In a recent court case in Waco, Texas a former minister is on trial for killing his wife in order to be with his mistress. The relationship began when the minister began counseling with the woman in the aftermath of her divorce. The minister then used the relationship with the lover as a way of getting out of a marriage he was not happy with. The unrestrained passions eventually led to him murdering his wife, Kari Baker.
Unrestrained passions often end up with unintended consequences. The same energy the fiery passion of an affair brings to ones life is the same fiery passion that when directed in anger can and often does lead to disastrous results.
At the time of her death, there were questions raised as to whether it was a suicide or murder. The adulterous husband went to great lengths to cover his actions. The traits which an adulterer uses to obsess about the object of their desires was turned on ways of murdering his wife and getting away with it. The episode was featured by the organization StopBaptistPredators. The moving force behind the website and organization is attorney Christa Brown, who advocates for victims of sexual abuse by Baptist ministers and ministry staff. Christa also maintains a blog addressing such issues.
The problem of ministers and affairs is widespread. The issue is one often dealt with behind closed doors which makes the secret saturated scenarios involving affairs even more dysfunctional. It is bad enough that affairs are often surrounded by secrecy, but when the investigation and follow through on such matters are also shrouded in secrecy, the problems increase rather than decrease. Much like oxygen keeps fires burning, handling matters with secrecy keeps the dynamics that set up the situation and feeds the unhealthy relationships that surround affairs.
Best Regards,
Jeffrey D. Murrah
