciple young women in the ways of God’s Word on her Jen’sGems blog.13 So, when she approached “Vance” and company with her story of ecclesiastical horrors at the hands of the Boerne Christian Assembly,14 and an idea emerged for a central Internet hub for discrediting Christian ministers: They would work together to start MinistryWatchman.com.
Harry Seabrook and R.C. Sproul, Jr.
Several years earlier, a milder and gentler Harry Seabrook was reportedly considering St. Peter Presbyterian Church, pastored by R.C. Sproul Jr., as a spiritual home for his family.
Seabrook soon discovered that his views on white separatism would not be warmly received at St. Peter.15 Up to then, Seabrook had written glowingly about R.C. Sproul, Jr. But in the January/February 2004 edition of Every Thought Captive magazine, the younger Sproul published an open letter calling on Seabrook to “repent” of his views on race,16 and everything changed.
Seabrook was deeply offended by Sproul’s charges and wrote a three-part response.17 The event had the effect of radicalizing him. His writings became coarser; his race-baiting became more aggressive.18 He would even place a permanent article on the sidebar of Little Geneva in boxed, extra-large type, “Fallacious Charges of Racism from R.C. Sproul, Jr.”19
It soon became clear to his readers that Harry Seabrook was turning Little Geneva into a portal for denouncing and criticizing R.C. Sproul, Jr., among other Reformed ministers. His new targets included anyone who smacked of the sort of reasoning and behavior which Seabrook found so offensive in Sproul.20 Through his website, Seabrook was able to identify and radicalize other co-belligerents.
Harry Seabrook and “Frank Vance”
To understand Harry Seabrook’s involvement with Ministry Watchman, we must first understand the emergence of the pseudonymous character, “Frank Vance.”
In February of 2006, a man posting as “Frank Vance” would first enter the public debate on the RC. Jr. “defrocking controversy.” In that month, “Vance” would contact Kevin Swanson, Doug Phillips, and the entire board of Vision Forum demanding an immediate repudiation of Sproul. When none complied, “Frank Vance” posted this correspondence and bitterly denounced Phillips.21 To “Vance,” Phillips’ refusal to publicly condemn Sproul meant he also must be condemned.22
On March 13, “Vance” posted on Tim Challies’ blog.23 The hot topic for the discussion thread: should R.C., Jr. be permitted to speak at Ligonier Ministries’ National Conference in light of his defrocking? “Vance” answered with an emphatic, “no.” Possessing an uncanny command of the facts surrounding all things related to R.C.’s deposing, Vance argued that R.C. was “continuing to function as a biblical teacher with no biblical authority.”24 He urged Jr. to “go find another line of work”25 since he was “not qualified”26 to be an elder.
In the midst of this flurry of debate, one blogger merely pointed out that both “Vance” and Little Geneva’s Harry Seabrook appeared to be “revelling [sic] at the consequences of [R.C.’s] de-frocking and removal from the Westminster Presbytery.”27
“Vance” scoffed at the idea of an association with the Kinists—but would not deny the charge: “I don’t appreciate your lumping me in with anyone else, whether it be Little Geneva or otherwise.” Vance erupted:
I haven't quoted one single thing from Little Geneva, so what makes you think I'm speaking on their behalf?...Maybe some day you'll figure out that it’s entirely possible to have a number of different people in the world who may have the same opinion on the same subject and, just maybe, they've never had any dialogue between them and, just maybe, they don't even know each other and, just maybe, there isn't some vast conspiracy taking place between them.28
Do you remember the line from Shakespeare? “Methinks thou dost protest too much.”29
Harry Seabrook, “Frank Vance,” and Tim Dick
Following Sproul’s removal as an elder in the RPCGA, Harry Seabrook began a vociferous public crusade on Little Geneva to denounce R.C., Jr. In posting after posting, Seabrook worked in tandem with Peter Kershaw of Heal Our Land Ministries, who was posting documents to his ministry website, to disseminate information related to the R.C., Jr. controversy.30
The alliance between “Vance” and Seabrook became public when “Vance” launched his Contending for the Truth blog on May 24. The very next day on Little Geneva, Seabrook trumpeted “Vance’s” attacks on Ligonier’s Tim Dick31 just as readily as he had blown the bullhorn for Kershaw’s qualms with Sproul, Jr.32 The transition seemed a natural for both of them, as they each had bones to pick with the Sproul family.
What began as an attack on R.C., Jr’s status as a “defrocked minister” turned into a full-scale attack on R.C. Sproul Sr.’s work at Ligonier Ministries. The brunt of Vance’s initial fire against Ligonier was aimed at Tim Dick, son-in-law to R.C. Sproul, Sr. and Executive Director of the Orlando-based ministry.
Vance wrote that Tim Dick is “not just an unethical man but a ‘shark,’”33 and he has a “pathetic work ethic.”34 “To have such a man heading up such an honorable Christian ministry is an embarrassment to the church of Jesus Christ….Ligonier can’t survive if it’s left in the hands of a man with such poor character as Tim Dick.”35
Yet Vance went further by portraying Ligonier’s staff as overrun with hapless Sproul family members devoid of integrity. Vance asserted: “Tim Dick is hardly the only evidence of nepotistic buffoonery at Ligonier Ministries. Incompetent and unqualified family members are to be found running around (or sleeping on the desk) everywhere in Ligonier, often in key positions, with little or no understanding or appreciation for the Reformed theology championed by Mr. Sproul.” 36
In his typical shock-jock manner, Harry Seabrook gleefully reported each new development in Vance’s campaign, and the story gained greater traction.
In response to Frank Vance’s persistent attacks, Ligonier filed suit against the anonymous blogger on August 24, 2006.38 With this action, Vance’s face-off with Ligonier began to garner significant press, starting with a major article in the Orlando Sentinel.39 Yet those who had carefully watched Vance’s actions against Ligonier knew that he had no bigger ally than Little Geneva. One such observer was prompted to ask this of Vance:
I was wondering what is you [sic] connection to the Little Geneva kinists? They seem to be major supporters of yours. They also seem to have it out for RC Jr. Do you support their doctrines?40
Vance again flatly denied any ties with Little Geneva, yet he tap danced around the question of whether he supported their doctrines:
I have no “connection” to Little Geneva….If you’re next going to demand that I must either identify myself as a Kinist, or publicly condemn Kinism and identify myself as a multiculturalist, then don’t even go there. I’m not going to defend Seabrook (I’m sure he’s quite capable of doing that himself) but I’m also not going to criticize him for his stance in condemning multiculturalism…. (Emphasis added.)41
Enter Mrs. Binoculars
On the very same day that “Wondering” inquired pointedly about Vance and Seabrook’s connection, another party entered the Sproul-bashing fray with great fury —none other than Jennifer Epstein. In her inaugural blog-post42 on the Ligonier lawsuit, Jennifer would state:
I am NOT an internet assassin, nor do I condone internet assassins, but since I have written here previously praising the works of RC Sproul (for which I still think he is a great Bible teacher), I feel an ethical obligation to let others know that his superb orthodoxy is currently divorced from his orthopraxy.43
Within twenty-four hours of Jennifer’s post, Harry Seabrook would make two telling comments on Little Geneva—one disavowing his alleged ties with Frank Vance and another quoting the Epsteins’ denouncement of Ligonier’s lawsuit against Frank Vance:
Although a profitable enterprise among the heathen, the Bible expressly prohibits a professing Christian from suing another professing Christian and there are NO exceptions. Even the threat of a lawsuit by a Christian is repugnant, and could be construed as evidence the individual is engaging in pervicacious behavior toward the things of God, which is a behavior so stubbornly resistant to the things of God that it is probably best understood within the context of Paul’s Corinthians writings regarding carnality.44
Over the next four weeks, Seabrook and Vance would welcome Jennifer Epstein, along with her husband, as leading generals joining them in their challenge to Ligonier. The Epsteins’ campaign included attacking Ligonier through three open letters to their management; phone calls; as well as articles written to challenge the biblical basis for Ligonier’s lawsuit against Frank Vance.45 All the details of Jennifer and Mark’s activities, including summaries of Jennifer’s phone conversations with Ligonier, and the full text of their open letters, were prominently displayed on Jennifer’s blog.
