Florida Cops Force Excommunicated Elders Back Into Church – Stand Guard As They Destroy Property
Editor’s note. This article has an accompanied video, which simply must be seen to be believed.
(Evangelical Dark Web) Broward County Florida is a national embarrassment. Once renown for hanging chads, Broward County’s law enforcement became a national disgrace for refusing to put down a school shooter which a jury pool in Broward County would refuse the death penalty to in further disgrace. The latest travesty of justice in Broward County Florida is a story of how a church excommunicated its disgraced elders who would then weaponize the Sheriffs office against the church. The Broward County Sheriffs Office would take a clear stand against the church by enforcing the ownership of the excommunicated elders.
Background
The Church at Deerfield Beach is a small 1689 Reformed Baptist Church. In June 2022, Pastor Jeremy Tatom was hired by The Church at Deerfield Beach. As part of his employment by the church, he and his family were given a residence on the church. Through a series of events, three of the church’s elders either voluntarily resigned or were removed from membership by a vote of the congregation for biblical reasons. One elder, Tom Lund, voluntarily resigned from the church in mid-August 2022 and another elder, Jack Lowther, left the church in mid-October 2022 and was officially removed from membership in mid-November 2022.
In late 2022, the former elders of the church filed a lawsuit against Pastor Tatum and church bookkeeper and long-time member, Molly Redmen, in violation of the church by-laws which insist upon Christian arbitration. In the lawsuit, the defrocked elders sue as The Church at Deerfield Beach. However, the lawsuit in which they claim to have fired Jeremy Tatum was dismissed with prejudice in late January 2023. The court ruled that the former elders did not make a persuasive argument that overcame ecclesiastical abstention doctrine.
Police Involvement
On February 1, Tom Lund would attempt to gain access to the church property. According to police bodycam footage, Lund was informed that police would not involve themselves in a civil matter that lacked a criminal element.
On February 28, Capt. Hofstein of the Broward Sheriff Office overturned the status quo and demanded that Pastor Tatom, and by extension the church congregation, share access of the church property with former member Lund who had not attended any services or had any access to the property in over 6 months. Capt. Hofstein showed up to the church property on February 28th with his second-in-command, Executive Officer Lt. Murillo-Quigley, as well as with Lt. Palamara and another deputy plus former church member, Tom Lund. He dictate terms of operation to the church.
Following this incident, the Tatoms were assured by the Internal Affairs division that there was an investigation into Hofstein’s actions. At their advice, the church changed the locks.
On March 15, Lund returned to the property to trespass with the assistance of a locksmith, and the Tatums called the non-emergency police number to have him removed. The police, when they do show up take no action against Lund. Upon appealing to the Major and the Sheriff, the actions of Capt. Hofstein continued.
On March 31, Tom Lund again uses police to gain access to the church property in a 911 call in which he claims that he needs police assistance to not get shot.
On April 2, both Lund and Lowther show up at the church and request police assistance so that they can break into the church.
On April 9, Resurrection Sunday, both Lund and Lowther return again to gain access to the church, this time to no avail, until Lund returns later that afternoon with another man who breaks a glass door to gain access to the church, while police are in the parking lot enforcing Hofstein’s orders.
With no recourse to be had with the Broward Sheriff’s Office, The Church at Deerfield Beach has appealed to Governor Ron DeSantis multiple times petitioning him to launch a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation into the Broward Sheriff’s Office’s treatment of The Church at Deerfield Beach.
Additionally, they’ve launched a social media campaign to raise awareness over this ongoing injustice. Their video compilation on YouTube garnered over 5600 views.
It is a fraudulent sham to swallow the fiction that the Broward Sheriff’s Office will legitimately investigate its own abusive police state tactics, especially when it is Sheriff Tony himself and his command that has allowed these abusive police state tactics to continue. Florida Department of Law Enforcement can do an independent investigation if ordered to do so by the Governor. But, the Governor has ignored 4 requests since April 6th. The Church at Deerfield Beach and its Pastor have unsuccessfully tried to work within the system so that the abusive police state behavior of the Broward Sheriff’s Office, that continues with Sheriff Tony and his command, stops. It even has included advising the Governor. But, to no avail. It is important to at least shine a light on this abusive police state behavior, and how the Broward Sheriff’s Office with the knowledge of its Sheriff and command allows such abusive police state behavior, and how the Governor will not even order an independent investigation of that abusive police state behavior.
Tom Connick Attorney for The Church at Deerfield Beach
The audacity for police to intervene on both a civil and ecclesiastical matter remains a gross abuse of power by the civil magistrate.
Editor’s Note. This article was written by Ray Fava and published at the Evangelical Dark Web. Republished by Protestia in full with permission.
Also, The Broward County Sheriff’s Facebook page is here, their email is socialmedia@sheriff.org, and their phone number is 1 954-831-8901. We would encourage all our readers to share this or EDW’s article far and wide, and to contact these folks and let them know what you think of their actions, in a kind and polite way.
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Absolutely unbelievable. Here’s a case where this church should use man’s laws to seek justice from this gross tyranny. The police allowing EX elders to destroy and trespass on church property is undeniably wrong.
