Calvary Chapel and End Times Eschatology

Common CC Practices, Personal Stories 110 Responses »

May 182013

Rachael’s story:

I left Calvary and will probably leave Christianity forever. Calvary Chapel’s problem is it’s toxicity in ‘end times’ eschatology. The ethnicity to which you are born is the determination for the rapture per their theology. Furthermore, statements such as ‘we are in the end times’ or that ‘these are the end times’ is considered toxic and results in poor psychological health for it’s members. Also, They have had too many people who are selling their books through the church preaching ‘sermons’ almost as though they are advertising for their own profit. One of these has an extremely ethnic attitude about who Gog and Magog is and has changed his opinion about Gog Magog several times depending on who Israel is fighting with at that time. Too orwellian although what should one expect from a fiction author-which is what some of their ‘pastors’ are.

The church also has some sort of psychosis in it’s Biblical interpretation preferring to ‘float’ the Bible as though there is not a timeline involved. Israeli archeology is very clear about timeline’s. The Bible was written starting from 600BC with a couple of writings taken from some books back to 900BC. Thus the Bronze age of Israel or Hebrew period or Patriarchal period was written at a later date than when it occurred. The Church has a terrible time with Hermeneutics refusing to accept the importance of Sumero-Babylonian, Kingdom of Yam, Egypt, and Persian contributions to the Bible-(eg the 10 commandments are from the Egyptian Book of the Dead, and the Mittani aws are exemplified by the behavior of the ‘Patriarchs’-Mittani are the Indo-Iranians)

Was your CC experience similar to Rachael’s? Was there anything you considered “off” in your CC church experience?

photo credit: @jbtaylor via photopin cc

Calvary Chapel Franchises: Is it all about the money?

Common CC Practices 372 Responses »

May 022013

Crowned1 shared on another thread.

I also believe that calvary chapel has an agenda. I believe their agenda is to ‘market’ Jesus Christ (pursuit of mammon). From guest speakers, to book signings, to prophecy conferences, to luxuries world wide. The church appears more to me as a country club, than a charity that also preaches Jesus.

Is Crowned1′s experience a common one among Calvary Chapel churches?

photo credit: TheTruthAbout via photopin cc

Grenier Lawsuit Ruling – April 9, 2013

CC Legal Cases, Pastor Grenier Lawsuit 303 Responses »

Apr 222013

As requested, here is main portion of the recent ruling which was certified and mailed April 9, 2013. Judge Paul Vortmann spent a few extra days to review and consider an earlier case, Gomez v. Fried (1982) 136 Cal App. 3d 924. In this case, the Appellate District reversed the trial Court’s denial of a motion for judgment. The key issue in this case was the “burden of proof.” Proof was needed to show that the article was knowingly false and that it “was circulated with reckless disregard of whether it was false.” The court agreed with the Appellate District’s decision.

However, in the Grenier case, the Court decided that the Plaintiffs had presented enough evidence to make it likely that they could prevail in court. Below are screenshots of the two key paragraphs.

Screen shot 2013-04-22 at 6.45.59 PM

The attorneys for Defendants Taylor/Grenier are appealing this ruling. The appeal may take 1-1/2 to 2 years. While this was not the expected outcome, the Defendants’ attorneys are confident that Taylor/Grenier will prevail.

Calvary Chapel Visalia Pastor Bob Grenier Lawsuit Ruling Update

Pastor Grenier Lawsuit 137 Responses »

Apr 122013

We have a new update. After postponing a decision in order to read more Supreme Court decisions on “malice,” today Judge Paul Vortmann issued his ruling. Alex Grenier reported:

“The lower court ruled against our anti-SLAPP motion. Our attorneys will take it up on appeal and we look forward to the Appeal’s Court interpreting and applying the law properly. This could take a year or two. Until then, we continue to speak out against abuse and corruption in the church and in Calvary Chapel.”

Please continue to pray for Tim and Alex as they fight this battle for truth to be exposed.

“Keeping Secrets” photo credit: chasingfun via photopin cc

The following excerpt was taken from The Ministry of an Assisting Pastor (Or, More Things I Learned From My Pastor), by Larry Taylor:

17. Keep Every Aspect of the Ministry Confidential

Confidentiality is vital for a variety of reasons. Confidentiality protects the rights and dignity of others. The opposite, gossip, destroys people.

Keeping matters confidential will protect the church from liability in an age that is quick to sue in court. Protecting people’s privacy makes them feel safe and lets them know that this is a church they can trust. It provides positive morale and a healthy atmosphere. Unfortunately, the violation of confidential information about people is rampant within the church. Staff people talk among themselves about members of the congregation, husbands and wives discuss counseling situations, and pastors use people’s life situations as sermon illustrations.

The result is that the church becomes a chaotic house of gossip where everyone knows everything about everybody else. To paraphrase James, these things should not be.

Absolutely everything that goes on in a ministry is confidential. Do not ever talk to anyone, including your spouse, about people’s marriages and personal problems, salaries of church employees, budget considerations, board decisions and discussions, or anything that is private to a person or family. Churches have been destroyed by a lack of confidentiality.

The only exception is that the senior pastor needs to know everything in order to properly oversee the ministry. Sharing with him is biblical; sharing with any one else is sinful.

What do you think? Is this nonsense? Biblical? Let’s talk.

***Updated note 4/14/13: It has been noted in the comments by Erunner that Larry Taylor would no longer endorse this teaching. This “rule,” however, is still very present in high-controlling churches.

Spiritual Abuse – When God Doesn’t Make Sense and Lawsuit Update

Spiritual Abuse 91 Responses »

Apr 092013

Lawsuit Update April 9, 2013 (10:22 AM)

Defendant Tim Taylor has notified us that Alex and Tim’s attorney’s brought similar Supreme Court cases before the judge to consider “malice” with regard to their case. The judge will take a couple of days to go over these cases and make a decision. You can read yesterday’s tentative court decision at Julie Anne’s blog: Spiritual Sounding Board.

Please continue to pray for Tim and Alex, that God will sustain them and that the truth will be exposed. ~M

dark-clouds-over-pond-110661300194847ZXW

“Dark Clouds Over Pond” by David Wagner

Hannah left a comment this morning:

Alex- I had not gone over to PxP before my last post.

After just reading there, may I suggest you start a thread on person stories of overcoming church abuse; (be it Calvary Chapel or others), how our faith was tested through this abuse (my family spent many years going through this) and what we can offer others who are going through the same.

It would give many an opportunity to share their heart, come alongside others, and encourage one anothers faith.

I believe that God has ordained us all to suffer, and that there is a divine purpose in it all. Hard to see when we are going through it.

Just a suggestion to give direction to the conversation here.
Thanks.

This is a great idea. Let’s talk about what we have done to get through the dark times when God doesn’t seem to make sense. What do we do when our faith is tested? How can you best encourage someone who is facing difficult challenges? How do we make sense of the hypocrisy we see in church leaders today? Where is God in all of this? Do you have a story to share?

Pastor Bob Caldwell of Calvary Chapel Boise sets a good example for dealing with offenses in the CC System

Uncategorized 486 Responses »

Mar 282013

Why not “try” to reconcile as a Pastor/Leader who claims to be “called” and Qualified and presents themselves to be like Jesus?

Hell froze over yesterday. And, I’m pretty sure I saw some pigs flying around in Boise.

OK, not really, but it seems like it.

I’ll admit it (as if it isn’t obvious)…I’m jaded, skeptical, un-trusting of Calvary Chapel and its 1500-2000 affiliated official Senior Pastors. Well, there are some good ones in there after all, good in the context of they try to do the right thing and they are approachable and give it a real shot at resolving a tough situation…without attorneys and bodyguards and stone walls.

I am happy (thrilled really) to report that one such rare case happened yesterday at Calvary Chapel Boise with the help of Pastor Bob Caldwell.

Here’s the gist of the controversy in a nutshell:

There’s a guy “Greg” who’s been protesting/picketing Calvary Chapel Boise…literally standing out front of the mega-church (it’s a really big CC) on a busy road, with big signs, expressing his beef with Calvary Chapel that has, up until yesterday, remained unresolved.

It would be easy to paint the guy as “crazy” and dismiss him as a nut and move on. That’s the easy thing, and not the right thing, IMO. It’s also not the wisest thing for Bob and CC, as the guy was quite resolved, and he wasn’t going anywhere.

Obviously there’s a problem. Who pickets a church? Well, either a total nutcase…or a guy who has a beef that he can’t get passed and needs some closure…and feels he hasn’t got a fair shake inside the church walls.

I’ve talked with Greg, he’s not a nutcase. He’s a little different, but not institutional different…more like very bright and talented and determined and passionate different. Is he a homogenized “normal”? Heck no, what vanilla normal person pickets a church in public and opens themselves up to that kind of embarrassment?

When I look at a situation like this, I see it through a lens of someone who knows what it’s like to be kicked out of a church Group (or a family unit, as dysfunctional as it is) and blamed for the separation…even though I tried to do what was right and righteous…and in fact commanded in the bible (which is supposedly “the” authority that the same church and family says is the final say on all matters). IMO, a guy like Greg is either an institutional nut and needs to go spend some time in a padded room…or there’s something legit there that needs to be resolved.

It didn’t take me long to believe that Greg is legally sane and had some legit beefs and that Calvary Chapel should/could sit down and help work this thing out.

I agreed to try and help Greg approach Calvary Chapel. I called and left a message for the Senior Pastor (CCSP) Bob Caldwell. I explained who I was, gave info about CC Abuse, stated briefly what the inquiry was about and requested a call back.

I was shocked when my cell phone rang just a little time later, and it was Bob Caldwell.

The guy didn’t get a word in for quite awhile as I was pretty amped up and expected a knock-down drag-out.

To my pleasant surprise, Bob was very gracious, yet frank and not patronizing. He listened. When he spoke, it felt real and candid and not guarded and even more importantly, not as if he was some special prophet/guru who should be approached from afar with sacrificial gifts and chants of praise and allegiance…and there was no kissing of rings.

Bob’s a real guy. If I didn’t know he was the pastor of a huge mega-church, I would have thought I was talking to a really nice laid-back guidance counselor or something.

I presented Greg’s beef and asked Bob for his (CC Boise’s) side of the story. Bob shared some stuff in a straightforward manner. There was a little push-back on both sides of the convo in a couple of spots (Bob’s still a man and a Leader, and I expect honest push-back where it’s warranted). The result of the convo was an agreement to an in-person meeting with the offended party, me and Bob.

The biggest take-away from the phone convo that gave me some hope about the meeting: Bob seemed to sincerely care about Greg…and not as much about himself or the church business.

I phone Greg and told him the news of the meeting. He was ecstatic, while having some butterflies (a very normal human reaction). I told him how excited I was with the opportunity and that, IMO, this was rare (in my experience) and a great sign so far.

THE MEETING

Bob’s taller and skinnier than I thought. I patted him on the back and encouraged him to eat something…commenting that most of his fellow affiliated CC Pastor brothers aren’t so svelt and are usually busting out of their Hawaiian shirts or Tommy Bahamas.

Staff was friendly, just like at CC Costa Mesa. Some of the folks looked so innocent and naive…and a couple looked as if they thought we were really weird and looked a bit uncomfortable, my perception.

We met in a small conference room upstairs. Bob on one side of a smallish table, Greg and me on the other.

I tried to take some control of the meeting, explaining that we have three chiefs in the tee-pee and needed some sort of structure to get through this. I explained how I thought the conversation should go (in regards to a structure/order). Bob suggested we open in prayer and turned to Greg to pray first. Greg prayed. I was offered to pray, I declined (I pray to God in an unorthodox way, I pretty much keep an ongoing dialogue in my inner-voice and I feel that public prayers are pretty much not praying to God, but a prayer performance for the others present, and I don’t like that. If I’m going to pray to God, my Father…others would be very taken back at what they’d hear…and I didn’t want to freak these two out, especially Bob. He probably thinks I’m weird enough already). Bob then prayed.

After the prayers, I provided a synopsis of why we were there, thanked Bob for the opportunity and then summarized what I had gathered was the “situation” from both sides, what the beefs were and asked how we could resolve this so Greg doesn’t feel compelled to picket CC Boise any longer and feels he has closure on these issues.

Greg spoke at length about his side of things. Bob responded many times. I interjected and pushed back in some spots for consideration…for both parties. It seemed to keep some balance to the discussion…as both sides tend to see things through their personal lens.

Greg conducted himself very well…so did Bob.

Bob showed me, and more importantly he showed Greg, that he was sincere in wanting to help work this out. That’s a HUGE factor. Bob’s good leadership is the reason this meeting was a success, not me.

The controversy was many years old. It started in 2004 and reached a climax in 2005 with Greg being banned from a single’s group at CC Boise, which resulted in an arrest for trespass (misdemeanor) when Greg showed back up to the group.

Greg’s side of things was that he didn’t know why he was banned and felt it was wrong to then be arrested when he tried to return to the group. Greg said there was some conflict between him and the leader of the single’s group at the time, an associate pastor who is no longer with CC Boise and according to Greg was fired for just cause by the church. The banning and the arrest for trespass really bothered Greg. He felt he was treated unjustly and he reports he never got a clear answer of what happened and why it happened. All the sudden, he’s out, he’s arrested and he’s the bad guy. He was not able to move on and let it go without some sort of resolution. He felt he was bullied by the assistant and some others and felt he got a raw deal.

In around 2007, Greg’s wife reached out to Bob and expressed concern that Greg was still spinning over this unresolved issue. Bob agreed to a meeting. He met with Greg and gave him a general apology and tried to work things out. Greg still believed he wasn’t told what happened and why it happened. No details were given to him previously or at that time of what the beefs against him were, specifically, that led to his banning from the group. Greg left this meeting feeling better for a time, but the underlying issues had still not been fully resolved.

Flash forward to 2013. Greg sees the “Save Saeed” campaign and sees CC Boise beating the drum to save the Iranian missionary (whose church home is CC Boise) who has been arrested wrongly in Iran and is in prison for being a Christian…(a really good Cause that Greg agrees with, and I agree with. Iran needs to free Saeed now and our State Department and our Government needs to do more to make that happen).

This is what is called a “trigger”…something I’ve learned from licensed therapists, etc in the psychology world.

Greg felt this was quite hypocritical, since CC Boise had not fully resolved his beef with them…and he was arrested, too. How about “Save Greg”?

The negative feelings and emotions popped back up. The scab had not healed. Greg began to rehash the situation and got angry. When folks get angry, sometimes they make signs and protest…a healthy and legal choice to deal with the frustration…a much better choice than turning to drugs and alcohol…or even worse, breaking the law. Again, many vanilla normal folks probably would’ve let it go…we’re not all vanilla normal…God makes us all a bit unique and some of us…in this patchwork quilt called this life, this existence…are not just like everyone else in all regards. Heck, some of the craziest dudes I know are CC pastors…literally. Some of them really think they have the “gift” of “seeing demons in people” and some think they are really prophets of God…talk about delusional…but Greg’s crazy. Got it.

Greg has some great qualities. Part of his good qualities, like his passion and his bright mind, can be a challenge for him in letting something go (believe me, I know this from personal experience). Greg’s not a circus freak, he’s not a threat to society. He’s a human being, with a soul, with a family. He needed some help and some grace and some good Godly leadership in this situation and some sort of resolution that made sense to him.

So, Greg’s been picketing CC Boise…and now, here we are in a meeting with the Senior Pastor and we’re hashing it out (again).

This time around, Bob provided the details of what went down in 2004/2005. He presented a copy of the police report that detailed the situation and some complaints CC Boise had received from some others in the group about Greg. Greg was told specifically what those complaints were. They were not allegations of a crime or anything like that, but they were allegations that warranted the church deal with the situation. If the church is expected to take Greg’s complaints seriously, they have to take the complaints of women in their flock seriously as well. I affirmed that Bob was in a tough position with regards to that issue. Without a ton of evidence to the contrary, Bob is left with some women saying one thing and Greg saying another…and if the church doesn’t respond to the claims from women, and it turned out Greg was a psycho and something bad happened, then the church gets their arses sued off and accused of not protecting women.

The specifics: A couple of women in the church said Greg was stalking them. Greg said he was just involved a lot in the group and volunteered for lots of stuff and was around them a lot in church-related functions. It was a single’s group. Without the benefit of tracking down the women and getting their side, we can assume they were uncomfortable at the least and they expressed their discomfort to the church. OK. That info would have gone a long way for Greg back then…and in the first meeting with Bob in 2007. Greg feels the specific charges against him would have given him the opportunity to respond better and to know why he was banned, etc.

This was a big thing for Greg. He really wanted to know what he had done and he wanted the opportunity to make it right. He appeared very relieved to get the specifics and claimed he was not aware of those details. Bob was under the impression he was from what he was told from others back then (one of them being the ex-assistant who later got fired).

In reviewing, again, the climate of the single’s group under the leadership of the former assistant pastor…IMO, it became clear that the assistant didn’t handle the problem well…and that there was some sort of p***ing match and personal beef with Greg over some stuff Greg had challenged him on. Without the benefit of speaking with the assistant, I come to this conclusion based on Greg’s take and the fact that the assistant got canned from CC Boise for not dealing with other situations in the best manner as well. Bob didn’t throw the guy under the bus, but he did acknowledge that there were things the guy could have handled in a better way and he apologized to Greg for that (again).

Here’s what became clear…and here’s what I think just resolved the issue and has helped Greg to burn up his protest signs and to hopefully move on: Bob Caldwell heard him out, again. Bob Caldwell provided the specifics of the other side and of the stuff Greg was accused of. Bob Caldwell was open, he acknowledged some mistakes, he offered to help…he is even providing counseling from a psychologist who helps in their church. Bob sat across the table as a pastor who was more concerned about Greg at that moment, than he was about being 100% right and protecting his man kingdom.

Greg did great as well. He is a good guy, IMO, he just wanted to know. He just wanted to hear that it didn’t go as well as it could have or should have. He just wanted to hear all there was to the situation and not be left guessing. He handled the accusations against him very well. I tried to explain that Bob is in a tough spot when he’s got one sheep saying this and that about the other sheep…while agreeing that Greg had a right to know the specifics and to get some sort of airing of his grievances and some sort of shot at finality.

I think we got that shot yesterday. I think Greg got the closure he was fighting for. I think Bob Caldwell acted as a Servant Leader and got off his stage, climbed down from his ivory tower and got dirty with some regular sheep. I think what happened yesterday was right and righteous and I think that if the Faith is real, if the bible is true and if God “is”…then God is pleased with it.

