Author: Lois | Page 3 | Spiritual Abuse Blogs

Informational post on speaking in tongues #13: Praying Through

This is just a little ‘did you know’ informational post on the subject of speaking in tongues, shared as some food for thought.

One thing that often happens in Apostolic churches is “praying through.” This is stressed for when one sins (real or perceived), as well as for when one “backslides” and leaves one of these churches. Now, some will say this is not related to spiritual abuse, but I disagree. When you tell people that they are no longer saved or that God hasn’t accepted them back simply because you have not heard the person speak in tongues again, it causes harm to the person. It puts them in fear and they doubt their salvation. It causes some to have a distorted image of God.

This notion of “praying through” basically means that, since Apostolics/Oneness Pentecostals believe speaking in tongues is the initial evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit, many in this group also believe that if a person sins or backslides, they need to “pray through” afterward until they speak in tongues again. Until the tongues are heard, the person is usually perceived as not right with God, not accepted by God and/or still has sin or unrepented sin in their heart. Faith is tossed aside in exchange for some type of tangible proof that God still wants that person.

Sometimes these people are able to quickly speak in tongues again. It is a relief to the person as well as to their fellow members. Sometimes the person never speaks in tongues again. Other times it takes days, weeks, maybe even months before it happens. During this time, the person often fears for their soul, wondering why God hasn’t accepted them. Their fellow members may keep their distance or they may regularly fast and pray for them. In their mind, the individual is holding back, doesn’t want to stop sinning, or has some sin for which they have not yet repented. Leadership may even say fearful things like, “If the rapture took place today, brother x isn’t ready and would be left behind.”

In unhealthy churches, fear is a main motivating factor behind a majority of what is taught and done. Causing someone to believe they have not been accepted by God is as bad as it goes. For a Christian, if you believe God hasn’t accepted you, what hope do you have? Your life is fraught with dread and fear and you spend your time searching yourself to discover just what is so bad that this is happening. You repent of all sorts of things, as well as the things that may be in your heart that you don’t see. Finally one day you manage to speak in tongues again and you are relieved (for the moment). God does really love you! If this happens at home, you may still be seen in the same way by fellow members until they hear you for themselves in a church service.

Where did this notion of “praying through” until you speak in tongues come from? Are you tormented by a teaching that can be found nowhere in the Bible? Are you beside yourself, thinking that God has not accepted you, all because some minister or fellow Christians told you this? Has anyone read where Paul was told by Silas he needed to “pray through” after having his heated disagreement with Barnabas? Did Paul tell Peter he had to “pray through” when Peter wrongfully separated himself from Gentile believers?

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Giveaway: C.H. Yadon & the Vanishing Theological Past in Oneness Pentecostalism

This is only open to those with a USA mailing address. We always provide these giveaways at no charge to our readers.

This is your chance to receive a new copy of C.H. Yadon and the Vanishing Theological Past in Oneness Pentecostalism by Thomas Fudge. It is the third book in his series on Oneness Pentecostalism. It covers Oneness Pentecostal history, and highlights the United Pentecostal Church, of which Mr. Fudge was once a member.

The emphasis is on the life of C.H. Yadon. Yadon turned in his UPC license in 1993 when the affirmation statement started being required of all ministers. Over the years, the UPCI has pushed people out of the organization as they took stands against various beliefs.

United Pentecostal General Superintendent David Bernard did not want this book to be published and his comments are included in Fudge’s work. His comments alone are a good reason to want to read this book as the UPCI doesn’t want aspects of their actual history known. This is what Bernard wrote:

