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This is a list
of scandals
related mostly to American evangelical Christians. (Roman Catholic clergy and
high-profile leaders from New Religious Movements are not within the
scope of this list.)
List of evangelical Christians involved in scandals
Aimee Semple McPherson, 1920s–40s
Main article: Aimee Semple McPherson
One of the most
famous evangelist scandals involved Canadian-born Aimee Semple McPherson in the
1920s, who allegedly faked her own death. She later claimed that she had been
kidnapped, but a grand jury adjourned with no indictment, saying it had not
enough evidence to proceed. Roberta Semple Salter, her daughter from her
first marriage, became estranged from Semple McPherson and successfully sued
her mother's attorney for slander during the 1930s. As a result of this she was
cut out of her mother's will. Aimee Semple McPherson died in 1944 from an
accidental overdose of barbiturates.
Lonnie Frisbee, 1970s–1980s
Main article: Lonnie
Frisbee
Lonnie Frisbee
was an American Pentecostal evangelist and self-described "seeing
prophet" in the late 1960s and 1970s who despite his "hippie"
appearance had notable success as a minister and evangelist. Frisbee was a key
figure in the Jesus Movement and was involved in the rise of two
worldwide denominations (Calvary Chapel and the Vineyard
Movement). Both churches later disowned him because he struggled with
homosexuality, which he always taught was sin, removing him first from
leadership positions, then ultimately firing him. He died of AIDS-related
complications in 1993.
Marjoe Gortner, early 1970s
Main article: Marjoe
Gortner
Gortner rose to
fame in the late 1940s as a child preacher, but he had simply been trained to
do this by his parents and he had no personal faith. He was able to perform
"miracles" and received large amounts of money in donations. After
suffering a crisis of conscience, he invited a film crew to accompany him on a
final preaching tour. The resulting film, Marjoe, mixes
footage of revival meetings with Gortner's explanations of how evangelists
manipulate their audiences. It won the 1972 Academy
Award for Best Documentary Feature, but
was not shown widely in the Southern United States due to fears that it would
cause outrage in the Bible Belt.[1]
Billy James Hargis, early 1970s
Main article: Billy James Hargis
Hargis was a
prolific author and radio evangelist. Hargis formed American Christian
College in 1971 to teach fundamentalist Christian principles. However, a sex scandal
erupted at the College, involving claims that Hargis had sex with male and
female students. Hargis was forced out of American Christian College's
presidency as a result. Further scandals erupted when members of Hargis' youth
choir, the "All American Kids", accused Hargis of sexual misconduct
as well. The college eventually closed down in the mid-1970s. Hargis denied the
allegations publicly.
Neville Johnson is a former Missionary
and Pastor in
the Assemblies of God church in New Zealand. For most
of the 1970s his church was the largest Pentecostal church in Australasia. He
currently runs a ministry called The Living Word Foundation.[2]
On 27 April 1983 at a special members' meeting at the Queen Street Assembly it
was announced that Johnson had resigned, having admitted charges of misuse
of office, and immoral, improper and deceitful conduct. His credentials
were withdrawn, and such was the potential effect on the denomination as a
whole, General Superintendent Jim Williams sent a message to all AoG
pastors.[3]
Efforts were made to assist in his restoration, but he resigned from the
denomination in February 1984.
Many of the
details of these events are unclear. What can be surmised is that Johnson had
for some time believed that he had special revelation from God regarding the
fact that his wife would be taken from him and he would be allowed to re-marry.