The take-away from this one, IMO: Some folks need resolution, they need a fair shake and a frank discussion with the Pastor. They need to hear they aren’t the “enemy” and of the devil. They need the church and the Pastor to slow down for a minute and to take the matter seriously. Yes, CC Boise is extremely busy. Yes, they help a lot of folks. Yes, it was probably very inconvenient for Pastor Bob to have to deal with this in the manner he did. Yes, that’s what the bible calls him to do regardless. If a “pastor” can’t slow down enough to take some of these situations seriously and really try to resolve them in a positive manner…then I question the validity of their supposed “calling”.

If Jesus Christ the SON of the living God was/is not too busy for dirty muddy stinky sheep (even when it’s tough and uncomfortable)…then what the heck are you doing? Leave the 99 to save the 1. Try to resolve beefs. If you’re too “busy”…if you have underlings to handle that stuff…you aren’t really a pastor, you’re a paid public speaker. Go read the news off a teleprompter or join the local theater or become a politician….but get the heck out of my Father’s House, you brood of vipers.

“How I got a refund from my church”: The story of a Calvary Chapel worship leader who got his money back from Bob Caldwell and Calvary Chapel Boise

Uncategorized 77 Responses »

Mar 262013

Does your tithe come with a Money Back Guarantee? Chuck Smith’s conflict resolution says, “Vote with your feet!” Well, can we have our money back as well?

CC Abuse has been contacted by a man from the Boise, Idaho area who has reported a concerning situation with regards to Bob Caldwell and Calvary Chapel Boise. In researching the story and seeing if there have been any other issues with this Pastor Bob and this particular CC, this VERY INTERESTING story hit the radar.

An article appearing on the popular Patheos blog details the conversion and de-conversion of a one time Calvary Chapel worship leader. OK, that part, while a story on its own, is not the really really interesting part. This is:

The guy requested that the church refund his “tithes”…even more fascinating…they did!

This has HUGE implications…and may be a great check-and-balance against church abuse and not treating those who give the money in a fair manner. Just because a church, like a Calvary Chapel, doesn’t have “official membership”…does not necessarily preclude you from getting your money back…either voluntarily or involuntarily through lawsuit.

It’s a rather fascinating and bold idea…and here’s a case where the Calvary Chapel Pastor voluntarily refunded $3,200.

Money is a key issue inside church systems. Calvary Chapel says your recourse is “Vote with your feet!” Hmmm. OK, how about we vote with our feet when you don’t act righteously…and you give us our money back! How about that? I like it…I think it may be a Trend and I think we should encourage folks to start requesting their money back…and like Calvary Chapel (Courson, Grenier, Smith etc) get lawyers involved if they don’t agree…that’s the Calvary Chapel way! Praise Jesus!

Personally, I think Bob Caldwell set a GREAT example, one that should be followed in the rich and powerful Calvary Chapel System of Churches. If it is “really” God’s money…then why not issue refunds to those who feel like they were lied to, mistreated, kept in the dark about certain things that would have influenced their tithing, feel now like they were manipulated into giving money, have been shown the door by church leadership, etc?

Here’s a portion of the Patheos article and link:

by Billy Braun

“I was a TrueChristian™ for about eight years starting back in 1981. I attended a Pentecostal non-denominational church (Glad Tidings-Boise) back in the first five years of my time as a believer. It was there that I learned to accept the idea that my first duty to God was to tithe to the church. I was absolutely faithful in my giving of tithes and offerings. I was a “happy giver.”

After five years at Glad Tidings I became drawn towards Calvary Chapel of Boise. The vibe at C.C. was way more up my ally. I’m a professional musician and C.C. was just then forming in Boise and I fit perfectly into the youth-oriented fellowship.

Calvary’s Pastor (Bob Caldwell) and I became really good friends. We not only built the C.C. fellowship together, we also did a lot of prison ministry and even had some “leadership retreats” together.

Backsliding

After three years as C.C.’s music minister, I met some other musicians in the church and we decided to start doing some secular gigs just for fun (I even had Pastor Bob’s blessing on it). It wasn’t long before I wanted to get back full time into the professional music club circuit.

Pastor Bob and I parted company at that time … but we parted on the very best of terms. There was no condemnation from him towards me, and, I had no negative feelings for leaving the church. This would turn out to be the key to why he would eventually grant my “request” for a refund of my tithing contributions to Calvary Chapel.

Of course, I soon backslid into partying and wound up getting a divorce. After several years of living the old musician lifestyle, I met my current wife (of twenty years), stopped drinking, settled down and had two daughters. Once I quit drinking (without A.A. or any other “spiritual” assistance) I began to read Thomas Paine and Robert Ingersoll. Once I discovered the internet (Infidel Guy Show) there was no turning back. I found complete freedom from religion.

Giving

After some time, I started to remember an incident that had happened to me way back in my days at Glad Tidings Church. I had been watching the P.T.L. Club on TV and got suckered into believing that the Lord wanted me to send P.T.L. a thousand bucks! I sent the money. When my Pastor’s wife (sister Barnett) found out that I’d sent P.T.L. $1000, she took me aside and scolded me that the Lord wanted his people to give their money to “where they are fed” i.e., Glad Tidings. She suggested that I call P.T.L. and ask for my money back.

So I did. When I asked P.T.L. to return the money they agreed and I allowed them to keep $100.00 for being so understanding. I then gave the remaining $900.00 to Glad Tidings. After all; had I not already given the money to “The Lord”?

Fast forward to 2006. One faith-free day I happened to recall my P.T.L. experience and began to ask myself: “Why not simply ask, not demand or insist, but politely askfor my money back from Calvary Chapel?” All they could say was “no,” right? I had left the church on excellent terms, and Pastor Bob was a very cool, very laid back guy.

Refunding

By that time Calvary Chapel was huge. I knew Bob would remember me, so I wrote him a short email asking if he could help me with some questions that I had involving donations to the fellowship. Bob wrote back almost immediately with a nice letter saying that he had thought about me many times over the years and had meant to contact me and that he was sorry that he had never actually done it. He was very sweet and kind as always.

He then referred me to his Assistant Pastor (Mike Sasso) for help with my questions. I send a courteous response thanking Bob for his kind words and attention. I then connected with Pastor Mike and began writing questions back and forth. I wrote to Mike that my understanding was that when I gave money to the fellowship, I was essentially giving the money to God and that the church was merely “the conduit” between me and Jesus.

At first Mike was very friendly and eager… on his best pastoral behavior. Once my questions began to turn towards a “could the church ever refund money that had been given” type of query, Mike’s language became stiff and defensive. He then referred me to deal directly with Pastor Bob.”

Full article here with correspondence between Braun and Caldwell: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/unreasonablefaith/2010/03/how-i-got-a-refund-from-my-church/

In the end, Bob Caldwell was very gracious and approved the refunding of $3,200 to Braun, paid out in installments over the course of months. Wow!

Jon Courson of Applegate Christian Fellowship alleges “extortion” by former long-time congregant. Congregant single mom Thorson alleges harassment that was sexual in nature by other pastors, a pastor “slapping her son”, spiritual abuse and bullying…questions hiring a felon as youth pastor, questions ownership/control of the church assets and use of funds

Uncategorized 191 Responses »

Mar 242013

Jon Courson, one time heir-apparent to the CCCM throne, is mired in an explosive controversy. He is pictured with his current wife Tammy.

Jon Courson, one time heir-apparent to the CCCM throne according to sources, is mired in an explosive controversy. He is pictured with his second wife Tammy (first wife is deceased).

An explosive controversy is brewing for Jon Courson and Applegate Christian Fellowship in Oregon and seems to be reaching a critical mass resulting in Courson’s attorneys sending a “cease and desist” letter to a long-time former congregant, neighbor and single mom Laurie Thorson.

Courson, through his agents, also accuses Thorson of “extortion”…which is a felony.

Thorson started a facebook page called “Fatherless Children in the Church” and on it she posts some of her concerns with Courson and Applegate Christian Fellowship. Thorson contacted CC Abuse recently and stated the following in an email:

“My son and I lived across the street from Jon for almost 15 years, and we (especially my son) were exposed to so much abuse from Jon and his family, as well as other men (in leadership) in the church. It’s really sad. I recently sent e-mails to Pastor Chuck Smith and Jon Courson to inform them of how I perceived the continual abuse. They haven’t responded and I don’t anticipate they will.

…I’ve been researching extensively on all the so-called religious businesses Jon has, and I am turning over stones that I am truly sick about. Every time I would click enter, my stomach would turn because I knew something horrible was going to show up on my screen. It’s so heart breaking. There seems to be so much fraud and deceit.”

In addition to allegations of what Thorson calls ongoing spiritual abuse and bullying, she also has brought up concerns about Courson and ACF’s employment of convicted felon, Nick Griffin, as the Youth Pastor of ACF who worked closely with children there up until recently.

Thorson goes on to allege that Courson essentially controls and owns the multi-million dollar assets of ACF and posts a link to the Oregon Secretary of State’s office that lists Courson as “president” of ACF.

Link here: http://egov.sos.state.or.us/br/pkg_web_name_srch_inq.show_detl?p_be_rsn=390274&p_srce=BR_INQ&p_print=FALSE

On the “Fatherless Children in the Church” facebook page Thorson states the following:

“The total property value of ACF is……………….$6,401,910 (and it all belongs to only Jon Courson)”

Big money, and apparently that’s just the church building and property. Thorson claims she would be denied financial help repeatedly by Courson and ACF, even though she was a 15-year congregant and single-mom who had struggles at times.

Some of the details of Thorson’s allegations are very disturbing. She details some the allegations by Courson and other ACF pastors here. She responded to a direct question asking her to clarify her abuse allegations and if there was child abuse/molestation:

“No. It was more mental abuse, public humiliation, and neglect. Example: my son was ADHD and was seen by two doctors (a neurologist, Dr. Narus AND an allergist, Dr. DeYarman). Jon told his children about my son’s condition and would allow/encourage them to mock me and my son (dance around me in public and sing songs “…i’m hyper, i’m on drugs…”). Everyone in the church knew that my son and I were alone, and some men took advantage of this (example: one man, who is now a pastor of another CC affiliate, would come to my home under the umbrella of ‘friends’ and would take my money, saying it was my obligation to support him as his sister in the Lord. One night he crawled into my bed and I had to leave my own home to sleep at a friends/neighbors house (witness is my neighbor). What a stupid woman I was. Another pastor took it upon himself to rub up against the front of me, never blinking an eye. Another pastor took it upon to slap my son repeatedly (this happened by other men too).”

Despite her belief she would never hear back from Chuck Smith or Jon Courson regarding the letters she’s sent for many many years…letters asking for help as a single-mom, letters asking for the church to intervene and hear her complaints and to bring some form of justice and reconciliation…Thorson finally got a response after she claims she sent correspondence citing “biblical restitution” and suggested that Courson and ACF should cough up some money to resolve the many-years-long problems. Thorson has, however, threatened to sue as well.

Courson’s response came in the form of an attorney letter accusing Thorson of “extortion” and demanding that she “cease and desist” from posting things on her facebook page.

Link to Jon Courson’s attorney letter here: letter from ACF-Jon Courson’s attorney

In the letter, Courson (through his agents) accuses Thorson of a “harassment campaign” and “attempted theft by extortion” as well as “defamation” and the letter goes on to threaten immediate legal action if Thorson doesn’t “cease and desist”.

Thorson claims that her request for a $100,000 settlement was her attempt at “biblical restitution” for the abuse she believes she endured by Courson and ACF and she claims the context of her request was an offer to resolve the issues since Courson and the church continued to stone-wall her for years and this was a way for her to get what she believed was biblical justice without getting the courts involved. Thorson claims she wanted to use the $100,000 to fund a program to care for the fatherless children who she believes are routinely neglected by wealthy churches like ACF.

Link to Laurie Thorson’s response sent to Courson’s attorneys: Letter to Atty Paradis, mailed 03.21.13

Courson clearly believes he’s being extorted by this single-mom and his attorneys were very clear in the letter that they intend to bring the full weight of the law against her if she doesn’t shut up and go away.

We reached out to Courson and ACF for comment and to present their side of the controversy. We received a letter from Courson’s attorneys in which they responded to questions about Thorson’s alleged “extortion”, Thorson’s allegations of abuse, allegations of Courson’s ownership of the church assets and allegations of hiring a convicted felon, Nick Griffin, as Youth Pastor of ACF.

Link to Jon Courson’s attorney’s response to CC Abuse here: Courson ACF response to CC Abuse Letter 032213

Courson and ACF, through their attorneys, maintain a firm position that they are being criminally extorted by Thorson and that she is defaming them and they go on to defend their hiring of a convicted felon to lead their Youth Ministry about a year after he was released from prison. The felon/pastor Nick Griffin is currently ordained by Courson according to the letter, and in an ACF radio interview in late January 2013, Griffin describes his “calling” to Daytona Beach, Florida to start a Calvary Chapel there, with the blessing and “prophetic word” from Courson.

Here’s the link to the ACF radio interview with their recent Youth Pastor, Nick Griffin: http://media.applegatefellowship.org/kapl/MS-01-24-13.mp3

Commentary/Opinion by CC Abuse: There’s a lot of red flags on both sides of this controversy. Does the single-mom Thorson have legit beefs? Did she cross a line recently? Is Thorson extorting Courson? Did Courson and ACF do anything wrong? Are they acting properly as emissaries of Jesus Christ in their alleged conduct? Are they taking a risk with children by hiring felons one year out of prison? Are they acting as emissaries of Jesus Christ in taking such a hard-line stand against the single-mom? What say you…

P.S. More Opinion by CC Abuse: There’s a big back-story with Courson and serious moral allegations from multiple CCCM insiders regarding his transition to his current wife. At one time, allegedly, Courson was the heir-apparent to the CC Costa Mesa throne, but there has since been a rift between Courson and the Calvary Chapel organization, though many consider Courson to be a Calvary Chapel pastor and one of the Big Guns in the Movement. I’ve heard a lot of good about Courson, I’ve heard a lot of bad. I have CC insiders who vouch for the man as one of the “good” CC guys…and many who have very serious concerns. Stay tuned, as this particular controversy may escalate quite a bit in the coming months.

My hope is that Courson will exercise some good leadership and be gracious to the single-mom and sit down and resolve this without attorneys. My hope is that Thorson can get some peace and feel some sense of reconciliation in these matters. I would personally volunteer to sit with both, no attorneys, and help broker a mutual understanding…no money…no lawsuits…but a mutual airing of grievances and some sort of resolution. It could be an opportunity to set a new tone.

Unfortunately, from what I’ve learned from the CC System and those close to it…hell will freeze over and the devil will repent before a big CC guy agrees to try and work things out with a dirty filthy non-anointed sheep. Personally, I don’t think Thorson wants money. I think she wants Courson to listen to her and to acknowledge her pain and to apologize and to validate her concerns. My opinion is that Courson thinks she’s crazy and has stone-walled her for years. I think Courson is probably concerned by her threats to sue and her request for money, so he’s taking a very hard-line now and is trying to intimidate her into silence and into going away. I think if Courson is truly a Servant Leader, he’d give it a shot. I’ll learn a lot about Courson by his response to this situation. So far, not so good. He could always sue the hell out of her later and he could always respond to a lawsuit if one was brought against him. Why not “try” to bring peace as a Spiritual Leader? This is a single-mom who has had a very tough road. Courson is rich, famous and powerful and God and CC has been very gracious with him and all of his sins (and I know what those sins are, c’mon Jon, if there’s grace for you…there’s grace for Thorson).

Calvary Chapel Practices: Narc for Jesus

Common CC Practices 361 Responses »

Mar 182013

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Calvary Chapel Narcs for Jesus

Two readers commented about narcs today:

Andrew says:

March 18, 2013 at 10:16 am

This is what got me thrown out of my CC. But it wasn’t an assistant pastor but rather another narc. I didn’t do anything wrong other than have an intelligent conversation with another brother in my own home when this narc over heard me make a comment about my ex CC pastor. It went from there to the home group leader to the assistant pastor to the senior Moses. This is very common in Moses Model churches. Don’t ever say a word about the Moses pastor, not even in your own home if there is any chance at all of a narc over hearing or else you may be disciplined as well.

once a cc guru says:

March 18, 2013 at 11:37 am

# 28 Don’t ever say a word about the Moses pastor, not even in your own home if there is any chance at all of a narc over hearing or else you may be disciplined as well….

Yep, that how the cc mafia works… you will be ex-communicated, shunned and dethroned from ministry faster than you can say, Brian Broderson!

The following is taken from: The Ministry of an Assisting Pastor, by Larry Taylor

20. Keep the Pastor Informed About Absolutely Everything—Be His Eyes and Ears, Be a Narc for Jesus

The Pastor needs to be told everything. He cannot oversee the ministry without data. Senior pastors hate surprises in their ministries. Tell the pastor all about the people in the congregation. Tell him what’s happening at meetings he doesn’t attend. Tell him how the Sunday School is going, what the youth group is doing, and the latest missionary efforts. Leave no stone unturned. Tell him everything.

Some ministries are so big that the Assisting Pastor doesn’t see or talk to the Pastor regularly. If that’s your case, write him letters. Pastor Chuck has far too much to do to talk to me every day on the phone or have me planted in his office when I should be out serving the people. So, I regularly write him a long letter, in which I tell him everything about the areas of ministry that I’m assisting him with. He needs input and data to make his decisions and oversee the ministry, so I give him as much input as I can. I inform him of everything. If something goes wrong, I want him to hear from me first. I want him to have all information in case he needs to make decisions about the ministry. I don’t expect an answer to the letters—it is just input from me to him.

Be the eyes and ears of the ministry. Listen to what people are saying. Pick up on the attitudes of the staff and leadership. Watch people to see who serves diligently and who goofs off. Be a narc for Jesus. Squeal on people. Narc on the guy who litters the parking lot. Tell the pastor everything. Absolutely everything.

UPDATE (by Alex): My friend Jeff (who I vouch for as a truth-teller) gave some first-person insight into Larry Taylor and The Ministry of an Assisting Pastor book we are discussing above. While I have seen the stuff Taylor espoused in practice in CC, I feel it’s important to clarify the facts according to a trusted source surrounding the situation which are here:

“First, Andrew, the Larry Taylor pamphlet was never commissioned by the church nor was it approved to use church funds to publish it. In fact, Chuck never desired it. Larry took funds from bible college revenues without permission and published it..just like his lovely book of poems. I had the personal blessing of destroying thousand of those suckers whenSteve Mays and Chuck fired Larry and we needed the space in the MHS bookstore for other materials people actually cared to read.”