“I do not recommend the book for publication, for the following reasons: (1) The audience is extremely limited. The focus and tone are too narrow to appeal to most scholars. The subject matter is of interest primarily to Oneness Pentecostals, but C.H. Yadon is not a well-known figure in the movement’s history, and those who would be interested could be repelled by the harsh anti-UPC rhetoric. Thus, the most likely readers are those who have left the Oneness Pentecostal movement or who are considering it. (2) The research does not meet scholarly standards. It doesn’t adequately engage the latest scholarship in the field. It doesn’t consider or interact meaningfully with opposing evidence or alternative views. It relies excessively on marginal, questionable, or unverifiable sources with inadequate attention to readily available, documented, and credible sources. (3) It is a mixture of historical analysis and theological debate, but doesn’t fully complete either task successfully. In any case, the author has already covered this ground in a previous book. (4) It gives excessive space and coverage to a little-known, insignificant work by a nineteenth-century, semi-Arian writer. Since that work doesn’t represent a significant position within Oneness Pentecostalism, it has limited historical or theological value. (5) The family of C.H. Yadon opposes publication.”

Some might be interested in a series of lectures by Thomas Fudge on the history of Christianity from the Roman Empire until the Reformation. https://youtu.be/WgTDplQabRk

This giveaway is a drawing. To enter, just leave a comment to show you wish to be included. The drawing will close on March 30, 2025 at 6pm (eastern time), after which I will draw the winner.

Don’t be alarmed if your comment does not immediately show as it may require approval.

Be sure to check back to see if you have won as in the past some people have not responded after winning and so a new winner had to be drawn. You will then need to email me your mailing address if I do not already have it, so be sure to watch your email and check the spam folder. If I know your Facebook profile, I will message you there.

In 2025, we’ll be giving away one copy of each of Thomas Fudge’s books on the UPCI/Oneness Pentecostalism (Christianity without the Cross: A History of Salvation in Oneness Pentecostalism and Heretics & Politics: Theology, Power, and Perception in the Last Days of CBC), plus plus Women and Worship at Corinth: Paul’s Rhetorical Arguments in 1 Corinthians and Unveiling Paul’s Women: Making Sense of 1 Corinthians 11:2–16 by Lucy Peppiatt and more.

You may want to subscribe to the email notifications of new blog posts in order to not miss these. While we try to share about our giveaways on social media, those platforms often do not show the posts to many people.

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Giveaway: The Uncomfortable Confessions of a Preacher’s Kid

This is only open to those with a USA mailing address. There is absolutely no cost to enter.

I apologize for not starting our monthly giveaways in January. To make up for this, there will be three posted in March. The final will post on March 28.

This is your chance to receive a new copy of The Uncomfortable Confessions of a Preacher’s Kid: A Memoir by Ronna Russell. This is the second release of her book, from 2023.

Ronna had a childhood filled with fear of her father’s quick temper, being lost, and being left behind in the rapture. This book is more than just her experiences being brought up in the UPC. It is about how she struggled and overcame many years of loneliness and obstacles in her life.

Ronna, one of Donald Fisher’s three daughters, shares her painful and lonely upbringing in the United Pentecostal Church. She longed to belong and fit in somewhere and not feel suffocated by her father’s rules and control. Some people envy PKs, thinking they have life great, yet many do not and reading this memoir will cause you to reconsider such a thought.

The late Donald Fisher held license for many years in the United Pentecostal Church. His influence on the United Pentecostal Church cannot be denied, yet at the same time his influence on his children was something quite different, so much so that Ronna has never missed him since his passing in 1995.

Some might also want to read Heretics and Politics: Theology, Power, and Perception in the Last Days of CBC by Thomas Fudge. Ronna was interviewed for it and it covers, in part, about her father.

This giveaway is a drawing. To enter, just leave a comment to show you wish to be included. The drawing will close on March 28, 2024 at 6pm (eastern time), after which I will draw a winner.

Don’t be alarmed if your comment does not immediately show as it may require approval.

In 2025, we’ll be giving away one copy of each of Thomas Fudge’s books on the UPCI/Oneness Pentecostalism (Christianity without the Cross: A History of Salvation in Oneness Pentecostalism, Heretics & Politics: Theology, Power, and Perception in the Last Days of CBC, C.H. Yadon and the Vanishing Theological Past in Oneness Pentecostalism), plus Women and Worship at Corinth: Paul’s Rhetorical Arguments in 1 Corinthians and Unveiling Paul’s Women: Making Sense of 1 Corinthians 11:2–16 by Lucy Peppiatt and more.

