Ep. 432: The King’s College, Orphanages, Chinese Adoptions, and Immigration

On today’s program, The King’s College in New York City shut its doors in 2023 under a mountain of debt—now, it’s launching a ‘go-forward plan’ in an effort to reopen. We’ll have details. And, a ministry in the U-K is urging Christians to stop giving to orphanages…and instead give to organizations that focus on family-based care. But when it comes to effective orphan care, is that the best way forward? We reached out to U-S based ministries to get their take. Plus, a NC church is shutting its doors…and is leveraging an IRS mandate to donate its assets to more than 75 charities. But first…a group of pregnancy resource centers in New Jersey is asking the Supreme Court to consider its case in protecting donor information. First Choice Women’s Resource Centers, has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to consider its case about the state asking it to disclose information about its donors. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry, Rod Pitzer, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today’s program include Kim Roberts, Elizabeth Coffee, Nathan Mayo, Tony Mator, Brittany Smith, Christina Darnell—and you, Warren. A special thanks to Religion UnPlugged, Baptist Press, The Living Church, and Lifeway Research for contributing material for this week’s podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.   MANUSCRIPT:    FIRST SEGMENT Warren:  Hello everybody. I’m Warren Smith, coming to you from Charlotte, North Carolina. Natasha: And I’m Natasha Cowden, coming to you from Denver, Colorado, and we’d like to welcome you to the MinistryWatch podcast. Warren: On today’s program, The King’s College in New York City shut its doors in 2023 under a mountain of debt—now, it’s launching a ‘go-forward plan’ in an effort to reopen. We’ll have details. And, a ministry in the U-K is urging Christians to stop giving to orphanages…and instead give to organizations that focus on family-based care. But when it comes to effective orphan care, is that the best way forward? We reached out to U-S based ministries to get their take. Plus, a NC church is shutting its doors…and is leveraging an IRS mandate to donate its assets to more than 75 charities. Natasha: But first…a group of pregnancy resource centers in New Jersey is asking the Supreme Court to consider its case in protecting donor information. Warren: First Choice Women’s Resource Centers, has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to consider its case about the state asking it to disclose information about its donors. In November 2023, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin demanded that First Choice turn over many documents, including information it provides to clients, statements about abortion pill reversal, documents about personnel and outside organizations with which it works, and donor information. Natasha: Platkin has openly expressed his hostility toward pregnancy centers. He issued a consumer alert—drafted with the help of Planned Parenthood—complaining that such centers do not provide or refer for abortion. He also signed an open letter pledging to take legal action against pregnancy centers. Warren: Alliance Defending Freedom, on behalf of First Choice, challenged the attorney general’s subpoena based on the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The subpoena chills the right to freedom of association and freedom of speech, the brief argues. The federal courts dismissed the case, claiming it was not ripe until the state court enforced the subpoena. The attorney general then filed an enforcement action in state court. There is a split in the U.S. Courts of Appeal about how to handle this question of whether a state investigatory claim has to be adjudicated in state court before a federal court has jurisdiction. Natasha: Next, an update from The King’s College. Warren: The King’s College – the four-year school forced to shut its doors to students in 2023 under a mountain of debt — is seeking to resume operations in an effort to “create a significant center for Christian higher learning.” In a four-page request for proposal, the private Christian college’s board of trustees said it “intends to gift the college, including its charter and intellectual property … to likeminded evangelical Christians who propose the most compelling vision to resume the operations of the college to serve Kingdom purposes.” Natasha: The King’s College announced on July 17, 2023, that it would suspend operations starting that fall — after laying off its faculty — until further notice after failing to raise $2.6 million needed to stay open. The school’s fundraising efforts only raised $178,000 Warren: Last year, The King’s College sold its dorm building for $15.25 million, which went toward paying creditors. King’s must either dissolve or present a go-forward plan