To this end he felt he had special grace which allowed him to engage in several
affairs over several years. When those involved came forward, and Johnson was
confronted, he refused to be corrected regarding the nature of his self imposed
deception. In the 1990s Johnson founded a church in Perth, Australia. He has since
moved on from this and now runs The Academy of Light.[4]
Jimmy Swaggart, Marvin Gorman, Jim and Tammy Bakker, 1986
and 1991
Main articles: Jimmy
Swaggart and Jim Bakker
In 1986,
evangelist Jimmy Swaggart began on-screen attacks against fellow televangelists
Marvin Gorman and Jim Bakker. He uncovered Gorman's affair with a member of
Gorman's congregation, and also helped expose Bakker's infidelity with Jessica
Hahn (which was arranged by a colleague while on an out-of-state trip).[5]
These exposures received widespread media coverage. Gorman retaliated in kind by
hiring a private investigator to uncover Swaggart's own adulterous
indiscretions with a prostitute.[6]
Swaggart was subsequently forced to step down from his pulpit for a year and
made a tearful televised apology in February 1988 to his congregation, saying
"I have sinned against you, my Lord, and I would ask that your precious
blood would wash and cleanse every stain until it is in the seas of God's
forgiveness."[7][8]
Swaggart was
caught again by California police three years later in 1991 with another
prostitute, Rosemary Garcia, who was riding with him in his car when he was
stopped for driving on the wrong side of the road. When asked why she was with
Swaggart, she replied, "He asked me for sex. I mean, that's why he stopped
me. That's what I do. I'm a prostitute."[9]
Peter Popoff, 1987
Main article: Peter
Popoff
A
self-proclaimed prophet and faith healer in the 1980s, Popoff's ministry went
bankrupt in 1987 after magician and skeptic James Randi
and Steve Shaw
debunked his
methods by showing that instead of receiving information about audience members
from supernatural
sources, he received it through an in-ear receiver.[10]
Morris Cerullo, 1990s
Main article: Morris
Cerullo
A number of
incidents involving California-based televangelist Morris
Cerullo caused outrage in the United Kingdom during the 1990s. Cerullo's
claims of faith healing were the focus of particular concern. At a London
crusade in 1992, he pronounced a child cancer sufferer to be healed, yet the
girl died two months later. Multiple complaints were upheld against satellite
television channels transmitting Cerullo's claims of faith-healing, and a panel
of doctors concluded that Cerullo's claims of miraculous healing powers could
not be substantiated. Cerullo also produced fund-raising material which was
condemned as unethical by a number of religious leaders, as it implied that
giving money to his organisation would result in family members becoming
Christians.[11]
Mike Warnke, 1991
Main article: Mike Warnke
Warnke was a
popular Christian evangelist and comedian during the 1970s and 1980s. He
claimed in his autobiography, The
Satan Seller (1973), that he had once been deeply involved in a Satanic
cult and was a Satanic priest before converting to Christianity. In 1991, Cornerstone magazine launched an investigation
into Warnke's life and testimony. It investigated Warnke's life, from
interviews with over one hundred personal friends and acquaintances, to his
ministry's tax receipts. Its investigation turned up damaging evidence of fraud
and deceit. The investigation also revealed the unflattering circumstances
surrounding Warnke's multiple marriages, affairs, and divorces. Most
critically, however, the investigation showed how Warnke could not possibly
have done the many things he claimed to have done throughout his nine-month
tenure as a Satanist, much less become a drug-addicted dealer or become a
Satanic high priest.
Robert Tilton, 1991
Main article: Robert
Tilton
Tilton is an
American televangelist who achieved notoriety in the 1980s and early 1990s
through his paid television program Success-N-Life.
At its peak, it aired in all 235 American TV markets. In 1991, Diane
Sawyer and ABC
News conducted an investigation of Tilton. The investigation, broadcast on
ABC's Primetime Live on 21 November 1991, found that Tilton's ministry threw
away prayer requests without reading them, keeping only the money or valuables
sent to them by viewers, garnering his ministry an estimated $80 million
US$ a year. In the original investigation, one of Tilton's former prayer
hotline operators claimed that the ministry cared little for desperate
followers who called for prayer, saying that Tilton had a computer installed in
July 1989 to make sure that the phone operators were off the line in seven
minutes. Tilton sued ABC for libel in 1992, but the case was dismissed in 1993,
and Tilton's show was off the air by 30 October 1993.
Melissa Scott, 1992
Main article: Melissa Scott (pastor)
Melissa Scott
(known then as Melissa Pastore) married in Las
Vegas her first husband, Paul J. Pastore, where they lived in Hollywood.[12][13]
She starred with the name Barbie Bridges in affiliation with Vivid Entertainment.[14]
Later married to Eugene Scott, who died from prostate cancer 5 years
after, she received his large amounts of assets.[15]
She appears to have employed legal means to reduce the circulation of
particular images and videos depicting her.[16]
Jim Williams, 1994
Main article: Jim_Williams_(pastor)
Sydney James
(Jim) Williams is a former pastor and leader of one of the most influential
churches in the Assemblies of God in New Zealand.
