Dr. Michael Brown’s Accuser Reveals Identity, Blasts Him For Lying about Sexual Misconduct
The previously unnamed woman who recently accused author, apologist, and The Line of Fire radio host Dr. Michael Brown of committing sexual misconduct with/against her 23-year years ago has revealed her identity, along with a renewed list of grievances against the storied charismatic leader.
Earlier this month, Brown was accused by ‘Erin,’ now revealed to be Sarah Erin Monk (hereby known as Sarah), of sexually inappropriate conduct that would frequently cross physical boundaries, including holding her hand, kissing her on the lips, and slapping her butt.
In response, Brown said he was “shocked and horrified by the mix of accusations, allegations, false statements, and mischaracterizations” that have been levied against him by numerous parties about these incidences, insisting that “My interaction with her, although totally non-sexual in every way, reflected a definite lack of judgment on my part…(they were) certainly foolish and irresponsible – but neither sexual nor amorous in any way.”
In a new statement posted to YouTube yesterday, (and posted in full below) Brown, who has been silent on the issues after engaging a third-party firm to investigate these claims against him, addressed allegations that he’d had an innapropriate relationship with a second unnamed woman.
He offers that “these incidents occurred in late 2001 and the very beginning of 2002 during a very difficult season of life and ministry” and confesses that while he’s never committed adultery, the unnamed woman (who passed away in 2021) and her husband were close friends of his, and he developed and “emotional, not a physical tie” to her during these months.
Because of the weight of my conscience, I went and confessed everything to a close friend the first week of 2002. I then went to Nancy (Brown’s wife) and with agonizing repentance, confessed to her with a broken heart, asked her forgiveness. And she forgave me deeply and totally.
In January 2002, I was eager to share all this with my leadership team, as well as with our entire school and church community. But that was not my decision alone to make. And both offended spouses agreed that since we had not committed adultery, the matter would end there, sparing them further shame and dishonor. That’s the reason I’ve never discussed it with anyone else until recently. It was not to hide things. It was to honor my spouse whom I had hurt so deeply.
In the aftermath of this incident, he said he received “intensive counseling” and experienced “the holy discipline of the Lord.”
According to the woman’s widowed husband (‘Ray) who spoke to the Roys Report, Brown began spending more and more time with his his wife and their phone conversations turned innapropriate:
“Ray said his wife couldn’t figure out how to stop the inappropriate interactions and return things to how they used to be.
“She knew the truth would bring down a minister, and she did not want to be known as the woman who had a part in that,” Ray said.
So, Ray stepped in. In early 2002, Ray met with Brown and his wife, Nancy, to confront him, Ray said.
“I used the term . . . ‘Are you just having phone sex with my wife?’” Ray said.
Ray said Brown’s responses were confusing and not fully repentant, but that Brown admitted to the inappropriate dynamic.
“He admitted to everything I confronted him with, but it was just very reluctantly,” Ray said. “I kept having to pull him around. It was like pulling teeth a little bit. . . . It was admitted that he was doing something that had, or saying something, or perpetuating something, that had some sort of sexual flavor to it.”
Ray said Nancy asked Ray what he was going to do about the situation. Ray, who didn’t want to embarrass his wife, said he told them he and his wife just wanted quietly out of the situation.
As to the veracity of Erin’s allegations, Brown says, “It’s not my purpose here to deny or confirm specific allegations. I’ll leave it to the investigation to uncover truth.” Instead, he desires to “take full ownership of my actions and the pain I caused.”
I apologized to her and Nancy’s presence that same day, but it is clear now that I failed to understand the depth of what she was experiencing as a result of my actions. And I never dreamed that she would suffer the effects of that pain in subsequent years.
And so today, in the most public way possible, I want to speak directly to her. Please forgive me for my actions which caused you so much pain. Had I more clearly understood the result of those actions in 2002, I would have responded very differently. Again, from the heart, I ask you to forgive me. I am truly and deeply sorry.”
