Kumari Shreya
Investigation Discovery’s ‘Let Us Prey: A Ministry of Scandals’ sheds light on the various criminal acts that members of the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) were able to commit against those under their power. The impact that such actions have had on innocent lives is something one can hardly discount. Consider Jake Schaap, a pastor who was later found involved in multiple actions. Given the consequences of the same, the world is now eager to know about his current whereabouts.
Who is Jack Schaap?
Jack Schaap’s association as a member of IFB can be traced back to his younger years, with him having completed his education under the guidance of the organization. Prior to that, he had attended Hyles-Anderson College to gain three different degrees. From 1974 to 1978, he studied for his Bachelor’s in Christian Theology. This was followed by him obtaining his master’s in Pastoral Theology in 1979. After some years, in 1993, he returned to the institute and earned his doctorate in Pastoral Ministry in 1994.
Through his marriage to Cindy Hyles, Schaap became the son-in-law of Jack Hyles, the man who served as Senior Pastor for First Baptist Church of Hammond until his passing in 2001. Following the passing of Jack Hyles, Schaap became the Senior Pastor for First Baptist Church of Hammond in Hammond, Indiana, in January 2001. In the same month, Schaap also took up the role of Chancellor of Hyles-Anderson College in Crown Point, Indiana, his alma mater.
During his time as one of the most prominent figures in the IFB hierarchy, Schaap wielded much influence and helped introduce many new members to the church. However, things took a different turn in the summer of 2012, when Schaap was fired from his role as a pastor as well as chancellor. The reason given behind the same was apparently the fact that he had had sexual relations with a teenage girl, a student of the church’s high school.
Given the girl with whom Schaap had allegedly been intimate was older than Indiana’s age of consent, the church has seemingly fired him for adultery, given that he was a married man. However, the fact that his meetings with the young girl that Schaap had been sexually active with were disguised as “counseling sessions” did not paint the pastor in good light. He did make meticulous plans to throw suspicion off him by even having the girl driven to Michigan or Illinois so that he could be with her.
Jack Schaap is No Longer in Prison
While Jack Schaap could not be charged with rape of a minor given Indiana’s age of consent laws, the allegations of grooming the young girl remained on his head. Furthermore, given that he had arranged for her to cross state boundaries, prosecutors built a case against him on the charge of transporting his victim across state lines for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Schaap ended up pleading guilty and was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2013. Part of the reason why he took a plea deal was to avoid being tried in multiple states, given the nature of his crimes.
However, on May 4, 2022, Schaap was released from captivity due to unspecified reasons. According to official records, his exit came nine months before he should have been released. Since then, Schaap has remained under the radar, though he did share prior to his release that he had no family in Indiana, but his parents still lived in Michigan. Schaap’s release was protested by many of those who have actively worked to fight against the abuse prevalent within IFB.
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