He is a published author and a former General Superintendent of the NZ Assembly
of God. Williams left for Australia in March 1989 and served in what was then
known as the Garden City Church in Brisbane.[17]
In 1994 the
Executive of the NZ AoG received a letter from the Australian Assemblies
stating that Williams had been guilty of adultery while pastor at the Hamilton
Assembly.[18]
At this time
Williams was pastoring in Australia. He lost his Australian credentials, but
these were returned after a time of counseling. However he remained barred from
ministry in the New Zealand AoG due to a failure to make any efforts to put the
matter right in New Zealand.[18]
In 2000 it became apparent that the extent of his sexual impropriety was much
greater than he had admitted to the Australian body. His credentials in New
Zealand were permanently revoked for adulterous offences and other
indiscretions involving different women over an extended period of years.[18][19]
W. V. Grant, 1996 and 2003
Main article: W. V. Grant
Grant was
investigated by James Randi regarding his faith healing claims. He was
then imprisoned for tax evasion in 1996. After restarting his ministry upon
release, TV news investigations in Atlanta, Georgia,
and Richmond, Virginia, investigated his revival
meetings and concluded his healing claims were false. A 2010 program on the
British Channel
4 station also concluded that Grant's claimed supernatural abilities were
fake.[20]
Bob Moorehead, 1998
Moorehead,
pastor of the Overlake Christian Church from the 1970s
to June, 1998 was arrested in July, 1996 on a charge of indecent exposure in a
public restroom in Daytona Beach, Florida. He stepped down amid allegations of
molestation of adult members during baptism and wedding ceremonies that went as
far back as 20 years earlier.[21]
Ian Bilby,1998
Ian Bilby was a
pastor in the Elim denomination[22]
in New
Zealand. He became President of the Elim church in New Zealand
and was pastor of their largest church Auckland City Elim Church[23]
when, in 1998, it was revealed that he had engaged in adultery with
other church members.[24]
This put an end to his ministry and his marriage. It later became known
that he had engaged in serial adulterous relationships and consequently had
engaged in a prolonged deception while at the same time building an
international ministry profile. An article in Challenge Weekly
[25]
stated that according to an ex-work colleague, and sources close to the Bilby
family, that there had been between 10 to 20 women involved in Bilby's adultery
over 20 years.[24]
Bilby later married one of the women he had committed adultery with.[26]
A statement was
read out to the Auckland City Elim Church in which Bilby said: "I am not
fit to be a leader in any sector of society, especially not the church." [26]
Despite this admission Bilby was offered and accepted he position of Training
Director at Destiny Church.[27][28][29]
This was met with opposition from his former denomination. Elim national church
leader Luke Brough told Tamaki that Ian Bilby should not be in a position of
responsibility. He wrote, "The seriousness of Ian's actions in many
responsible professions would have resulted in deregistration." [30]
Roy Clements, 1999
Main article: Roy
Clements
Clements was a
prominent figure within British evangelical Christianity. In 1999, he revealed
he was in a homosexual relationship, resigned his pastorship, and separated
from his wife. He had written a number of well-received books which were
withdrawn from sale when the news broke.[31]
John Paulk, 2000
Main article: John Paulk
John Paulk (no
relation to Earl
Paulk) is a former leader of Focus on the Family's Love Won Out conference
and former chairman of the board for Exodus International North America. His
claimed shedding of homosexuality is also the subject of his autobiography Not
Afraid to Change. In September 2000, Paulk was found and photographed in a
Washington, D.C. gay bar, and accused by opponents of flirting with male
patrons at the bar. Later questioned by gay rights activist Wayne Besen,
Paulk denied being in the bar despite photographic proof to the contrary.
Initially, FoF's Dr. James Dobson sided with Paulk and supported his
claims. Subsequently, Paulk, who himself had written about his habit of lying
while he openly lived as a homosexual, confessed to being in the bar, but
claimed he entered the establishment for reasons other than sexual pursuits.
Paulk retained his Board seat for Exodus, however he did so while on probation.
Paulk did not run again for chairman of the board of Exodus when his term
expired.
Frank Houston, 2000
Main article: Frank
Houston
Houston founded
his first Assemblies of God ministry at Lower Hutt,
New
Zealand in 1960, and served as the superintendent of the Assemblies of God in New Zealand
from 1965 to 1971. Moving to Sydney, Australia,in 1977 he founded Sydney Christian Life Centre,
eventually becoming an Assemblies of God church and latter founding
church of Hillsong, and with many other ministry arms
including a Bible and Creative Arts College.[32]
He was also involved in over twenty CLCs being opened throughout New
South Wales, Australia and overseas and held senior positions within the
Assemblies of God in Australia.