In a new statement posted to X, (and shared in full in the endnotes) Sarah takes aim at Browns’s statements so far, asking:
I keep thinking about why Michael Brown won’t just admit to what he has done or publicly repent and bring healing to SO many who have been hurt by his actions and words. Why is he hiding? Why such a vague statement? Why did he lie in his statement?
She accuses him:
I held this secret for two decades. I was ashamed and guilty, and I felt I was the one who should have stopped it long before anything more physical happened after HE held my hand in a car with three other students watching. That was the ONLY time we held hands PUBLICLY. There were many times when the hand-holding took place privately.
Yes, he lied about making a point about doing it publicly because I was like a daughter. I should have stopped it; I should have spoken out. I did not, so then the next physical touch was him touching my backside.
Yes, Dr. MICHAEL L. BROWN put his hand on my butt!! The one who condemned so many for a lustful eye, who screamed from the pulpit, REPENT OF YOUR SINFUL WAYS. The one who taught us to live holier than the day before. The one who preached REVOLUTION. The one who said being alone with the opposite sex was a sin and would get you kicked out of school. Yes, THAT Dr. Michael L. Brown was alone in HIS office with someone from the opposite sex touching MY butt as I would exit his office.
This didn’t happen just once, and NEVER happened publicly or in front of his wife, Nancy!! NOT ONCE. But it did happen privately.
She also notes:
Then the kiss, not just one kiss or two, but many! Once again, he had someone of the opposite sex in his office ALONE! As I told him goodbye, he sat in his chair and leaned up for a kiss. On the lips, not the head as he has told others. Yes, stupid me gave him one. I felt something was off when it happened. Why didn’t I stop it? I do not know.
Sarah also denies that Brown apologized to her in a meeting with his wife about his behavior towards her, quoting his previous statement. She says it was in regard to another matter where she alleges she found a note he wrote to ANOTHER woman professing his desire to have sexual relations with.
And so Nancy and I met with her immediately in the spirit of Matthew 18, I apologized to her from the heart, we talked things through together, after which, to our knowledge, everything was good between us.
Well, it NEVER happened. The idea that he apologized to me in this meeting is a complete fabrication. The only meeting the three of us had about any inappropriate behavior was when I found the ‘confession’ he wrote about another woman! I confronted him about this and that is when he asked me to meet with him and Nancy. It had nothing to do with his “foolish and irresponsible” behavior toward me but with his sensual relationship with another woman, who I assumed was groomed as well…
That is the only meeting ever to take place between us three!!!
She concludes:
He has lied, and I lied for him for two decades, protecting him and his ministry. For that, PLEASE FORGIVE ME. For allowing a physical relationship to happen, PLEASE FORGIVE ME. For not speaking up before I moved, PLEASE FORGIVE ME. PLEASE FORGIVE ME, for all my wrong and sinful ways in this situation. I truly want healing to come from this—not just for me, but for EVERYONE involved, all who have been hurt.
Sarah’s Statement
I am ‘Erin’…
This may be lengthy, and I apologize from the start. I have been trying to process everything that is going on lately. I keep thinking about why Michael Brown won’t just admit to what he has done or publicly repent and bring healing to SO many who have been hurt by his actions and words. Why is he hiding? Why such a vague statement? Why did he lie in his statement?
I know they are lies because I am ‘Erin’.
My name back then was Sarah ERIN Monk. I held this secret for two decades. I was ashamed and guilty, and I felt I was the one who should have stopped it long before anything more physical happened after HE held my hand in a car with three other students watching. That was the ONLY time we held hands PUBLICLY. There were many times when the hand-holding took place privately. Yes, he lied about making a point about doing it publicly because I was like a daughter. I should have stopped it; I should have spoken out. I did not, so then the next physical touch was him touching my backside. Yes, Dr. MICHAEL L. BROWN put his hand on my butt!!