What the evidence proves beyond a reasonable doubt is that Jennifer and Mark’s campaign against Ligonier in support of “Vance” was not done as a disconnected corollary attack across the blogosphere, but as part of a full-fledged conspiracy to secretly aid “Frank Vance.”
Jennifer Epstein began taking marching orders from “Vance” himself, as he directed in a September 22 email to her:
Feel free to start writing now. Please just hold off on posting it until further notice. Thanks for everything.46
Jennifer responded to “Frank”:
Out of deference to your request, I will wait to post anything. But I would like to tear those [Ligonier’s] statements apart!47
III. Opening a New Front: The War on Doug Phillips
Rallying the Troops
Even as Mark and Jennifer Epstein paid their dues to Seabrook and Vance by joining their cause célèbre, their true motivations for joining the fight against Ligonier quickly surfaced.
In a letter written to Michael Metzler of poohsthink.com on September 13—nearly a month before Ministry Watchman was founded and a full two-and-a half months before the first article against Doug Phillips was released—“Vance” wrote:
I’ve been in correspondence with a family from San Antonio. DP was their former pastor. Their story is a repeat of the Austins, excommunicated and shunned and even worse….They’re planning on going public soon.48
(Other players who show up in behind-the-scenes correspondence with “Vance” concerning problems with Doug Phillips and Vision Forum are Jason Janz of the Fundamentalist Baptist web site, SharperIron.org; Brandon Giromini49 of Simply-Christian.org; and a few other participants hiding behind pseudonyms.)
Why did the Epsteins join Vance and Seabrook in decrying Ligonier’s lawsuit against Frank Vance? My view is this: Besides the opportunity it provided them to build key alliances with men who could aid them when they were ready to “out” Doug Phillips, the Epsteins were using the Ligonier lawsuit as a test case. In the event that “Vance” lost in court, they could always change their strategy on how to best take Phillips out.
Meanwhile, Seabrook highlighted the Epsteins on Little Geneva (even as he had “Vance’s”). He lavishly praised his allies as they launched volley after volley against Ligonier. Seabrook wrote: “Jennifer Epstein and her husband have been among the few to demand accountability from Ligonier.”50
The growing relationship between Seabrook and the Epsteins was apparent in this “thank you” letter written by Mark Epstein to Seabrook and posted on Little Geneva:
Thank you for recognizing our public stance against public sin on the part of a public ministry, which was first reported in the public press (ouch!). You have succinctly summarized the most egregious actions on the part of Ligonier’s leadership.51
Seabrook’s response:
Mark, you and your wife are doing excellent and courageous work. You’ll pay a price for this, as I’m sure you know. It’s not easy.52
But would fellow Kinists Seabrook and “Vance” join the Epsteins when they pounced on Phillips? On September 18, “Vance” seemed non-committal on joining the Epsteins in an all-out war against Phillips. Even as he acknowledged to Michael Metzler that Mark and Jennifer would be grateful for any negative publicity against their former elder that he might generate through critical commentary, “Vance” wrote:
I don't personally have any plans for Phillips. The folks [the Epsteins] that have dialogued with me regarding Phillips won’t be ready to out him for several weeks, so your rip into Phillips could be the warm up act and I’m sure they’d be happy for the help.53
What would it take to galvanize Seabrook and Vance to turn their guns toward Phillips? Answer: Create the impression that Phillips was actively counseling the Sproul family concerning the Vance lawsuit. This mysterious post which appeared on Frank Vance’s blog on October 5 is telling:
[A]n inside source reports that Doug has been burning up the phone lines to Ligonier with advice on how to deal with Frank Vance and, because Doug is a lawyer as well as the head of another teaching ministry, Ligonier has been listening very closely to his advice. …In retrospect, it's no surprise. Doug Phillips has on several occasions publicly expressed his desire to cement an alliance with the Sproul family through marriage of one of his sons to a daughter of RC Jr. Furthermore, Doug Phillips was one of the few well-known Reformed speakers to join RC Sproul, Sr. in ignoring the church court that defrocked RC Jr., which he justified to critics by claiming that the defrocking was based on "internet gossip"— even though the church court made its decision based on RC Jr.'s confession. You see, Doug wants everyone to recognize his authority to unilaterally discipline those he considers to be wayward church members, but he also wants to remain free himself to selectively ignore due process church discipline against his friends.54
Doug Phillips ignoring “due process” in carrying out church discipline? What “wayward church members” could this “Ministry Insider” be referencing? A December 5 article published by Ministry Watchman (two months to the day after this blog post) in defense of the Epsteins is a direct match: “Doug Phillips Makes Family ‘Pay’ — Excommunicates Without Due Process.”
The assertion that Phillips had counseled Ligonier concerning the “Vance” lawsuit was a complete fabrication. On November 28, 2006 the board of Vision Forum Ministries issued a statement denying any communication between Phillips and Ligonier concerning this:
Neither Doug Phillips nor any member of the Vision Forum staff have ever knowingly communicated with Ligonier Ministries representatives concerning this lawsuit or any lawsuit.55
I have also independently verified this fact through Ligonier Ministries. There was no discussion of any kind that took place during this time between the two organizations.
A Coordinated Assault: The Launch of Ministry Watchman
On October 7, two days after this mysterious post critical of Doug Phillips appeared on “Frank Vance’s” blog, “Vance” announced a new home for his months-long campaign against Ligonier—www.ministrywatchman.com. While the focus of Contending for the Truth had been the purported indiscretions of the Sprouls, the aim of Ministry Watchman was much broader in scope: to apply the same modus operandi to the Reformed world at large. Their Statement of Purpose proclaimed:
Ministry Watchman holds Christian ministers and their ministries accountable to biblical standards of conduct by, where necessary, exposing internal graft, compromise, hypocrisy, tyranny and corruption. Our primary focus is on those ministers who profess to hold to the Reformed faith traditions and teachings.56
Later the same day, Harry Seabrook of Little Geneva, without any explanation or fanfare, linked to Ministry Watchman in a major post. In that post, Seabrook targeted none other than Vision Forum’s Doug Phillips:
Dapper Doug Phillips…is gleeful about the USA Today story, but he doesn’t link to it, because if he were to do that then the White women who frequent his website would discover the allegations of fraud against his buddies at Lie-gonier. Phillips says nothing against Ligonier’s unbiblical lawsuit, and rather seems to hint that he might be filing suit himself. With so many Scripture-hating Christians running around, who needs atheists?...[M]y guess is that Angelic Doug is in full agreement with the actions of Lie-gonier Ministries.57
Why the sudden criticism of Doug Phillips? My view: The “Ministry Insider” post made in the final two days of Vance’s Contending for the Truth blog and the singling out of Phillips for censure by Seabrook on Little Geneva on the day that Ministry Watchman was launched (painting Phillips as a close Sproul ally) points to a behind-the-scenes plot hatched by Jennifer Epstein.