In 2000 he was
advised to resign his ministerial credentials by his own son, Brian Houston the National
President of the Assemblies of God in Australia, after Houston confessed to
the sexual abuse of young (under-age) male members of his New Zealand
congregation 30 years earlier.[33]
Contrary to the
requirements of New South Wales child protection legislation neither Brian
Houston nor the AOG administration reported the matters to the police and Frank
Houston was never charged or convicted. However, Houston did resign, living in
Hillsong-owned accommodation until his death in 2004.[33][34]
In August 2007
further allegations emerged that Houston had sexually abused a trainee pastor
during counseling sessions in the early 1980s.[35]
Roberts Liardon, 2001
Pastor and
pentecostal historian Roberts Liardon is the founder of Embassy Christian
Center and Spirit Life Bible College in Irvine, California stepped out as
pastor of his congregation after admitting to a moral failure involving a short
term homosexual relationship with his church youth minister, John Carette.
Liardon took a three month leave of absence from Roberts Liardon Ministries to
seek counseling and undergo a process of restoration. The scandal devastated many
of Liardon's followers, students and missionaries who left the church, bible
college and ministry.[36]
Pat Mesiti, 2001
Mesiti was a
very prominent Australian evangelist with a significant international
reputation. He was a director of Youth Alive Australia, Executive Director of Teen
Challenge New South Wales, a minister at large connected to Brian Houston's
Hillsong
Church, Sydney and National Director of the Australian Christian Churches, and
presenter of a weekly show on the Australian Christian Channel. In 2001,
it was discovered that he had been visiting prostitutes.[37]
He was sacked as national director of Australian Christian Churches and
stripped of his licence to minister. This did not prevent Mesiti from preaching
in other Hillsong churches.[38]
Paul Crouch, 2004
Main article: Paul Crouch
Paul Crouch is
the founder and president of the Trinity Broadcasting Network, or TBN,
the world's largest evangelical Christian television network, as
well as the former host of TBN's flagship variety show, Praise
the Lord. In September 2004, the Los
Angeles Times published a series of articles raising questions about
the fundraising practices and financial transparency of TBN, as well as the
allegations of a former ministry employee, Enoch Lonnie Ford, that he
had a homosexual affair with Crouch during the 1990s. TBN denied the
allegations, claiming that Ford's claims were part of an extortion
scheme and that the Times was a "left-wing and anti-Christian
newspaper." In 2005, Ford appeared at the taping of the ION
Television show Lie Detector. The show's producers decided
not to air the show, and the outcome of the lie detector test was never released.
Consequently, none of the allegations were substantiated.
Douglas Goodman, 2004
Douglas
Goodman, an evangelical preacher, and his wife Erica were pastors of Victory
Christian Centre in London, England. The church was one of the largest in the
United Kingdom. He came into notoriety when he was jailed for three and a half
years for the sexual assault of four members of his congregation in 2004. VCC
was closed by the Charity Commission, but his wife Erica started a
new church, Victory to Victory, in Wembley. Douglas has upon his release
resumed full pastoral ministry alongside his wife.[39][40][41][42][43]
Paul Cain, 2005
Main article: Paul Cain (minister)
Paul Cain is a
Pentecostal Christian minister and considered by many as a prophetic legend has
been exposed as an alcoholic and a homosexual. He admitted so and was placed
under disciple and process of restoration under the oversight of three
ministers (Rick Joyner, Jack Deere and Mike Bickle). While the initial
restoration team admitted that they failed,[44]
in a 2007 letter from the Board and restoration team of Reclaiming the Valley
Ministries, an organization that covers 250 ministries and churches worldwide based
in Pasadena, California whom Paul has submitted himself for accountability
stated that Paul's restoration has progressed to a point that he has been
encouraged to return to limited ministry.
Wayne Hughes, 2005
Main article: Wayne
Hughes
Wayne Hughes was a New Zealand
Pentecostal
minister. Until early 2005, he was the Senior
Pastor of the Takapuna Assembly of God in Auckland. A
photographer by training, Hughes became Pastor of the Takapuna Assembly of God
in 1975. Under his leadership spanning three decades, it grew from 25 members
to about 1600 adherents as of 2005. Hughes also served as General Superintendent of the Assemblies
of God in New Zealand from 1985 to 2003, when he resigned to attention to
his local church and his ailing wife.
As a preacher,
Hughes had a strong fundamentalist message and an emphasis on evangelism.
Hughes strongly opposed pre-marital sex, abortion, pornography,
and gambling,
factors that he saw as contributing to the breakdown of 'Christian morality'.