The one who condemned so many for a lustful eye, who screamed from the pulpit, REPENT OF YOUR SINFUL WAYS. The one who taught us to live holier than the day before. The one who preached REVOLUTION. The one who said being alone with the opposite sex was a sin and would get you kicked out of school. Yes, THAT Dr. Michael L. Brown was alone in HIS office with someone from the opposite sex touching MY butt as I would exit his office.
This didn’t happen just once, and NEVER happened publicly or in front of his wife, Nancy!! NOT ONCE. But it did happen privately. Still, I did nothing; I allowed it to happen. I kept the secret because I felt I had to because it was Michael Brown. Surely, he wouldn’t be doing anything against his preaching or the Lord, I thought. I was not okay with what was happening, but I didn’t stop it. I allowed it to happen. Many have told me that he groomed me and I was a victim. But still, I have felt guilty.
Then the kiss, not just one kiss or two, but many! Once again, he had someone of the opposite sex in his office ALONE! As I told him goodbye, he sat in his chair and leaned up for a kiss. On the lips, not the head as he has told others. Yes, stupid me gave him one. I felt something was off when it happened. Why didn’t I stop it? I do not know.
Once again, this NEVER happened in front of Nancy or the public eye. Everything happened in secret. Everything happened when no one could see (except the first-hand holding). So yes, he lied about merely having ‘poor judgment’ in public because they happened in private. Doing it in public seems like it was meant to pave the way for him to do it in private. He was testing the boundaries. I was too young to understand that.
The meeting he claimed happened between me, him and Nancy, … this one:
“And so Nancy and I met with her immediately in the spirit of Matthew 18, I apologized to her from the heart, we talked things through together, after which, to our knowledge, everything was good between us.”
Well, it NEVER happened. The idea that he apologized to me in this meeting is a complete fabrication. The only meeting the three of us had about any inappropriate behavior was when I found the ‘confession’ he wrote about another woman! I confronted him about this and that is when he asked me to meet with him and Nancy. It had nothing to do with his “foolish and irresponsible” behavior toward me but with his sensual relationship with another woman, who I assumed was groomed as well.
Note: what I read was written in his handwriting. There is no reason for me to believe that the things he attributed to the other woman were actually said by her. I believe that she was a victim.
That is the only meeting ever to take place between us three!!!
He has lied, and I lied for him for two decades, protecting him and his ministry. For that, PLEASE FORGIVE ME. For allowing a physical relationship to happen, PLEASE FORGIVE ME. For not speaking up before I moved, PLEASE FORGIVE ME. PLEASE FORGIVE ME, for all my wrong and sinful ways in this situation. I truly want healing to come from this—not just for me, but for EVERYONE involved, all who have been hurt.
Michael Brown wrote in his official statement:
“If it’s true that for 23 years she has carried this pain and I am responsible for it, I am beyond mortified and would plead forgiveness and the opportunity to bring healing and restoration. Her wellbeing remains our priority.”
If my well-being had been your priority 23 years ago, you would’ve never laid a hand on me. You were thinking about yourself. Instead of hiding behind your creative wordsmithing, simply tell the truth.
I am so thankful for Amber, Londa, Rachel, Katherine, Gregg, Kris, and Ron for standing by me through this. Without their support and guidance, I would not have said a word to The Roys Report. I learned to just ignore it, not think about it, and pretend it didn’t happen. It was easy to do back then because when I moved home, no one reached out to me, and I didn’t reach out to anyone. I wanted to forget everything from Pensacola. I did just that!
But there is a time for everything (Eccl. 3:1-8). Now is the time to speak out and help those who are hurting find the healing they need. I have read the heartbreaking stories that many of you posted (this was originally posted in a private Facebook group for graduates and former faculty of BRSM/FIRE, were many or sharing their own stories). I am genuinely sorry for all the hurt and shame you all have felt for years. No one should be hurt the way you all were by ANYONE, especially a nationally known spiritual leader, holiness preacher, and revivalist. Your compassionate responses to “Erin” have been life to me. Thank you.
