Boys in Gilded Cages by Jarod Powell

Author:Jarod Powell
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, mobi
Tags: meth addiction, rural missouri, rural culture, visionary and metaphysical fiction, mental illness and depression

THE PROTEST

Profiles

The Lonely Protestor Bobby Faust vs. Father Redmond of Hawthorn Baptist Church

By JP Andrews July 1, 2014

On August 19, 2013, Harold Redmond, pastor for the controversial and increasingly infamous Hawthorn Baptist Church, made a phone call to Bobby Faust. Bleary-voiced, but with a sort of hopped up tremor at 1a.m. “We need you, Bobby,” Father Redmond said, near sobs. “God needs you. I need you. Please come back.”

The tiny town of Hawthorn, Missouri, population 575 as of 2010, has never been so embattled as it is now. Father Redmond is the mayor of Hawthorn, taking Bobby’s father Jerry’s seat. This is the first time in over 100 years that the mayor’s seat was not run unopposed. As Bobby saw it, the rural Missouri church’s increasing public spectacle, coupled with what Faust saw as a betrayal of his father—a family friend, became grounds for resignation of membership. He said, “I never considered myself a particularly religious person. In fact, these days, I’m closer to an atheist. But in Hawthorn, church is family, and family is church. You don’t hurt family.”

Faust is surprisingly cavalier about defecting from the church that so many have labeled a cult. He claims to not know much about the accusations of fraud and drug operations, and suggests that his decision to leave was more personal than moral. Although he is decidedly aloof regarding the alleged corruption of Hawthorn Baptist church, he was a lifetime member, getting Baptized there in 1987, at the age of two.

In spite of his casual cynicism, he has not been silent. He recently blogged for ManChild New York—a sort of op-ed for a liberal site, known for skepticism of media conglomerates, politicians, and the establishment in general. It tends to treat all public figures with the same fascination and repulsion many people have for Hollywood actors. No one is spared from gossip, and ManChild New York became interested in Hawthorn Baptist Church shortly after its most famous member—troubled actor Brandon Bennett-- disappeared briefly in 2009.

Bobby has since spoken with every media outlet, from Fox News to the Huffington Post, who are mostly interested not in Bobby’s story, but Hawthorn’s connection to another controversial Midwestern church, the Westboro Baptist Church. He seems to understand what they want, which is soundbytes that are remarkably similar, and reflects on them with media savvy that belies his objective stance on the church’s operations. “They didn’t want to know about drug trafficking, they didn’t want to know about the Church’s income last year, which was ridiculous when you think about how small it is,” he said. “They hinted at it, leading questions off with ‘with their alleged IRS-dodging tactics,’ but mostly they focused on the gay-bashing and their connection to Westboro. There’s a much bigger issue here, with Hawthorn. But it’s like they’re building up to it. It’s like, ‘First America’s gotta know that Hawthorn exists, then we can break the biggie stories.’ It’s kinda gross. It’s almost like they’re working publicity for Hawthorn. The weird thing is, Father Redmond always seemed to hate attention.

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