Who had a score to settle with Doug Phillips? Harry Seabrook? While the Kinist agitator had taken a number pot-shots at Phillips in the past, not likely. “Frank Vance”? Not by his own account. The most obvious answer is Jennifer Epstein—the woman who had been excommunicated from the church where Doug Phillips serves as elder. And what better way to get even than to help “Frank Vance” mothball his blog and build a website where this plan could best be perpetrated, with Harry Seabrook, “Vance”’s Little Geneva sidekick, serving as consigliere and co-belligerent?
“Vance” took the Epstein’s bait hook, line, and sinker. In this October 13 email, “Vance” alerted Michael Metzler to plans for the newly-founded Ministry Watchman to target Doug Phillips:
You’re going to see some new contributors on [Ministry Watchman] shortly. Some of the very next articles are going to be focused on Phillips (he’s about to be outed on some very ugly skeletons in his closet). Mr. Phillips is one very bad boy…58
During this time, the public record suggests that Harry Seabrook was not merely reporting on the Epstein’s activities, but that he was privately dialoguing with them. On October 29, Seabrook referred his Little Geneva readers to a news story highlighting the Epsteins: “Mark and Jennifer Epstein, two rare defenders of 1 Corinthians 6, are profiled in this San Antonio newspaper article.”59
What is notable is that Seabrook reported the story a full four-and-half hours before it was posted on Mark Epstein’s blog (or any other blog for that matter).60 This article, entitled “Teach Your Children,” had appeared only a few days earlier in the San Antonio Current, an obscure local weekly tabloid distributed near checkout stands at grocery stores and nightspots.
But just how did Seabrook come across this story? Was he visiting San Antonio that weekend and picked up this particular edition of the Current? Unlikely. Did he just happen to be Googling the Epsteins and just happen to run across it? Improbable. In all likelihood, Mark or Jennifer personally forwarded the article to him, and Harry gave them another friendly plug on Little Geneva.
To those critics who had observed the Epsteins’ calculated efforts in the blog war against Ligonier Ministries and began to raise questions as to their real motivations for taking up this cause, Jennifer replied:
Some have questioned my personal involvement in this situation, and I will not go into detail about that, but I want to make it clear that my motivation is rooted in love—a deep love for the ministry that helped ground me in Reformed theology…[and] [i]t has been, and still is, my sincere desire to see Ligonier Ministries profess the holiness of God not in their excellent teachings, but also in their daily walk.61
Yet within a few days of Jennifer writing this statement, “Frank Vance” wrote to Michael Metzler, alerting him of the coming major offensive incited by the Epsteins against Phillips which would be launched several weeks later, “Things are likely to only get more ugly, especially as Phillips gets outed.”62
Meanwhile, Seabrook continued to take calculated shots at Doug Phillips on Little Geneva, slams which presupposed the Epstein’s oft-repeated falsehood that Phillips had been counseling Ligonier on their lawsuit against “Frank Vance”:
I know Doug Phillips has refused to publicly denounce RC Sproul for Lie-gonier’s unscriptural lawsuit. So it’s pretty easy to guess where he stands on this issue. If it’s okay to sue Christians then there’s nothing wrong with suing them for $12 million for calling you fraud.63
On November 27, Ministry Watchman fired their opening salvo against Doug Phillips. “Doug Phillips, Vision Forum Family Man Sabotages Marriage,” was not only posted on Ministry Watchman, but it was e-mailed to a number of key Vision Forum supporters from an e-mail account named “vfnews@gmail.com,” so as to feign a broadcast by Vision Forum itself. “Frank Vance” gloated about this underhanded tactic, writing to Michael Metzler:
[It has] [b]een a very busy day for us [at Ministry Watchmen], and no doubt not such a happy day for Doug Phillips. Keep this confidential but someone today sent over 600 emails to key Vision Forum/Phillips supporters with a link to the article. It’s really shown in the number of visitors today too.64
Confusion Over Kinist Priority Divides the Ranks
As Ministry Watchman began their full-scale attack on Doug Phillips, Seabrook was busy shoring up his base for the coming battle. On the same day this article was published, “Tom-in-Tulsa” (a frequent commenter on Little Geneva) questioned Seabrook on whether Vance, then viewed as the architect behind Ministry Watchman, toed the Kinist line—even as he called into question Pooh’s Think blogger Mike Metzler regarding his Kinist credentials. Tom inquired:
As much as I appreciate the courageous and excellent work that Michael Metzler and Frank Vance have done in exposing cockroaches, rats and other vermin who masquerade as holier-than-thou “Reformed elders,” both Messrs. Metzler and Vance are mightily confused theologically themselves in some very important areas, not the least of which is the issue of race. Therefore, we must be extremely careful not to mistakenly believe that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”65
Seabrook’s response was cryptic, but revealing. He said nothing regarding Mike Metzler (whom he had to know had a well-documented revulsion to such bigotry), but sought to assure Tom-in-Tulsa that Frank Vance was one of them:
I think you’ve misread Vance, Tom, but that’s all I can say about it.66
Despite Seabrook’s “wink-wink” implying that “Vance”’ had solid Kinist credentials, “Vance” himself continued to vociferously deny any connection with Seabrook and his fellow white separatists. When Michael Metzler asked this genuine question of “Vance”—“I have a friend who is convinced you guys are kinists. Could you help me out here?”—he gave this angry reply:
Good grief! You too Michael? You've got to be kidding me! Why don't you just have your friend contact me himself? What's his agenda Michael? Trying to find some foolish ad hom excuse to derail us? Are you really so certain he's a friend? If he wants to find some lame and completely baseless justification to dis Ministry Watchman then watch out! He might do the same to you.
Are we kinists? No. Is any Ministry Watchman writer a kinist? No.
Feel free to email any of the other Ministry Watchman authors and ask them that question.
On second thought, DON'T. It's getting really old. If I never get asked that question again it'll be too soon.67
Yet, the ties between Ministry Watchman and Little Geneva were as strong as ever. In Seabrook’s next major post, he himself dropped the Epstein Bomb against Doug to his readers: “Ministry Watchman is doing excellent work. The latest piece focuses on Dapper Doug Phillips, who is revealed to be a legalist and a misogynist.”68 Seabrook then called into question BCA’s response to the article, suggesting that Ministry Watchman would soon be setting straight the issue of “due process” and the Epstein’s excommunication:
[H]ow will it look for them [Phillips and BCA] if Ministry Watchman proves in the next few days that due process was not followed; that the family in question was excommunicated without a trial; that all existing documentation supports the family’s case? Then we’ll know why due process is such a pain in the neck for tyrants. It’s so hard to convene an honest kangaroo court these days.69
Two days after Seabrook’s post, Ministry Watchman published, “Doug Phillips Makes Family ‘Pay’ —Excommunicates Without Due Process.”
That Seabrook would write with such confidence regarding due process questions surrounding the Epstein’s excommunication from BCA strongly suggests that he had been briefed on the content of the next article that Ministry Watchman would launch on this very issue.