Again, please FORGIVE me for my role in the situation and the lies I told to cover it up.
Sarah
Michael Brown’s Statement: (Transcribed by Protestia)
Thanks so much for taking time to watch this statement. Since a third party investigation can drag on for months, I’m gonna speak to you today with transparency about recent stories and allegations in the news. I would have done this days ago, but I’ve been out of the country with my grandson. I wanna be transparent, take full ownership of any wrongs done on my part, and as forgiveness for incidents that took place 23 years ago
These incidents occurred in late 2001 and the very beginning of 2002 during a very difficult season of life and ministry. I’ve lived for decades with the sobering reality that many people follow my teaching and look to my example. As Jesus taught in Luke 12: 48,’ everyone to whom much was given, of him, much will be required.’ I am accountable to a holy God for the ministry entrusted to me.
As a result of recent allegations, many are deeply confused and troubled. In the interest of full disclosure and in the sight of the God who knows all, I will speak to you as plainly and directly as I can.
Well, I have never committed adultery in all our years of marriage. In late 2001, the beginning of 2002, I developed an emotional, not a physical tie with another individual. She and her husband were very close friends of ours.
Because of the weight of my conscience, I went and confessed everything to a close friend the first week of 2002. I then went to Nancy and with agonizing repentance, confessed to her with a broken heart, asked her forgiveness. And she forgave me deeply and totally. Looking back today, as we approach 49 years of marriage, I remain amazed at the depth of her love.
At that time, In January 2002, I was eager to share all this with my leadership team, as well as with our entire school and church community. But that was not my decision alone to make. And both offended spouses agreed that since we had not committed adultery, the matter would end there, sparing them further shame and dishonor. That’s the reason I’ve never discussed it with anyone else until recently. It was not to hide things. It was to honor my spouse whom I had hurt so deeply.
In the months that followed in 2002, I made radical changes to my schedule and lifestyle, received intensive counseling, and experienced the holy discipline of the Lord. I am profoundly grateful that our Lord is a forgiving Lord, that He responds to deep heartfelt repentance, and that He does not discard and cast off His children because of their failings when they turn back to Him with all their heart. As Micah said, ‘who is a God like you who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? You do not stay angry forever, but delight to show mercy.’
As to the incident with the individual referred to in the allegations as Erin, it is not my purpose here to deny or confirm specific allegations. I’ll leave it to the investigation to uncover truth. The fact is that an offense remains, and that is what I must address, taking full ownership of my actions and the pain I caused.
Jesus gave us a clear directive when it came to matters like this. ‘If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you. Leave your gift there in front of the altar, first go and be reconciled to them, then come and offer your gift.’
In the case at hand, Erin has something very serious against me, and it is imperative that I make this right to the best of my ability. Nancy and I understood the matter had been settled in August, 2002, when Erin expressed to me for the first time how her interaction months earlier had made her uncomfortable. I apologized to her in Nancy’s presence that same day, but it is clear now that I failed to understand the depth of what she was experiencing as a result of my actions.
And I never dreamed that she would suffer the effects of that pain in subsequent years. And so today, in the most public way possible, I want to speak directly to her. Please forgive me for my actions which caused you so much pain. Had I more clearly understood the result of those actions in 2002, I would have responded very differently. Again, from the heart, I ask you to forgive me. I am truly and deeply sorry.
Now, if I can speak to all those who were part of the Fire community at that time, to the rest of the leaders, virtually all of whom I’ve been able to speak with privately already, to our students and grads, to our church community, and to every Fire missionary on the field worldwide, please forgive me for my failings and poor judgment, and any mishandling of these situations during that time 23 years ago.
I fell short of the high standards that we set. I disappointed you and I hurt you. Please forgive me. You were the most important people in my life and I was committed to serving you at any cost. I literally shed tears of love for all of you and desperately desire to walk worthy of your honor and love as well, setting a godly example in every way. Again, I can only ask you to forgive me today.