In March 2005,
Hughes entered the media spotlight with accusations that he had sexually abused
a teenager in the 1980s.[45]
In April 2005, he opted to retire early, citing health reasons plus a desire to
protect the church from negative media publicity,[46]
and in May he surrendered his credentials as a minister and withdrew from all
ministry in the church. In public statements, he has denied the charges, but on
legal advice has refrained from giving specifics.[47]
Kent Hovind, 2006
Main article: Kent Hovind
Kent Hovind is
an American Baptist minister and Young Earth creationist. He is most famous
for "creation science" seminars, in which he argues for Young Earth
creationism, using his self-formulated "Hovind Theory." He has been
criticized by both the mainstream scientific community and other creationists.
In 2006, Hovind, who also has a reputation as a tax protestor, was charged with
falsely declaring bankruptcy, making threats against federal officials, filing
false complaints, failing to get necessary building permits, and various
tax-related charges. He was convicted of 58 federal tax offenses and related
charges, for which he is currently serving a ten-year sentence.[48]
Ted Haggard, 2006
Main article: Ted Haggard
Ted Haggard was
the pastor of the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado and was the
president of the National Association of
Evangelicals (NAE) from 2003 until November 2006. Haggard's position
allowed him occasional access to President George
W. Bush. In 2006 it was alleged that Haggard had been regularly visiting a
male prostitute who also provided him with methamphetamine.
Haggard admitted his wrongdoing and resigned as pastor of New Life church and
as president of the NAE. The high-profile case was significant also because it
immediately preceded the 2006 mid-term elections. In
January 2009, Haggard admitted to a second homosexual relationship with a male
church member on CNN
and other national media, and when asked, would not directly answer a question
about his other possible homosexual relationships.[49]
Ted Haggard has recently started a new church.[50]
Paul Barnes, 2006
Main article: Paul Barnes
Paul Barnes is
the founder and former senior minister of the evangelical church Grace Chapel
in Douglas County, Colorado. He confessed his homosexual activity to the church
board, and his resignation was accepted on 7 December 2006.[51]
He started the church in his basement and watched it reach a membership of
2,100 in his 28 years of leadership. This scandal was notable because it was
similar to Ted Haggard's (above), it occurred in the same state (Colorado) and
around the same time (late 2006).
Lonnie Latham, 2006
Main article: Lonnie
Latham
In 2006,
Latham, the senior pastor of South Tulsa Baptist Church and a member of the
powerful Southern Baptist Convention Executive
Committee, was arrested for "offering to engage in an act of
lewdness" with a male undercover police officer.[52]
Gilbert Deya, 2006
Main article: Gilbert
Deya
Kenyan-born
Deya moved to the United Kingdom in the 1990s and started a number of churches.
He claims to have supernatural powers that allow him to make infertile women
become pregnant and give birth. However, police investigations in the UK and Kenya concluded that
Deya and his wife were stealing Kenyan babies. Deya was arrested in London
during December 2006, and following a long legal process it was reported in
September 2011 that he would be extradited
to Kenya to face child abduction charges.[53]
Earl Paulk, 2007
Main article: Earl Paulk
Earl Paulk (no
relation to John
Paulk) was the founder and head pastor of Chapel Hill Harvester Church in Decatur,
Georgia from 1960 until the 1990s. A number of women from the congregation
came forward during the 1990s and 2000s, claiming that Paulk had sexual
relations with them; charges of child
molestation were also made. Some of these claims have subsequently been
proven correct. Moreover, Donnie Earl Paulk, the current senior pastor of the
church and nephew of Earl Paulk, had a court-ordered DNA test in 2007 which
showed that he was Earl's son, not his nephew, which means that Earl and his
sister-in-law had had a sexual relationship which led to Donnie's birth.[54]
Coy Privette, 2007
Main article: Coy
Privette
Privette is a Baptist pastor, conservative activist, and politician in the
US state of North Carolina. Privette was president of the
Christian Action League and a prominent figure in North Carolina moral battles.
