A Person of Compassion

The Rev. Robert Upshaw, of Columbus, Georgia, has been convicted of running an unsanitary and dangerous home for the mentally ill.

"We discovered several mentally challenged young adults there living in squalor and filthy conditions in very substandard buildings," Wiggins said. "The tenants had insufficient heat, insufficient electrical service, no water, no cooking or eating facilities."

Upshaw offered a strong defense:

"I am a minister," Upshaw told the judge. "I am a person of compassion."

Those seeking evidence of Upshaw's compassion need look no further than this:

One client was found in a room that reeked of urine and vomit, Wiggins said. Upshaw defended his actions in that instance.

"That was part of his diagnosis," Upshaw said. "He throws up a lot. He throws up. That is what he does."

Nice work if you can get it!

Upshaw is the pastor of Greater Grace Baptist Church. The words "Greater Grace" are evocative for students of fundamentalist pathology; Greater Grace World Outreach is a bizarre megachruch headed by Carl H. Stevens, with a history of financial fraud and worse. It'd be interesting to know whether Upshaw was involved with them.