Category: unhealthy churches | Spiritual Abuse Blogs

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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Character Letters in Support of Joseph Kade Abbott Part 1

Often in criminal cases, there will be an appeal for people to write character letters for the accused. These are public record and over a series of posts I am sharing screenshots of ones sent in support of Kade Abbott. This post includes four of these letters. I have made redactions of private information, such as addresses, phone numbers and emails, with the exception of one from the Director of Apostolic Russian Ministries, a division of the ALJC, as it is on official letterhead.

ALJC minister Mark Stumbo mentions Kade Abbott attending Bible College. He was a 2019 graduate of Indiana Bible College, which is UPCI endorsed, and was the website manager for IBC Perspectives. I have heard accusations against Kade Abbott going back to these college days, allegations including that of him requesting inappropriate photos of multiple females.

Note that Stumbo mentions that Kade is “an honest person and strives for excellence” and that “he is such an individual that can learn from his mistakes.” Sexual assault is hardly a “mistake.”

Then we have three letters from people in Mississippi with the last name of Trimm.

James claims he has “never heard a disrespectful word from him toward anyone, nor have I ever held him in any but the highest regard. To my knowledge everyone at our church felt the same way about him.”

Tammy wanted to help the court “see what kind of person Kade Abbott is, despite the accusations that have led us to this point.” She continued, “The accusations being brought against Kade should not be the only factor you look at in this matter. I hope you will also consider Kade’s efforts in his job, as well as his strong commitment to his church and family.”

Lauren knows Kade from the Aberdeen First Pentecostal Church in Mississippi and says, “I proudly refer to him as my brother.” She goes on to declare, “When I think of him, I think of integrity. I have never had to question anything he said. If he said it, I always knew I could rely on his word.” She also stated, “I would describe him as a ‘safe place’ because he encouraged me to become more confident in my ministry at the church.”

Kade Abbott has long-term ties to the United Pentecostal Church, being a graduate of Indiana Bible College and attending several of their churches, including Abundant Life UPC in Hamilton, MS and Aberdeen First Pentecostal Church in MS.

After leaving Kenneth Carpenter’s church, Abbott became involved at the Abundant Life Church in Matthews, North Carolina.

Besides the criminal convictions against Joseph Kade Abbott, there is a pending civil lawsuit against him, First Apostolic Church of Maryville and the Apostolic Christian Academy.

I originally posted about this on January 8, 2025 on our Facebook Page.

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

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Blindsided Series Full Listing

From January 30, 2020 through August 2, 2021, Crystal wrote a series of blogs titled Blindsided, where she shared about her experiences at the Antioch Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Andrew Ray was, and still is, the pastor and Douglas Stauffer was his assistant. Since her time at Antioch Baptist Church, Doug Stauffer moved to Florida and became the pastor of Faith Independent Baptist Church in Niceville, Florida.

A total of 60 articles were posted. The series was never completed and no posts were deleted. Crystal had all intentions of completing the series and additional posts were planned, which is why you will see four titles without a link.

Blindsided Series

Part One: Red Flags and Rose-Colored Glasses

Part Two: Calloused Carnality and Hidden Harassment
(Sunday, June 3, 2018- Tuesday, June 5, 2018)

Part Three: Navigating the Masks of Deceit
(Wednesday, June 6, 2018- Sunday, June 17, 2018)

Part Four: Discerning a Diotrephes: Douglas Stauffer

Part Five: When Closet Skeletons Speak

- When Closet Skeletons Speak
- Skeleton #1: Manipulating the Broken
- Skeleton #2: The Destruction of a Young Girl
- Skeleton #3: Recordings From a Church Meeting
- Skeleton #4: A Secret Letter
- Nail in the Coffin

Part Seven: Rising Up from the Ashes

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What about Judas????

Last year during the week before Easter the question kept coming up, “What about Judas?” That, and the “immersive experiences” that include a mirror with “Behold the betrayer!” as though we should identify with Judas.

I’ll change the questions for myself this year. Instead of “What happened to Judas?” let’s ask what happened to the betrayed. Not just to Jesus, but to the disciples. Jesus knew what was coming, but the disciples didn’t. They felt lost, scared, confused, and angry. So much that had been wonderful in their lives was seemingly upended with a single kiss. Judas was their friend, someone they’d spent a lot of time with and cared about, maybe even respected.

Maybe some argued it couldn’t have been Judas. It was dark. It must have been someone else they saw. And maybe this upset others who knew who they saw, even in the dark. Maybe some blamed themselves. They recalled something Judas had said or done… they should have known. They should have warned Jesus. They should have done something. Anything. And then there was Peter. He did something. He drew his sword. But it was too late, and he was rebuked, and then he denied Jesus on top of everything else.

I’m sure the disciples felt to one degree or another that they were betrayers, but not because they identified with Judas. No, if they felt like betrayers, for the most part that was because they’d trusted Judas. Except Peter, who had even more to deal with. They couldn’t see through what was happening. They felt betrayed, and they may well have wrongly blamed themselves for a large part of the betrayal. They were scattered. Sunday didn’t bring them all back together, either. We like to think of resurrection as the final victory, but it would take a week or two or three for all the disciples to realize the story wasn’t finished.