Ignorant law enforcement officials and unconverted former members create chaos.
I’m going to need more info on the situation before I’m willing to comment. It’s unclear why Lund felt he needed to get into the church, for one. There is a possibility, however remote, that his actions might’ve been justified. It’s clear that either the sheriff is corrupt or he believed Lund had justifiable reason. It does, however, given what we know, appear to be extremely bad.
Given the apostasy of most “churches” these days, and not knowing anything about the church in question, I’m also not inclined to immediately side against anyone simply because he left a church. Many churches are so bad these days it could just as easily mean he’s a born again Bible believing Christian, as it could mean anything else. I’m not going to assume the church is in the right.
Need to know about the church, the background of the situation, why were elders voted out, why did he leave, why he believed he needed access, and so on, before I’m willing to take a side.
If Lund was a ‘Born Again’ Christian odds are he would’ve never involved the police, he would have suffered wrong if they were.
Agreed, and not filed lawsuits in violation of agreements he signed as an elder.
Possibly, but did the church also violate agreements and obligations not just to him but to the Lord. Who first broke their word. Who first violated, and therefore nullified, agreements and obligations, both written and not. I don’t know.
I’m not aware of any scripture that says we should always suffer wrong. Patience and long-suffering are certainly attributes of a born again Christian. But Jesus said in Luke 17, if a brother trespasses against you, rebuke him. Iron sharpens iron. Sin should be confronted and dealt with.
I don’t know anything about the case except what was given in the article above. You guys know me. I’m hesitant to reach conclusions unless I’m certain, even if probability would indicate. But I certainly agree with you that by all indications, according to information given in the article, Lund and the police are in the wrong. There’s no question that Broward County is a corrupt mess.
There is also the possibility that it could be a civil matter by secular law, but the actual problems could be more related to sins against the Lord, than trespasses against one another.
If that’s the case, then such sins against the Lord should never be suffered. In cases such as that, we go to the mat. That is why this website exists in the first place. We might patiently overlook sins against ourselves, but sins against the Lord are an entirely different matter, as I see it.
I’m not saying you guys are wrong. Personally, I need more info.
I was thinking about Luke 17 yesterday. Jesus said “it is inevitable” that we will trespass against one another. Boy isn’t that the truth LOL. We’re bound to step on one another’s toes. It’s inevitable.
Sins against the Lord though, are a very different matter. We can’t overlook those. Nor can we forgive them. That’s His domain.
It is wise to heed Proverbs 18:17. Because the former elders chose to retaliate against biblical church discipline by bringing lawsuits, a lot of the details/claims/evidence are part of the public record in the various court documents that were submitted. Here is the defendants’ response to the lawsuit which includes a letter from members directed towards the disqualified elders (Exhibit 6/pg 30) that will provide more insight.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wlWjvT1_iwgy6F7N9eiEpngkVwo7ZFVg/view?usp=share_link
Also, here is the order of dismissal, also a public record.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m69S5LftmaqFlJcva_ibttIpv5-KxRpV/view?usp=share_link
Thank you for the links. That clears it up.
I would agree. We don’t know both sides, but Lund’s actions are inexcusable. Breaking a glass door to gain entrance?? That’s called trespassing especially after you have been told to leave.
Paul clearly stated “Why not rather be wronged” and not to go to the world before going to the saints.
1 Cor. 6:1-8
I’m not as knowledgeable of scripture as some of you, but I’m not sure whether or not that, or any other, scripture strictly forbids lawsuits among believers. He’s chastising them for taking a bunch of lawsuits to the secular courts rather than making an effort to settle disputes themselves. Asking those rhetorical questions, showing that the damage that it does to the church is as bad or worse. But he doesn’t say “you must suffer loss”. Seems to me, what he’s basically saying is “settle the disputes among yourselves dagnabbit, because all these lawsuits are harming the church”
I’ve heard different things over the years. Some say it’s a sin to sue a fellow believer for any reason. Others say it isn’t. I honestly don’t know enough of what the scripture says about it to say. It certainly should be avoided if at all possible, no question in my mind about that.
From a secular legal standpoint, if they want the governor to commission an investigation, such theological questions are not going to be relevant. As far as secular law is concerned, it is not illegal to file lawsuits, right. It’ll take much more than that to get him to act. He has responsibilities and obligations. Investigations aren’t cheap. He has to answer for what he does.
And of course he asks those rhetorical questions to the ones who where wronged. When someone is wronged, we can’t point a finger at them and say “you must suffer loss!” (especially if we had a hand in the wrongdoing). It’s their decision. I believe Paul is recognizing that fact. If it were mandatory, then questions, whether rhetorical or not, wouldn’t make any sense. The question is asked because it is the rightful decision of the person being asked.
As Jesus said, there is no greater love than a man lay down his life for a friend. But it’s the man’s own decision. Pointing a finger at him and saying “you must lay down your life” is little short of murder, right.
I may be wrong, but that’s how I see it.
Why is a woman trying to dissuade this crooked cop? Where are the men?