Seabrook would continue to carry water for the Epsteins on Little Geneva. Rather than get into the substance of whether due process was actually followed in the case of the Epstein’s excommunication, Seabrook shifted the due process debate to something completely off point—the R.C. Jr. “defrocking” controversy:
[B]efore Phillips refers to “Excommunication with Due Process” on the BCA website, he mentions “the biblical requirements pertaining to those under church discipline.” But those biblical requirements were easily waived when it came to his friend RC Sproul Jr. Far from shunning Junior as he did the Epsteins, Phillips teamed up with Junior earlier this year for a conference on (get this) honor.70
In examining Harry’s case for the Epsteins, loyal readers of Little Geneva began to conclude that something didn’t smell right—that the story being disseminated on Seabrook’s white separatist portal didn’t pass the Kinist acid test. One such reader wrote in to Harry with this probing question:
Reconman said, “Throughout even the most celebrated Jews there abides an intrinsic, devious hypocrisy.” If that is so true then why is Harry so intent on taking up for the epSTEINS? On this blog we go from “Olasky the Jew” to oh those poor epSTEINS and you want us to do it with a straight face? I don’t get it.71
To many Kinists, Harry’s response must have been outright shocking:
It’s fairly simple, H. I believe in justice and in holding pastors to a higher standard than laymen. I see injustice in how this matter was handled, and what the epSTEINS have done or what they believe is beside the point.72
What the Epsteins have done or believe is inconsequential? And the fact that they are Jews doesn’t matter at all to Kinist guru Harry Seabrook? Unbelievable! The hallmark beliefs that had made Little Geneva such a haven for Christian White Separatists appeared to be on their way out the door. And in their stead was a new ethic which was all but reduced to advancing the Ministry Watchman cause.
December 16: Seabrook Shows His Colors
December 16 was the day that I went public exposing the Mrs. Binoculars scandal.73 December 16 was also the day that Harry Seabrook showed his cards. Three things happened on Little Geneva that day.
First, Seabrook attempted to reassure his loyal followers that he had not abandoned his Kinist credentials. As the story came out that Jennifer Epstein had a child through an adulterous affair with a Black Muslim, the Kinist readership of Little Geneva began to question why Harry would support the cause of a “race-mixer.”
Harry’s response? Rather than acknowledge this apparent contradiction to his oft-proclaimed stand against “miscegenation,” he published “Christian Worship Bimbos,” one of the most hateful, race-baiting posts in the history of Little Geneva. Seabrook left nothing to the imagination. Readers knew exactly what he thought of blacks and of women who had sexual relations with blacks, and Seabrook made sure that the post included a generous dose of the “N-word.”
Second, Seabrook’s tightrope walk (between the Epsteins attack on Phillips on the one hand and Kinism on the other) required that he demonstrate loyalty to Mark and Jennifer Epstein and their Ministry Watchman co-conspirators. In the wake of Ministry Watchman’s launch of their article “Doug Phillips’ Raising The Allosaur.”74 wherein paleontologist Joe Taylor attacks Doug Phillips’ credibility in connection with Vision Forum’s 2002 film, Raising the Allosaur, Harry parroted Ministry Watchman’s mantra with this line to his Little Geneva readers, “When litigious Doug Phillips Esquire wants dinosaur bones, he gets them. Read about the video he released that is full of lies.”75
Harry then followed this comment up on his blog with yet another endorsement of the Epstein’s testimony attacking Doug:
Mark Epstein writes that Doug Phillips led his congregation in (imprecatory?) prayer against Joe Taylor, who wanted nothing more than the credit he was due in his profession. Taylor allowed himself to be railroaded by Phillips, he says, because he refuses to take a brother to court.76
While it was later revealed that Taylor had made false claims concerning issues related to Allosaur, the damage from Taylor’s lies had already been done as Seabrook toed the Epsteins’ line.
Third, exactly one minute after publishing his inflammatory “Christian Worship Bimbos” post, “Badlands,” the Little Geneva-hosted blog by Seabrook’s long-time Kinist colleague Greg McDivitt (a/k/a Badonicus), was shut down. Coincidence? Not likely. What the record shows is that Seabrook and McDivitt had a disagreement over Harry’s support for the Epsteins, and when push came to shove, one of them would have to go—either “Badonicus” or the Epsteins.
Let’s examine the story.
Bad Days for Badlands
On December 16, readers of Little Geneva’s Badlands were told that “Badonicus”’ was “Closed for Repairs.” All that was offered by way of explanation was a cryptic note from the site administrator reading, “Not sure how long the site will be down.”
“Closed for repairs?” Was there something wrong with the web page? Emphatically not. At this time, the rest of LittleGeneva.com was functioning properly, and the Badlands home page accessible. All the sidebar links on Badlands remained up and functioning, and the categories were fully intact. But as of 2:11 p.m. on December 16, all of McDivitt’s past articles were removed, along with the comment sections. In one fell swoop, McDivitt’s two-year history on Little Geneva was completely wiped out.
Not only was Badlands fully functional (sans content) when the “Closed for Repairs” notice was posted, but it actually was still being actively administrated. A full five days after Badlands lost its archives, a comment explaining that Doug Phillips was a Jew was posted in the “Closed for Repairs” comment section—proof positive that a moderator approved the comment. The claim that “Badlands” was closed for “repairs” was a fraud.
So why did Badonicus “disappear” from the LittleGeneva.com radar screen, a site which, according to one account, garnered over 3,000 unique hits a day?77 Why would McDivitt, who along with Seabrook is among the most well known leaders of the Kinist movement, simply vanish from his prominent blog platform with no explanation other than a “closed for repairs” lie?
What the evidence indicates is that Seabrook’s allegiance was first to the Ministry Watchman cabal even if that meant jeopardizing his working relationship with his long-time Kinist colleague, Greg McDivitt, and tossing his Kinist convictions out the window. Harry’s commitment to closet Kinist, “Frank Vance,” and the Epsteins’ crusade trumped all.
As things began to heat up with the Ministry Watchman scandal, McDivitt began gumming up the works. He was speaking his mind about his disdain for the “miscegenation” of Jennifer Epstein—a revelation which would give any thoroughgoing Kinist pause.
