Voice of the Martyrs Executive Director TOM WHITE Apparently Commits Suicide
May 9, 2012
This morning I opened a letter that arrrived yesterday from The Voice of the Martyrs, a ministry to the persecuted Christians worldwide, with the words "Important Message from the President" across the envelope. I assumed it was an urgent call for funds, prayers, etc. When I opened it and began to read, however, I saw quickly that I was wrong.
The news it contained - that Executive Director Tom White had been found dead on April 18 - shocked me. The news that he had apparently taken his own life made the sadness grow. Then the revelation that he had apparently done this to avoid investigation (or hurt to the ministry and his family) over the accusation that he had "had inappropriate contact" with a minor girl sucker punched me in my ample gut.
I hoped it wasn't true - that he had somehow mistakenly thought there was no way the ministry or his family could survive a scandal, that he was afraid of returning to prison (having spent 17 years in a Cuban prison for evangelism) for some reason, or that he felt hopeless defending himself against untrue allegations from an otherwise trustworthy young lady and her family.
I began to search for more information online when I reached my office.
I discovered that the Bartlesville, OK, police department had closed their case against Mr. White, having located his body after acquiring a subpeona to locate him via his cell phone's GPS for questioning or arrest.
I learned that the father of the unnamed alleged victim had responded to an open letter written to address his daughter regarding this double tragedy - and had revealed details that implicated White with no doubt.
This article contains a lot of information, as well as reliable links to other information:
I have supported Voice of the Martyrs for many years, and would recommend VOM to anyone. While it is good to know that the alleged abuse did not take place on VOM property or have any connection to the ministry otherwise, and while I know that any ministry must take care in how it words any response regarding alleged abuse (unfortunately, I have had to craft some of this wording in a ministry with which I have worked), I do wish that the letter mailed by VOM had issued some type of regret or sorrow to the girl, even if they had expressed it concerning "alleged" "inappropriate contact". I have already read some negative response to this online.
I am saddened to hear that a man whom I have held in high regard for many years has taken his own life, and I am more deeply saddened to hear that he may very well have been guilty of the abuse with which he has been accused.
I am also deeply saddened for that young girl. Most reports omit her age, but one says she is 10. One of my daughters is 10 years old, and the other is 7. I would do anything to protect them, and I love them far more than my own life. If anyone attempted to hurt them in any way, I would stop at nothing to protect them, to help them, to heal them, to do anything I could. I am so very sorry for her and her family that this abuse took place, and that she will have to live with that knowledge, etc., for her lifetime.
Her family has read and responded to Wade Burleson's open letter [link in the above-linked article], and you would likely benefit reading it, as well.
May God protect, bless, and heal this young lady, her family, and the family of Tom White.
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