* * *

Did you notice “narcing” at your CC church? Is this appropriate? Is it Biblical? Do you find it intrusive or is it necessary? Let’s talk!

Alex Needs Help with His Pink Blog

Uncategorized 71 Responses »

Mar 172013

If you haven’t noticed, Calvary Chapel Abuse blog is going through a renovation.

Let’s help Alex ditch the Pepto Bismol pink from his blog.

###

Feel free to leave other blog “renovation” ideas in the comments as well.

Alex created this place to expose abuse and ecclesiastical corruption among Calvary Chapel (CC) churches. With over 3 million visitors in less than 3 years, it is evident that there are CC system-wide problems. What topics would benefit new readers visiting the site? Are there any topics related to CC that you personally would like discussed here? We welcome your comments below.

Thanks,

Submitted by Maude on behalf of the CCA Blog Team

The God Discussion Show: Who Would Jesus Sue? A look at church, state and abuse (Friday, March 15, 2013)

Pastor Grenier Lawsuit 286 Responses »

Mar 142013

Tune in Friday, March 15, 2013 to The God Discussion Show, we’ll be discussing (among other issues) Abuse in the Church.

Tune in for The God Discussion Show this Friday night, hosted by Deborah and Al.

The God Discussion is a Google News Site and Internet Radio Show that features a wide range of Philosophical and Religious backgrounds…with the common theme of discussing “God” and the issues of Church and State.

From what I can tell, Deborah is a Deist and Al is a former SBC Baptist pastor who became an Atheist. Both are authors, speakers and show hosts…very bright, very much sharing the same passion many of us have for protecting Children and for calling out Child Abuse and Corruption in the Church (or wherever it is found).

Now, some will say “How dare you go on a show with an Atheist!” Well, sue me. I have many Atheist friends, most are much better people than what I grew up with in Calvary Chapel and especially with regards to my Step-dad. Frankly, I would have rather been raised by a loving caring supportive non-abusive Atheist dad, than the abusive, oppressive, soul-crushing evil man/pastor/chaplain who did.

I’ve considered Atheism due to my experiences in the “church” and due to the lying, hypocrisy, blind eye and deaf ear to injustice and outright evil I’ve seen from guys like Bob Grenier, Chuck Smith, Raul Ries and others in Calvary Chapel.

However, at the end of the day, my doubt in “No Good” is greater than my doubt in God…and there’s something innate that I cannot shake (and I’ve tried). I believe that “God is”…I believe He is the Creator, the Uncaused Cause of the Universe, “the” Singularity…and I believe Jesus Christ walked this existence as a literal man, who was/is God incarnate. My hope for Salvation is in the person of Jesus Christ the Messiah who I believe Resurrected, as whacky and unprovable as that is to some of my Atheist friends. I can’t “prove it” empirically…though there is a great case that can be made that a literal historical figure, Jesus Christ, did walk this earth (Pontius Pilate Stone, writings of Flavius Josephus, the Gospel accounts, etc). My Atheist friends can’t “prove” God doesn’t exist. Both sides argue from Ignorance. Both sides at the end of the day cannot “prove” Origins or Existence. We can observe the wonder of the little glimpses we get of the Universe and things as they are…we can observe the wonders of human nature and the innate spirituality all people possess to some degree or other…we can point to the Bible and other sacred texts…others can pick those texts apart. At the end of the day…we’re all left with very little information about the Big Questions: Why? ….and, How? …and What is the Truth?

Unlike some of my strict Fundamentalist Christian friends…I personally try to follow Truth wherever it leads….and sometimes that is uncomfortable. If the premise holds true that: “The devil is the father of lies!” and that “God hates lying!” etc and by implication God “loves” the Truth…then it’s hard to call some of the things that Science and Atheists point out as being “of the devil!”

I’ll affirm Atheists when I think they’re speaking Truth…like when they call on churches and organizations to protect Children and to stop Child Abuse. I’ll affirm Atheists when they point out valid criticisms of churches being Corrupt and getting special tax statuses that they abuse and shouldn’t have…as many of the churches I am privy to spend the “Money for Jesus!” as if it’s their own personal piggy bank….helping themselves…and not any others.

Remember this assumed Truth from Paul the Apostle: 1 Corinthians 5:12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?

Maybe if the “Church” would spend more time judging itself rather than judging the “unwashed heathen God haters!”…then maybe God would do a work in others outside the church? Maybe? Whatever the “Church” is doing now is powerless, IMO. The fruit over the recent years is pathetic. I think the “Church” needs to focus on the devil inside and the evils from within…as the devil, IMO, is doing his best work inside “Leaderships” like Calvary Chapel and others Church Systems.

Join us on The God Discussion Show this Friday evening, March 15, 6pm PST. Yes, there will be Atheists! Ooooohhh! Scary! No, they don’t bite…at least I hope not

Link to the Show details here:

http://www.goddiscussion.net/2013/03/08/who-would-jesus-sue-a-look-at-church-state-and-abuse-friday-march-15-2013/

Ruling released in Calvary Chapel Pastor Bob Grenier lawsuit

Pastor Grenier Lawsuit 44 Responses »

Mar 112013

Judge issues an official ruling in the Calvary Chapel Bob Grenier lawsuit against his son and former church member.

Turns out controversial Calvary Chapel Pastor Bob Grenier is a public figure after all.

Despite his claims that he is a private person who doesn’t seek the public spotlight, hasn’t interjected himself into controversial issues publicly (I guess he doesn’t count Prop 8 as controversial) hasn’t interjected himself into the public discussion regarding morality, etc. I guess his website, his radio shows, his book on Amazon and on his website, his live telecasts on the internet, his Crusades, his Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast, his regional conferences, his speaking at Mega-churches and at conferences around the world don’t count…either that, or he forgot about those.

Well, only in CC Delusional-Bobland. If Bob was Pinnochio, his nose would stretch to Costa Mesa.

Bob Grenier, the Pastor and recent Visalia Police Department Chaplain has been ruled a “Limited Purpose Public Figure” by the Tulare County Superior Court.

Unfortunately for Bob, unlike in his Calvary Chapel Moses-model franchise, he cannot simply fire the judge for disagreeing with him. I was told Bob’s attorney Nick Pritchett gave a pretty lame argument for why Bob isn’t a limited purpose public figure…but I’m sure Nick is getting paid, so, IMO, he could probably care less, as long as the check clears.

What does this ruling mean? It means Bob Grenier and Pastors like him in California “are” Limited Purpose Public Figures as defined by the State of California. It means that they are very Anti-SLAPP’able and they must prove “Actual Malice” to avoid an Anti-SLAPP motion and to win a Defamation/Slander/IIED type lawsuit. It means if they bring such a suit…and lose, they have to pay the other person’s attorney’s fees. It’s a great check and balance to keep the rich and powerful from intimidating those in a weaker position into silence.

What does “Actual Malice” mean? It means they must prove that we made up the stuff and reported the stuff knowing it to be false, which is totally bogus. I believe my brother Paul, I believe all the others who presented testimony and evidence that are the basis for my speech on the internet. Much of the sources I have came forward and are in the court record in Declarations and there are documents in evidence as well that support our claims.

It is my belief and hope that we will win the Actual Malice argument and we are hopeful the judge will then grant the Anti-SLAPP motion against Bob Grenier after the next hearing, which is April 9th.

The one issue we are not clear on is whether or not my mom will be allowed to sue for Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress. If she is allowed to sue (and follows through) for us speaking out about her public figure Pastor/Chaplain husband publicly, it will be very sad for me. It will be another wound I will have to endure, but by the grace of God I will. I have always considered my mom a victim of Bob’s abuse and I have always been sympathetic to her. I love her, she’s my mom…and nothing will ever change that. It is upsetting to me that she is being used as a pawn, IMO, in Bob’s agenda of covering his arse for the abuses he’s committed to me and others.

We believe we will prevail and prevail quickly if they proceed with an IIED claim. Bob will most certainly, IMO (and there is a press release to such) spin a suit by my mom for IIED as a great victory for Jesus! I think only the real hardened Kool-Aid drinkers will buy that spin. What a terrible tragedy if they pursue that claim…a claim they will lose as well. It is no “victory” for the wife of an abusive Pastor to be allowed to sue her son, who was abused by her husband. I don’t think that makes Jesus do the Harlem Shake and I don’t think the Angels in heaven will be rejoicing…only in CC Boblandia.

Here is a link to the Ruling (click the underlined text below):

Calvary Chapel Bob Grenier Lawsuit: Ruling

Calvary Chapel Bob Grenier Lawsuit vs. step-son & member: Tentative ruling in Grenier v. Taylor

Pastor Grenier Lawsuit 257 Responses »

Mar 042013

Re: Grenier v. Taylor

Case No.: 249252

Date: March 5, 2013 Time: 8:30 A.M.

Dept. 7 – The Honorable Paul Vortmann

Motion: Defendants’ Special Motion To Strike the Complaint as a Meritless SLAPP

Tentative Ruling: The court finds that Defendants’ Web activities are protected under CCP 425.16(e)(3) and finds that Plaintiff Bob Grenier is a Limited Purpose Public Figure. The hearing on this motion is continued to April 9, 2013 at 8:30 a.m. in Department 7 on the issue of malice pursuant to the stipulation of the parties submitted on January 15, 2013.

The objections to evidence submitted by the parties will be determined prior to the continued hearing.

Plaintiffs are the pastor of Calvary Chapel Visalia and his wife. Their Complaint against their son, Alex Grenier and another individual, Tim Taylor, asserts 7 causes of action including three separate counts of Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, three separate counts of Defamation (based on libel and slander) and a single count of Conspiracy to Defame. Plaintiffs assert they have suffered damages because Defendants have since 2005 engaged in an ongoing Internet campaign to disparage Plaintiffs by falsely claiming that Plaintiffs have, among other things, physically abused their children and misused church property. Defendants move to strike the Complaint under CCP 425.16.

“The special motion to strike established in section 425.16 may be used to attack a cause of action if (1) the cause of action arises from ‘any act [by the defendant] in furtherance of the person’s right of petition or free speech under the United States or California Constitution,’ and (2) the defendant was exercising his or her right of free speech ‘in connection with a public issue.’ (Id., subd. (b)(1).) If the moving defendant establishes those two elements, the burden shifts to the plaintiff to establish there is a probability he or she will prevail on the cause of action. (Id., subd. (b)(1), (2);Vergos v. McNeal (2007) 146 Cal.App.4th 1387, 1400.)

“The trial court reviews the pleadings and the admissible evidence contained in the declarations to determine if the parties have met their burdens of proof. (§ 425.16, subd. (b)(2); Gilbert v. Sykes (2007) 147 Cal.App.4th 13.) The motion may be granted only if the cause of action arises from protected activity and the plaintiff cannot establish a probability of prevailing on the merits. (Navellier v. Sletten (2002) 29 Cal.4th 82, 89.)”

Chabak v. Monroy (2007) 154 Cal.App.4th 1502, 1509-1510

Defendants assert that their activities are protected as “written statements made in a place open to the public or in a public forum in connection with an issue of public interest.” CCP 425.16(e)(3). (Defendants assertions that their activities are also protected under CCP 425.16(e)(1),(2), and (4) are not supported by the submitted facts.)

Defendants assert that Plaintiff, as the pastor of a church, champions to church members and to the community at large principles of morality and right over wrong. Defendants further contend that statements alleging misconduct involving moral turpitude by a pastor including claims of child abuse and misuse of church funds are a matter of public interest and protected under the statute.

It cannot be disputed that allegations of child abuse by members of the clergy have been regularly in the news both in this country and around the world. However, in order for Defendants’ Internet comments to be protected, they must not only refer to a subject of widespread public interest, they must in some way contribute to the public debate. Wilbanks v. Wolk (2004) 121 Cal.App.4th 883, 898.

Gilbert v. Sykes (2007) 147 Cal.App.4th 13 involved a plastic surgeon who cross-complained based on defamation and other claims against a former patient. The patient had set up a Web site disparaging the surgeon’s work done on the patient’s face, including photos and other information. The court found that plastic surgery is a subject of widespread public interest and discussion. The court also found the surgeon to be widely known, that he published numerous articles, appeared on local television on plastic surgery issues and advertised in local media. The court went on to state (at p. 23): “Assertions that a prominent and well-respected plastic surgeon produced ‘nightmare’ results that necessitated extensive revision surgery contributes toward public discussion about the benefits and risks of plastic surgery in general, and particularly among persons contemplating plastic surgery as a means of looking younger or improving their appearance.” The court also noted that the patient’s Web site was not limited to references to the surgeon but also contained general information about plastic surgery, red flags to look for, and references to other Web sites. The court stated (at p. 24): “Clearly the Web site was not limited to attacking Sykes, but contributed to the general debate over the pros and cons of undergoing cosmetic surgery.”

Based on these findings, the court concluded that the patient’s Web site concerned a matter of public interest within the meaning of the statute.

In this action, Defendants’ Web blogs and postings are primarily focused on allegations of wrongdoing by Plaintiff Bob Grenier. Some of Defendants’ statements do, however, include references to churches other than Cavalry Chapel Visalia and include discussion of claims made by other persons against different Cavalry Chapel locations such as Costa Mesa and others. Defendants include in some of their critical comments statements that they want to ensure that members of all Cavalry Chapel congregations take steps to properly vet their leaders and account for church funds to avoid questions of abuse and financial mismanagement. Based on the reasoning in Gilbert, the court finds that Defendants’ Web based comments concern a matter of public interest for purposes of the anti-SLAPP statute.

Defendants contend that in order to show that they are likely to prevail, Plaintiffs must establish actual malice. Defendants assert a showing of malice is required because Plaintiff, as pastor of Calvary Chapel Visalia, has placed himself in the public eye sufficiently to be considered a Limited Purpose Public Figure. Defendants have submitted evidence showing that Plaintiff has a Web site promoting his church and has video feeds of church services available through the Web site. Additionally, Plaintiff has published and distributed a book about his activities as a church leader, and has been active in various community events such as the mayor’s annual prayer breakfast and as a volunteer chaplain with the local police department. Plaintiff has also been active in producing and promoting regional church activities. In these public activities, Plaintiff claims to adhere to, teach, counsel, and to promote high standards of Christian morality and the teachings of the Bible, topics of substantial public interest. The evidence submitted supports Defendants’ claims that Plaintiff sought to have not only church members but others in the community see him as a church leader.

“A person becomes a limited purpose public figure by injecting himself into the public debate about a topic that concerns a substantial number of people. Once he places himself in the spotlight on a topic of public interest, his private words and conduct relating to that topic become fair game.” Gilbert v. Sykes (2007) 147 Cal.App.4th 13, 25

In finding the plastic surgeon in Gilbert a limited purpose public figure the court noted (at p. 26): “Here, Sykes’s sought-after prominence as an expert in and advocate for plastic surgery as a means of personal enhancement transformed him into a limited purpose public figure.”

In this action it is not that Plaintiff was part of the debate on the limited issue of abuse by the clergy, but that he does assert that he is a leader of his church. Allegations of conduct which would violate the trust his church members and members of the public place in him as a church leader are matters of public discussion or controversy.

If no one requests oral argument, under Code of Civil Procedure section 1019.5(a) and California Rules of Court, rule 3.1312(a), no further written order is necessary. The minute order adopting this tentative ruling will become the order of the court and service by the clerk will constitute notice of the order.

#WhoWouldJesusSue: Breaking News Advisory – Press Release #2 – Grenier Defamation Lawsuit Archive “Goes Live”

Pastor Grenier Lawsuit 57 Responses »

Mar 012013

#WhoWouldJesusSue Campaign

PRESS RELEASE #2:
Breaking News Advisory

Extensive Archive on Grenier Defamation Lawsuit “Goes Live” Today – March 1, 2013.

A team of volunteers has put together a significant resource on the lawsuit of Grenier & Grenier v. Taylor & Grenier. The Grenier Defamation Lawsuit Archive contains such features as:

Key Facts: People, Dates, and Documents.
Media FAQs.
Historical Narrative of Alex Grenier’s Attempts to Hold Bob Grenier Accountable.
Bibliography on the Grenier Lawsuit, Calvary Chapel Franchise, and #WWJS? Campaign.
Tutorial on “Defamation/SLAPP Lawsuits for Dummies.”

It also includes press releases and other records from the #WhoWouldJesusSue media campaign related to this case.

The Archive is housed on Alex Grenier’s Calvary Chapel Abuse blog. He launched this blog in July 2010 “as my last resort” when all other attempts since 2004 have failed in confronting his step-father Bob over alleged child physical abuse inflicted on his sons, child sexual abuse of his son Paul, and “eccelesiastical corruption” at the church he has pastored since the 1970s.

According to Alex Grenier’s volunteer team: “The Archive writers and editors have sought to be as factual and fair as possible in presenting historical events and in representing all sides accurately. However, there is a distinct bias and the material here is written from the perspective of the defendants, Tim Taylor and Alex Grenier.”

This Archive is based on a similar one produced after the 2012 case of Beaverton Grace Bible Church v. Smith. In that defamation lawsuit, an Oregon pastor and his church sued five defendants for $500,000 for posting online Google Reviews and blog comments alleging church leadership to be “spiritually abusive.” An anti-SLAPP motion was filed and approved, ending that lawsuit as unsubstantiated and frivolous.

This defamation lawsuit was filed on October 17, 2012, by Bob Grenier, Pastor of Calvary Chapel Visalia (California), and his wife Gayle, alleging former church member Tim Taylor and step-son/son Alex Grenier committed “Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress,” “Defamation,” and “Conspiracy to Defame.”

An anti-SLAPP motion was filed on December 17, 2012, and a tentative decision on the matter is due from California Superior Court Judge Paul Anthony Vortmann. A tentative decision is due to be posted March 4, 2013, followed by a court hearing on March 5.

# #

MEDIA INFORMATION/CONTACTS

Twitter: #WhoWouldJesusSue. @CalvaryChapel. @Bobgrenier.

Official Website: Calvary Chapel Abuse, with its Grenier Defamation Lawsuit Archive.

Media Contact: Julie Anne Smith. Email: spiritualsb@gmail.com.

Ms. Smith was the main defendant in the 2012 Oregon case of Beaverton Grace Bible Church v. Smith. Her former pastor and church sued Ms. Smith and four other defendants for $500,000 over claims of defamatory statements posted online about spiritual abuse by the church and its leaders. As in this California case of Grenier & Grenier v. Taylor and Grenier, an anti-SLAPP motion was filed in BGBC v. Smith. So there are significant parallels between the two lawsuits. Ms. Smith now blogs at Spiritual Sounding Board, a site focused on advocacy for survivors of spiritually abusive pastors, churches, ministries, and movements.

