The Story of Jim Wright and The Shepherding Movement

Jim Wright’s Deep Roots in The Shepherding Movement

Strong Denial from Jim Wright, was the Tip Off

(Note:  On March 5, 2015, Jim Wright’s Facebook Page, Crossroad Junction, was suspended and possibly deleted for multiple Community Guideline violations.  Although this deeply impacts and cuts down on the unethical things Jim was doing with that account, such as buying likes and paying for sponsored blog articles to spread his gossip and smear attacks, he still maintains his libelous blog and has in the past week edited articles in the wake of his recent embarrassment.  For this reason, both the Crossroad Junction Watch Blog and Facebook Page are remaining up and new articles will be released as warranted.)

Jim Wright – Shepherding Movement

The inaugural article of this blog (LINK) tells the story of who Jim Wright is and how at the time, he was masquerading as a network of churches with no other named members, and further masquerading as an organization called Nathan’s Voice, that he tried to pretend was independent of him (he’s the only known contact and spokesperson). He used this network of sock-puppet blogs in a bizarre attempt to accuse multiple people of outrageous things.  I made a small comment in that first blog article about Jim Wright’s activities seeming to be pretty similar to something called “The Shepherding Movement” from the 1970s and 1980s.  To my surprise, over time, Jim Wright, in some of his subsequent blog posts and on his Crossroad Junction Facebook Page, which was suspended by Facebook on March 5, 2015 for multiple Community Guideline Violations (LINK), made loud protests against this characterization.  If I’ve learned anything in dealing with this deceptive man, it’s that the louder he denies something, the more likely there’s something there he’s trying to hide.  This proved to be the case this time as well.

Just the Tip of the Iceberg

Facebook Suspends Crossroad Junction

Jim and Marianne Wright’s Crossroad Junction Facebook Page Deleted

It’s been a long time coming.

Jim Wright – Suspended from Facebook

Facebook Suspended Jim and Marianne Wright’s Crossroad Junction page on March 5, 2015.  As of March 19, 2015 the page has not returned. In general, any page missing for more than 2 weeks is a good indication that it’s been permanently deleted. Jim and Marianne Wright using various identities as Fulcrum Ministries, Crossroad Junction, Nathan’s Voice and Fulcrum Express (and this is not an exhaustive list) have been pumping a steady stream of misinformation, innuendo, gossip and outright slander toward multiple people for over 2 years.  The past few weeks have seen even more ridiculous and shriller charges of stalking, cult leadership and actively promoting sexual abuse and defending sexual abusers directed at the author of this blog who stood up to this activity and behavior and dared to point out their aberrant and bizarre behavior.  It culminated with a desperate attempt to try and appeal to a page population by over 6,000 people, most of whom never participated actively, and were from 3rd world countries, to start a campaign of harassment toward the author of this blog as well.  In addition, Jim Wright also began taking his slanderous personal attacks and actually paying to make them sponsored advertised pages in other people’s feeds.  When you can’t get attention based on your own merit and reputation, I guess you have to pay for it.

Multiple Violations

Jim Wright’s Instability

Jim and Marianne Wright’s Crossroad Junction Page has a Long History of Facebook Community Guideline Violations

(Note: Facebook removed this slanderous link because it violated their Community Guidelines. This has happened multiple times.  The article is remaining here as it still remains on their libelous and deceitful blog.  Further since the publishing of this article, Facebook suspended Jim Wright’s personal Facebook Account (restored on Sunday March 8, 2015) and the Crossroad Junction Facebook Page (still down at the time of this note being updated.)

I Knew What was Coming

Jim Wright – Serial Facebook Community Standards Violator

I knew when I undertook independently about 2 years ago to stand against Jim and Marianne Wright and their repeating pattern of distortion and twisting of the truth against others that I would myself be attacked by this couple, and lied about.

Jim and Marianne Wright are predictable if nothing else.