To the larger body of Christ, I deeply regret my behavior from 23 years ago. To the extent that it has caused pain or been a distraction or caused you to question God, wonder who the real Dr. Brown is, I ask you as well to forgive me. I know I failed you during that period and will continue to work to regain your trust.
I truly believe that Peter, restored by God’s grace after denying the Lord three times and weeping bitterly, became a far better man through his experiences. If dredging up this painful time in my life, a time when I also wept bitterly for many days, deepens my humility and dependence on the Lord, then all the more do I embrace what he has called me to walk through today.
Regardless of the finding of the third party investigation, I do not minimize the wrongness of my past actions. And in the days ahead, I remain fully submitted to the Line of Fire board, as I’ve entrusted the process into their hands and have agreed to walk through it however they see fit.
May his healing grace flow to everyone who is hurting and may God’s life outshine the darkness.
Editor’s Note. We’ve updated the article to included more about the unnamed and her husband’s testimony, and for clarity.
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What a crock of lies by Michael Brown. He needs removed from ministry for the rest of his life.
Though it was clearly wrong, I believe he’s truly repentant and has been all these years. If he wasn’t sincere then others will or would have come out also. His accuser acts though he raped her, and she’s obviously very bitter about it and seems to be out for blood. It’s not like she was a helpless child or teen at the time – she was a 41 year old married adult. So she also should bear some of the responsibility and blame. Good grief, move on.
Butt hurt women who don’t like to be touched by a man should truly visit Siberia where their clothing is 4 inches thick so she may never feel those supposed unwanted advances. If she did not win her case before then why is she re-initiating her complaints in the media as if she thinks her age will now allows her more clout.
Touching and a pat of the butt is not sexual, it is called camaraderie, and if she is too stupid to understand that, then she’s a royal loser that we would call a feminist man hater. When they are screaming at the top of their lungs that Touching is the same as rape, then that proves they are mentally unstable and would make us question her ability to be hired by anyone after the fact. She would already be considered to be a toxic hire !!!
I am curious about an aspect that has not been mentioned.
Was this disclosure preceded by any form of “demand” letter? Any prior request for “compensation”?
In other words, she has admitted her own adulterous sin. Applying the principles of Duet 22:23-27, it is clear that she could’ve “cried out”, and has admitted in her own statement that she should’ve and could’ve stopped it.
Probably not a very good idea to jump on the Julie Roy’s women-are-never-guilty bandwagon. “I’m innocent because he’s the one who should’ve stopped it”, when she could’ve “cried out” and stopped it at any time, is not, never has been, and never will be a valid excuse for adultery. Or any other sin. Blaming somebody else for not stopping you from sinning. Nah, doesn’t cut it. I’m fairly certain such an excuse wont work on judgment day.
She says she didn’t speak out before because she felt guilty and ashamed. Well, rightly so. That right there is an admission of her own guilt. She had good reason to be ashamed and to keep quiet, because she too was guilty, and she knew it.
Bottom line, they’re both guilty.
Deut. 22:23-27
Some of her arguments, essentially “how dare this guy be calling people to repent, and him a sinner”, is just about as antithetical to scripture and the Gospel as it gets. The same can be said about all the Apostles. Paul even persecuting and murdering Christians before the Lord saved him. The same can be said about anybody and everybody who ever lived, except Jesus Himself.
Such an argument reeks of an attempt to intimidate and silence someone for possibly other reasons than those stated. And the end of such “reasoning” would be full-blown antinomian perversion of the grace of God into a license for immorality. If he who has ever sinned cannot speak and share the Gospel, then no one can speak and share the Gospel.
As Paul said in Rom. 3:3-4, “What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4 By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, …”
Brown is likely disqualified from ministry. But it appears he did repent at the time, and has two or three witnesses to confirm it. So it is a wicked stretch to try to essentially call him a hypocrite for calling others to repentance. We are all repentant sinners. If he were unrepentant, then it might be different. But anybody except Jesus Himself, who’s ever shared the Gospel and called people to repentance, has himself been a sinner and repented.