In 2007, Privette resigned as president of North Carolina's Christian Action
League and from the Board of Directors of the Baptist State Convention of North
Carolina, following revelations on 19 July that he had been charged with six
counts of aiding and abetting prostitution.[55]
Thomas Wesley Weeks, III, 2007
Main article: Thomas Wesley Weeks, III
Weeks married
fellow evangelist Juanita Bynum in 2002, but they separated in May
2007. In August 2007, Weeks physically assaulted Bynum in a hotel parking lot
and was convicted of the crime in March 2008. The couple divorced in June 2008
and Weeks remarried in October 2009.[56]
Ira Parmenter, 2007
Main article: Ira Parmenter
Ira Parmenter,
33, was arrested in Grand Falls-Windsor, NL, on Friday, May 11, 2012. He was
charged with sexual exploitation over an alleged inappropriate sexual
relationship with a sixteen-year-old girl in 2007 and 2008. Parmenter was 28
years old and married at the time. The girl's mother became aware of the
situation after the fact, in April 2011, and reported it to the police. An
investigation has been ongoing since then. He is being charged for sexually
exploiting a young person (defined as a person over 16 and under 18) while in a
"position of trust or authority." Parmenter served as Youth Pastor at
Colwood Pentecostal Church from 2003 to 2009. Parmenter was working with people
ages 13 to 25, leading weekly meetings and planning retreats such as camping
trips or trips to out-of-town conferences. He has also worked with children and
teens at various summer camps including Nanoose Bay Pentecostal Camp. If found
guilty, Parmenter could receive up to 10 years in jail. Parmenter was
originally scheduled to appear in court on June 21, 2012 at the Western
Communities courthouse. However, Parmenter did not appear but retained a lawyer
who arranged the adjournment for his court date until Sept. 13, 2012. At least
a dozen people, young and old, were in the courtroom on Thursday, including
Parmenter's brother. (http://www.vicnews.com/news/159922505.html).
He has been released on his own recognizance and has been required to give up
his passport and is not allowed to be in the company of any girls under the age
of 18 without other adults present. [57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74]
Michael Reid, 2008
Main article: Michael Reid (evangelist)
Bishop Michael Reid (born 1944) is a Christian
evangelist in Essex,
England and founder of Michael Reid Ministries who resigned from
the role of pastor at Peniel Church in April 2008, after admitting to an
eight-year extra-marital sexual relationship. The scandal was widely reported
online[75][76][77]
and in UK newspapers.[78][79]
He has since re-developed an itinerant evangelistic ministry and has been
speaking at a number of churches in the UK and overseas.
Joe Barron, 2008
Joe Barron, one
of the 40 ministers at Prestonwood Baptist Church, one of the
largest churches in the United States with 26,000 members, was arrested on 15
May 2008 for solicitation of a minor after driving from the Dallas area to Bryan,
Texas, in order to allegedly engage in sexual relations with what he
thought to be a 13 year-old girl he had met online. Barron's online
communications had in fact been with undercover law enforcement official.
Prestonwood fired Barron days later.[80][81][82]
Todd Bentley, 2008
Main article: Todd
Bentley
Canadian Todd
Bentley rose to prominence as the evangelist at the Lakeland
Revival in Florida, which began in April 2008. Bentley claimed that tens of
thousands of people were healed at the revival. However, in August 2008, he
stepped down permanently when it was revealed he was separating from his wife,
Shonnah, and was in a relationship with Jessa Hasbrook, a member of his staff.[83]
Michael Guglielmucci, 2008
Main article: Michael Guglielmucci
Australian
Evangelist Michael Guglielmucci spent two years claiming he was battling
terminal cancer. He preached about his battle and performed songs he wrote
detailing his daily struggle, frequently with the help of an oxygen mask. In
2008 it was claimed that Guglielmucci was faking the cancer in order to cover
symptoms of stress created by an addiction to pornography which he had kept
from his wife and family .Guglielmucci was immediately stripped of his
credentials by the Australian Christian Church.
Ergun Caner, 2010
Main article: Ergun Caner
Ergun Caner
grew up in suburban Ohio, but after 9/11, presented himself to churches and
other organizations as having been raised and trained in Turkey and Egypt as a
militant jihadi to wage war in the US.[84][85]
He and his brother Emir authored books explaining Islam to evangelicals
containing many basic mistakes, displaying a rudimentary rather than expert
understanding of the religion.[86]
Ergun's prominence and popularity propelled him to the position of dean at the
Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary and Graduate School of Liberty University.[87]
In early 2010, Reformed apologist James White questioned Caner's claims to have
debated Muslim scholars and representatives of virtually all religions on
college campuses across the country.[88]
Legal documents located by Christian and Muslim bloggers demonstrated the
fraudulence of Caner's constructed life narrative.[89]
Sound clips from his preaching contained supposed quotes in Arabic that turned
out to be gibberish.[90]
Liberty's subsequent investigation resulted in Caner's not having his contract
renewed for the position of dean in the summer of 2010, demoting him to
professor.[91][92]
He took up a new post at Arlington Baptist College in 2011.[93]
George Alan Rekers, 2010
Main article: George Alan Rekers
Penn Bullock
and Brandon K. Thorp of the Miami
New Times reported on 4 May 2010, that on 13 April 2010, Christian
leader George Alan Rekers was photographed at Miami International
Airport returning from an extended overseas trip with a twenty-year-old "rent
boy", or gay male prostitute, known as "Lucien" (later
identified as Jo-Vanni Roman). Given his opinion on homosexuals and homosexual
behavior, the scandal surrounds Rekers' decision to employ a homosexual escort
as a traveling companion, and how that runs contrary to Rekers' public stances
on such issues.
