KENTUCKY: "A former Hancock County youth pastor is arrested on charges of having a sexual relationship with a 15 year-old girl during youth group meetings. Joshua Whicker is booked in the Breckinridge County Detention Center and charged with 2 counts of 3rd degree rape. Kentucky State Police arrested Whicker Monday morning following reports of his alleged relationship with the girl. Whicker is the youth pastor Mt. Eden Church in Hawesville. A former member of the Mt. Eden Church tells us, Whicker resigned as youth pastor the day before the investigation began."

MICHIGAN: "A former Grandville youth pastor facing sex charges involving a minor could wind up avoiding jail time. Jeremiah Behrens, 34, appeared in 59th District Court in Grandville Monday where he waived his right to a preliminary exam.... The victim reported that in January 2013 while she and Behrens were alone at the church, Behrens 'touched her chest just above her breast on top of the clothing.' The second incident reported is said to have happened in May of 2013 when the same victim alleges Behrens 'approached and touched her in the church’s kitchenette area and then went onto to reach under her shirt and touch her breasts.' In an email, said to have been exchanged between Behrens and the vicitm, Behrens wrote 'we had gotten too close and some inappropriate things happened.'"

INDIANA: "Former youth pastor sentenced to 15 years. Nathan Hasty admitted to setting up phony Facebook accounts to solicit nude photos from children, including ones in his own youth group, and on Wednesday a federal judge sentenced him to 15 years in prison. He had been a Campus Life Director for Youth for Christ.... [Hasty] had two accounts under which he pretended to be a 16-year-old girl. He used these accounts to message dozens of boys, most between the ages of 12 and 14. He then asked for pictures of the boys, including naked pictures. He also asked the boys for webcam sessions, claiming he didn’t have a camera and could only watch. Hasty posed as a 19-year-old boy in his third Facebook account and contacted girls and boys.... Hasty was suspended from Youth for Christ as soon as the organization learned of the FBI’s investigation."

WISCONSIN: "Sheboygan County authorities have charged a former youth church director with 15 counts of possessing child pornography. A criminal complaint says Calvin Dewayne Gideon of Plymouth was charged after authorities seized his laptops and flash drives with photos and videos of child pornography. The 53-year-old tells authorities he was a youth pastor at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Plymouth but recently was fired because of his drinking."

All of these men were youth pastors when they committed their crimes/alleged crimes and—with the exception of Calvin Gideon—they only lost their youth pastor gigs after they were arrested or charged. But in news media reports they're all "former" youth pastors. Teachers or lawyers or bankers who are fired after being charged with crimes aren't described as "former teachers/lawyers/bankers" by news media. They're teachers and lawyers and bankers. So why do youth pastors get the "former" treatment? Because religion. This is just one small example of the media's slavish deference to churches and "people and faith." It's as if the news media is saying, "You have nothing to fear from the youth pastor at your soulless suburban megachurch. But never leave your kid alone with a former youth pastor—those guys can't be trusted."