Yes, he’s mostly likely disqualified. But I’m not very impressed by her statement, to say the least. It contains much not befitting a truly born again Christian to ever speak. Since she also has sinned, then by her own contrived standard, she also shouldn’t be speaking, much less have ever shared the Gospel with anyone, or possibly even claimed to be a Christian at all. She has made herself a hypocrite.
Just a terrible statement on her part. She’d have been better off to have just remained silent.
A Jewish man engaged in sexual misconduct with a goy woman? Oi vey! That’s so shocking. Totally never happened before. LOL.
Oh sorry, Doug Wilson, did I just commit the “sin of noticing”? Well I didn’t sign the Antioch Declaration, so I guess its ok.
Unless adulterous sin is exclusive to Jewish men and Gentile women, you haven’t noticed diddly squat …
You’ve committed the sin of posting stupidity …
Its more prevalent with Wannabe-Jews because they read David being “a man after God’s own heart” as meaning adultery is after God’s own heart. It should automatically be assume that any pastor who claims to be a Jew or who is a Zionist or Dispensationalist will commit adultery to try and be like his real God, David.
In this mad world where every other person seems to be insane, are reasonable people really expected to be concerned about this matter that predominantly concerns one man, one woman and God. What is to be gained by dragging this into the public arena. I feel that the woman enjoyed the attention then and is enjoying the attention now and her only real motive is the pointless, and unnecessary destruction and humiliation of another. I wonder, will she have guilt if she succeeds in doing this, or will she simply celebrate her victory and the “punishment” that has no relationship to the relatively minor infraction that occurred and was apparently forgiven by God and a concerned husband and wife. The public arena was never the place to air this matter, and I believe that is sinful, reliving the moments of the past before a receptive audience hungry for salacious details. This is madness when one considers that the woman could have instantly taken control and stopped it instantly but did not. As for twenty-plus years of emotional pain, is this the worst thing that ever happened to this person that sounds like a character from a Victorian novel.
It is relevant because it probably disqualifies him from ministry, and that is the only reason to make it public. Otherwise, I’d agree that it shouldn’t be made public. He was in the ministry at the time, and had been for thirty years. But in either case, she should not be holding a grudge. As for the Roy’s report and that crowd, which tends to skew left, pro baby murder, pro porneia, they probably consider it to be relevant for political and social reasons, to take down anybody and everybody who doesn’t toe their reprobate line. It’s no doubt hypocritical for a crowd that supports just about every form of sexual immorality in existence, and likely voted to endorse it, to be condemning a man for an adulterous relationship that, though certainly wrong, didn’t go very far and didn’t last very long before somebody’s conscience put a stop to it (who knows which). Certainly nowhere near as far as the immorality they support, justify, and/or turn a blind eye to on a daily basis.
I tend to agree that after 20 years, the window has pretty much passed. And it smells to high heaven. Something isn’t quite right with her. Yet still, there is no statute of limitations on disqualification for ministry.
The only other reason I know of, as I understand scripture, for ever making something public would be if there is a refusal to repent, involving individuals not in ministry. In that case, if the three opportunities to repent Jesus outlined in Matt 18 have been met, it can be made public, and if applicable taken to court or whatever is necessary, since 1 Cor. 6 would also have been honored by first taking it to the church on the third visit. But this case is not the same because he is in the ministry and was at the time, but also apparently repented at the time. This is how I see it and understand scripture, though I could be wrong.
Of course, she claims he didn’t repent at the time, but from the sound of it what she really wanted was for him to take all the blame on himself, and that’s just not the case, by scripture. She is just as guilty. She bears just as much blame, because she willingly participated, and could’ve “cried out” but didn’t. So she should be repenting to him just as much as she thinks he should be repenting to her. What she, and probably the womenfolk at Roy’s Report want, is for him to bear all the blame, as if she were innocent, and that’s not going to happen.