# #

#WhoWouldJesusSue: Breaking News Advisory – Press Release #1

Pastor Grenier Lawsuit 316 Responses »

Feb 212013

PRESS RELEASE #1: Breaking News Advisory

UPDATE: Decision postponed to March 4th with formal hearing March 5th (due to plaintiff’s attorney ‘scheduling conflict’) on suit by Calvary Chapel pastor against step-son and former member

Pastor Bob Grenier of Calvary Chapel Visalia (CCV), California, is suing Tim Taylor of Visalia and also one of his own step-sons, Alex Grenier of Idaho. He specifically contends that Taylor and Alex Grenier have committed “Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress,” “Defamation,” and “Conspiracy to Defame.” The defendants view this as a legal maneuver to intimidate and silence them and others from speaking out against sexual abuse, physical abuse, and ecclesiastical corruption they allege he perpetrated.

In 2004-2005, Alex confronted Pastor Grenier and the elders of CCV concerning the child abuse he and his younger half-brother Paul say they suffered at the hands of their step-father/father. These church leaders refused to address these grievances. Alex remained silent until 2009, when he found an online forum of former CCV church members, who share their personal accounts of spiritual abuse.

The forum went viral and, in July 2010, Alex began a spiritual abuse survivor blog – Calvary Chapel Abuse. It received over 3 million hits in its first three years. He sees this as a clear indicator of public interest in this case, as well as in other abuses and controversies in Pastor Chuck Smith’s Calvary Chapel franchise of churches.

Those systemic issues were addressed by reporter David Sessions from The Daily Beast in a January 26, 2013, article: “Calvary Chapel’s Tangled Web.” Besides examining some of the organizational dynamics related to the murder of Calvary Albuquerque prison ministry Pastor Greg Griego, he lists other problems. Accusations of lack of accountability, cover-up of sexual abuse, local abuse of authority, and interference in local affairs by national leaders dog Calvary Chapel – and other similar kinds of evangelical associations of so-called “independent” local churches, and denominations.

Alex Grenier was also unsuccessful in attempts to have Pastor Smith or any other national Calvary Chapel leaders intervene in the CCV situation with his step-father. So, his only recourse has been to publicize the abusive experiences that would otherwise remain hidden in his step-father’s private life.

The lawsuit was filed on October 17, 2012, in Tulare County, California, where Pastor Grenier served til recently as a chaplain to the local police force. (He agreed to a leave of absence on February 19, 2013.) In his lawsuit, filed with his wife and co-plaintiff Gayle (who is Alex’s and Paul’s mother), Pastor Grenier claims to be an innocent victim of a “cyber-bullying hate campaign.” They are asking for an award “of exemplary and punitive damages.”

On February 8, 2013, Paul Grenier submitted to the court a sworn Declaration supporting Alex’s allegations. For instance, Paul claims that as a five-year-old boy he “was forced to perform oral sex on Bob.” He also details a childhood of suffering sadistic physical and sexual abuse by his father.

The defendants’ attorney, Paul Clifford, filed an anti-SLAPP motion on December 17, 2012, contending this is a clear issue of freedom of speech and suggesting the lawsuit is frivolous. A tentative ruling on the motion will be made on February 25, 2013, with a court hearing scheduled for February 26 before Superior Court Judge Paul Anthony Vortmann.

The decision on this case has momentous ramifications for First Amendment rights as “citizen journalist” bloggers and spiritual abuse survivors organize and speak out against ecclesiastical abusers. This may also involve separation of church and state. A social media campaignaround the theme of #WhoWouldJesusSue begins February 20 to publicize the suit.

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LAWSUIT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Grenier & Grenier v. Taylor & Grenier is a civil lawsuit that pits Pastor Bob Grenier of Calvary Chapel Visalia (California) and his wife Gayle against his step-son/her son Alex Grenier and against former CCV member Tim Taylor.

The plaintiffs allege that the defendants have committed “Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress,” “Defamation,” and “Conspiracy to Defame.” The defendants have publicized allegations of physical and sexual abuse perpetrated by Bob Grenier, as well as ecclesiastical corruption and spiritual abuse of authority.

The case was filed in Tulare County, California, on October 17, 2012. Seeing it as a freedom of speech case, the attorney for the defendants filed an anti-SLAPP motion. If successful, this motion will expedite the case, and require stringent proof for the allegations as “defamation.”

The anti-SLAPP motion will be determined by Superior Court Judge Paul Anthony Vortmann. A tentative decision is due to be posted February 25, 2013, followed by a court hearing on February 26.

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MEDIA INFORMATION/CONTACTS

Twitter: #WhoWouldJesusSue. @CalvaryChapel. @Bobgrenier.

Official Website: Calvary Chapel Abuse.

Media contact: Julie Anne Smith. Email: spiritualsb@gmail.com.

# #

WhoWouldJesusSue? Social Media Campaign

Press Release #1

Media FAQs

#WhoWouldJesusSue: Media FAQs and Resources

Pastor Grenier Lawsuit 5 Responses »

Feb 212013

MEDIA FAQS

Who is involved?

The plaintiffs are Bob Grenier, pastor of Calvary Chapel Visalia, California, and his wife, Gayle. They are represented by Nick A. Pritchett of Williams, Jordan, Brodersen & Pritchett LLP of Visalia.

The defendants are Tim Taylor, a former member of Calvary Chapel Visalia, and Alex Grenier, a step-son of Bob/son of Gayle Grenier. Tim lives in Visalia and Alex lives in Idaho. They are represented by Paul Clifford of the California Anti-SLAPP Project.

The lawsuit is being heard in the Superior Court of Tulare County, California, by Superior Court Judge Paul Anthony Vortmann.

What is this lawsuit about?

This is a defamation lawsuit, filed October 17, 2012. The plaintiffs allege that the defendants committed “Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress,” “Defamation,” and “Conspiracy to Defame.” Bob Grenier claims to be an innocent victim of their “cyber-bullying hate campaign.” The plaintiffs are asking for an award “of exemplary and punitive damages.” To them, it is an issue of damage to reputation.

The defendants view this as a legal maneuver by the plaintiffs and by Bob Grenier in particular to intimidate and silence them and others from speaking out against sexual abuse, physical abuse, and ecclesiastical corruption they allege he perpetrated. To them, it is an issue of freedom of speech.

Because this is a civil lawsuit and not a criminal case, the standard for winning is “the preponderance of evidence,” i.e., at least 51% in one party’s direction – not the “beyond a reasonable doubt” required in criminal cases for conviction.

Also, because this is a defamation lawsuit that deals with freedom of speech issues, theCalifornia statutes on anti-SLAPP apply. An anti-SLAPP motion was filed December 17, 2012, contending this is a frivolous lawsuit designed as a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation. (See section of this post for Analysis and Commentary on Anti-SLAPP.)

What is SLAPP/anti-SLAPP about?

The following overview on SLAPP and anti-SLAPP was written by spiritual abuse survivor and blogger Brad Sargent in January 2013, as part of the BGBC Defamation Lawsuit Archive.

SLAPP stands for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation. These are civil suits whose purposes are generally designed to silence or intimidate opponents. SLAPP suits are often frivolous and insidious, and are typically used by individuals or entities with “deep pockets” – ample funds to outlast and outlawyer their opponents.

This paragraph from the wikipedia article on SLAPP and anti-SLAPP is very instructive about this type of defamation lawsuit. I strongly suggest that ALL court documents, blog posts, blog comments, news interviews, and any other primary and secondary sources of information about an SLAPP case should be carefully evaluated with this information in mind:

“Other widely mentioned elements of a SLAPP are the actual effectiveness at silencing critics, the timing of the suit, inclusion of extra or spurious defendants (such as relatives or hosts of legitimate defendants), inclusion of plaintiffs with no real claim (such as corporations that are affiliated with legitimate plaintiffs), making claims that are very difficult to disprove or rely on no written record, ambiguous or deliberately mangled wording that lets plaintiffs make spurious allegations without fear of perjury, refusal to consider any settlement (or none other than cash), characterization of all offers to settle as insincere, extensive and unnecessary demands for discovery, attempts to identify anonymous or pseudonymous critics, appeals on minor points of law, demands for broad rulings when appeal is accepted on such minor points of law, and attempts to run up defendants’ costs even if this clearly costs more to the plaintiffs.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-SLAPP)

Typically, an anti-SLAPP motion is filed to counter SLAPP defamation lawsuits. It was designed to protect defendants from frivolous lawsuits. Many states have some version of an anti-SLAPP statute. Oregon is one of them. (As of January 2013, there is no federal anti-SLAPP statute in place. However, according to the Public Participation Project, 29 states currently have a statute.) The Anti-SLAPP statutes developed in California have served as a model for those in other states like Oregon, where the Beaverton Grace Bible Church v. Smith court case was heard.

Who is not directly involved as a defendant who might otherwise have been?

Paul Grenier is Alex’s younger half-brother and the oldest biological son of Bob and Gayle Grenier. He is NOT a defendant in the case. However, some of the allegations about sexual abuse mentioned in the case have to do with Paul. He did not speak out with specifics on this subject until he supplied a sworn court Declaration on behalf of the defendants.

Why is the venue in Visalia, California and not in Idaho?

Defendant Tim Taylor resides in Visalia, as do plaintiffs Bob and Gayle Grenier. Defendant Alex Grenier resides in Idaho.

Defamation deals with reputation, and Bob and Gayle Grenier are long-time Visalia residents. Bob Grenier is Pastor of Calvary Chapel Visalia. He has also served for many years as a chaplain to the local police force.

The question of venue for the lawsuit has been raised as an issue by some critics of the lawsuit, seeing as Bob Grenier has extensive connections in the police, legal, and judicial communities from his work as a police chaplain. Perhaps in light of these connections and the need for local public servants to recuse themselves from the situation, Bob Grenier was asked to take a leave of absence from his role of police chaplain, as of February 19, 2013, and he agreed to take a leave.

Suing one’s own family members seems drastic. What is the backstory that led up to this lawsuit?

The bare-bones outline of the backstory is below. For a detailed account, watch for a new document, “Alex Grenier’s Account of Attempts to Bring Bob Grenier to Accountability,” which is edited from sources Alex provided. Connect with #WhoWouldJesusSue Media rep, Julie Anne Smith, on availability.

In 2004-2005, Alex confronted Pastor Bob Grenier and Greg and Sue Dowds, elders of Calvary Chapel Visalia, concerning the physical abuse he and his younger half-brother Paul say they suffered at the hands of Bob Grenier when they were children. This also included sexual abuse of Paul as a child. These church leaders refused to address these grievances.

Alex remained silent until 2009, when his wife found an online forum of former Calvary Chapel Visalia church members, who share their personal accounts of spiritual abuse. Tim Taylor was the former CCV member who started this forum.

The forum went viral and, in July 2010, Alex began a spiritual abuse survivor blog—Calvary Chapel Abuse. From there, news of the allegations about Bob Grenier spread, as did investigations into various kinds of abuses of spiritual authority within the Calvary Chapel franchise. The website received over 3 million hits in its first three years (2010-2012).

How does the national Calvary Chapel association figure into this case?

As implied by its name – Calvary Chapel Abuse – Alex Grenier’s blog covers not only issues specific to Calvary Chapel Visalia, but also for other abuses and controversies in Pastor Chuck Smith’s Calvary Chapel franchise of churches.

Those systemic issues were addressed by reporter David Sessions from The Daily Beast in a January 26, 2013, article: “Calvary Chapel’s Tangled Web.” Besides examining some of the organizational dynamics related to the murder of Calvary Albuquerque prison ministry Pastor Greg Griego, he lists other problems. Accusations of lack of accountability, cover-up of sexual abuse, local abuse of authority, and interference in local affairs by national leaders dog Calvary Chapel—and other similar kinds of evangelical associations of so-called “independent” local churches, and denominations.

Like those in other controversies involving Calvary Chapel members, Alex Grenier was also unsuccessful in attempts to have Pastor Chuck Smith or any other national Calvary Chapel leaders intervene in the situation with his step-father, where the positive public face of Bob Grenier was denied by destructive actions hidden at home . So, Alex’s only recourse has been to publicize the abusive experiences that would otherwise remain hidden in his step-father’s private life.

Why should anyone care what happens with a church of less than 600 people in Visalia, California?

Three key kinds of abuses have been alleged against Bob Grenier: child physical and sexual abuse, attempts to suppress free speech, and spiritual abuse. The defendants contend that these are all issues of public interest, despite the seeming small-town profile of Visalia or the “private family matter” argument put forward on behalf of the plaintiffs. Here are a few details on these three main issues:

Various online statements and sworn court Declarations of Alex and Paul Grenier especially address issues of child physical and sexual abuse allegedly perpetrated by Bob Grenier.

The filing of what appears to be a frivolous SLAPP lawsuit relates with attempts to stiflefreedom of speech.

Online statements by Tim Taylor and Alex Grenier consider concerns over“ecclesiastical corruption” and various forms of spiritual abuse of authority – both in Calvary Chapel Visalia and the broader systems context created in the Calvary Chapel franchise headed by Pastor Chuck Smith. Critics suggest that such abuses of authority are directly attributable to the “Moses Model” of church governance where the pastors are not accountable to anyone – “Not even to Chuck Smith,” says Pastor Chuck Smith.

The question of “public interest” is important to note, as an anti-SLAPP suit typically explores whether the object of spoken or written statements has a public presence, and whether the topics spoken or written about are clear issues of public interest. As a clear indicator of public interest in these concerns and in this particular case, Alex Grenier’s Calvary Chapel Abuseblog received over 3 million hits in its first three years (2010-2012).

What are key dates from court history of this lawsuit and related events?

October 17, 2012. The lawsuit Complaint was filed in Tulare County, California.

February 8, 2013. Paul Grenier submitted to the court a sworn Declaration supporting Alex’s allegations. For instance, Paul claims that as a five-year-old boy he “was forced to perform oral sex on Bob.” He also details a childhood of suffering sadistic physical and sexual abuse by his father. Note: Just to emphasize, this is Paul Grenier’s sworn testimony, provided to the court under pain of perjury, should it be false. Also, please be warned: Paul’s sworn testimony statement is intense and graphic about alleged physical and sexual abuse perpetrated by his father, Bob Grenier.

December 17, 2012. The defendants’ attorney, Paul Clifford, filed an anti-SLAPP motion, contending this is a clear violation of freedom of speech and suggesting the lawsuit is frivolous.

February 19, 2013. Visalia Police Chief Colleen Mestas asked Bob Grenier to take a leave of absence from his position as a Police Chaplain for the City of Visalia, and he agreed to do so.

February 25, 2013. A tentative ruling on the motion will be made on February 25, with a court hearing scheduled for February 26 before Tulare County, California, Superior Court Judge Paul Anthony Vortmann.

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LAWSUIT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The anti-SLAPP motion will be determined by Superior Court Judge Paul Anthony Vortmann. A tentative decision is due to be posted February 25, 2013, followed by a court hearing on February 26.

# #

LINKS

WhoWouldJesusSue? Social Media Campaign

Press Release #1

Media FAQs

# #

MEDIA INFORMATION/CONTACTS

Twitter: #WhoWouldJesusSue. @CalvaryChapel. @Bobgrenier.

Official Website: Calvary Chapel Abuse.

Media contact: Julie Anne Smith. Email: spiritualsb@gmail.com.

# #

COURT DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE ONLINE

Plaintiffs’ Complaint. This document contains the allegations by Bob and Gayle Grenier of defamation and other contentions against the defendants, Tim Taylor and Alex Grenier.

Paul Grenier’s Declaration. Warning: Paul’s sworn testimony statement is intense and graphic about alleged physical and sexual abuse perpetrated by his father, Bob Grenier.

# #

CALL TO ACTION: Bringing Awareness to Bob Grenier’s Lawsuit Against His Son

Pastor Grenier Lawsuit 31 Responses »

Feb 202013

WE NEED YOU. Thursday morning 9am PST. Let’s roll!

The following is a call to action. It details a very specific plan to bring awareness to the Calvary Chapel pastor Bob Grenier’s lawsuit against his son. This awareness will be created through a social media blitz. This blitz will begin on Thursday, February 21, starting at 9 am PST.

Here is a brief summary of the lawsuit:

The plaintiffs are Bob Grenier, pastor of Calvary Chapel Visalia, California, and his wife, Gayle. They are represented by Nick A. Pritchett of Williams, Jordan, Brodersen & Pritchett LLP of Visalia. The defendants are Tim Taylor, a former member of Calvary Chapel Visalia, and Alex Grenier, a step-son of Bob/son of Gayle. Tim lives in Visalia and Alex lives in Idaho. They are represented by Paul Clifford of the California Anti-SLAPP Project.

This is a defamation lawsuit, filed October 17, 2012, where the plaintiffs allege that the defendants committed “Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress,” “Defamation,” and “Conspiracy to Defame.” Bob Grenier claims to be an innocent victim of their “cyber-bullying hate campaign.” The plaintiffs are asking for an award “of exemplary and punitive damages.” The defendants view this as a legal maneuver by the plaintiffs and by Bob Grenier in particular to intimidate and silence them and others from speaking out against sexual abuse, physical abuse, and ecclesiastical corruption they allege he perpetrated.

** The decision on this case has momentous ramifications for First Amendment rights as “citizen journalist” bloggers and spiritual abuse survivors organize and speak out against ecclesiastical abusers. **

To read more about the case, visit http://www.calvarychapelabuse.com/.

Please join us in this campaign on Thursday to speak out and speak loudly about a pastor’s attempt to silence the son he abused. By joining together online throughout Thursday and beyond, we can make our voices unite and make our voices heard.

This call to action has two parts. Part One is Twitter tactics; Part Two is Facebook tactics.

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Part One: Twitter

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Note: if you aren’t familiar with Twitter, Spiritual Sounding Board provides a good summary of how to use it — http://spiritualsoundingboard.com/proactive-response-to-abuse/.

Summary of Twitter Tactics:

1. End all tweets with #WhoWouldJesusSue.

2. Tweet at Calvary Chapel (@CalvaryChapel) and Bob Grenier (@Bobgrenier).

3. Tweet the story to prominent Christian leaders.

4. Tweet the story to news outlets.

5. Tweet throughout the day of the blitz as often as you can. Use a variety of these Twitter tactics.

6. If you have multiple Twitter accounts, use them all.

7. Include a link to current coverage of the lawsuit in some of your tweets.

8. Tweet the story to specific people who follow you, asking them to retweet (RT).

Detailed Version of Twitter Tactics:

1. End all Tweets with #WhoWouldJesusSue.

2. Tweet at Calvary Chapel (@CalvaryChapel) and Bob Grenier (@Bobgrenier).

By ending all Tweets with the same hashtag, we will create a unified feed that can be traced easily and (hopefully) consequently trend. That’s Twitter-speak for going viral. And by Tweeting @ Calvary Chapel and Bob Grenier, they will have no choice but to hear our voices.

