Timeline on the timeline: Before getting down to business, I need to say something about the date that this was posted, marked above. I saw one commenter online trying to make something nefarious out of it, trying to fit it into the timeline of the events in question themselves. But when controversy breaks out over one of these things, and a posted timeline becomes necessary, I backdate it to some arbitrary date simply to keep it off the front page of my blog. That way the information is public in principle, and we can point people to it as necessary, but uninvolved visitors to my blog don’t get gunked with the lies people are telling about us. It all works out. That said, here’s the timeline.
Updated with additional information (09/08/2023)
1. In December of 2014, Jim Nance was dismissed from Logos for infatuated and unprofessional behavior toward one of his female students, Emilie Dye. At the time of his dismissal, the school did not know the full story at all. Both Jim and Emilie had denied at the time that there had been any physical involvement, but Jim was fired for his flirtatious online behavior toward her anyway (e.g. he had called her something like “princess” on Facebook). No one associated with the school had grounds for believing that anything sexual had occurred. The firing occurred because of the school’s desire to keep and maintain a zero-tolerance environment for this sort of inappropriate and unprofessional behavior. In addition, the school fired Jim despite the expressed desire of the Dye family that he not be fired;
2. On December 18, 2014, Douglas Wilson moved in session that we proceed with the resignation process for Jim Nance, as per our constitution. A few weeks later, the resignation letter of Jim Nance as an elder at Christ Church was presented to our heads of household meeting [1/13]15]. In that letter, Jim confessed his “unbiblical, unwise, and unprofessional” behavior, and professed his repentance. This repentance was false, in that he and Emilie were still covering up what they had done. In his letter of repentance, Jim was lying;
3. Between the time that Jim was fired and the time the whole story came out, the only two people who had any inkling of what had transpired were Jim and Emilie. There was in fact a cover-up, but it was a cover-up conducted by the two people involved in the sin. The full story came out because Emilie came back from college and was at Christ Church over Christmas vacation. After one church service, Jim and Emilie spent a long time visiting together, which appalled those of us who knew that Jim had been fired two years before because of his flirtatious behavior with Emilie. Because of this, Jim was immediately confronted that day by Nate Wilson, one of our elders, and Nate told Jim that there was “no way” that we had heard the whole story. The entire thing came out over the next couple of days, with Emilie telling Tom Garfield about it, and Jim telling me about it.
4. This is why, on January 5, 2017, about two years later, Douglas Wilson reported to the Christ Church session that Jim Nance had confessed to him two days before [1/3/17] about 7 or 8 instances of overt immorality with a female student, Emilie Dye. These incidents had begun prior to his dismissal from Logos, during Emilie’s senior year. Douglas Wilson had communicated this immediately to Larry Stephenson, the Logos superintendent, who reported Jim to the police within 24 hours. Larry also instituted a ban on Jim coming onto school grounds at all (special permission had to be obtained for Jim to attend church as the church leases space from the school). Douglas Wilson had also reported him to the police as well [on 1/4/17]. The session instructed Douglas Wilson to pursue further church discipline. This was the first that any of us knew about the immorality, and the possible criminal behavior on Jim’s part, and so the police were notified immediately;
5. Douglas Wilson reported to the Christ Church session [1/19/17] that he had recommended to Daniel Foucachon at Roman Roads that Jim Nance be removed from all teaching positions. The session requested that Douglas Wilson communicate this to Roman Roads in writing, which was done;
6. Douglas Wilson suspended Jim Nance from the Lord’s Supper as discipline and for deeper personal review [1/20/17];
7. Douglas Wilson reported to the Christ Church session [1/26/17] that the police concluded nothing illegal happened. Although she was a senior at Logos, she was over eighteen when the immoral behavior began. Douglas Wilson said that he wanted Jim Nance to compose a complete confession, to meet with the session to confess his sin, and then to present that confession to the family;
8. Douglas Wilson wrote to Daniel Foucachon at Roman Roads [10/6/17] on behalf of the elders, in order to tell him that we agreed with the approach they took in discontinuing the services of Jim Nance;
9. As Christ Church serves the Lord’s Supper weekly, it is not uncommon for the organizer to request help in distribution from various laymen in the congregation. Because there were occasions where Jim Nance was asked to help, the session of Christ Church discussed whether it was appropriate to have Jim Nance help distribute the elements of the Lord’s Supper. The session determined that it was not [4/19/18].