On December 7, McDivitt complained: “These freaks [the Epsteins] are the people I’m supposed to team up with against Doug Phillips and Vision Forum? I don’t think so.”78
What must be understood is that Greg McDivitt built his online career on Badlands in part through his regular taunting of Phillips, devoting an entire section of his blog to “Dishonorable Doug Phillips.” And even in the midst of the Ministry Watchman scandal, McDivitt wanted people to know his staunch opposition to Phillips and Vision Forum, “I’ve been criticizing DP and VF for years and have written thousands of words about them; probably over ten thousand.”79
But if there is one thing McDivitt probably despises more than Phillips, it is “race-mixing”—and that meant Jennifer Epstein. Making matters worse, Mark Epstein’s online behavior was anything but reassuring. McDivitt referred to Mark as a “typical Jew” and a “psychowimp”:
Get a load of Mark Epstein (poor, poor “victim” of Doug Phillips and Boerne Christian Assembly) and his Jew “logic”. Watch him explain how a psychowimp and a racemixing drama queen are free to blab every last detail of their vile sins all over church, all over town, and even all over the world via the internet, but pastors and elders are never to mention these same sins to anyone else, or discuss them with anyone, even after the poor, poor “victims” have told the whole world, because of “confidentiality” issues. Just another clarion example of Jew logic.80
McDivitt had other concerns. Behind the scenes, there had been some form of communication breakdown between the two Kinist leaders. McDivitt would write:
The death of Kinism? I doubt it. We shall see. It’s certainly an embarrassment, but Harry wasn’t aware of this stuff [the “miscegenation”], that I know of. At least I sure hope he wasn’t.81
On December 6, McDivitt commented that Ministry Watchman had become a laughing stock:
As far as I’m concerned, they [Ministry Watchman] now have zero credibility. Zero. They took all the hard work that Frank Vance had done with regard to Ligonier, and flushed it down the toilet by getting involved with some—to put it mildly—obvious lunatics. What a shame. Tim Dick and RC Sproul must be high fiving each other as they watch MW’s descent into lunacy and irrelevance.82
The following day, McDivitt mocked Ministry Watchman’s pandering to comments made by less-than-reputable parties in order to bolster their case for the Epsteins:
Be sure and check the comments on Ministry Watchman’s original post on Phillips, where you’ll find all kinds of freaks, feminists, psychos, niggerlovers and lesbians praising MW for trying to bring down Phillips. Great job, Ministry Watchman! You guys really know how to pick ‘em.83
On December 8, McDivitt all but declared the demise of Ministry Watchman due to their close association to the Epsteins, and he urged them to cut ties with the San Antonio couple before it was too late:
This morning I emailed them [Ministry Watchman] and told them that they’ve pretty much lost all credibility and destroyed themselves overnight. I told them that their only hope now for salvaging a little piece of the reputation that Frank Vance worked so hard for is to wash their hands of the Epsteins, and issue a statement to the effect that “We really, really [fouled] up on this one. We apologize to both you our readers and to Doug Phillips and BCA, and we swear that nothing like this will ever happen again. From now on, we’ll be much more diligent when it comes to investigating our sources. Our deepest apologies for all this trouble we’ve needlessly caused.” …It’s not too late for Ministry Watchman. The damage they’ve done to themselves is very bad, but it could get a lot worse…[If] “Charles Fisher” is simply a pseudonym for Jen Epstein, well, I think that’s about all she wrote for Ministry Watchman.84
By December 12, it was clear that Seabrook was pressuring McDivitt to clean up his act and tow the Ministry Watchman line. Several of McDivitt’s posts were rewritten and edited to remove Jennifer Epstein’s name. One post originally titled “Merry Christmas from Jennifer Epstein,” was changed to “Merry Christmas from You Know Who.” Jennifer Epstein’s name was also changed from Jennifer Epstein to “Jan Neptune.”85
But even with these edits, things were looking bad for Seabrook’s neat and tidy little conspiracy with Ministry Watchman and Jennifer Epstein. McDivitt had gone off the reservation, and if he continued on his rampage, it could mean the end of months of hard work by Seabrook and his co-conspirators. Seabrook’s reputation among his Kinist peers was already muddied. Something had to be done. There was only one answer: Shut down Badonicus.
At 2:10 p.m. on December 16, Harry Seabrook would go live with his provocative “Christian Worship Bimbos” post featuring a poem dedicated to “niggers” and a whole host of offensive images of black Africans.
Exactly one minute later—at 2:11 p.m.—Badlands was “Closed for Repairs.”
Harry had spoken. There would be no dissent.
Whether Seabrook himself pulled the plug on Badlands or McDivitt simply got tired of the fight is inconsequential. Either way, Kinism got tossed to the sidelines in order to advance the mission of the Ministry Watchman cabal.
The Final High-Fives in the Mutual Congratulations Club
With “Badlands” out of the way and with all undesirable comments at LittleGeneva.com censored, Seabrook set about the business of salvaging his Kinist reputation and that of Ministry Watchman. He reiterated what he had stated the week before concerning his defense of the Epsteins:
My position has been clear from the beginning: I am led to believe that Doug Phillips (the leader of The Church of Doug) was unjust to the Epsteins, for several reasons which I have summarized. Nothing the Epsteins did at any time in the past gives any pastor the right to kick them out of a church for the vaguest of reasons.86
In the days that followed, Seabrook would ignore the public exposure of Ministry Watchman in getting caught scamming not one, but two online photo albums to cover up the embarrassment of having Jennifer Epstein as Mrs. Binoculars on their masthead.87 Seabrook’s only public response was mockery. On December 21, Harry wrote this of MrsBinoculars.com:
Hilarious! Just as I suspected. The thought of that genius [Matt Chancey] registering a website and working late into the night on Photoshop to design his website will have me smiling all the way through Christmas. Absolutely hilarious. And he doesn't even have the good sense to take it down!88
Mark Epstein then posted to Little Geneva a profuse “thank you” note for Seabrook’s continued support of he and his wife’s campaign against Doug Phillips, which reads in part:
Dear Harry, I publicly commend you for your stand for justice. This is a foundational principle of a godly government — whether civil or church. Regardless of what anyone thinks of my past marital situation, whether I should have divorced Jennifer, or any other concerns, Christ’s sacrificial death (on our behalf) is the basis for the imputation of righteousness to each of us.89
The high-fives between Seabrook and the Epsteins continued through the end of 2006 as the Kinist leader, in an unprecedented move, would submit a comment to Jennifer Epstein’s “Exposing Doug Phillips’ Ecclesiastical Tyranny” blog,90 which Jennifer would promptly post. The commentary scoffed at my efforts and suggested that I am, in fact, Jennifer Epstein:
Matt Chancey has bet the farm that Jennifer Epstein is responsible for the Ministry Watchman site. His research into the MW masthead photo is quite amazing, and quite wrong. But I have a theory of my own to float, and here it is in a nutshell: "Matt Chancey" is actually Jennifer Epstein. I arrived at this conclusion when I saw that the Mrs. Binoculars site has pushed Jennifer Epstein’s blog into the Top 100 of 544,199 Wordpress blogs. It’s quite obvious that this is a case of shameless self-promotion….This is going to be big, folks!91
Jennifer Epstein would then reciprocate in a comment to Seabrook which he posted on Little Geneva. Just as Seabrook had done, Jennifer made light of my efforts to expose her lies and frauds:
Harry, I just think you are jealous of my numbers and by linking to my blog, you think you might increase your own readership! I thought I must be superwoman after reading Matt’s analysis of how I spend my time, but that’s nothing compared to what you’re attributing to me now! Can you just imagine how many hours of work Matt Chancey put into his wild conjecturing? Yes, I now run my old blog, my new blog, Ministry Watchman, and MrsBinoculars, all of which put out frequent, LENGTHY articles. I am so good I amaze myself! Oh, yes, I almost forgot all the comments I leave all over the web as well.92
Much truth is said in jest, and Jennifer’s description of how she spends her time (other than her connection to MrsBinoculars.com) may be the most truthful comment she has written to date regarding her role in the Ministry Watchman scandal.
We All Fall Down
Since Jennifer Epstein’s comment, the laughing has now stopped for the Ministry Watchman conspirators. They have been exposed to being liars and frauds. And they fear a day of reckoning.
Harry Seabrook has now pulled LittleGeneva.com completely offline, first by faking a hack of his website93 and then through erasing the memory of his race-baiting antics from off the worldwide web.94
Jennifer and Mark Epstein have since pulled down most of their commentary toward Doug Phillips and BCA and are now seeking refuge in a local PCA church.95
IV. Where Do We Go From Here?
There is a very good reason why Jennifer Epstein, Harry Seabrook and “Frank Vance” launched a relentless and erstwhile anonymous campaign through Ministry Watchman to denounce those who would dare to hold them accountable. The reason is this: They want to ruin people they hate with impunity. They want to be able to break the law without consequences. This is why they formed Ministry Watchman. It is why they hold numerous online conversations with themselves using pseudonyms.96 It is why they write articles and launch websites hiding behind proxy servers.97 They fear that the truth about their own reputations as trouble-makers and church renegades will leak out. They fear being prosecuted for crimes in civil and ecclesiastical courts.
