Reporting on clergy sexual abuse in the nation’s largest black pentecostal denomination is not an easy or enjoyable task. But because denominational leadership has repeatedly failed to enact their own policies on the issue, we have to continue exposing not only the careless attitude of leadership, but the criminals who continue to prey upon the weak and innocent in the Lord’s church. People should be reminded that if your leadership will not take measure to ensure the protection of your children at church, then you should know that they will …

It happened almost 25 years ago, but the wheels of justice finally caught up with Prince Wilbert Woolfork of Owensboro, KY.  Even after the rape was reported in 2007, Woolfork had remained an active pastor for a full year in Kentucky First Jurisdiction until his resignation. The Associated Press reported that a grand jury reached the verdict on Jan 30 giving the man a 20 year sentence for first degree rape.
A grand jury has indicted a former western Kentucky preacher on charges that he raped a teenager nearly 25 …

Edit: This post has been amended due to information that Luckett is a member of Joel Osteen’s church.
A new Christian film star on the horizon? You may want to take a closer look first.
Its truly a tragic thing when we have to alert people in the church about other “church-types” who are working against God’s will to infect the church with their insanity. Enter Matt Crouch, stage left.
The Preacher’s Kid, is the latest religious movie backed by Matt Crouch and his Gener8Xion Entertainment company.
The star of Crouch’s new movie is …

On November 7th, COGIC Presiding Bishop Charles Blake held a forum where he handed out a paper with proposed changes to the current sexual abuse policy. According to the church about 1000 people received the handout entitled “The Church of God in Christ’s Continued Stand Against Sexual Misconduct”. Read the proposed changes [pdf]. While one news outlet reported the changes were adopted, no such vetting and ratification occurred. As it stands, they are only proposals.
Supt. Harvey Burnett reviewed the proposed changes calling it “good and bad news”.
In our opinion, here …

 
Yesterday, the Tennessee Chapter of SNAP (Survivor Network of those Abused by Priests) held a peaceful press conference in front of COGIC’s world headquarters in Memphis. The press conference was called in the wake of a controversial rape case involving a COGIC music minister and a 16 year girl at Greater St. Mark COGIC pastored by Ronald Rolfe.
But the few people that showed up were met with an overwhelming show of force at the bequest of COGIC officials.
David Brown, the chapter’s president and chief spokesman told me that four police …

Several COGIC clergy sexual abuse trials have reached the courts. Two have been concluded, two are yet to be tried. Here are the updates:
1. Maryland – A woman who filed a 100 million dollar civil lawsuit against COGIC as a result of the case of former Elder Tony Malbrough. Marlbrough was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison. A judge dismissed the case because the woman did not show up in court. No reason has been given for the woman’s no show.
2. North Carolina – The families of …

Bishop Charles Blake on yesterday responded to questions from a Memphis reporter about sexual abuse in COGIC and ReportCOGICAbuse.com.  As usual, church officials continue to obstinately deny the obvious.
The Presiding Bishop told the Commercial Appeal the “attention” given the site was out of proportion. He called the 30 odd cases cited on the website “allegations” which didn’t reflect on the “hundreds of thousands” of COGIC clergy.
Bishop Blake erroneously called the information on ReportCOGICAbuse.com “allegations”. The overwhelming majority of the clergy sexual abuse cases cited on website are not …

The saga continues. According to the COGIC’s public relations spokesperson, Presiding Bishop Charles Blake will reveal for the first time his aggressive new clergy sexual abuse plan. And just in time for Holy Convocation.
Deidre Malone told Memphis Commercial Appeal that Blake and the church have been working on this plan for “more than 15 years”, but refused to divulge any details. We can only hope this is not another layer of church bureaucracy which will impede justice for future victims.
That would mean that the church has known about its clergy …

Leaders of several African American prolife organizations have  issued a strongly worded statement opposing COGIC  Bishop Charles Blake’s endorsement of  the Obama healthcare agenda. We reported earlier that the Blake endorsement came just a month after Obama’s personal teleconference with over 400 leaders of the religious left where he accused the opposition of  “bearing false witness”.
But leaders from the National Black Pro Life Congress, L.E.A.R.N Inc. (Life Education and Resource Network),  the Network of Politically Active Christians said in a Monday press releases they were “outraged” at Bishop Blake’s support …

Interesting. Ironic. Bizarre.
That’s how I would describe the following story by the LA Times.  Its about Bishop Charles Blake who comes out carrying the torch for Obama’s controversial health care plan.
Legislation proposed by House Democrats would require public healthcare money to be segregated into separate accounts so that only private funds could be used for abortions. Conservatives call that an “accounting scheme.”
The black leaders are expected to use careful language — echoing Obama’s abortion funding pledge while cautioning the White House against breaking its promise.
“In accord with our commitment to …