Outrageous Charges Escalating Over Time

Jim Wright Violates Facebook Community Standards Again

Facebook Silences Jim and Marianne Wright Again

Jim Wright – Facebook Community Standards Violator

It’s not the first time it’s happened.  Jim Wright has had multiple posts removed from his Crossroad Junction page on Facebook as has Keith W. Smith and Healing Communities. It is the most recent however. (Note: since the publishing of this article, Facebook suspended Jim Wright’s personal Facebook Account (restored on Sunday March 8, 2015) and the Crossroad Junction Facebook Page (still down at the time of this note being updated.)

Jim Wright on Feb 6, 2015 recently launched another salvo in his more than 3 years old campaign against multiple people who have dared to disagree with him in areas of theology and church polity.  In this latest violation of Facebook community standards, Jim and Marianne Wright, the joint sponsors and authors of Crossroad Junction, accused the author of this blog of stalking, making bizarre comments and a whole litany of baseless and mean-spirited accusations lacking foundation.  He even had the audacity to ask people on his page to report the author of this blog for daring to communicate with them privately.

Additional Investigation Underway

Jim Wright, Elder?

Jim Wright’s Claim to be an Elder

Jim Wright – Elder?

For the past several years, after being excommunicated from his last local church in Manassas, VA, Jim Wright has based his heresy hunting activities upon his claim to be one elder among multiple other unnamed elders from a network of “organic churches” in the Manassas, VA area.  Jim Wright names none of these alleged people so there’s plenty of reason to question Jim’s claimed qualification based on the Scriptural qualifications of an Elder.  This is relevant, especially as Jim asserts himself to hold Scripture as God’s Word and regularly criticizes others as heretics or cults who don’t hold to his very narrow definitions.  He’s also very vocal in criticizing others with the bizarre claim of being “Apostles” even where they never claim or use the title.  Jim Wright very clearly claims to be an elder though and as that’s the foundation of his claim of standing in these matters, that should concern anyone tempted to listen to him who don’t know him otherwise.

So, lets look at the Scriptural qualifications of an Elder and see how Jim compares to those.

One common passage used by Biblical, Fundamentalist Churches is:

Titus 6:1-9 If anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and to rebuke those who contradict it.

Is Jim Wright Above Reproach?

Harvard Family Press Jim Wright

Jim Wright’s History of False and Exaggerated Claims

Family Protection Lobby

Jim Wright – False and Exaggerated Claims

As pointed out multiple times, Jim Wright has a history of false and exaggerated claims that stretches back to the 1980s when as a young man he embarrassed the Moral Majority and then went on to try to co-opt their membership into his own organization called the “Family Protection Lobby.”  Much of the activity of this fringe right-wing evangelical political group simply served as a means for Jim Wright to continue to try to garner attention for himself.  He rarely succeeded in accomplishing anything of any value, but he did often succeed in what appears to have been his primary purpose, which was to get his name in the papers.

Early Failures Compounded over Time

Jim Wright’s Lies

Why Jim Wright Doesn’t Like Me

Jim Wright – Sexual Abuse Advocate?

Note:  Since the publishing of this article, Facebook suspended Jim Wright’s personal Facebook Account (restored on Sunday January 8, 2015) and the Crossroad Junction Facebook Page (still down at the time of this note being updated.)

Over the past several years, Jim Wright continues to make noise and accusations against multiple people whom he has never met with whom he has doctrinal religious disagreements.  Religious disagreements on the internet are not unusual.  What is different about Jim Wright is that he goes one step further and assumes that those who disagree with him religiously are evil people and he makes his attacks personal and builds them into full-blown conspiracies against him.  That’s why you’ll typically see his online attacks composed of both elements because that’s how Jim Wright’s mind works in these matters.

This is what he’s done particularly against me and several others.  What is different now is that Jim’s own past is no longer a secret that he can pretend hasn’t happened, and his lifelong patterns are no longer a secret to those he attacks.

Most of what Jim Wright accuses me of is easily dispensed with based on past articles written here, but for convenience sake this is a quick summary and refutation of his most recent efforts and false and exaggerated claims.