Now that their Madame Guillotine has been put temporarily to rest, and some of the revolutionaries are being brought to justice for their reign of terror, the ringleaders want to discuss “reconciliation” and “peace.”
Is this a sign of repentance?
What would signs of hope look like? What encouraging first steps of repentance might Jennifer Epstein, “Frank Vance,” and Harry Seabrook provide?
For my part, I think a post like this would be a good start:
To all the people we have harmed: We acknowledge that we have sinned a great sin. We are asking for mercy and patience with us. We know that we have caused tremendous pain and damage. We know that we have lied and misrepresented the truth. We purpose to never do this again. We will come clean about our conspiracy. We will reveal our true names and identities. We will tell the truth about the authors of our articles. We will completely remove our websites from the Internet and will never bring them up again—ever. In fact, each of us will purpose never, ever to post anything of this nature on the Internet again! Finally, we will work with you privately and publicly to rectify our wrongs.
On the other hand, what would we expect from three unrepentant and defiant individuals who know the jig is up—who have been caught in immoral and illegal activities and genuinely fear possible liability?
I believe you would see them faking excuses for cleaning the Internet of the evidence of their misdeeds. I believe that you would find them claiming to take the high-ground of “reconciliation,” but hedging their bets by leaving the door open for future retaliations. I believe you would see them behaving like Adonijah—After a campaign of open rebellion against lawful authority, endangering the peace and prosperity of Israel and Judah, Adonijah fled to the tabernacle, grabbed the horns of the altar and pleaded for the protection of the Church (I Kings 1). In short, they would run like cowards and change their tactics—not their hearts.
And, in my opinion, this is what each of them is doing.
Jennifer Epstein has slowly and only partially removed her offensive material from the Internet.98 And there is no commitment to keep it off the web.99 Having just weeks before boldly lied about her church affiliation,100 she is now claiming to be a woman under authority of a church. All the Epsteins want now is for brothers in Christ to sit down and discuss reconciliation. Not mentioned, of course, is the fact that her co-conspirators are falling one by one, and that Jennifer has been routed and her lies exposed.
As to Seabrook, he faked a hack attack of his website, and actually used pornography in a reprehensible attempt to implicate others and cover his cowardly retreat.
As for the elusive “FrankVance?” Stay tuned…
Biblical Accountability is Needed
I am writing my articles precisely because the very tactics, threats, and web presence of these individuals are continuing to harm innocent people, and because I believe that these church renegades and Internet assassins will continue to work mischief absent real accountability for their misdeeds. I care a lot about my friends and others who have suffered at their hands, but I also believe that these rascals are giving Christianity a bad name by presenting their lies, scams, and divisions to a watching world. I don’t believe that Jennifer Epstein’s lies, Harry Seabrook’s Kinist bigotry, or “Frank Vance”’s anonymous Internet terrorism improve the image of American Christianity.
Yet one of the most encouraging developments in this whole affair is the intervention of Faith Presbyterian Church in San Antonio. The Epsteins desire membership there and their excommunicated status interferes with that. This is precisely what excommunication entails, and I for one commend Faith for honoring the rulings of church courts outside their denominational affiliation. It speaks very well for the church and the men at the helm.
The session at Faith PCA has expressed their desire to move this “battle” (at least regarding the Epsteins) out of the public sphere and back into the ecclesiastical arena—and I support them as they seek to call Mark and Jennifer to cease from all future internet attacks and seek full repentance before Christ. It would be a wonderful work of God, and I pray that the Lord sees fit to work through these Elders to bring the Epsteins to full biblical repentance.
My hope is that the Epsteins share the sentiment of Faith’s elders and eliminate their nefarious web presence—which includes the ultimate demise of MinistryWatchman.com. The Epsteins have stated that they do not control Ministry Watchman. This is not true. While perhaps “technically correct” (meaning that they might not have “admin” privileges) the Epsteins are on the Board of Directors. They are the Founding Fathers of Ministry Watchman, along with “Frank Vance” and Harry Seabrook. I believe this article proves this beyond a shadow of a doubt. So how long will it take for MinistryWatchman to be shut down for good?
Until that question is answered, I want to assure you that that the Pope is Catholic, George Washington rode a horse, and Jennifer Epstein is Mrs. Binoculars.
1 See Boerne Christian Assembly’s statement, dated November 30, 2006.
2 See Vision Forum’s statement concerning Raising the Allosaur and related matters.
3 See this statement made by the Vision Forum Ministries’ Board of Directors.
4 To learn more, read “The Unmasking of Mrs. Binoculars, Part II—Strange Bedfellows: Jennifer Epstein’s Kinist Connection.”
5 See Boerne Christian Assembly’s statement, dated November 30, 2006.
6 Jennifer’s published her most cavalier comments concerning her adultery on December 6, 2006 describing in a whimsical parable her bed of adultery. “Once upon a time, there was a bed. It was a lovely, grand piece of furniture, but it was still just a bed. The bed served its purpose well and provided many nights of refreshing sleep. Then there was sin. The bed itself did not commit sin, but there was sin that took place in the bed, so the bed needed discipline.”
7 Among those whom the Ministry Watchman cabal found out was Joe Taylor, a painter-turned-paleontologist who had previously been openly critical of Doug for his 2002 film Raising the Allosaur. Ministry Watchman would later publish two articles which touted Taylor’s criticism of Phillips: See: “Doug Phillips’ Raising The Allosaur.” and “Doug Phillips: Villainy Behind the Mask of Virtue?”
8 Letter sent to Doug Phillips on May 22, 2006 by “Mark Epstein—for the Epstein Family.” Later, Jennifer Epstein sugar-coated Mark’s demand letter in a December 21, 2006 post to “Jen’s Gems” by citing certain sections with qualifying commentary. It’s worth noting that this is one of the few documents pertaining to the controversy with Doug and BCA that Jennifer did not post online in its entirety.
9 See Mark’s Ultimate Truth Blog, Jennifer's Exposing Doug Phillips’ Ecclesiatical Tyranny Blog, and Ministry Watchman’s post on the subject.
10 In an October 13 letter to Michael Metzler of Pooh’s Think, Frank Vance demonstrated that he is in fact the “Watchman” himself, the gatekeeper for the comments section on the Ministry Watchman website: “The saboteurs have been relentless in barraging Ministry Watchman with mindless comments, very similar in nature to what you've been engaged in….Their energy level and commitment for subterfuge is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Even though I don't post most of their comments they just keep coming back.” A few weeks ago, Metzler voluntarily gave me his correspondence with “Vance” which included several appearances of the Epsteins. Hereafter, all excerpts taken for this body of writing are cited as “Metzler Correspondence.”
11 The evidence supporting several of my conclusions will be disclosed as my investigation continues. Stay tuned to MrsBinoculars.com for further details.
