The following is an email sent by Scott Ross prior to his interview with John and Patsy Ramsey in June 2000.
Hi Folks,
Please intercede and pray for wisdom, insight and discernment for me, my associate producer, Cheryl Wilcox, and our camera crew, who will go to Atlanta and interview John & Patsy Ramsey. They are the parents of JonBenet. The interview will take place on Wednesday, June 21, 2000.
This thing is the proverbial "tar baby," Events just continue to transpire. And it's still an open case. I would appreciate any prayer we can get. Frankly, I would prefer not doing it. It weighs heavily on me. Please see my attached notes on this. I don't know if I sent them to you in the past. It's my basic posture on it.
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I kicked around some thoughts I had in regard to the proposed interview with John and Patsy Ramsey some weeks ago, with our producers here at CBN and others, based on the following premise:
If the Ramsey's are innocent, Biblical and civil law requires we are to give them the benefit of the doubt, as they are "innocent until proven guilty."
However, now that the Ramseys are claiming to be Christians,(in their book) it places them under "another government" so to speak. As a result they are held to a higher level of accountability on this planet as they now represent the Lord Jesus. We here at CBN, in one sense, are sort of "gatekeepers" in Jesus Church and represent that government. Much like the elders at the city gate in the Old Testament. In the New Testament as represented by the leaders of the Church, we are responsible for what comes in and out the door to the sheep.
"It isn't my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your job to judge those inside the church who are sinning in these ways. God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, "You must remove the evil person from among you." Paul to the Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 5.12-13
The Ramsey's conduct now purport to reflect the Lord and His Church. The question comes down to their conduct and standing before God to live and walk in the truth within the Christian community. Therefore, if they are lying they are not just lying to man but to God. And to quote Peter's statement to another couple who tried to pull this off, "...How is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit? ...What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God."
You know the results.
Now, I don't know if the Ramseys have been confronted by their Christian publishers, or any other recognized leadership in the Church at this level, but it would seem to me that we would need to if we are to maintain our integrity as the Lord's spokesmen. We at CBN have claimed throughout the years to be a prophetic ministry. One of the characteristics of the prophetic is to confront and lay the axe to root issues. Not just deal with the surface.
I don't expect the Ramseys would repent on camera if they have been lying, but they should be given opportunity to repent if that is the case. I also don't expect they would fall over dead in front of the watching world if they continue to lie, but then again...or subsequently, who knows? The responsibility for all this does have some serious implications to me.
Have I gone overboard on my thinking here by taking it all too seriously?
I do feel constrained by these thoughts going into it.
For me, it's more than TV.
I appreciate you all,
Scott
Contact Scott Ross.