United Pentecostal Church minister and evangelist Elton Leroy “Lee” Stoneking isn’t known for always being truthful. Five years ago I wrote an article about his false account of Osama Bin Laden having 40 wives that were held in a cave. Some have exposed the errors in his claim to have been raised from the dead. (See Rev. Lee Stoneking Lies To The United Nations, Rev. Lee Stoneking Lies At The UN Part 2 [This article shows that the man Stoneking identified as a doctor, isn’t one. He’s since been in trouble with the law.] and Lee Stoneking lies about everything.) I also wrote an article about Stoneking’s brief appearance at the United Nations where he neglected to address the topic he was to address and instead shared about being raised from the dead. You may partly blame UPCI pastor Art Wilson for that as he claimed to have written Stoneking’s speech. Others have addressed his alleged doctorate and claim to being an adjunct professor of Southern Eastern University in the United Kingdom. I am certain that there are other false claims which he has made and this is one of them.
On July 19, 2020, Lee Stoneking turned 80 and on his Facebook Page he posted this image, where it appears he is claiming to have raised people from the dead, healed people who are lame, blind, deaf and who were afflicted with cancer. I asked on Facebook if anyone could present some documentation that these things had happened during his ministry. No documentation was provided by anyone, though one person claimed to have witnessed a woman being healed of arthritis.
In a private group, one man responded and shared the story of his son, who is deaf, and Lee Stoneking claimed that he was healed and proceeded to tell the story at other churches, even though it was not true and he had been informed it was not.
The following took place sometime in 1987 at a Back to School revival. The boy was under one year old, probably about ten months. On the Thursday night of revival, Stoneking prophesied that this boy would be healed of his deafness. The following night he prayed for the parents and the boy after calling them to the front before he was to preach. He prophesied to the father that God would use him in great ways and that he would be like Gideon. After praying for the man’s son, he did various things to make it appear as if the boy was responding, such as turning his back and whispering. He laid hands on the father and he ‘took off’ as many do in Pentecostal circles. Everyone started going crazy, thinking that this infant had been healed.
The parents believed the declaration of healing, but soon after they began to have doubts. When the speakers to the stereo somehow got turned off and then suddenly blared loudly, their son showed no reaction. That Sunday they went again to the front of the church after Stoneking’s sermon and were ignored by him until they could no longer be ignored. When told what happened, Stoneking shared that it was on the parents now- that they had to keep the faith. He instructed them to play Christian music 24/7 and to put a Bible in the boy’s crib. Believing he would be healed, the parents stopped all intervention and tests which their doctor recommended and told the doctor that their son was healed. An entire year went by and there was no change.
The father broke down and took his son for a hearing test and he was fitted with hearing aids. He had to accept the fact that his son had not been healed, despite following Lee Stoneking’s instructions. Below is the father’s account as he wrote it, with the omission of his son’s name. It is used with his permission and he wishes to remain anonymous due to having family yet in the United Pentecostal Church.
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I have a deaf son, and when he was an infant, Stoneking came to the Pensacola Church. He prophesied telling us my son would be healed. That was on a Thursday night.
Friday night Stoneking called us to the front of the church and told my wife to get our son. He wanted to pray for him. The church went eerie silent as my wife went over and picked up our son from my mom. (That’s been many years ago AND he is still deaf). After praying for him, he told the church he was healed. He did some crazy stuff trying to get my son’s attention. The church went from being eerie quiet to wild.
There was so much theatrics going on that night. I started crying and shouting, my wife is shouting, I am talking a “Holy Ghost hoe down.” We left church truly believing our son was healed.
By Sunday morning it was obvious he wasn’t. So after the preaching during the altar time, we took my son back up for prayer, initially Stoneking totally ignored us. Finally he had to recognize us or he would have been embarrassed. I mean we’re both crying holding our baby, everyone was looking, he didn’t have much choice.
Stoneking told us that Satan was real and that he would test us. He explained that my son’s hearing would come and go. We had to stand strong on God’s word. He told us to play music in his crib, every night, and let him sleep with the Bible. We were told to SPEAK (with faith) that he could hear. In other words, we were told to ignore his deafness, waking up everyday as if he was hearing. He told us no matter what any doctor had to say, we had to in faith, tell them our son could hear.
After the revival, Stoneking went on to his next church and told them that a deaf baby was healed at his last meeting. This rumor got repeated over and over again. Some of y’all might remember it.
My son’s deafness never went away.
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On March 23, 2019, another former member of 
Rebecca Martin-Byrd started sharing her story more openly after her youngest daughter turned 18, as prior to then she wanted to shield her from the things that she experienced. Rebecca was one of several people interviewed by 
Prior to being licensed, 
3. Come as you are. You don’t have to dress like a Pentecostal to come to a Pentecostal church. We won’t look down on you at all. You can come wearing whatever you’re comfortable in.