12 Ibid.
13 See jensgems.blogpsot.com.
14 Metzler Correspondence. This September 13, 2006 letter written by Frank Vance to Michael Metzler reveals that Vance believed the Epsteins story of abuse concerning Doug Phillips, “I've been in correspondence with a family from San Antonio. DP was their former pastor. Their story is a repeat of the Austins, excommunicated and shunned and even worse. I've been getting an earful about how corrupt Phillips is. The guy is a tyrant and a huckster.”
15 On January 5, 2004, R.C. Sproul, Jr. penned a private letter to Harry Seabrook, stating “You are, of course, welcome to come [to St, Peter Presbyterian Church]. We would find, I'm sure, a great deal in common. But you ought to know at least two things if you are considering a move here. First, we obviously have different views on race than you do…. Secondly, we are going to be addressing some of these issues in the January/February ETC. Our theme is, "Neither Jew Nor Greek." What may surprise you is that you are the recipient of the Open Letter. I pray you will find it, as it seeks to challenge what I perceive your views to be, a polite and gentle rebuke from a friend, who, as yet, has no authority over you.”
16 In his open letter to Seabrook published in the January/February 2004 edition of Every Thought Captive magazine, R.C., Jr. wrote, “Harry, please, repent. Our enemies are the seed of the serpent, wherever their ancestors spring from. And our family is the seed of the woman, wherever their ancestors spring from. And as time goes on, my brother, remember that more and more of the seed of the serpent, from every corner of the globe, will become the seed of the woman. Where their ancestors spring from is, to quote a sometimes insightful heathen, ‘of no more significance, than the color of their eyes.’ Remember that we too were strangers to the covenant, that we who were once not a people are now the people of God.”
17 Harry Seabrook’s response to the “Neither Jew nor Greek” edition of Every Thought Captive Magazine was five parts altogether, three of which addressed R.C., Jr. directly.
18 A number of longtime readers of LittleGeneva.com who I interviewed observed this marked change in tone on Harry’s blog.
19 Seabrook explains his “race” qualms with R.C., Jr. in, “I Prefer My Red Herring With Dill Sauce.”
20 John Piper and Doug Wilson are just two other Reformed Pastors who Harry Seabrook criticized for their views on race. See Seabrook’s: “John Piper Forsakes His People” and “Doug Wilson's ‘Settled Theology’: Uniformity vs. Pluriformity.”
21 “Vance” wrote this in early March concerning Doug Phillips’ refusal to denounce R.C., Jr.,“I'm starting to get really disillusioned with Christians who peddle their wares to homeschoolers and family integrated churches and speak of "honor" and even speak at conferences about "honor." It all sounds so convincing, at least until their buddies start getting themselves into serious trouble. Then they act no better than the average shifty politician who just does what's expedient rather than what's right. And just like politiicians they'll do anything they can to avoid answering an embarrassing question, or be held accountable. And these guys have the nerve to accuse me of being ‘unaccountable’? Incredible!” Click here to read Vance’s comments in full.
22 Ibid.
23 Read “Vance’s” own words for more on this.
24 As stated in post by “Vance” on Tim Challies’ blog. Go here for a full transcript of “Vance’s” numerous posts on Challies’ blog thread concerning the R.C. Sproul, Jr. controversy.
25 Ibid.
26 Ibid.
27 On March 18, “PJK” would write this to Frank on the Challies comment thread, “[R.C., Jr] may not have been left swinging from a tree (as some of you would have it ) but, if one were to take anything from the www.Littlegeneva site, it seems to me that they’re very much revelling at the consequences of de-frocking and removal from the Westminster Presbytery.”
28 Tim Challies’ blog thread.
29 Commonly quoted paraphrase from Shakespeare’s Hamlet (Act III, Scene 2). Original quote reads as follows, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”
30 These posts from LittleGeneva.com are no longer available online, although they are referenced by a number of bloggers. See Citation 27 above for one example.
31 In his May 25 Little Geneva post which he dubbed “More Sproulian Drama,” Seabrook wrote the following, “Ligonier Ministries President Tim Dick, who fired his brother-in-law Robert Craig Sproul, asks Frank Vance to shut up. He assumes that anything said about the Sprouls online is mere speculation, and he even says a couple of times that the RPCGA is not ‘a respectable denomination.’ He says to Vance, ‘For all I know you could all be anti-Calvinist preterits [sic] taking advantage of this situation to further your cause at R.C. Jr.’s expense.’ Vance replies, ‘And for all I know you could be a 33rd Degree Mason who makes burnt offerings to Lucifer, and that you’re involved in some kind of bad-spelling secret society. But unlike you, Mr. Dick, I’ll not digress into such unproductive speculation.’”
32 In the same May 25 Little Geneva post where Seabrook introduced “Vance” to his readers, he remarked: “[I]t doesn’t take a book of church order to prove the impropriety of Sproul’s behavior. Mr Tuuri said that wording came from the RPCGA itself. So I forwarded his comment to Peter Kershaw and Randy Talbot.”
33 Excerpted from “Frank Vance’s” August 16 blog post.
34 Ibid.
35 Excerpted from “Frank Vance’s” August 3 blog article, “Has Ligonier Ministries President Tim Dick Lost It?”
36 Excerpted from “Frank Vance’s” August 14 blog article, “RC Sproul Jr to Speak at Ligonier Ministries Conference. AGAIN!”
38 See Ligonier’s public statement on the suit.
39 See Orlando Sentinel, September 5, 2006, “Lawsuit seeks to block blogger: First Amendment advocates decry 'prior restraint,'” by Rene Stutzman.
40 Question posted on September 9 by “Wondering” on “Vance’s” Contending for the Truth blog.
41 September 9 blog post by “Vance.”
42 Jennifer’s first post on the Ligonier controversy followed on the heels of her husband Mark’s initial post two days earlier, entitled, “Christian Suing Christian?”
43 “Ligonier Ministries: Divorcing Orthodoxy From Orthopraxy,” posted September 9 on JensGems.blogspot.com.
44 Seabrook quoted from Mark Epstein’s September 07 article, “Christian suing Christian?”
45 Mark and Jennifer’s wrote the following in their September 15 Open Letter to R.C. Sproul, Sr,. “We have this against you: Ligonier Ministries, under the direction of Tim Dick, is blatantly violating I Corinthians 6, by filing a lawsuit against Frank Vance, a fellow believer….It is with profound regret that we will need to discontinue our financial support of Ligonier Ministries if the lawsuit isn’t dropped by Friday, September 29, 2006. We pray that you would have a teachable heart like David did when Nathan confronted him with his sin and say, like David said, 'I have sinned against the LORD.'”
46 Metzler Correspondence, September 22 e-mail sent from “Frank Vance” to Jennifer Epstein.
47 Metzler Correspondence, September 22 e-mail sent from Jennifer Epstein to “Frank Vance.”
48 Metzler Correspondence, September 13 e-mail sent from “Frank Vance” to Michael Metzler.
49Brandon Giromini is among the key lesser known players involved in the Ministry Watchman saga.