If you don’t know what exactly to Tweet, or are new to Twitter, here a few examples of good things to Tweet. (You are even welcome to copy and paste these, or use them as templates to create your own messages.) The following 8 examples all fit within Twitter’s word limit.

a. Pretty sure if Jesus sued, it would be the hypocritical religious leaders and pastors of today.#WhoWouldJesusSue @CalvaryChapel

b. Nothing says Jesus loves you like a pastor suing you for speaking out about abuse.#WhoWouldJesusSue @CalvaryChapel http://tinyurl.com/bba3p8n

c. Standing with survivors of abuse. #WhoWouldJesusSue @CalvaryChapel http://tinyurl.com/bba3p8n

d. @CalvaryChapel Even secular orgs demand leaves of absence until abuse claims are resolved. #whowouldjesussue http://tinyurl.com/bba3p8n

e. As Jesus said, “Blessed are those who sue their sons, for they shall silence the accusations.”#whowouldjesussue @CalvaryChapel@Bobgrenier

f. So lawsuits are the new turning-the-other-cheek?#whowouldjesussue #abuse @CalvaryChapel @Bobgrenier http://tinyurl.com/bba3p8n

g. Jerry Sandusky considers legal switch to Nick Pritchett citing@bobgrenier’s success.http://calvarychapelabuse.com/wordpress/?p=1646 … #whowouldjesussue

h. @CalvaryChapel and @Bobgrenier, heard about the Streisand effect? #whowouldjesussue http://tinyurl.com/bba3p8n

3. Tweet the story to prominent Christian leaders.

Tweet what’s going on @ Christian leaders, in the hopes that they will share the story and stand up for what’s right.

What to Tweet (fill in blank with the Twitter handle of the leader): @_____________, please take a public stand against pastors suing their kids to hide abuse. http://tinyurl.com/bba3p8n #whowouldjesussue

The following is a small example list of Christian leaders and their actual Twitter accounts. You can Tweet at these people and/or others. Remember: you don’t have to necessarily agree with the person you Tweet at. You’re just trying to get the message heard.

T.D. Jakes, @BishopJakes

Michael Farris, @michaelfarris

Gregg Harris, @GreggEHarris

Joshua Harris, @HarrisJosh

John Piper, @JohnPiper

Jeremy Camp, @jeremycamp

Joel Osteen, @JoelOsteen

Billy Graham, @BillyGraham

Bill Hybels, @Bill Hybels

Joyce Meyer, @JoyceMeyer

James Dobson, @DrJamesCDobson

Rob Bell, @realrobbell

Luis Palau, @LuisPalauLive

Rick Warren, @RickWarren

Chuck Swindoll, @chuckswindoll

John MacArthur, @johnmacarthur

Beth Moore, @BethMooreLPM

Donald Miller, @donaldmiller

4. Tweet the story to news outlets.

Tweet what’s going on @ media groups, in the hopes that they will pick up the story.

What to Tweet (fill in blank with the Twitter handle of the media group): @_____________, please cover the story of a @CalvaryChapel pastor suing his kid to hide abuse. http://tinyurl.com/bba3p8n #whowouldjesussue

The following is a small example list of media outlets and their actual Twitter accounts. You can Tweet at them and/or others.

OC Weekly, @OCWeekly

The Christian Post, @ChristianPost

Relevant Magazine, @RelevantMag

Christianity Today, @CTmagazine

Baptist Press, @baptistpress

Christian Press News, @ChristianPress

Prodigal Magazine, @Prodigal

The Raw Story, @RawStory

The Daily Beast, @thedailybeast

The Atlantic, @TheAtlantic

Conor Friedersdorf, @conor64

Fox News, @FoxNews

Fox News Hannity, @hannityshow

Fox News Opinion, @fxnopinion

Fox News Politics, @foxnewspolitics

Stephen Colbert, @StephenAtHome

The Daily Show, @TheDailyShow

CNN, @CNN

CNN Breaking News, @cnnbrk

CNN Politics, @CNNPolitics

Anderson Cooper, @andersoncooper

New York Times, @nytimes

New York Times Live, @nytlive

Margaret Sullivan, @Sulliview

Mark Oppenheimer, @markopp1

5. Tweet throughout the day of the blitz as often as you can. Use a variety of these Twitter tactics.

Just remember to space out your Twitter posts. And don’t focus on just one person or media group. You don’t want to have your account suspended for being “spam.” Be smart in how often you post.

6. If you have multiple Twitter accounts, use them all.

If you have more than one email address, you can have more than one Twitter account. Just saying…

7. Include a link to current coverage of the lawsuit in some of your tweets.

The following are different news pieces on the lawsuit, along with TinyURLs I created for each.

Calvary Chapel Abuse, “Pastor Bog Grenier of Calvary Chapel Visalia and Mother Sues Stepson/Son He Abused” — http://tinyurl.com/a7tv4jn

The Wartburg Watch, “Outrage Growing Over Calvary Chapel’s Bog Grenier Suit Against Allegedly Abuse Son” — http://tinyurl.com/bba3p8n

OC Weekly, “Alex Grenier, Frequent Calvary Chapel Critic, Seeks to Have Defamation Lawsuit Filed by His Pastor Father Dismissed” — http://tinyurl.com/aj7omy8

Christianity Today, “Calvary Chapel Pastor Sues Son for Cyberbullying” —http://tinyurl.com/b28jdg8

Spiritual Sounding Board, “Calvary Chapel Visalia Lawsuit, Local News Article, Court Declaration” —http://tinyurl.com/bzp6q5w

The Daily Beast, “Calvary Chapel’s Tangled Web” —http://tinyurl.com/apkaqc4

8. Tweet the story to specific people who follow you, asking them to retweet (RT).

For example:

@_____, RT! Standing with abuse survivors. #WhoWouldJesusSue @CalvaryChapel http://tinyurl.com/bba3p8n

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Part Two: Facebook

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Summary of Facebook Tactics:

1. Share links to articles about the lawsuit on your own page.

2. Share links to articles about the lawsuit on Calvary Chapel pages.

3. Share links to articles about the lawsuit on prominent Christian leaders’ pages.

Detailed Version of Facebook Tactics:

1. Share links to articles about the lawsuit on your own page.

This should self-explanatory. You can use the list of stories mentioned above.

2. Share links to articles about the lawsuit on Calvary Chapel pages.

Post your position and a link to an article about the lawsuit on Calvary Chapel’s Facebook pages. They have multiple pages. Post on more than one, or on all of them.

** Calvary Chapel, main page: http://www.facebook.com/CalvaryChapelPage?fref=ts

** Calvary Chapel Visalia: http://www.facebook.com/CalvaryChapelVisalia?fref=ts

Other Calvary Chapels that have Facebook pages with more than 300 likes:

Calvary Chapel South Africa: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Calvary-Chapel-South-Africa/180519246512

Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale: http://www.facebook.com/CalvaryFTL

Calvary Chapel Golden Springs: http://www.facebook.com/calvarygs?fref=pb

Calvary Austin: http://www.facebook.com/calvaryaustin?fref=pb

Calvary Chapel Boise: http://www.facebook.com/ccboise?fref=pb

Calvary Chapel School of Worship: http://www.facebook.com/ccschoolofworship

Calvary Chapel Virginia Beach: http://www.facebook.com/CalvaryVB?fref=pb

Calvary Chapel Sacramento: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Calvary-Chapel-of-Sacramento/107438519296657?fref=pb

Calvary Chapel Miami: http://www.facebook.com/CalvaryChapelMiami?fref=pb

Calvary Chapel OKC: http://www.facebook.com/CalvaryOKC?fref=pb

Calvary Chapel Oceanside: http://www.facebook.com/calvaryoceanside?fref=pb

Note: If a Facebook page disables the “write something” or “make a recommendation” feature, you can always share your post as a comment on one of the pages’ own posts.

3. Share links to articles about the lawsuit on prominent Christian leaders’ pages.

Ask prominent Christian leaders on their Facebook pages to take a public stand against Bob Grenier’s lawsuit. Here are links to some leaders’ pages:

Chuck Smith, http://www.facebook.com/pastorchucksmithfans?fref=pb

T.D. Jakes, http://www.facebook.com/tdjministries?fref=ts

Michael Farris, http://www.facebook.com/michael.farris.374?fref=ts

Joshua Harris, http://www.facebook.com/joshharris.fanpage?fref=ts

Harvest Crusades, http://www.facebook.com/harvestcrusades

Jeremy Camp, http://www.facebook.com/jeremycamp

Joel Osteen, http://www.facebook.com/JoelOsteen?fref=ts

Billy Graham, http://www.facebook.com/BillyGrahamEvangelisticAssociation?fref=ts

Bill Hybels, http://www.facebook.com/pastor.bill.hybels?fref=ts

Joyce Meyer, http://www.facebook.com/joycemeyerministries?fref=ts

James Dobson, http://www.facebook.com/DrJamesDobsonsFamilyTalk?fref=ts

Rob Bell, http://www.facebook.com/therealrobbell?fref=ts

Luis Palau, http://www.facebook.com/LuisPalauLive?fref=ts

Rick Warren, http://www.facebook.com/pastorrickwarren?fref=ts

Chuck Swindoll, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chuck-Swindoll/107888769305?fref=ts

John MacArthur, http://www.facebook.com/JohnMacArthur.GracetoYou?ref=ts&fref=ts

Donald Miller, http://www.facebook.com/donaldmillerfan?fref=ts

Note: If a Facebook page disables the “write something” or “make a recommendation” feature, you can always share your post as a comment on one of the pages’ own posts.

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Concluding Principles

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Just a few reminders:

1. Represent our campaign, as well as yourself, with sober earnestness, passionate zeal, and justified rage. But don’t forget to speak with respect and grace.

2. Don’t feed the trolls.

3. Space out your Twitter and Facebook posts. You don’t want to have your accounts suspended for being “spam.” Be smart in how often you post.

4. If you get official responses from Calvary Chapel, a prominent Christian leader, a news outlet, etc. —TAKE A SCREENSHOT. That way you have a permanent record of the response, in case someone chooses to delete it later.

If you don’t know how to, don’t worry. It’s easy:

* How to take a screenshot on a Mac:http://guides.macrumors.com/Taking_Screenshots_in_Mac_OS_X

* How to take a screenshot on a PC:http://graphicssoft.about.com/cs/general/ht/winscreenshot.htm

5. Follow the #whowouldjesussue Twitter campaign by following the @WhoWouldJesuSue Twitter account.

6. Go get ‘em!

7. Feel free to copy and paste this post onto your own blog to get the word out!

Freedom of speech is often the last resort for victims. We can’t let guys like Bob [Grenier] take that away from us. Please stand with us in speaking out against abuse and corruption in the church by leaders in positions of trust, like pastors and police chaplains in organizations that are institutions of trust. Join us at @WhoWouldJesuSue #WhoWouldJesusSue

Pastor Grenier Lawsuit 22 Responses »

Feb 192013

Bob Grenier victimized by sexual abuse allegations, successfully fends off his abusers. Jerry Sandusky considers legal switch to Nick Pritchett citing Grenier’s success

Pastor Grenier Lawsuit 88 Responses »

Feb 172013

The evil “cyberbullies” are taking over our society. We must stop the epidemic of free speech before it’s too late.

by John Onion, International News Reporter

Breaking news today coming out of Visalia, California, courtesy of the Fresno Bee.

Bob Grenier, the embattled Calvary Chapel Visalia pastor who has been mired in a many years long controversy due to “cyberbullies” attacking him and his ministry for no reason, has scored a huge victory against his abusers.

The Fresno Bee reported recently that Grenier is the victim of abuse by a conspiracy of “cyberbullies”.

“The cyberbullies are after me,” said Bob Grenier. “They have conspired against me and coordinated a Hate Campaign against me for no reason. I was an exemplary parent, you can take my word for it, I’m a pastor and police chaplain.”

When asked why three of his sons would say he abused them, Grenier quickly replied, “It’s all lies!”

Attorney Nick Pritchett agrees.

“The glove doesn’t fit my client,” said Pritchett. “And, if it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”

Pritchett went on to explain that child abuse is an overblown myth and the common weapon of “cyberbullies” who are conducting what he calls insidious “Hate Campaigns” designed to bully and attack his client who he says is the real victim in these matters.

“We can’t be sure what happened in that home because none of us were there, but I can tell you for sure that my client is innocent and all those speaking publicly about him are liars, that I can guarantee you,” said Pritchett.

Sources say that Jerry Sandusky has been following the Grenier Controversy very closely and was so inspired by recent success that he has dropped his current lawyer team and is in talks with Pritchett and Williams Jordan Brodersen and Pritchett of Visalia. Sources also say that Sandusky is really excited by a potential appeal he hopes to get.

“I think I got screwed over!” said Sandusky in a recent jailhouse interview. “I’m switching legal teams and I’m going to get a change of venue to Visalia, California. Those folks know the REAL victims when they see it.”

The Fresno Bee reported that the “cyberbullies” victimizing Grenier have also attacked the Visalia Police Department by alleging that just because Grenier started the Chaplain’s Program there and just because Grenier is endorsed in his book “A Common Miracle” by the “who’s who” of the Visalia Law enforcement community, and just because Grenier has campaigned for these individuals and just because Grenier has had them speak at his church and just because Grenier has attended regular bible studies with them, and just because he has employed a high-ranking former cop there, there is absolutely no connection to any partiality and that Grenier is “treated just like everyone else.” To suggest otherwise is yet another way in which the insidious “cyberbullies” are victimizing Grenier.

We were able to reach Chris Dorner by cell phone recently, just prior to his departure to see if he’d weigh in (in the fairness of balance). He said he could only talk for a minute, as his cabin was on fire, but he did offer this little gem:

“Hey, I believe those boys. Sometimes the po-lice cover their own, it’s called the Thin Blue Line. Anyways, I got to go, it’s getting hot in here and you’re cutting out.”

I know reporters aren’t supposed to editorialize, but I think that last quote by Dorner is full of crap. We all know that that “Thin Blue Line” stuff is complete bull. Show me one instance where a guy has been given special treatment by law enforcement. Just one! See? Told you so.

Hang in there Bob Grenier, we know you are the REAL victim in this controversy and we’ve got your back, just like Chuck Smith and your law enforcement agency.

If you would like to help Bob Grenier fight his battle against the evil “cyberbullies” and their “Hate Campaign”…please go to www.HelpSaveBobGrenier.com and make a donation. We’ve got to stop this Free Speech nonsense. It’s a public menace.

(The article above is Satire…for those who graduated from Calvary Chapel Bible College. No animals were harmed in the making of the article. Satire is protected free speech as affirmed by the small insignificant entity the US Supreme Court. If you don’t like it, sue me).

Editor’s Note: Real Cyberbullying is wrong and the laws are necessary to protect private citizens who are children and teenagers from online abuse by peers and bullies. We don’t wish to minimize REAL Cyberbullying and we strongly denounce it. However, “Cyberbullying” laws are not intended to protect Public Figures, Public Officials, Positions of Trust and Institutions of Trust from online scrutiny and exercise of Free Speech. As we recently learned from the Chris Dorner Tragedy, going postal and killing innocent people is NEVER the right answer in dealing with injustices and cover-ups in our System. We need to work through the System in a lawful peaceful manner and sometimes, Free Speech and speaking out publicly is the only thing victims have. Let’s not take away the last option for many victims of abuse and injustice.

Fresno Bee article linked below:

Son accuses Visalia pastor Bob Grenier of sex abuse

Newsweek / Daily Beast: Calvary Chapel’s tangled web

News 119 Responses »

Jan 272013

Calvary Chapel makes National news while continuing to look the other way on issues of abuse and corruption in the ranks of their Affiliated CC Pastors.

David Sessions of Newsweek/Daily Beast has just written a National article connecting the dots and explaining the Calvary Chapel dynamic of deceit and dysfunction better than any article to date. It is an instant-classic and part of church history and will forever be a part of Chuck Smith’s and Calvary Chapel’s Legacy.

A big part of our goal here at CalvaryChapelAbuse.com is to blow the whistle on the abuse and corruption in CC. We believe that informing the public and exposing the truth about abuses etc is a noble Cause. It’s not easy. CC has many supporters and the harassment, the personal attacks, the hacking, the lawsuits…all part of the deal.

This article by David Sessions sourced our blog. We are making a difference. The dots are being connected by serious players. There is a lot coming down the pipe over the next couple of years. We need to double and triple down on our efforts and “never, never, never give up”.

Please click on the link to the Newsweek/Daily Beast article, “like” it and share it with as many friends as you can in whatever medium you can. Let’s keep warning, exposing and calling for much needed changes.

“A pastor whose family was murdered in New Mexico belonged to a large association of evangelical churches that, critics allege, stands behind misbehaving pastors and looks away when they are accused of sexual abuse and other misdeeds.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/01/26/calvary-chapel-s-tangled-web.html

Lawsuit update: 1/18/13

Pastor Grenier Lawsuit 534 Responses »

Jan 182013

Hi Guys!

Sorry I’ve been a bit silent lately. Lots of stuff going on behind the scenes.

Dates have been pushed back a bit in the lawsuit, February 19th looks to be the big day now.

My take is that things are going well and I’m confident we’ll get a good and just outcome. Our attorneys are awesome, we’re on the right side of the issues and we have the truth on our side.

Prayers are appreciated. Thanks for all the private emails of encouragement and the public comments of such as well.

I’m not at liberty to discuss details at this time, but when I am, I’ll share more.

I will be posting some new articles soon. There is a lot going in CC and in the Evangelical World as a whole and even our Society as a whole with regards to the same issues we deal with on here. We’re a part of a much larger Movement in the areas of whistleblowing and calling Institutions to crack down on abuse and corruption. It’s very encouraging to see the progress.

Interview with RemnantXRadio discussing Calvary Chapel San Antonio child porn arrest, CC and Bob Grenier’s campaign against Phil Aguilar and the CC Bob Grenier lawsuit

Pastor Grenier Lawsuit 120 Responses »

Dec 082012

Listen to internet radio with RemnantXRadio on Blog Talk Radio

I received some new information from Bill Alnor’s (now deceased) wife Jackie Alnor. Bill was a part of the Calvary Chapel-Phil Aguilar situation with close knowledge of how that situation went down.

