Depending on who you follow on Facebook, you might have seen a post shared about a man kidnapped and robbed in Macon, Georgia.
The rumors stated that Christopher Keys was kidnapped by two black men, taken to a hotel and robbed of his money, keys and cell phone.
However, the real story is more complicated than that.
Because of this rumor, local news station 13 WMAZ did an investigation into the situation.
The rumor shared around Facebook stated that Keys, a married man and local youth pastor, was kidnapped from a local CVS parking lot after shopping and forced to a motel. There the kidnappers stole his phone, about $70 cash and his keys.
After he got away, he recovered his phone which was discarded in a Walmart parking lot and tried to call 9-1-1. However in his story, no one answered.
When he did get a hold of emergency services, he was told by law enforcement there was nothing they could do for him.
His story, though, is not what actually happened.
Yes, Keys was robbed and yes, he surprisingly recovered his phone from a Walmart parking lot. However, he did not end up at the motel because he was kidnapped.
Instead, he was there soliciting sex from a Craigslist ad.
Keys told deputies he was just going to lie to his friends and family and state he was kidnapped. From there, the rumor spread.
When 13 WMAZ heard of this rumor, the idea that they missed a police report for a kidnapping worried them, so they looked into the case. The statement that emergency services didn’t answer was concerning as well.
Because of all the confusion surrounding Keys rumors and 13 WMAZ’s story, the Bibb County Sheriff put out a statement and set the record straight.
Despite the use of the term “sodomy” in the charge, you cannot be charged with a crime based on it. However, offering to pay for sex, or solicitation, is still illegal in much of the United States.
There is also an issue with the fact that this story outed Keys’ sexuality. Some see this as just a horrible side effect of the truth of the story.
Keys has since been let go from working as a youth pastor for the Wesleyan Drive Baptist Church. The sheriff’s department is still investigating the robbery as well, though without a focus on kidnapping.
I am such a fan of religious hypocrisy. /s
Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)
Position statements: [excerpt]
- Creeds and confessions — Statements of belief are revisable in light of Scripture. The Bible is the final word.[87]
- Priesthood of all believers — Laypersons have the same right as ordained ministers to communicate with God, interpret Scripture, and minister in Christ’s name.[89]
- Sanctity of life — “At the moment of conception, a new being enters the universe, a human being, a being created in God’s image”; as such, it should be protected regardless of the circumstances underlying the conception.[90] As such, the SBC opposes abortion and any form of birth control which acts as an abortifacient.
- Sexuality — They affirm God’s plan for marriage and sexual intimacy as a lifetime relationship of one man and one woman. Explicitly, they do not consider homosexuality to be a “valid alternative lifestyle”. They understand the Bible to forbid any form of extra-marital sexual relations.[91]