to the New York State Education Department by July 15, 2025.” Natasha: So what’s their plan for the next few months? Warren: King’s has put forth an aggressive timeline. Anyone interested needs to submit a letter by Feb. 7 summarizing “the proposed vision and affirm faith alignment, planning capacity and the adequacy of resources,” In the document, King’s said it wants to have a finalist in place by July. Natasha: What’s our next story? Warren: The Washington Post has published a 5,300-word story about multiple allegations of sexual abuse against Jeff Taylor, a former employee of The Falls Church in northern Virginia. The story said the FBI may be investigating the allegations, but the FBI declined comment. Taylor served as the parish’s director of youth ministries from May 1990 to August 1999 and director of adult discipleship from September 1999 until February 2002. The Falls Church was an Episcopal congregation then, but joined the Anglican Church in North America when the ACNA was formed. Natasha: What has happened to Taylor? Warren: Since his years with The Falls Church, Taylor worked for Church of the Apostles in Atlanta (a “non-denominational church with Anglican roots”) and Christ Church (ACNA) in Atlanta. Christ Church forced Taylor to resign in September 2009. He then worked for the East Georgia chapter of the Red Cross, the University of Cincinnati Foundation, and the Cincinnati Nature Center. Taylor was ordained to the priesthood while he worked for Christ Church. Taylor’s oldest son, the Rev. Porter Taylor, was interviewed for the story. The rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Augusta, Taylor broke ties with his father after learning of the accusations in 2023, and has urged alumni of the Falls Church’s youth group to contact the FBI if they have allegations against his father. “The abuse is horrifying in its own right, but what also concerns me is the number of times his behavior was overlooked, left unchecked and protocols broken, enabling him to move from church to church and gaining access to even more students,” Porter Taylor said. Natasha: Next, a retired pastor has been found not-guilty of murder. Warren: Police have acquitted a retired pastor accused of killing an 8-year-old girl whose remains were discovered in a Pennsylvania park nearly 50 years ago. On January 18, following a four-day trial, a jury deliberated for an hour before finding 84-year-old David Zandstra—who now lives in Marietta, Georgia—not guilty. In mid-2023, police arrested Zandstra on charges of kidnapping and murdering Gretchen Harrington, who disappeared in 1975 while walking alone to a Bible camp at a church where Zandstra was the pastor. A jogger found the girl's remains two months later in a nearby park. Prosecutors alleged that on the day Harrington vanished, Zandstra offered her a ride—an accusation supported by the (Delaware County, Penn.) district attorney when charges were filed. Authorities also claimed the retired pastor confessed to the killing after detectives reopened the cold case upon receiving new information and then interviewed the retired minister. Natasha: So he confessed? Warren: Zandstra's attorney, Mark Much, said detectives pressured and tricked Zandstra into confessing to a crime he didn't commit. The defense has maintained there was no physical evidence tying the Zandstra to the killing and emphasized that other suspects had drawn police attention and were more likely to be responsible. Before issuing the decision, the jury reviewed the arguments from both parties and examined the confession video—which the defense had unsuccessfully filed a motion to suppress. A jury acquitted Zandstra after deliberating for an hour following a four-day trial. Zandstra spent nearly 18 months in police custody until the ruling. Natasha: Warren, let’s take a quick break. When we return, we look at effective orphan care. I’m Natasha Cowden, along with my co-host Warren Smith, and we’ll have that story and much more, after this short break.   BREAK   SECOND SEGMENT Natasha: Welcome back.  I’m Natasha Cowden, along with my co-host Warren Smith, and you’re listening to the MinistryWatch podcast. Next, the story we promised before the break. Warren: Recently, a charity in the United Kingdom urged Christian donors to stop supporting orphanages and to instead focus their giving on family-based care. MinistryWatch reached out to American ministries focused on orphan care to get their response. Natasha: What’d they say? Warren: Jedd Medefind, president of the Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO), told MinistryWatch that many ministries committed to caring for orphans are trying to navigate the tension between aiming for God’s ideal of a child having a permanent, safe family home and providing good residential care when navigating complex, broken situations. CAFO was created in 2004 to help bring fiscal and go