[UPDATE 12/21/12]: According to Jackie Alnor, the Phil Aguilar Investigation and Report was funded and led by Lanette and Jesse Irwin. Alnor continued in a message, “They then gave the huge packet to a few people such as Oden Fong, the then CCOF leader, and to me and my husband, and to author Ron Enroth.”

In Alnor’s opinion, while Oden Fong was the main guy at CCOF at the time and while Chuck Smith is the President of CCOF on IRS documents, Alnor believes that Chuck Smith was not happy with Oden Fong for taking the Aguilar Investigation/Report and leading a Campaign to warn the Southern California public about Aguilar and Set Free.

Alnor said she believes that Oden Fong was fired from his position at CCOF due to this incident.

Alnor did confirm, however, that Chuck Smith had full knowledge that Oden Fong of CCOF (Chuck’s entity) did lead a Campaign against Phil Aguilar for similar allegations of abuse and corruption as Chuck Smith approved CC Pastor Bob Grenier of Calvary Chapel Visalia.

The fact remains, Chuck Smith knew that CCOF had led a Campaign against Phil Aguilar for the same and similar allegations as the Bob Grenier situation and Chuck Smith lied to my face stating CC, CCCM, CCOF had never done that sort of thing and doesn’t do that sort of thing, when clearly they did.

In my opinion, from my dealings with Chuck Smith, he probably hid behind Plausible Deniability in the Phil Aguilar situation when it blew up in his face and TBN (his buddies) freaked out. Kind of a Good Cop / Bad Cop routine, in my opinion. Oden Fong was probably made the Scapegoat and Chuck flashed the patented Papa Chuck® Smile and denied having anything to do with the Campaign (even though Chuck is the President of CCOF and knew what was happening at the time and didn’t stop it, until after it happened and he got massive pressure from Aguilar and the Crouches and TBN).

The information I had at the time I reported it was that CCOF had conducted an “investigation” and published a report on Phil Aguilar. Alnor’s testimony says CCOF took an existing investigation and report on Aguilar and led a Campaign in Southern California against Aguilar (Oden Fong as the lead and the main guy at CCOF).

According to the information I have, Calvary Chapel was sued over this Aguilar Campaign, indicating it was a Calvary Chapel action and not just Oden Fong acting as a Lone Wolf individual separate from his office of CCOF administrator/employ.

Chuck Smith has gotten directly involved, according to several CCCM insiders, with many other Calvary Chapel Affiliate situations including Disaffiliating CC pastors and threatening so-called “independent” Church Boards with not Affiliating their new Pastor if a Severance Package was not to his liking for the old CC pastor (through Chuck’s agents).

To this day, Chuck Smith has not sought me out to reconcile and repent of his lying to my face in our “meeting” at the Logos Building Board Room with Dave Rolph and Chuck’s Attorney Janet Carter.

Calvary Chapel San Antonio Youth Leader: “i really like… rape. … i like to see them … saying no, it hurts, stop.” Jacob Holguin charged by FBI with distributing child pornography.

Uncategorized 219 Responses »

Dec 052012

The FBI has charged Calvary Chapel youth bible study instructor Jacob Robert Holguin with distributing child pornography to an undercover officer.

Holguin teaches 4th, 5th and 6th graders at Calvary Chapel San Antonio in Universal City, Texas.

The details are extremely disturbing.

One of the online chats reads, ““i really like… rape. … i like to see them … saying no, it hurts, stop.”

Link to the full article here:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Bible-school-instructor-charged-in-child-porn-case-4094403.php

Calvary Chapel apologists will quickly cry, “It’s not Calvary Chapel’s fault! This guy got arrested! The children at Calvary Chapel aren’t in danger! You’re just using it to smear Calvary Chapel!”

Wrong, and here’s the point: In the Anthony Iglesias Calvary Chapel Molestation lawsuit, it alleged that Calvary Chapel Golden Springs (Raul Ries’s Calvary Chapel franchise) was made aware of Iglesias’s pedophilia problems, removed him from ministry with kids for a short period and then restored him to ministry. The lawsuit further alleged that Iglesias left CCGS and went to other Calvary Chapels in the System and molested kids through his youth leader connections.

Here’s more of the point: What mandatory policies and protections does the Calvary Chapel Association have in place as part of their Affiliation Agreements with some 1,500 to 2,000 (Chuck Smith’s number, not sure if there are actually that many CC’s) Calvary Chapel pastors?

From personal experience and the experiences of many others…Calvary Chapel Senior Pastors are GREAT at black-balling “divisive!” people who challenge their authority. They’ll call every CC pastor and warn them to black-list these folks…and it’s very effective. Does Calvary Chapel warn other CC’s when there is a known child predator in their midst?

How easy would it be for Holguin to pop up at the next Calvary Chapel and become a youth instructor? Very easy in many cases. Many Calvary Chapels do not background check and vet those who are with your children. Calvary Chapel has a history of ignoring these issues, including the fact they have a sitting, practicing pastor/affiliate Calvary Chapel Visalia Pastor Bob Grenier (who is endorsed by Chuck Smith) who has a very public allegation of molestation by his blood son Paul Grenier.

Are your kids safe at your local Calvary Chapel franchise? Ask if they vet youth workers fully. Ask Chuck Smith and Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa and the Calvary Chapel Association if there are any other pastors or youth leaders in the Calvary Chapel System who they know have child molestation allegations against them, besides Bob Grenier.

From my direct personal experience, it is my opinion that if this Holguin guy somehow beats the rap, or even if he doesn’t, it is very possible he could end up as a Calvary Chapel youth instructor working directly with kids once again.

I continue to call on Chuck Smith, Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa and the Calvary Chapel Association to fully investigate allegations of child molestation and child abuse by their affiliated pastors and youth workers, etc and to remove anyone who has these unresolved serious allegations surrounding them and to put mandatory System-wide policies and protections in place to help protect our children the best they can.

Further, I continue to warn the public that all is not as it seems on the surface in Calvary Chapel. Ask questions, be careful. If you see a youth leader named Jacob Holguin at your Calvary Chapel franchise in the future, I hope you’ll find this article and see if it’s the same guy.

I emailed Pastor Ron Arbaugh of Calvary Chapel San Antonio in Universal City, Texas for comment.

Ironically, Ron Arbaugh was on PhoenixPreacher.com defending his friend Bob Grenier of Calvary Chapel Visalia when I went public with my story of child abuse.

Here are questions I posed to Arbaugh in the email (as well as giving him the opportunity to make a statement):

Will you allow Holguin to resume working with kids at your CC if he beats the rap?

Would you “restore” Holguin if he is found guilty and ever let him instruct youth at your church again?

What policies do you have in place to protect children at your CC?

Does the Calvary Chapel Association require you to do anything as part of your Affiliation Agreement to protect kids?

Do you background check and vet all youth leaders, youth workers, pastors, employs?

If there was a sitting Calvary Chapel pastor accused of molestation, would you allow them to continue in ministry at your church without the issue being fully investigated?

If there was a youth worker in Calvary Chapel who was accused of molestation, would you allow them to continue working with kids at your CC without the matter being fully investigated?

UPDATE 12/21/12: Bill Alnor’s widow says Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa Outreach Fellowship with Chuck Smith as President used an investigation and scathing 318 page report on Phil Aguilar/Set Free based on 28 testimonies from former Set Free members in a Campaign to warn Southern California. Chuck Smith claims “no responsibility, no control” with regards to Calvary Chapel Affiliate Bob Grenier (live call to Chuck Smith linked)

Pastor Chuck Smith, Uncategorized 57 Responses »

Dec 042012

Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel fame appearing on buddy Paul Crouch’s TBN. However, Smith’s Calvary Chapel Outreach Fellowship (of which Smith is President on IRS Documents) launched an “investigation” and published a scathing report on TBN-backed Phil Aguilar and Set Free. Smith says in an interview (lined in this article) that he is not in the public rebuke or accountability business…at least not with his own official Affiliated Calvary Chapel Pastors like Bob Grenier of Calvary Chapel Visalia. Can you say: Liar and Hypocrite?

[UPDATE 12/21/12]:

According to Jackie Alnor, the Phil Aguilar Investigation and Report was funded and led by Lanette and Jesse Irwin. Alnor continued in a message, “They then gave the huge packet to a few people such as Oden Fong, the then CCOF leader, and to me and my husband, and to author Ron Enroth.”

Alnor said she believes that Oden Fong was fired from his position at CCOF due to this incident.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

I had to buy a new Irony and Hypocrisy Meter. The one I had blew the heck up. It literally evaporated, not even pieces I can gorilla glue back together.

Another “Report” has emerged about Phil Aguilar and Set Free Ministries. Guess who conducted this “investigation”? Couldn’t be Chuck Smith and Calvary Chapel…because Chuck Smith told me (listen to the radio interview in his own words) that he’s not in the business of holding folks accountable and calling them publicly to repentance…at least not his own official Calvary Chapel Affiliates like Bob Grenier of Calvary Chapel Visalia.

Well, turns out Chuck Smith is still a liar. He “is” in that business (or has been many times) as yet another piece of evidence emerges: A 318 page reports as the result of an “investigation” by Oden Fong, head of Chuck Smith’s (Chuck is listed as “president” on IRS Documents, see this site for the actual docs) CCOF.

The report indicts Phil Aguilar and Set Free Ministries/Fellowship for all sorts of pastoral and ministry “abuses” and is largely based in the testimony of “28″ former Set Free members.

Here’s the article that appears on Calvary Chapel Wiki Page:

“Authority Abuses Alleged at the Set Free Christian Center

Some pastors and cult watchers have expressed growing concern over alleged Scripture twisting and authority abuses at the Set Free Christian Center based in Anaheim, California.

Officials at Calvary Chapel Outreach Fellowships of Costa Mesa, California — which is the ministry that oversees the more than 380 Calvary Chapels (affiliated with Pastor Chuck Smith) worldwide — have transcribed testimonies from former Set Free members. They intended to call Set Free Pastor Phil Aguilar to account for the alleged abuses at the church — if this action proved to be warranted. Calvary’s office, led by Pastor Oden Fong, has produced a 318-page report containing the testimonies of 28 people — most of them former Set Free members — that allege serious behavior problems at the church and near-dictatorial rule by Aguilar.

Read the full article here:

http://calvarychapel.pbworks.com/w/page/13146681/set-free

Here is an article appearing on Spiritual Abuse Watcher website RickRoss.com that first appeared in the Christian Sentinel:

“TBN Supports Abusive Leader’s Attack Against Christians

The Christian Sentinel, 1995

By Bill and Jackie Alnor

Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) founder Paul Crouch had some strange advice for the leader of a cult-like group he had as a guest on his show in October 1994. “Sue the bastards!” Crouch instructed on his prime time Praise the Lord show.

Crouch was giving his blessing to what pastor Phil Aguilar eventually did. Aguilar, leader of the notorious and scandalized Set Free Christian Fellowship, filed a frivolous lawsuit against Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, Calvary Chapel of Lake Elsinore and others for libel and defamation on February 8, 1995 in the Superior Court of Orange County, California . The attorney filing the suit? The nephew of Jan Crouch, Paul Crouch’s wife.

According to the Praise the Lord show (which marked the first time Crouch had Aguilar on the telecast after a long absence), Crouch and Aguilar were upset over community opposition to Aguilar’s recent bid to establish a headquarters in the Lake Elsinore section of California. They were reading from flyers passed out to the community, one of which said in part:

We, the undersigned ministers of the community, feel it is our responsibility to express our concern to the public regarding what we believe to be a potentially dangerous threat to all of those in the area, and especially the youth….we believe it is necessary to make the public aware of some of the accusations…against Phil Aguilar and “Set Free.” These allegations include sexual misconduct and adultery within the leadership, financial improprieties, and a form of control over the members that is very abusive, physically as well as emotionally and spiritually.

But Paul Crouch said that anyone putting out such materials were obviously not Christian, so therefore Aguilar had the right to sue them all. Those signing the flyer, and/or follow up ones, Crouch declared them all unchristian (although he never contacted any of them). These people were the previously mentioned churches, along with the pastors of the following churches in the Lake Elsinore area: the First Baptist Church, First Presbyterian Church, Lakeland Christian Fellowship, Lake Elsinore Church of the Nazarene, Elsinore Christian Center, New Song Community Church, Shepherd of Life Lutheran Church, Vineyard Christian Fellowship, Grace Church, Calvary Chapel of Canyon Lake, Calvary Chapel of Murietta, Calvary Chapel of Temecula, and Free Indeed Christian Fellowship in Perris, Calif.

“I have been disturbed by a bunch of , oh, I’m just gonna say it,” Crouch said, reviewing the flyers passed out to the community, “a bunch of crap.” Later he barked, “Go ahead and tape it. Put it on your slime-ball radio broadcast. You’ll have to pray it through Pastor Phil, but this old German, I’d say sue the bastards!”

It is a mystery at this point why TBN continues to protect Aguilar. Not only have there been scathing stories against Set Free in the Orange County Register, Christianity Today and Newsweek magazines (not to mention several exposes written by Eastern Christian Outreach president Bill Alnor for the Religious News Service), but a large portion of Dr. Ron Enroth’s book “Churches that Abuse” is devoted to Set Free. And there have been television exposes as well in such shows as “Inside Edition,” not to mention dozens of transcribed testimonies from former Set-Free members that have been distributed to church leaders nation wide.

In fact, Aguilar and TBN themselves were sued in February 1992 by the parents of an 18-year-old man who alleged that Mario Ruiz, a Set Free overseer appointed by Aguilar, made their son perform sex acts in exchange for crack cocaine while they were living on TBN-owned property in Coleyville, Texas (which is also the site of the Crouch’s country estate). That suit accused Set free and TBN of fraud, negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

At the time Crouch declared TBN’s innocence, called it extortion and announced that the plaintiffs would not receive a dime. But in fact, TBN’s attorneys reached a secret out-of-court settlement with the plaintiffs. While the Christian Sentinel has learned that the amount paid out by TBN was a half million dollars, TBN and the plaintiff’s attorney would not confirm that.

And it was Aguilar who helped get TBN into big trouble with the Federal Communications Commission. (See related story).

Also named as individuals in Aguilar’s recent suit are Oden Fong who is a church leader and outreach fellowships director at Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, John Duncan, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Lake Elsinore, and Set Free ex-members Steve Schinhofen and Eileen Jackson. In the opinion of Eastern Christian Outreach all these individuals courageously fought this dangerous group, and they deserve our support.”

Read the full article here:

http://www.rickross.com/reference/setfree/setfree2.html

Here is the link to my interview with RemnantXRadio. The last half hour of the show is a live phone call where we talk to Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa at his home:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/we-are-the-remnant/2012/06/23/the-phone-call-to-chuck-smith-that-changed-everything

Bob Grenier sues for “hate campaign” yet led Campaign against Phil Aguilar and Set Free Ministries. Document states they are a “threat to the community”, “allegations of abuse…lying…sexual misconduct…no financial accountability” etc.

Pastor Grenier Lawsuit 74 Responses »

Dec 032012

Calvary Chapel Pastor Bob Grenier, suing son for a “hate campaign” and “cyberbullying” led a Campaign against Phil Aguilar of Set Free Fellowship/Ministries in 1993 claiming it was the duty of the “church” to police it’s own and citing the many serious allegations surrounding Aguilar. Why is Bob Grenier getting special treatment in this case? Is it his close ties with the law enforcement community? Why is a Campaign exposing Phil Aguilar righteous whereas speaking out about Bob Grenier is wrong?

File under Irony and Hypocrisy.

A Document has emerged that proves the very coordinated Campaign (hate campaign?) that Bob Grenier, the Calvary Chapel Visalia Pastor mired in his own abuse and corruption controversy, led against Phil Aguilar and Set Free Ministries in 1993.

My brother Paul Grenier personally witnessed this effort behind the scenes. I witnessed it as well in various pieces. I recall Bob having some sort of falling out with Phil Aguilar and then I recall Bob going around the Visalia Community drumming up support from local Pastors (their names are included on the Document) to Publicly Warn and Publicly Rebuke Phil Aguilar and Set Free Ministries about the various serious allegations swirling around as told by former members, employs, assistants of that ministry.

The Press Release dated “October 28, 1993″ and titled “An Open Letter to Churches, School Districts, Civic Organizations and People of the Southern San Joaquin Valley” was widely distributed and pushed hard by Grenier over the course of many months.

The result was that Aguilar and Set Free Ministries was effectively barred and shunned from the Visalia Community…and Bob claimed it was what Scripture commands us to do when there are these sorts of issues surrounding a “ministry” and a Pastor.

Read if for yourself. You’ll see Bob Grenier’s name on the Document listed second. Paul and I personally witnessed Bob as the front-runner on this Campaign and I recall Bob wanting to be listed second to give an appearance of humility.

Important question to the general public, to Detectives who are following this stuff, to the legal community, to the Church at large: Is Bob’s Campaign a “hate campaign” and “bullying”? Or was it “righteous” and the right thing to do and the duty of those who did it, especially since as they note in the Document:

“This is made all the more urgent by the access that Set Free Fellowship has been given to children in this community and throughout our valley……. We realize that this correspondence is an extreme act and it is taken only after intense prayer and with the overwhelming conviction that it is the church’s responsibility to clean up it’s own laundry.

We write because we are concerned for the welfare of our community and the safety of our children. We hope to still be part of a process that can either affirm or refute the accusations brought against Phil Aguilar and Set Free Fellowship. We are especially touched by the cry of those whose current or past association with this group has been a source of hurt or exploitation.”

What say you? Why are my calls for a full investigation, my warning, my rebukes, my exposing the wrongdoing, my lobbying the Community, the Church, Calvary Chapel etc. a “hate campaign” and “cyberbullying”…but Bob Grenier’s Campaign was “righteous”? They practically gave Bob a medal in Visalia for leading this charge. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, I’m being sued and shunned and smeared and threatened, etc.

Click on the Link below to access the Document that was pushed widely in the Visalia area and South San Joaquin Valley of California by Bob Grenier and the Group of Pastors listed on the document. Bob was, at the time, Immanuel Christian Fellowship, during a brief stint where he left Calvary Chapel:

Bob Grenier Campaign against Phil Aguilar and Set Free Fellowship press release

From BGBC Survivors: Calvary Chapel Visalia Pastor Bob Grenier is Helping Which Victims?

Pastor Grenier Lawsuit 131 Responses »

Nov 092012

Pastor Bob Grenier of Calvary Chapel embroiled in abuse controversy: He’s going to help the “victims” of Hurricane Sandy and needs your money. PR stunt? Matthew 6:3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.