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Giveaway: Safe Church by Andrew Bauman

This is only open to those with a USA mailing address. There is absolutely no cost to enter.

I apologize for not starting our monthly giveaways in January. To make up for this, there will be three posted in March. The next will post on March 26.

This is your chance to receive a new copy of Safe Church: How to Guard against Sexism and Abuse in Christian Communities by Andrew Bauman.

This giveaway is a drawing. To enter, just leave a comment to show you wish to be included. The drawing will close on March 26, 2024 at 6pm (eastern time), after which I will draw a winner.

Don’t be alarmed if your comment does not immediately show as it may require approval.

In 2025, we’ll be giving away one copy of each of Thomas Fudge’s books on the UPCI/Oneness Pentecostalism (Christianity without the Cross: A History of Salvation in Oneness Pentecostalism, Heretics & Politics: Theology, Power, and Perception in the Last Days of CBC, C.H. Yadon and the Vanishing Theological Past in Oneness Pentecostalism), plus The Uncomfortable Confessions of a Preacher’s Kid: A memoir by Ronna Russell and more.

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Character Letters in Support of Joseph Kade Abbott Part 2

This is a continuation of our coverage regarding character letters sent in support of a sex offender. See Part 1.

On May 17, 2024, Joseph ‘Kade’ Abbott plead guilty to three counts of sexual assault by an authority figure where criminal charges from two counties in Tennessee were combined (Blount & Sevier). He was sentenced on October 30, 2024 to six years in prison without parole for crimes against a 14 year old minor. He will register as a sex offender for life.

Kade Abbott was a Middle School teacher at the Apostolic Christian Academy, which is operated by the First Apostolic Church of Maryville in Tennessee. His crimes occurred while he was employed at the school. Kenneth Carpenter is the pastor of this ALJC church and academy and the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ (ALJC), a much smaller Oneness Pentecostal organization than the United Pentecostal Church.

In the first installment, I posted four character letters that were sent to the court in support of Kade Abbott. Today four others are being shared, all of which mention the Indiana Bible College (IBC), a UPCI endorsed college. As was previously done, redactions have been made of addresses, phone numbers and emails.

In a comment made on our Facebook post of Part One, Deanna Jo Norton wrote in part, “I wonder how many personal messages of support and encouragement the victim and her family got from UPCI and ALJC ministry/saints?”

This is an important issue to consider if one is attending any church where a member has been charged with such crimes. Are you quick to write character letters or otherwise support the accused, yet fail to reach out to victims and their families? It is so very important to not blindly believe whatever the alleged perpetrator or someone in church leadership may claim about the charges. Even those in church leadership have been known to lie about these cases.

In the previous post, a letter from ALJC minister Mark Stumbo was shared, where he mentioned his son attending Indiana Bible College (IBC) with Kade Abbott. Luke Stumbo also submitted a letter.

Luke Stumbo Middle School Teacher — September 19, 2021 archive of the Academy website

Luke Stumbo used to room with Kade Abbott and he and Kade had both been employed by the Apostolic Christian Academy in Maryville, Tennessee as Middle School teachers. Besides Kade and Luke both being teachers, they were also helpers for the school’s daycare after school program. They took care of the school age group. Luke Stumbo is currently the Administrative Assistant Instructor of the Worship Studies Department at IBC, having become employed there in mid 2022.

Luke Stumbo joins IBC staff — IBC post about Luke Stumbo coming on staff

Luke writes in part, “I feel like this is an instance of a young man who tried to fix issues by himself without opening to to others for help. I don’t know the extent of this certain situation and wouldn’t begin to recommend what his consequences should be. Yet I ask for you to take into consideration a young man who has been dedicated to his work and family his whole life. Who being in a lonely season should have taken steps to reach out to others around him. If anything I think that should be taken into consideration.”