It’s hard to keep up with everything because Jim is continuously changing his posts from the past and either quietly removing outright lies or attempting to re-spin them to suit whatever accommodation he needs to make to change his story along the way.  It hasn’t quite descended to the level of cannibalism and human trafficking but perhaps that is only a matter of time.  😉

Jim Wright Excommunicated Multiple Times

Bob Jones University GRACE Report

G.R.A.C.E. Issues Bob Jones University Report

As many of you are aware, G.R.A.C.E., Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment, issued its report this week on Sexual Abuse and some of the systemic issues present at Bob Jones University (BJU.)  You can find the report HERE.

There will no doubt be a great deal of follow-up and news to this report as the details of it become more public and are digested and as BJU hopefully acts on the recommendations to not only make amends for the past but also systemic changes within the organization to keep future abuse from occurring.

This is how a legitimate victim organization functions and why Crossroad Junction, Nathan’s Voice, Fulcrum Ministries and Jim and Marianne Wright are such a serious threat to legitimate Victim’s Organization’s work.

What’s the Difference?  (Click on Highlights for additional information)

Keith and Jeanne Smith Continue the Sham

Keith Smith and Jim Wright

Jim Wright – Sexual Abuse Advocate?

As was reported on this blog for several months before a partial and internally contradictory “confession” was made by Keith Smith as to his academic and professional fraud, Jim Wright has been up to his old tricks and continued along with his wife Marianne Wright, to make broad accusations against multiple people of sexual impropriety and cover-up.  I’ve followed-up once on Keith Smith to demonstrate at the time that his proclaimed confession was incomplete and likely disingenuous.  Enough time has now passed with several matters unresolved and continued evidence of the Smiths’ and Wrights’ complicity that Crossroad Junction Watch is going to assume that there is no genuine repentance and that all that has been at work thus far is “damage control.”

For that reason, additional elements now are going to be revealed as to the hypocrisy and behind the scenes activity that has been going on in the past, and that which has continued since Keith’s, so-called confession.  The offer remains open to Keith Smith and Jeanne Smith to come clean at any time.  For my part, I’m willing to see them restored,  and to offer forgiveness of my own accord.  I am however going to hold both Jim and Marianne Wright, and Keith and Jeanne Smith to their own professed standards of repentance and demonstrate that lack of such, as long as they continue in their complicity with one another and their smear campaign.

So for the record, here is part of what has been going on:

Keith Smith’s Confession Came After He Removed His Website Under Threat of Lawsuit

Keith Smith Still Promotes His Fraudulent Claims

Multiple Sites Remain Up

Keith W Smith

Keith W. Smith, using the limited forum of Facebook, confessed recently to Academic and Professional Fraud at the beginning of this month.

In that confession, he announced that he was removing his personal Website as well as the Website for Healing Communities.  It has been almost a month, and the following sites remain up, promoting Keith’s services or his past claimed credentials.  The Author of this site (Bart Breen) is aware of other reasons for the removal of these sites than what has been posted publicly, and chose not to reveal those instead giving Keith and Jeanne Elder Smith the opportunity to follow through on their commitment to address these issues.  That forbearance may soon end.

It has now been almost a full month and in this time there has been little evidence of any real desire to address all the issues involved.  The Smith’s have gone silent publicly with a few exceptions in Simple Church Forums where they make no reference to Keith’s partial confession and attempt to carry on with “business as usual.”

Click on the Headings below to be taken to the sites in question.  The information was correct and on the live sites at the time of posting of this article,  If they have been updated since in response to this post, that is encouraging, but sad also that it requires continued public exposure for Keith and Jeanne Smith to do the right thing and follow-up on other sites where they promote their services and attempt to raise funds.  Other sites beyond this may still be in existence.  This is not an exhaustive list, and simply serves as an example that other sites under the control of the Smith’s have not been removed, updated nor has any other admission of Keith’s wrong-doing appeared in the forums where he advertised his fraudulent services.