50 Comment posted by Harry Seabrook on September 25 on Little Geneva.com
51 Comment submitted by Mark Epstein to Little Geneva and posted by Seabrook on September 25.
52 Comment posted by Harry Seabrook on September 25 on Little Geneva.com
53 Metzler Correspondence, September 18 e-mail sent from “Frank Vance” to Michael Metzler.
54 October 5 post by “Ministry Insider” on “Vance’s” Contending for the Truth blog.
55 See this statement made by the Vision Forum Ministries’ Board of Directors.
56 Read Ministry Watchman’s Statement of Purpose here.
57 October 7 “Satire Herself Stands Mute” blog post by Harry Seabrook on LittleGeneva.com
58 Metzler Correspondence, October 13 e-mail sent from “Frank Vance” to Michael Metzler.
59 As noted in Harry Seabrook’s October 29, “It’s Official: Economic Disaster Looms” post.
60 Mark Epstein posted the story at 4:35pm EST on October 29; Seabrook posted it at 11:55am EST.
61 October 30 article by Jennifer Epstein, “Loving Ligonier” posted on JensGems.blogspot.com.
62 Metzler Correspondence, November e-mail sent from “Frank Vance” to Michael Metzler.
63 October 11 post by Seabrook addressed to “Tom-in-Tulsa” and “Hammerman” on a Little Geneva comment thread. Filed under, “Satire Herself Stands Mute.”
64 Metzler Correspondence. November 27 e-mail sent from “Frank Vance” to Michael Metzler.
65 Note by “Tom-in-Tulsa” to Harry Seabrook posted on November 27 on Little Geneva under the “Stick a Fork in the Church of England” comment thread.
66 Seabrook’s response to “Tom-in-Tulsa” posted on November 28 on Little Geneva under the “Stick a Fork in the Church of England” comment thread.
67 Metzler Correspondence. November 29 e-mail sent from “Frank Vance” to Michael Metzler.
68 From Seabrook’s December 3 Little Geneva post, “RC Sproul’s Christmas Present to Don Kistler”
69 Ibid.
70 From Seabrook’s December 9 Little Geneva post, “Church, Kitchen, Children.”
71 Note by H. Buchman to Harry Seabrook posted on December 10 on Little Geneva under the “RC Sproul’s Christmas Present to Don Kistler” comment thread.
72 Seabrook’s response to H. Buchman posted on December 10 on Little Geneva under the “RC Sproul’s Christmas Present to Don Kistler” comment thread.
73 See “The Unmasking of Mrs. Binoculars: Part I”
74 “Doug Phillips’ Raising The Allosaur” was published on December 11 on MinistryWatchman.com.
75 From Seabrook’s December 16 Little Geneva post, “Christian Worship Bimbos.”
76 Comment posted by Seabrook on December 16 on Little Geneva under the “Christian Worship Bimbos” comment thread.
77 As reported to “Vance” by LittleGeneva’s “Hammerman” on August 24, 2006 on Contending for the Truth.
78 From McDivitt’s December 7 Badlands post, “Modern American Niggers.”
79 Comment posted by McDivitt on December 2 on Little Geneva’s Badlands under the “BCA Site” comment thread.
80 From McDivitt’s December 7 Badlands post, “Mark Epstein: Typical Jew.”
81 Comment posted by McDivitt on December 5 on Little Geneva’s Badlands.
82 From McDivitt’s December 6 Badlands post, “Ministry Watchman.”
83 From McDivitt’s December 7 Badlands post, “Modern American Niggers.”
84 From McDivitt’s December 8 Badlands post, “Slow News Day.”
85 McDivitt’s December 12 Badlands post, “Merry Christian from Jennifer Epstein” to “Merry Christmas from You Know Who.”
86 From Seabrook’s December 16 Little Geneva post, “Christian Worship Bimbos.”
87 See “Mrs. Binoculars vs. Danny Boy” and “Ministry Watchman Panics When Fraud Exposed.”
88 Seabrook’s note on MrsBinoculars.com posted on December 21 on Little Geneva under the “Christian Worship Bimbos” comment thread.
89 Note by Mark Epstein to Harry Seabrook posted on December 23 on Little Geneva under the “Christian Worship Bimbos” comment thread.
90 This commentary has now been removed from Jennifer Epstein’s “Exposing Doug Phillips’ Ecclesiastical Tyranny” blog.
91 This comment which Jennifer Epstein published on her “Exposing Doug Phillips’ Ecclesiastical Tyranny” blog was originally published by Harry Seabrook on Little Geneva as part of his December 30 “I’m Dreaming of a Caucasian Solstice” post.
92 Note by Jennifer Epstein (“Jen”) to Harry Seabrook posted on December 30 on Little Geneva under the “I’m Dreaming of a Caucasian Solstice” comment thread.
93 See “Did White Separatist Harry Seabrook Fake a Hack of His Own Website?”
94 See “Seabrook Seeks to Flush Little Geneva Down the Memory Hole”
95 See Mark’s Ultimate Truth Blog, Jennifer Exposing Doug Phillips’ Ecclesiastical TyrannyBlog, and Ministry Watchman’s post on the subject.
96 Metzler Correspondence. In this October 14 e-mail to Michael Metzler, “Frank Vance” explains that those who offer commentary to Ministry Watchman should do so anonymously even as they maintain another real identity on their regular blog: “Come up with a pseudonym soon…Covering tracks will…mean that contributors [to Ministry Watchman] can't sound too much like bloggers whose writing style is already too well known, such as yours for example.”
97 Metzler Correspondence. In this October 14 e-mail to Michael Metzler, “Frank Vance” explains to Michael how that the Ministry Watchman team hides behind proxy servers to keep from being sued for their activities: “Part of the reason it was so hard for Ligonier to sue me is they can't nail down where I lived, other than that I was emailing Tim Dick from Germany (just imagine what the judge must have thought of that). That's one of the nice things about using proxy servers. If you're not already set up to proxy please do so. It's likely that Watchman will be sued and it's therefore critical that we cover our tracks. That means always accessing Watchman via proxy server. It also means setting up a separate email account (I recommend gmail) again via proxy, and only access via proxy every single time.”
98 Although Jennifer has pulled her articles from jensgems.wordpress.com, the sidebars still remain. Ministrywatchman.com has also pulled several articles, but continues to feature derogatory commentary.
99 On January 16, 2007, “Frank Vance” (a/k/a the “Watchman”) wrote this in his “Mark and Jen Epstein Seek Reconciliation with Doug Phillips” article: “I think it’s [Mark and Jennifer's pursuit of reconciliation] worth a try, and if it doesn’t work we might come up with something else later on.”
100On December 11, a blogger submitted this question to Jennifer on Jen's Gems:
One of the charges which has been floating around about you by your unscrupulous detractors is the notion that you are not now a member of a church. I was so encouraged when you talked about your pastor in your recent blog. Where do you go to church and who is your pastor? I am guessing that this is a church with more than one elder, unlike the BCA cult?” In Jennifer’s response, she indicated that she had her full support of her elders for her blogging activities, “Given the closeness in proximity to everyone I am writing about, I think it would prudent to not name the church we are currently attending. It does have several elders, however, who are fully behind us in this endeavor. (Emphasis added.)
By Jennifer’s own admission in her January 15 blog post, it is clear that she and Mark were neither members of Faith PCA on December 11, nor did they have the support of their elders at that time:
We’ve requested membership at Faith Presbyterian Church (PCA) in San Antonio, Texas. We have fully described our excommunication by Boerne Christian Assembly (BCA) to our Session of Elders. The Session has agreed to work with us toward reconciliation and restoration, and we have agreed to submit to their authority as ordained Elders.There are certain terms and conditions that the Faith Session will place upon us to begin the process of restoring us to communicant church membership. In fulfilling these obligations, the Session will have evidence we are sincere in our desire to become members of Faith Presbyterian Church under the authority of their Session. The very first of those issues is that we demonstrate a willingness to be reconciled with our brethren at BCA. (Emphasis added.)