Caleb and Caitlyn Phillips addressed their letter to Abundant Life Church in Hamilton, Mississippi, which leads one to conclude that the church may have been actively collecting letters of support for Kade Abbott. The couple attends The Pentecostals of Gainesville, a legally affiliated UPCI church where Caitlyn’s father, Jimmy Toney, is pastor.

Kade Abbott & Caitlyn Toney singing at IBC — IBC post showing that Kade Abbott and Caitlyn Toney sung together

Due to their time at IBC and their three years of traveling together representing the school’s music program, they believe they “have a very reliable grasp on his character.”

They state that, “Kade’s character is nothing we ever questioned. He never gave us any reason to. He served as a spiritual and academic leader in our school the whole time we were there. As well as a mentor in our own personal lives.”

They ended with, “Kade’s character is nothing we question.”

I will insert here what was mentioned in the last article. I have heard accusations against Kade Abbott going back to these college days, allegations including that of him requesting inappropriate photos of multiple females.

According to LinkedIn, Candy Saylor is the music minister at The Pentecostal Church, a legally affiliated United Pentecostal church in Harvey, Illinois. She is also a Christian counselor at the church according to her Facebook profile.

Candy mentions that her daughter attended IBC with Kade and that he came to Candy’s church for a summer internship in 2019 and stayed with her and her husband. While there he “exemplified the utmost respect for authority.”

She went on to share that he has an “impeccable work ethic” and that “his character and integrity was an example to all.”

It was her “recommendation that Kade Abbott be granted grace and favor regarding any details surrounding any negative allegations of his personal character.”

The last is a lengthier letter from UPCI minister Horatio Lindsay, who holds a general license in South Carolina. He states it “is with great pleasure and prayerful thoughts that I offer some remarks on what I know about Kade.” They met at IBC and it appears they have continued to keep in touch since then.

What appeals to Horatio the most about Kade Abbott “is his desire to grow more and more in the likeness of Christ” and he states that Kade “is a good person, with a good heart.”

“The bumps in the road to success that Kade has encountered more recently are not sufficient to define his true character and value to society. I respectfully ask that the court reflect on these remarks made on his behalf, and consider that Kade is a good man, with good intentions and a good fit for society, he just needs mercy, forgiveness and the opportunity to try again.”

The show of support for perpetrators, and those who mishandle sexual abuse cases, by UPCI pastors and others is so disheartening.

As side notes, you may recall that Jimmy Toney represented the disgraceful UPCI pastor Randy Ensey in the judicial procedure filed against him. Kenneth Carpenter preached two messages at Toney’s church on January 26, 2025. In the evening service, Jimmy Toney told the church that he and the Carpenters are very close and that “Brother Carpenter can speak anything to me and I’d do it, no questions asked.” That’s a scary statement, especially considering the news reports of how Kenneth Carpenter mishandled numerous situations in his church.

Kenneth Carpenter at Jimmy Toney's church — Kenneth Carpenter at Jimmy Toney’s church

Joshua Carson is the president of Indiana Bible College and he testified in support of UPCI pastor Randy Ensey in his judicial procedure.

In a sermon he delivered on August 30, 2023 at the Live the Movement Conference held at the First Apostolic Church of Maryville, Josh Carson expressed support for pastor Kenneth Carpenter. He said, “Brother Carpenter, I’m with you. We’re in this together. Come on, we ought to bow up and just recognize if you’re gonna fight one of us, you’re gonna fight all of us.” (Watch this part of the sermon on Reggie Love’s Facebook post.) That night there were people standing in front of the church in solidarity for the victims and Carson mentioned this in his sermon.

Kenneth Carpenter is the pastor of First Apostolic Church of Maryville in Tennessee where Kade Abbott worked in their Apostolic Christian Academy and this is when his crimes occurred. Besides the criminal convictions against Joseph Kade Abbott, there is a pending civil lawsuit against him, the church and the academy.

I originally posted about this on January 10, 2025 on our Facebook Page.

To be continued.

You will find a complete list of articles in this series by clicking here.

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