Julie Anne is my hero. She is a strong Woman who has been through so much, has stood up to a bully, is a good mother to her kids and still finds the time to help so many others (me very much included). She has a very good article up on her blog about the Bob Grenier Calvary Chapel abuse situation here:

http://bgbcsurvivors.blogspot.com/2012/11/calvary-chapel-visalia-pastor-bob.html#.UJ1ct45kLls

Please check out her article. She offers so much valuable insight into these matters. Hers is an important voice in the National discussion on Spiritual Abuse and Church Abuse and bad Pastors etc.

Election Day 2012: Some thoughts and endorsements from CC Abuse

Uncategorized 111 Responses »

Nov 062012

Hey, I don’t make any money doing this, I don’t enjoy special tax status like churches…so I can openly endorse candidates all I want! Woohoo! (even though many within Calvary Chapel are currently thumbing their noses at the IRS and endorsing candidates from the pulpit…and endorsing Child Abusers by not calling for Bob Grenier to be Dis-Affiliated / Dis-Associated from Calvary Chapel).

I’ll be open and blunt (as I normally am)…I’m a Libertarian in the Ron Paul / Gary Johnson mold…though I have some political leanings on some issues that can be interpreted as both Conservative and Liberal….l’m Anti-Abortion….I’m not a fan of Wall Street and the Big Banks and Big Corporate Socialism…I’m very much for Government Transparency….I’m very much pro Second Amendment….very much pro First Amendment….very much for tariff’s on Chinese goods imported to America (Chuck Schumer’s Democrat cause)…very much for a strong Military…very much for War as a very last resort and not being World Police. I think our Debt/Deficit is out of control and a National Security issue. I think States Rights should be more prominent and if a State’s Population wants to give Gay’s the right to marry, have at it (we can disagree morally on the homosexual issue without legislating that morality). I’m for Churches losing their Non-Profit Status and back Groups that are seeking to do so (based on my experiences and knowledge of how corrupt churches and pastors can be, they need increased regulation and scrutiny unfortunately, I know that’s not very Libertarian, but sometimes we need rules to protect ourselves from ourselves. Plus, we need more Revenue to pay down our Debt Disaster and many Churches make an awful lot of money for being “non-profit”…and many pastors are filthy rich on Jesus Money.

I’m not going to tell you how to vote. Just vote your Conscience.

Personally, I don’t like Obama. I think he sold out to Wall Street and the Big Banks right off the get-go by hiring Goldman Sachs Tim Geithner as his Treasury Secretary and then employing other big Wall Street guys like Larry Summers, Jeffrey Immelt (GE CEO) and Jamie Dimon (JP Morgan CEO). Obama pretty much took the torch that Bush handed him and doubled down on bailouts, debt, deficit and under Obama, the rich, the Banks, Wall Street all had a FULL RECOVERY…while the Poor got poorer and the Middle Class got crushed.

Obama did get Bin Laden, but that was really our Military prowess and Navy SEALs. Obama has rubber-stamped a ton of Drone Killing / Assassinations…kind of ironic since he got the Nobel Peace Prize.

He did push Obamacare through…and it’s still too early to know if the amount of Debt we’re taking on in the process is worth it. I know my health care insurance has gone way up, not down.

Energy Policy seems to be a bad one for Obama. I think people would rather have a job and be able to eat than have an extreme/radical EPA.

Does Romney have all the answers? Is “he” the Savior? Nope. Not even close. But, he seems to be a pretty business savvy dude and has a track record of Turn-arounds….and boy do we need a Turn-around.

My heart is with writing in Ron Paul or voting Gary Johnson. My brain is a vote against Obama…he had his chance, failed, did most of the stuff he promised that I didn’t like…then didn’t do the stuff he promised that I did like (cut the deficit in half, “We’ll be the MOST transparent Administration in history!”, reform Wall Street, get energy independent, etc etc).

Which party has the Moral Authority? In my opinion, neither, though the Abortion issue is a biggie. Unfortunately, there are many “Christians” who view it as OK and not a moral issue as long as Science tells them it’s not a “person” yet. I strongly disagree…but the Laws of the Land are such that it’s legal. The reality is, an elected Republican won’t be able to reverse Roe v. Wade.

The Homosexual Marriage issue is much ado about nothing, IMO. It’s not legislating Homosexuality as “not sin” or as being moral, it’s providing a legal mechanism for Homosexuals to marry…just like Fornicators, Adulterers etc.

Probably the things that stood out to me the most as being “good” things Romney said in the Campaign was his tough stance on China and his talk about leveraging our own Energy here at home. Those two things will create jobs. Those two things will put a dent in the bad economy.

That’s my take FWIW. Vote your Conscience, vote often, just vote

Former NBA Player, Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa member, detained against his will for speaking out at meeting, arrested, case dismissed by prosecutor

Uncategorized 141 Responses »

Oct 302012

Papa Chuck’s CCCM goon squad cuffs up former NBA player and CCCM giving-member Nick VanderLaan….for speaking out at a meeting featuring the controversial Ergun Caner. Photo courtesy of Ephesians511blog.blogspot.com.

Former NBA player Nick VanderLaan, a recent money-giving member of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, tells his story of being detained against his will and then arrested for speaking out at a meeting to question the presence of the controversial Ergun Caner.

I’ve spoken with Nick many times over this situation. I believe his version of events and was kept informed about the situation and the eventual dismissal of the charges by the prosecutor.

In my opinion, what Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa did was wrong. Very wrong. It is symptomatic of a cult-like culture that has taken root. Dissent is squashed. Ears are closed. Abuse continues…in many forms, including this situation in my opinion.

Nick shared the details with me months ago. Here’s what happened in a nutshell from my recollection of our conversations and Nick’s recounting of events:

He attended a special meeting at CCCM featuring Ergun Caner as the guest-speaker. Previous to the meeting, Nick expressed his concern to CCCM Leadership, believing he had the right and responsibility to do so as a giving member of the Church. His concerns were basically ignored.

At the meeting, Nick stood up to challenge Caner’s presence. He was non-violent and merely spoke out and spoke up. Calvary Chapel Leadership knew who he was. Nick and his family were known quantities, attended a trip to Israel with Chuck Smith, counseled with pastors there, dedicated their kid at the CCCM pulpit etc etc.

He was immediately surrounded and detained by the Calvary Chapel goon squad (my opinion, my description of the security guards and CC personnel based off of their subsequent actions).

The goon squad cuffed Nick up, took him to another part of the church, denied him bathroom and water and detained him against his will for a prolonged period of time.

Santa Ana police arrived later and arrested and charged Nick.

The ordeal took an expected toll on Nick and his family. The charges were eventually dropped by the District Attorney.

Adding insult to injury, Nick has tried many times to address the issue of both Caner and the detainment and subsequent arrest with Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa Leadership…with “no attorneys”…basically Nick wanted to follow Scripture and deal with this in a Matthew 18 manner. CCCM don’t play that. Attorney Janet Carter (same attorney Chuck Smith brought to our “meeting”) was sent a request, but the infamous CC Stone Wall is up once again.

Ephesians 5:11 blog documents the full story here (very thoroughly). See the arrest report, see the letters to Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, hear Nick’s testimony:

http://ephesians511blog.blogspot.com/2012/10/calvary-chapel-arrested-member-warning.html

Speak out against abuse and corruption in Calvary Chapel. Speak for transparency, accountability and vetting: Blogger Activism is the new Wittenburg Door

Uncategorized 70 Responses »

Oct 252012

Blogger Activism and speaking out is the “new” Wittenburg Door.

I’ll give Bob Grenier this, he beat me down and dominated me for so many years, and did it so well…he did instill one virtue in me: Don’t ever give in and don’t ever give up in the face of adversity and in the face of injustice.

Let’s face it, all of us who have been hurt in Calvary Chapel and then been shunned, given the spiritual equivalent to the middle finger when we’ve sought recourse within the Church System, had the tables turned back on us and framed as “evil” or “divisive” or “crazy” or “gossipers” or “unforgiving” etc etc (you’ve all know the M.O. well)…are in a very weak position compared to the CC Senior Pastor and the Calvary Chapel Church System.

Yep, they’ve got the Power. They hold the cards, they have the following, the financial support, the Bully Pulpit, the celebrity, the weight, the connections, you name it.

It is truly David vs. Goliath when it comes to standing up to them and speaking out.

it’s frustrating, it’s difficult, it seems sometimes like it won’t make a difference, it comes at a personal emotional cost, etc etc etc. It’s certainly tough.

But, is it right? Is it righteous?

I believe with all my heart that it is. It’s tough for a reason…because often the right thing is the tough thing. How easy to ignore the issues. How easy to go with the flow and make excuses for the Pastors and the CC System. The path of least resistance is to go with the flow and enable the Status Quo.

I reject that. I won’t give up, I won’t give in.

Reforms in the Calvary Chapel System are much needed. It is not a safe place System-Wide. The Calvary Chapel Leadership has shown time and again an unwillingness to repent and reform in the areas of transparency, financial transparency, mandating background checks of all youth workers and personnel, Church discipline recourse, standardized best-practices to protect kids and offer recourse if you’ve been spiritually abused, etc etc.

The Pattern of Calvary Chapel to date is cover up, cover over, silence victims, smear, Stone Wall, attack from the pulpit, etc. It’s wrong.

Make no mistake, the recent lawsuit brought by Calvary Chapel Pastor Bob Grenier is intentional, it’s strategic and it’s with the support of Calvary Chapel. Many in the Calvary Chapel System are watching closely. Many of the Senior Pastors are keeping a close eye on this.

What message are we going to send them?

Are we going to recoil in fear? Succumb to persecution for doing what’s right and righteous? Be silenced by fear of recrimination?

Not me. I reject it, I won’t stand for it. I fear the Lord and Him only. Speaking out against abuse and corruption in the Church is the Legacy of our fore-fathers. The Church has lost its way BECAUSE there are no more men and women of God who will take bold stands, even if it costs them something.

For these reasons, I am dedicated to Blogger Activism. I am dedicated to speaking out and warning as many people as I can with the remaining time I have left in this existence. Unfortunately, “change” and reforms throughout human history are usually wrought through controversy and conflict. I wish changes were made through simple petitioning, but that has failed time and again and has failed in the case of Calvary Chapel.

Why is it right and righteous?

1 Peter 4:17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

Ephesians 5:11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

1 Timothy 3:

Qualifications for Pastors

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer[a] must be above reproach, the husband of one wife,[b] sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

Qualifications for Deacons

8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued,[c] not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 11 Their wives likewise must[d] be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. 13 For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 5:2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers–not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve

Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Colossians 3:21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

Mark 9:35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

Mark 9:37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

Mark 10:16 And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

For these reasons I am continuing to Nail these issues on the cyber-version of the Wittenburg Door, as much and as often as possible. If you have a deep conviction, as I do, go and do likewise. I am starting a Calvary Chapel Review effort. My goal is to post reviews wherever possible in the United States where there is a Calvary Chapel Affiliate.

Here are a few samples so far:

https://plus.google.com/114083034673616622906/about?hl=en

https://plus.google.com/108895621105168904047/about?hl=en

http://www.yelp.com/biz/calvary-chapel-of-the-chino-valley-chino

Calvary Chapel Pastor & Visalia Police Chaplain Bob Grenier and Gayle Grenier lawsuit against the step-son Bob abused while the Mother stood by and let it happen

Pastor Grenier Lawsuit 212 Responses »

Oct 212012

Here is Pastor Bob Grenier of Calvary Chapel Visalia / Visalia Police Department Chaplain’s and my Mom, Gayle Grenier’s Lawsuit against me:

Calvary Chapel Pastor Grenier Lawsuit.pdf

Please help me fight child abuse, spiritual abuse and corruption in the church. Please help me fight Calvary Chapel Pastor Bob Grenier’s lawsuit to the end

Pastor Grenier Lawsuit 33 Responses »

Oct 202012

I’m a good Dad, I love my kids and treat them with love and respect…and I’ve never hurt them, and I won’t ever hurt them. I am not a psycho “cyberbully” as Bob Grenier would have you believe and I am not involved in a “hate campaign”. I am speaking out about my personal abuse and about the abuses of my brothers and the testimonies of other CCV’ers (which I believe as corroborated by many) regarding spiritual abuse, corruption etc. This has always been about warning the public, seeking some form of accountability and justice, shining a bright light on these serious issues, advocating for reforms in the church, etc etc.

Yesterday, the weight of being sued for speaking out about child abuse and corruption in the church by my own Mother and my Calvary Chapel Pastor and Visalia Police Department Chaplain step-dad Bob Grenier, really took a toll. I spent some time (metaphorically) on the mat, if you will. I took a solid punch to the gut, I won’t lie.

It’s time to get up off the mat and get to work on this. I didn’t take all this on to quit when it got tough, but I’m not superman, this is really daunting and as humbling as it is, I am not up for this on my own…I need help. I need help from you in prayer, support, leg-work, getting the word out about the lawsuit and asking for help, lobbying the media to cover the story and I need your help financially to help fund the defense and counter-suit and I need your help finding a really good attorney who will partner with me on a contingency or partial-contingency basis to fight this all the way.

There are a couple of easier options available…anti-SLAPP and/or a motion to dismiss due to expiration of Statute of Limitations dates of when the alleged defamation/libel first entered the public. I don’t want to take the easier options (still not easy by no means, still difficult and time consuming and trying, but easier than the really hard long expensive battle). I want to have my days in court and fully answer all the charges against me and prove my case and counter-sue and prove my case there as well.

I am willing to pay back any money that is donated if we win and recover money (which I believe we will). I don’t want the money for me, I want to be able to fight for the causes I hold dear and for all the others (including myself and my family) who have been hurt in this situation. I don’t want the real bully getting away with silencing those who are speaking out against him. I don’t want others fearful of being sued if they speak out against child abuse and corruption in the church, THAT is a frightening proposition, THAT will enable more abuse and empower abusers.

PLEASE STAND WITH ME. Please help me.

Your input is very much appreciated.

I am working on getting a paypal link up in this article for donations to fund the legal defense and potential counter-suit.

Pastor Bob Grenier of Calvary Chapel Visalia and Mother sues stepson/son he abused for speaking out publicly about brother’s molestation allegations and for exposing the corruption at his church

Pastor Grenier Lawsuit 67 Responses »

Oct 192012

Pastor Bob Grenier of Calvary Chapel Visalia and Gayle Grenier his wife (my mother) have filed a lawsuit against their stepson/son Alex Grenier (me) for speaking publicly about Paul Grenier’s child molestation allegations and for exposing corruption in the form of misusing church funds for personal gain (or “stealing” money from the church and from God, etc).

I’ve read through the lawsuit a few times. The main theme is (as I predicted) “it’s a hate campaign” and “cyberbullying” along with defamation/libel. The suit also appears to allege some sort of conspiracy between me and another singular party to engage in a “hate campaign” etc. The suit is seeking monetary damages, but did not cite a specific number, but checked the box “Unlimited”.

What is very interesting is who and what are left out of the lawsuit.

The suit does not name Edna Silva or Tina Jenkins, which the “intent to sue” letter I received a month ago listed them as targets of the coming suit as well. I am glad Bob listened to my public challenge and decided not to put those dear women through more abuse. They’ve had enough from him.

The suit also doesn’t name my brother Paul Grenier, who has gone on the public record as stating clearly that Bob Grenier, Calvary Chapel Visalia Pastor and Visalia Police Department Chaplain in good standing, molested him. For the record, I believe Bob Grenier to be a child molester, I believe my brother Paul’s testimony he shared in the offices of Portland Attorney and Child Abuse Advocate Kelly Clark. I believe Paul’s written public testimony on this blog. Bob is a monster, IMO, and beat me and my brothers violently. Bob made me shower naked with him many times when I was a boy and Bob had a regular habit of being around us naked, with his genitals exposed. For these and many other reasons, I believe Paul and stand by my public comments and will continue to warn the Public as it is highly in the Public Interest as Bob Grenier is a Pastor and Police Chaplain and in a Position of Trust (and shouldn’t be trusted).

The suit also fails to name Geoff Grenier, another stepson (my full brother) who is on the public record as corroborating the violent child abuse in our home growing up.

I have spoken out publicly and consistently about many abuses by Bob Grenier and Calvary Chapel…including the child abuse, the molestation, the corruption, pill addiction/abuse, telling a Calvary Chapel mother to not report child molestation of her daughters to authorities, cult-like counseling, bullying/harassing of female staff, lying, manipulating etc etc etc.

Bob Grenier seems to be admitting to many of the other allegations by not challenging them, but is focusing specifically in the lawsuit on the issues of child molestation and corruption/stealing.

There are many errors in the lawsuit, the biggest being that my speaking out publicly and exercising my First Amendment Free Speech Rights to deal with these serious issues that are in the Public Interest is “not” defamation/libel and my consistently speaking out and warning people and calling publicly for accountability in these matters is “not” a “hate campaign” nor is it “cyberbullying” no matter how many times Bob repeats it in his lawsuit.

If Bob Grenier and by extension Calvary Chapel (who he represents as an Affiliated Pastor) are allowed to get away with framing Free Speech, Whistleblowing and exposing abuse and corruption in the church as a “hate campaign” and “cyberbullying” and “defamation/libel”…then the Chilling Effect it will have on others is extremely frightening. This is a very important matter. If those who wield the Power of Public Figure and Position of Trust Pastor/Chaplain are allowed to win frivolous lawsuits in an attempt to cover over their bad actions and silence victims and critics and watchdogs, then beware, you might be next…and the result will be the covering over and enabling of much more abuse and corruption within the “church” and it will make it easier for Children to be abused and molested.

From a personal perspective: I have really thick skin thanks to the intense and enduring physical, emotional and spiritual abuse I suffered (and watched my family suffer) for many years at the hands, feet, mouth etc by Bob Grenier…however, that my Mom is standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our Abuser and going on offense against me hurts terribly. She sat by and let us be abused when were growing up, rather than protecting us. Now she picks up the sword and goes on the attack against me for not taking all the abuses silently. It’s wrong. It’s heartbreaking.

The Fresno Bee has published an article about the lawsuit here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/10/18/3034687/visalia-pastor-sues-son-over-cyberbullying.html

Reporter Tips: Bob Grenier and Calvary Chapel Visalia file lawsuit against step-son, possibly others

Pastor Grenier Lawsuit 17 Responses »

Oct 182012

Just got through interviewing with a Central California reporter who said Bob Grenier and Calvary Chapel Visalia have filed a lawsuit against me and possibly others. The reporter described it as a “Defamation” and “Cease and Desist” claim.

