Forgive all you want, but there is no way in hades that a convicted sex offender is going to be allowed contact with my children. There are consequences for actions. Forgiveness does not erase the consequences. The consequences in this case are: sex offenders don't get to work in children's ministry. Forgiveness doesn't mean you allow the transgressor full access to your life or your family. Boundaries are necessary in all relationships. Forgiveness does not negate that, regardless of the offense. Church staffs have a responsiblity to do due diligence in protecting their members from harm, and sex offenders have a very high rate of recidivism.

Our Lord has commanded that we forgive everyone (not just certain people). How can we expect God to forgive us if we do not forgive others. This do as I say and not as I do mentality does not work. We are also told to make sure other Christians are living a correct life that would be pleasing to God. Remember any sin can be at times be really hard to overcome, whether it be the sin of lust or even the sin of hateful thoughts. Through the power of God and the strength of fellow Christians we can overcome any sin. I think that all sexual offenders should be allowed to attend church but not be left alone with children (no adult should be left alone with children anyway whether they are sex offenders or not). They are also should be encouraged to join a Triad group to grow in Christ because the stronger your faith is the stronger you are and the less likely you are to re-offend.

Mike, where are you? The permissive sexual sin of our society is the root of all of this perversity and it's pointless to try and say that it's simply 'someone's choice'. It always helps to salve our own conscience by condemning others who are more open in their faults than we are. What is understood is that offenders are victims themselves; and we all are living in Sodom these days, so we are all affected to some degree by the exposure to the sin. It is of our own choosing that we contribute to the decay, either by our own involvement in sexual sin, which might be the lust we have for our own spouse ... or by glibly suggesting that the problem can be remedied if the perpetrators would only tie a rope around their neck and go away. If it comforts you to put these souls out of your concern since they are beyond hope in rehabilitating, it must be shallow. The measure of grace we have is shown by the limits to which we would have come out of Heaven to save the lost. Mike, where are you?

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance? Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

In the UK there is no law against Sex Offenders (SO) going to their chosen faith community and I hope there will never be one. I have worked with SO for a number of years and when resettling men and women in faith communities we have a very robust system of 'support and accountability'. As a christian and running a christian based charity I wanted to be building a good reputation with the statutory agencies. They were used to stories of SO being 'saved' and therefore that allowed the individual to start grooming again, they were sick and tired of the church being too soft and not taking enough responsibility of taking care of their people. Jesus talked about being 'wise and gentle' we try hard to be both for the people we work with and the communities we are asking to help them! Lets be people of hope and grace, lets make sure the church has a strong Safegaurding policy and a small group of people who are 'wise and gentle' enough to walk along side them as they love the Lord.