A Christian ethics professor has been fired from his job following his arrest for allegedly possessing child pornography.
In a statement sent to members of the campus community at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas, last Thursday, Seminary President, the Rev. Stephen Cady, explained that “We have been informed by law enforcement that Charles Bellinger, a former faculty member, was arrested yesterday for ‘Possession of Child Pornography.’”
Cady added, “When Brite administration was made aware of this situation, we immediately initiated our own investigation, cooperated with law enforcement, shut down his access to school technology, personnel, and facilities, and placed him on immediate administrative leave before terminating his employment shortly thereafter. He did not teach a single class after we learned of the concern.”
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“The alleged behavior is repugnant and the antithesis of our values as an institution,” Cady continued. “We keep in our prayers all of those involved in this horrific situation, especially the child victims. We are also mindful that for survivors of sexual trauma, this news might be especially hard to process, and we hold you in prayer as well.
“We will, as a community, get through this difficult moment as we have difficult ones in the past, prayerfully and together,” he said while asking members of the campus community to “please do be in prayer for Brite.”
Following the arrest, Cady assured that he is “more committed than ever to a world transformed by God’s love, mercy, and justice.”
While Cady did not elaborate on Bellinger’s role with the school, an archived version of his profile in Brite’s staff directory identifies him as a “theological librarian and professor of theology and ethics” with a particular passion for “reflecting on human psychology from a theological point of view.” Courses he has taught in the past include “History of Christian Ethics,” “Religion and Violence,” “Religion and Secularity in Contemporary Thought” and “Theology and Human Rights.”
Bellinger has also authored several books, including Jesus v. Abortion. Published in 2016, a review of the book from Australia-based theology professor Scott Cowdell praises it as a “powerful pro-life case” that “delivers a wake-up call to both Church and nation.”
University of Dallas professor Bernadette Waterman Ward asserted that Bellinger “boldly proposes that Christians cast off their fear of referring to Jesus when discussing abortion” and relies on sources that “demonstrate how abortion conforms to the patterns of violence that Jesus revealed both by his words and by his death.”
A report from TCU 360, the student newspaper of Texas Christian University, which shares a campus with but operates independently from Brite, explained that Bellinger’s arrest followed an investigation from the Fort Worth Police Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, TCU Police and the United States Secret Service. Law enforcement officials served a warrant at his office on the TCU campus as well as his home in nearby Arlington.
Bellinger was booked into the Tarrant County Jail last week and released on a $30,000 bond.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