Rekers claimed
that Lucien was there to help carry Rekers' luggage as Rekers had allegedly had
recent surgery, yet Rekers was seen carrying his own luggage when he and Lucien
were spotted at the airport.[94]
On his blog, Rekers denied having sex with the man.[95]
In subsequent interviews, Roman said Rekers had paid him to provide nude
massages daily, which included genital touching.
Eddie L. Long, 2010
Main article: Eddie
L. Long
In September
2010 several civil complaints were filed against Bishop Eddie L. Long by men
that stated Mr. Long used his position as the church leader to entice or coerce
the men into consensual sexual relationships in exchange for money, travel and
goods. At a press event on 26 September 2010 Bishop Long stated he would fight
the civil complaints in court and would not comment on the allegations. On 27
May 2011, Bishop Long settled the matter out of court.[96]
The Canadian documentary series Sex Scandals in Religion covered the
Long case.[97]
Marcus Lamb, 2010
In November
2010, televangelist Marcus Lamb, the founder of the Daystar Television Network, admitted on
television that he had been involved in an extramarital affair several years
previously.[98]
He further alleged an extortion scheme against him.[99]
In late 2010 and early 2011, three former Daystar employees filed a series of
lawsuits against Lamb and his wife, Joni, making allegations ranging from
financial mismanagement in relation to the affair, to sexual
harassment, and to wrongful termination.
Lamb and
Daystar were vindicated in 2011 following an October decision by a Dallas court
after a contested hearing to throw out all employment law claims by one of the
employees. By December, 2011, that employee had dropped her other claims based
on defamation, and the other two other employees had dropped their cases.
Daystar subsequently dismissed its countersuits against each of the women. In
connection with these matters, none of the parties received any financial compensation,
either individually or for attorney fees, and have no right to re-file.[100]
Vaughn Reeves, 2010
Special Judge
Dena Martin ordered former pastor Vaughn Reeves to serve consecutive six-year
terms for each of nine fraud counts, in a scheme that cost about 2,900
investors $13.1 million.[101]
Among aggravating factors, Martin found Reeves targeted people over age 65 and
used religion to influence them. Reeves’ attorney plans to appeal.
Investigators
said Reeves and his three sons used their now-defunct company, Alanar, to trick
about 11,000 investors into buying bonds worth $120 million secured by
mortgages on church construction projects.[102]
Instead, Reeves
and his sons diverted money from new investments to pay off previous investors,
pocketing $6 million and buying luxuries.[102]
Stephen Green, 2011
Stephen Green,
a former Chairman of the Conservative Family Campaign who attends an Assemblies of God Church,
is head of Christian Voice, a Conservative Christian pressure
group in the UK.
In January
2011, Green's former wife, Caroline Green, accused him of repeatedly physically
assaulting her and their children, including one incident where he allegedly
beat her with a weapon until she bled, and another in which their son allegedly
required hospital treatment after having been beaten with a piece of wood.[103]
Green has
responded to the allegations by claiming that his former wife was the violent
party in the relationship.[104]
Albert Odulele, 2011
In February
2011, televangelist,
founder and senior pastor of Glory House London, Dr Albert Odulele was charged
with two counts of sexual assault, one involving a 14-year-old boy and
another on a 21-year-old man. Although he initially denied the charges, he
later pleaded guilty and confessed that he had been battling with his sexuality
for many years. He was subsequently sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court, London,
to 8 and 6 months in prison to run concurrently. He will be on the sex
offenders register for 5 years. He is currently serving his sentence.
Allan Cundick, 2011
In June 2011,
preacher and author Allan Cundick a member of Ash Vale Evangelical Church was
arrested on a charge of indecent assault on a minor, after his victim had been
pressured not to go to the police by Evangelist Ian Jackson. After admitting to
indecent assault, Cundick was cautioned and placed on the sex offenders
register for 2 years.