I have yet to receive the lawsuit and will report the details when they become available. One of the questions the reporter asked was “is this a ‘hate campaign’?” which is what I predicted Bob’s narrative would be…

Prayers appreciated. I’ll keep you posted.

Alex

If Bob Grenier and Calvary Chapel backs out of their Defamation Lawsuit threat, it’s an admission of guilt in my opinion (plus some final appeals)

Pastor Grenier Lawsuit 205 Responses »

Oct 012012

Bob Grenier, Calvary Chapel, it's not too late to do the right thing.

Bob Grenier and Calvary Chapel Visalia have recently stated they will be filing a lawsuit in Tulare County for “defamation” according to their attorney Nick Pritchett of Williams, Jordan, Brodersen and Pritchett, a small Visalia, California law firm.

If Bob Grenier and Calvary Chapel backs out, doesn’t follow through, puts up the Stone Wall once again…it’s an admission of guilt in my opinion.

If they follow through, here’s what I believe is coming and here’s some insight to what I’m preparing…also a couple of last appeals to Bob before this gets past a point of no return.

First one of the appeals to Bob:

Drop the others from the lawsuit. Don’t re-victimize Tina Jenkins, Edna Silva and Not Alone. You’ve hurt them enough already. If it’s a fight you want, I pledge not to anti-SLAPP you if you drop the others…and I’ll give you all the fight you want in civil court. We’ll drag this whole stinking carcass into the public record and let a judge/jury decide who is righteous since the Church has shunned their moral/spiritual responsibility in these matters. We can both depose and cross-examine the aforementioned as witnesses and you take your shot there. Besides, it’s a waste of the good-givers and tithers money at Calvary Chapel Visalia for you to waste their money attacking the others when your lawyer Nick Pritchett knows good and well (or should know) that you’ll get anti-SLAPP’d and that Jesus Money you collect each Sunday will go to pay off the others’ attorneys and expenses. Save some of Jesus’s money and drop the others.

As to the lawsuit if Bob and Calvary Chapel don’t chicken out…from the info I’ve collected from Bob Apologists and CC cast-offs, I believe I have a pretty clear understanding of Camp Bob’s Narrative and Offense/Defense that they’ll present to the court (and to the Calvary Chapel Association to save face and save their Dove):

These are some of the key talking points I’ve learned/observed/heard:

“It’s a Private Family Matter”

“Alex is engaged in a Hate Campaign against his step-father in an effort to take him down”

“This is a Vendetta engineered by a media professional”

“Alex has bad character”

etc etc etc.

Appeals to Motive and Character. That will be the theme of the Camp Bob Narrative.

It’ll probably go something like this:

“Alex is a bitter vindictive step-son who has engineered a Hate Campaign to take down his step-dad. He has rallied a small group of malcontents who had beef with Bob Grenier and reason to lie about him to support Alex’s Hate Campaign. Alex’s brothers are ‘helping a brother out’ and lying for him as well. This whole thing is a malicious conspiracy to take Bob down. The brothers are motivated by their hatred of Bob and the former employees are disgruntled, etc. Who wouldn’t have a few disgruntled people after over 30 years in ministry? We’ll admit Bob may have been a jerk at times, but he did not do the things that these malicious malcontents are saying in Alex’s Hate Campaign. Regarding the supposed child abuse that Bob confessed to the Calvary Chapel Visalia Board, there are mitigating circumstances, Geoff was a danger to the others, he was hopped up on steroids and Bob had to punch him out to protect himself and the family. No other abuse ever happened in the home as many others testify” …or something similar.

Appeals to Motive seem to be a biggie so far.

Then they’ll appeal to Character and assail the character of all involved.

“Alex can’t be trusted. He has past moral failings. He has had some business disputes. He used to say how wonderful Bob was. He accepted a loan from Bob to start his business. He accepted food and shelter from Bob, etc. etc. Alex’s brothers have bad character, moral failings, are ‘scoundrels’ etc. The Aunt who says she witnessed abuse hates Bob and has a grudge. The former employees have bad character, moral failings, are disgruntled etc. and none of them are reliable in their testimony.”

If the Judge allows it to be partially about Character and Motive, I’ll present a different Narrative.

I’ll appeal to Bob’s (and Camp Bob’s) Character and Motive as well.

Bob was a former drug dealer and drug smuggler. He’s an un-convicted, un-caught felon, the only thing that keeps him from being a felon is that he was able to dodge prosecution for those crimes.

Bob claims there was a “miracle” in his life and he’s a changed man. However, Bob didn’t really change, just his bad character changed from one set of bad things to another set of bad things.

I’ll go on to present evidence that Bob went from having a street drug problem to a prescription drug problem. I’ll depose a CC pastor who will testify that he witnessed Bob “stoned on pills” on mission’s trips and that Bob confessed a pill problem with him in the mid 1980′s (during a time we were being abused terribly). I’ll depose witnesses from CCV that saw Bob acting strange, speaking weird, that he seemed to have been on the influence of pills and even stated that he had taken something. I’ll depose family witnesses who will testify that Bob took too many pills to get high.

I’ll then transition into a variety of other character issues and depose witnesses who will present testimony to Bob’s temper, his bullying, his lying, his manipulation, his cult-like counseling, his attempts to get a mother not to report child molestation to authorities etc, etc.

Then we’ll get into the financial issues. That’ll be a real interesting area. Don’t want to disclose too much here, but I can guarantee you, we’ll be on this one for awhile and depositions and discovery will be a hoot and the net will be cast wide and the things we’ll confirm….this part may cross over from civil to criminal, we’ll see.

I’ll conclude with the child abuse and Paul’s molestation allegations. With regards to the child abuse, I’ll depose those directly involved and other witnesses to the abuse. I’ll depose Glen C. and his testimony that Bob confessed punching Geoff out to his Board, but the Board didn’t take action, covered it up, didn’t report (and CCV is a mandatory reporter). Witnesses will testify that much child abuse happened after that Board inaction…not only victims of the abuse but outside witnesses post-confession.

I’ll depose Paul and put his molestation allegations on the record. It’ll be tough and emotional, I don’t look forward to that one.

I’ll present testimony that Bob had me shower naked with him and testimony from witnesses that Bob made it a regular habit of walking around naked in front of us as children/teens while in our home, genitals exposed.

I’ll present Bob’s testimony of his same-sex encounter at boarding school in his book.

There will be a few bombshell witnesses, and I don’t want to disclose too much, but I have a witness who will testify to what so far look like some pretty big inconsistencies in Bob’s version of his own history in his book.

To Motive. Why would Bob lie? Why would my Mom and Bobby Jr. lie for him? Why would the Dowds cover for him?

Money. Power. Influence.

Calvary Chapel Visalia is a money making machine. It’s also a powerful entity and provides a group of followers, a stage, platform and fame, etc.

In discovery we’ll show how much money CCV makes. We’ll show how much Bob and my Mom benefit financially from CCV. We’ll show how much money the Dowds make from CCV. We’ll show how CCV employs and gives benefits to Bob’s daughter-in-law who is Bobby Jr’s wife (Bobby Jr’s household is paid by CCV).

There is huge motive to lie and cover up abuses. If Bob loses his throne, the golden goose of the CCV money-making machine is cooked and his inner-circle loses money, power, influence as well.

I’ll also counter Camp Bob’s Narrative of my motive and my character and counter Bob’s version of the motive and character of all the others.

Very good counter-narrative, but I want to save some for the trial.

It’s not a “hate campaign” and a grand-conspiracy against Bob and it’s not just a small group who he’s hurt and keeps hurting and Bob is not a janitor, he’s a highly influential and powerful public figure in Positions of Trust. It’s in the public interest to deal with these things.

Bob’s actions and the church’s non-action in dealing with these issues in a just manner are responsible for this being public, not a conspiracy “hate campaign”.

The defamation claims will be easy to address and will pretty much be covered in all of the above.

There’s a lot more to it all, and I’m preparing to address these things well beyond what I’ve presented here…but that gives you a taste.

There are many witnesses who will be deposed who have not been mentioned who have some very interesting testimony.

I won’t leave any stone unturned in depositions or discovery. I know this situation like Hawking knows physics.

So, Bob, if you chicken out of your defamation suit, it sure looks like an admission of guilt to me (and many others).

Bring it and let’s get it on and get this stuff out in the open and dealt with.

ONE FINAL APPEAL: Bob, your other option is to confess, repent, come clean and seek reconciliation and get help for your many issues and ask for mercy. True repentance begins with acknowledging the sin and admitting you have a problem. You still may have to suffer some consequences for your sin, I can’t guarantee you won’t, but I’m pretty sure the consequences will be worse if you keep digging in.

Bob, stop this nonsense. Come forward and confess and repent. I’ll then help you to make amends, and help you ask for mercy, even though you may have to suffer some consequences, but it will go better for my Mom and your wife if you do the right thing now without this going further.

Call me, you know how to reach me.

BGBC Survivors and The Wartburg Watch cover the Bob Grenier Calvary Chapel Visalia abuse situation

Pastor Grenier Lawsuit 4 Responses »

Oct 012012

Julie Anne Smith, the spiritual abuse survivor made famous by Chuck O’Neal’s and Beaverton Grace Bible Church’s defamation suit for criticizing/correcting O’Neal’s behavior, has written a great synopsis of the child abuse allegations against Bob Grenier of Calvary Chapel Visalia.

If you are looking for a thorough yet concise picture of the child abuse portion of the Bob Grenier saga, you can view the article here:

http://bgbcsurvivors.blogspot.com/2012/09/calvary-chapel-pastor-pastor-bob.html

Dee and Deb at The Wartburg Watch, a very popular Christian Blog that dissects trends in the larger Church and also tackles church abuse issues, has published an article about Bob Grenier the “mini-moses”. I’ve been interacting in the thread with the community over there…and I can tell you, these folks have experience in these areas. They ‘get’ it. Their insights are valuable and they are doing a good service to the public and the Church. They’ve obviously walked in the same and similar moccasins.

View The Wartburg Watch article here:

http://thewartburgwatch.com/2012/09/27/calvary-chapel-mini-moses-bob-grenier-sues-his-own-son/

Thank you to Julie Anne, Dee, Deb and all their readers and participants at their blogs. The issues of child abuse, molestation, corruption, spiritual abuse etc are in the public interest and speaking out against abuses and advocating for reforms in the church to deal with these abuses is important stuff.

Blood son alleges sexual abuse by Pastor Bob Grenier Calvary Chapel Visalia

Uncategorized 177 Responses »

Apr 062011

Bob Grenier of Calvary Chapel Visalia continues to be endorsed and affiliated by Chuck Smith and Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, despite multiple allegations of corruption, physical abuse, spiritual abuse and now an allegation of sexual abuse of his male blood son.

My name is Paul Grenier and I am the adult son of Bob and Gayle Grenier. Over the past few years, Bob Grenier’s private life has become very public. I believe one can only hide the skeletons in their closet for so long. Bob has a long history (30+ years) of slandering and maligning anyone who questions his authority or calls him out on his inappropriate behavior.

I have avoided making much public comment regarding the child abuse that took place in our home. I have spent many years trying to stay as far away from Bob, Gayle, and Robert as possible. However, the dysfunction and evil that pervades that family always seems to find a victim to attack. While they profess to be Christians, their actions are so contrary to the teachings of the Bible it is startling to me.

I have struggled with how to respond to the following allegations. I am a private person and for those of you who know me, you know this is something I do not take lightly. This will be my one and only public statement regarding this matter.

It has come to my attention that Robert Grenier is blogging on the internet and telling people in the community that I molested him when we were growing up. I deny this allegation in its entirety.

These are very troubling things to hear that one is saying about you. I unlike Bob will make a public statement to defend my character and reputation. I will also not ask anyone to take a side or defend me because I know the truth and that is all that matters. My point in making this statement is to go on the record and tell my story. People’s belief of disbelief of my story is of no consequence to me. Frankly, I don’t really care. I know what happened and that’s enough for me.

Robert was admitted to a mental health facility in the spring of 2004. He claimed to be suicidal and that he was hearing voices in his head telling him to hurt himself and others. I have no doubt he was hearing those voices as I have been a firsthand witness to his violent temper and inability to decipher fact from fiction. Robert is someone I avoided as a child, teenager, and now as an adult. He truly scares me.

The last time I saw Robert was about 5 years ago. He followed me in his car to my place of employment and proceeded to verbally assault me and went on to threaten my life. When Robert took a breath between cursing and screaming, I managed to ask him why he was following me and attacking me in this manner. He told me that he was angry at me, Alex, and Geoff for talking about Bob being a child abuser. I told Robert that my issue was not with him so not to make one with me. Robert told me he had waited outside my house at night on a number of occasions and that he wanted to kill me. I absolutely believe he would as he is one of the most unstable, violent individuals I have ever encountered.

A couple of years after this incident, Robert contacted one of my brother’s and asked for my cell number. Robert called me and we spoke on the phone. I wasn’t sure what to expect but he was friendly and kind of reminisced about our childhood. He kept telling me what a great childhood we had and how much he missed me, Alex, and Geoff. He even asked if he could come up to visit me where I was living. I let him talk and didn’t say much. I have a standing rule not to engage with unstable people so I kind of just got through the conversation the best I could.

I mention this conversation because it seems very odd to me that you would contact the person who allegedly abused you and reminisce about the good times and propose a visit. It certainly doesn’t ring true with my experience of avoiding any and all contact with my abuser.

I can only imagine that Robert is now making these allegations about me in an effort to protect Bob and Gayle. Robert has a history of making outlandish accusations against people and then later changing his story at the last minute. Since Robert has decided to spread such vitriol about me, I will now take the opportunity to share what I know about his past actions. I know Robert was at a party with a group of men and engaged in homosexual behavior in front of them. I witnessed Robert engaging in homosexual behavior with a friend of his while he was in high school. Robert had an affair with a woman whose husband was off fighting in the Iraq War. Robert lived at the Visalia Rescue Mission for a brief while because of his issues with drugs, alcohol, and promiscuity. Robert threatened bodily harm to a woman at Calvary for talking to his wife because he was concerned she might say something negative about his past actions. Robert like Bob has a lot to hide. And I would not be commenting on any of this had my hand not been forced. I have most recently heard that Robert has an inappropriate relationship with a teenage boy that attends Calvary. Quite often people that are pointing the finger and hurling accusations at people are themselves guilty of the very things they allege. If Robert’s intention was to humiliate me he has not succeeded. He has only succeeded in drawing an even bigger spotlight on himself, Bob, and Gayle and all of their wrongdoings.

I have agonized over what I am about to share. I was the victim of sexual abuse in our home at the hands of my father. That is all the detail I will give publicly.

I have spoken privately to some about it. I most recently spoke to a class action child abuse attorney along with my brother, Alex, and sister-in-law, Amy, about what was done to me. I would prefer not to share such a horrific thing I lived through but I continue to be attacked and maligned by Bob, Gayle, and Robert. I feel that at every turn I have tried to take the high road and be as gracious as possible. I have been backed in a corner and have no choice but to make a public statement.

If you attend Calvary Chapel Visalia I would keep your children as far away from Bob and Robert as possible. They are both evil people who will not give a second thought to hurting you and will actively try to destroy your life. Bob has ruined multiple family relationships and marriages in his tenure at Calvary.

This last summer there were a number of articles that ran in the Visalia Times-Delta and Fresno Bee. A handful of people rushed to Bob’s defense and I still remember their quotes about Bob’s strong character and how they did not believe me and my brothers’ account of abuse. I would like to take this opportunity to tell those people that I find it repulsive that you would rush to the defense so irresponsibly of a person who has committed some serious crimes against children and should be rotting in a jail cell. I further find it absurd that you would even feign knowledge of what happened in our home when you’ve never even spoken to me about what happened. It is this reckless group of people that blindly defend the lunatic in the pulpit at Calvary that I find disgusting. If I sound angry, I am. What an exercise in futility for Bob’s staff and followers to stand by and defend him when they’ve never even spoken to the victims. Shame on you.

And shame on you Gayle for allowing all this abuse to happen on your watch. I don’t even know how you live with yourself. You out of everyone are probably the most abhorrent person I have ever had the displeasure of knowing. I can’t begin to imagine what kind of mother would stand by and let these ongoing episodes of violence and abuse happen to her children. I hope you live in shame the rest of your life for what you allowed to happen. To some this may sound harsh, but I have had to live with this shame and these scars for many years as well. My brothers and I were the victims. Not Bob and Gayle as they would like you to believe. We were innocent children that were terrorized in every way imaginable by the monster that is Bob Grenier. Gayle knows it and chose to defend this monster and I hope when she looks in the mirror she sees the monster she allowed herself to become for defending her husband.

Bob also has a history of encouraging people not to come forward about sexual abuse. A close friend of mine was kicked out of the church and told by Bob that she instigated the sexual abuse that was committed against her by her step-father. This was the counseling she received from Bob after coming forward as an adult. It makes me nauseated when I think about it. And if you attend Calvary or are on Bob’s staff it should make you sick too. And if it doesn’t trouble you then I pray for your soul.

I no longer live in Visalia so that I can be as far away from Bob, Gayle, and Robert as possible. Yet all these years later, they still will pick a fight and character assassinate the victim. Well that all stops today.

I will say this and say it once. I was raised by the Bob the monster. I survived it. I was raised by a drug addicted, abuse condoning, abhorrent mother. I survived it. I grew up with a mentally disturbed younger brother. I survived it. I have been slandered and maligned by Bob’s inner circle. I survived it. I can promise you this: anything Bob, Gayle, and Robert throw my way. I will survive it and be stronger because of it. Bob could not break my will and spirit when I was a child and he nor anyone else associated with him will be able to do so today.

Bob, Gayle, and Robert want a fight. They’ve got one and a worthy opponent in me. Dysfunction breeds dysfunction. If I have to spend the rest of my life defending myself against them and keeping them out of my life I will do it. And I will survive that too.

In closing, if they continue to come after me publicly they had better bring their best game. Because I will not lie down and take it. Rather, I will fight back and shout from the rooftops what Bob did to me so the whole world knows what a monster he is. I have nothing to lose by telling the truth. Many of you know that Bob always goes after a person the hardest when they have the worst information on him. This is what they have done and continue to do me. I will not start a fight…but I sure as hell will not back down from one when it calls into question my character and integrity.

Paul Grenier

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Calvary Chapel Abuse

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Son accuses Visalia pastor Bob Grenier of sex abuse

“A pastor whose family was murdered in New Mexico belonged to a large association of evangelical churches that, critics allege, stands behind misbehaving pastors and looks away when they are accused of sexual abuse and other misdeeds.”

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