As messed up as what Brown did, it isn’t near as severe as his defense of the multiple false teachers over the decades.
I’m just here to see how many good and holy “Christians” crucify him over an emotional attachment that he clearly tried to make right. I know of all the “Christians”, the sanctimonious ones usually suffer the most during these times. May their pure and undefiled lives continue to be an example of the unwavering and clinch-fisted holiness with which all of us are expected to abide. Amen.
I believe you might’ve taken a wrong turn there Thomas. You’ll find those sorts of comments over at Roy’s Report, which first published this. Nobody here is trying to destroy him or crucify him. There’s simply a question whether he is disqualified from ministry, according to the Biblical requirements. Not based on whether or not anybody here thinks they’re better, or based on anybody’s personal standards, hangups, or axes to grind, but simply based on what the Bible says about requirements for ministry. Nobody posting here is without sin. That’s entirely irrelevant.
Head on over to Roy’s Report. You’ll probably find some rabid feminists over there who probably would want to literally see him put to death, and will treat the adulterous woman like a sinless saint (though I’m sure her husband at the time didn’t deem it to be insignificant – and nor would you, Thomas, if it were your wife.). Head on over there. That’s where you’ll more likely find such comments.
Am I the only one , if she’s telling the truth, who finds it rather interesting that she confronted him about a “love note” to another woman in the presence of his wife AND knowingly having and inappropriate relationship with him? Assuming what she’s saying is true, we have to reason with why did she get so upset about his note, present that to him and his wife with contempt, all the while according to her, that she felt very badly regarding their personal relationship, and not confront him about it either? Did his inappropriate behavior continue after this meeting? If reasons now after all this that she wanted to use the note as leverage to keep him from behaving inappropriately, or even harass her, why did she not say that in her most recent statement?
To say that she’s completely innocent in this situation is very hard to say. Was there a power dynamic? Maybe. As of now I’m not informed if that was the case. But according to the timeline she wasn’t a very young either. And she admits that she was conscientious of what they were doing. Is it possible that she kept it under wraps until her husband found out, and now out of resentment is making another statement? Or is he really being dishonest. His latest statement says he apologized in the presence of his wife and Erin for the multiple instances of inappropriate behavior. Would it stand to benefit to say what he did if that were the case? If it was for the reasons Erin said, what would Brown’s wife have to say about it now? Wouldn’t she be able to confirm or deny what Erin said? If brown was lying, thr first person who’d have a serious talk with him would be his wife. Specially if he was lying about it for 23 years and now it comes out.
I find it rather incongruent given just the amount of information we have. Perhaps I’m missing something.
I don’t believe you’re missing anything. All very good questions. He has admitted to certain wrongdoing himself. And beyond that which they both have agreed happened, who knows. Though there is no scriptural basis for what is today called a power dynamic. If she didn’t cry out, then she’s also guilty. And that means cry out at the time, not wait 20 years and then cry out. Which also raises questions, such as why is she not afraid to cry out now? And why did she first do so anonymously, and wait a week or two before telling anybody who she is? If you’re a witness, and you’re afraid, and you know the accused knows who you are, then the first thing you do is make sure your name is published with the report, because that will protect you. But staying anonymous, at that point of publishing, something could’ve been done to her, and nobody but Brown and his wife would’ve know who she was. So exactly how scared is she?
It does indeed stink to high heaven. Something isn’t right. But Brown, by his own admission, just based on what he has admitted to, would be disqualified from ministry, imo, based on what the scripture says about those qualifications.
Based on the information we have so far, I believe he sincerely repented in the past. I believe he had good reason to believe it was fully resolved. I believe he is sincerely apologetic now. The relationship with Erin was wildly inappropriate – it’s shocking how his judgment could have been so poor! The sexually charged emotional affair was clearly sinful. This was all folly and sin – but it also seems to have been dealt with Biblically. What more do people want/expect???