David Yonggi Cho, 2011
In March, 2011,
Cho became a subject of controversy when he reportedly made comments suggesting
that the 2011 Tōhoku tsunami "could
be a warning from God to Japan, which has become an increasingly materialistic,
secular and idol-worshiping country."[110]
In April, 2011,
Cho was accused of nepotism by assigning his relatives to key church positions
after his retirement.[111]
In September
2011, Korean prosecutors began an investigation of Cho's alleged embezzlement
of 23 billion ($20 million USD) from the Yoido Full Gospel Church's funds, after 29
church elders filed complaints. A national broadcaster, MBC, released a documentary that
claimed the money had been used to buy properties in the United States.[112]
Jason Russell, 2012
On 15 March
2012, Jason
Russell, an evangelical[113][114][115][116]
filmmaker and co-founder of Invisible Children, Inc., was detained in
San Diego for reportedly vandalising cars and masturbating in public.[117]
A passerby's video of the incident, showing Russell swearing at bystanders
while naked in broad daylight at a busy intersection, and taking
the Lord's name in vain, was published on 18 March.[118][119]
Ten days prior
to his detainment, Russell had risen to global prominence as the public face of
a viral
video which spread at a record-breaking rate[120]
and initially garnered some prominent praise,[121]
but which has also been widely criticised for using emotional manipulation to
incite young people to facilitate military
manoeuvres in Uganda.[122][123][124][125][126][127][128][129][130][131]
The video was in turn critical of Joseph Kony
(a fundamentalist Christian[132]),
who is accused of using different forms of emotional manipulation to incite
young people to facilitate military manoeuvres in Uganda.[133][134][135][136]
A statement
released by Russell's wife after Russell's detainment attempted to explain
Russell's behaviour by saying that, "Because of how personal the [viral
video] is, many of the attacks against it were also very personal and Jason
took them very hard." However, news outlets noted that critics of the
video had "said the video misstated the facts about the current level of
violence in Uganda, Kony's current whereabouts and the strength of his militia
forces."[137]
Kong Hee, 2012
Following an
enquiry into the way his church, the City Harvest Church in Singapore, was
managing its funds, founder and pastor Kong Hee was
arrested in June 2012 and charged, alongside several others, with
misappropriating over S$50million.[138]
Jack Schaap, 2012
Main article: First Baptist Church (Hammond,
Indiana)#History
Jack Schaap,
pastor of First Baptist Church (Hammond,
Indiana), Indiana's largest church, was fired after admitting to an
improper relationship with a teenage girl.[139]
Senate probe
In 2007, Senator Chuck
Grassley (R-IA) opened a probe into
the finances of six televangelists who preach a "prosperity
gospel".[140]
The probe investigated reports of lavish lifestyles by televangelists
including: fleets of Rolls Royces, palatial mansions, private jets and
other expensive items purportedly paid for by television viewers who donate due
to the ministries' encouragement of offerings. The six that were investigated
are:
- Kenneth and Gloria Copeland of Kenneth Copeland Ministries of Newark, Texas;
- Creflo Dollar and Taffi Dollar of World Changers Church International and Creflo Dollar Ministries of College Park, Ga;
- Benny Hinn of World Healing Center Church Inc. and Benny Hinn Ministries of Grapevine, Texas;
- Eddie L. Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church and Bishop Eddie Long Ministries of Lithonia, Ga; DocuSeries – SEX SCANDALS and RELIGION did a 2011 investigative episode on his alleged sexual misconduct[141]
- Joyce Meyer and David Meyer of Joyce Meyer Ministries of Fenton, Mo (exhonerated); and
- Randy White and ex-wife Paula White of the multiracial Without Walls International Church and Paula White Ministries of Tampa.[142]
On 6 January
2011 Senator Grassley released his review of the six ministries response to his
inquiry. He called for a further congressional review of tax-exemption laws for
religious groups.[143]
See also
References
 |
Constructs such as ibid., loc. cit.
and idem
are discouraged by Wikipedia's style guide for footnotes, as
they are easily broken. Please improve
this article by replacing them with named references (quick
guide), or an abbreviated title. (April 2012)
|
1.
^ References for
this section can be found in the main article on Marjoe
Gortner and the film Marjoe.
3.
^ Ian G. Clark
"Pentecost at the Ends of the Earth: The History of the Assemblies of God
in New Zealand (1927-2003)", p186
5.
^ "Transcript:
Interview with Jessica Hahn". Larry
King Live (CNN). 14 July 2005. Retrieved 17 April 2008.
6.
^ "Swaggart
Is Barred From Pulpit for One Year". New York Times. 30 March
1998. Retrieved 17 April 2008
7.
^ King, Wayne
(22 February 1998). "Swaggart
Says He Has Sinned; Will Step Down". New York Times. Retrieved
17 April 2008
8.
^ Swaggart,
Jimmy. "Reverend
Jimmy Swaggart: Apology Sermon". americanrhetoric.com. Retrieved 25
January 2007.
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