I sat around a table tonight with strangers. There were prayer requests… and so many were for hope. Mine too. Last year this time was filled with so much joy and hope. This year is so different than I thought it would be, and I grieve what should have been and could have been. And yet Sunday’s coming, and even that’s not the end of the story. Just the beginning.

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Narnia is evil. Because scripture. | What one Christian fundamentalist preacher said about C.S. Lewis

Editorial Note: The following is reprinted with permission from Eleanor Skelton’s blog. It was originally published on March 16, 2016.

So last summer, I read this book that one of my friends let me borrow called Cameras in Narnia: How the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Came to Life.

The author gives an inside perspective since he was on set for almost the entire filming process, and I enjoy reading about how movies are made.

I learned that work on the movie started in 2002, and the director used pre-visualization to plan shoots, especially scenes like battle sequences. The White Witch’s ice castle was constructed of Styrofoam, and the wardrobe was specifically carved for the set.

Andrew Adamson, the director, said that learning filmmaking in New Zealand is nearly impossible. They don’t really have degree plans for it. He left in 1991 to pursue filmmaking as a career, but most of the outdoor scenes in the world of Narnia were filmed in his homeland.

While I was reading, I remembered an article written by fundamentalist Christians that I read years ago, condemning the movie’s release.

The film came out in theaters in December 2005, but I didn’t see it until the next spring because my dad was not interested in fantasy and my mom was concerned that the adaptation wouldn’t be faithful to the book.

One of my dad’s older sisters called us and asked my mom if she’d heard of this new series called Narnia because she was worried about my siblings and I reading it. My mom told her that the books were in print back when she was a child, but a new movie had just released.

My aunt mailed us a Southwest Radio Bible Church article called “The Chronicles of Narnia: Christian Entertainment or Indoctrination in Evil?” The piece was published in the January 2006 issue of The Prophetic Observer.

I also had friends in my fundamentalist church’s youth group around the same time who weren’t allowed to read Narnia.

It’s such a hilarious example of extreme Christian fundamentalism and awful logic that I’m going to break it down into sections and provide commentary. Here’s the full text if you want to read it all at once.

So first off, Dr. Larry Spargimino gives us an info dump on the film’s background.

I think he’s assuming that his audience will be automatically suspicious because Disney is producing the film. Then he starts using other phrases that would make them more concerned: “Many Lewis supporters claim that Aslan is a Christ figure, a deliverer, who sets the captives free.”

I think we’re supposed to assume that androgynous = automatically evil because he assumes his audience believes in complementarianism and traditional gender roles. Spargimino doesn’t seem to understand that androgyny can be a biological thing.

However, he never actually explains what he’s getting at here. He just moves on and gives another info dump, this time from Lewis’ biography.

Yup, Dr. Larry just cited Wikipedia.

Apparently he doesn’t understand that’s not an acceptable source for your college papers. His other citations so far have all been conservative Christian news websites like World magazine or World Net Daily and then Focus on the Family’s Radio Theater website. WorldNetDaily is known for misinformation and propaganda, according to the Ad Fontes Media Bias ratings.

I’m pretty sure this means Dr. Larry’s only research for this article was a Google search.

I’m guessing that we’re supposed to think Lewis wouldn’t have been friends with Tolkien if he had been a Real Christian™. Dr. Larry doesn’t seem to think Lewis was actually a Christian because he says “he claims to have been converted by the evidence for Christianity.”

Then Dr. Larry says that Lewis wrote a book about demons. We aren’t told why he wrote about demons, just that he wrote about them. Then the article jumps to explaining why incubi are evil. Spargimino gives us another random definition and expects us to form our own conclusions, with little context.

Nevermind that incubi were one of the White Witch’s henchmen. Nevermind that they killed Aslan. Nope, the whole book is bad because incubi are in it.

Here’s where incubi are mentioned in the text:

“A great crowd of people were standing all round the Stone Table and though the moon was shining many of them carried torches which burned with evil-looking red flames and black smoke. But such people! Ogres with monstrous teeth, and wolves, and bull-headed men; spirits of evil trees and poisonous plants; and other creatures whom I won’t describe because if I did the grownups would probably not let you read this book – Cruels and Hags and Incubuses, Wraiths, Horrors, Efreets, Sprites, Orknies, Wooses, and Ettins. In fact here were all those who were on the Witch’s side and whom the Wolf had summoned at her command. And right in the middle, standing by the Table, was the Witch herself.” — The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, Chapter 14

In context, the incubi make sense. Out of context, the definition given would probably horrify most parents reading this article.

So when Dr. Larry asks if Christians need this kind of “Christian” allegory, his audience is already mentally answering with a resounding no.

Once again, Dr. Larry is citing disreputable sources. Geocities was a free Yahoo webhosting service that shut down in 2009. Geocities was known for being kind of awful.

Now the audience is supposed to be upset that Lewis is explaining truth with mythological characters because “we wonder if the blurring of reality and fantasy is really the way to go.” Why? Because Scripture!

Since fundamentalists believe nothing is missing in Scripture, which according to their theology is supposed to fulfill every human need, then their answer to Spargimino’s question is no.

Therefore, Narnia is not something our children need to read. Furthermore, they could be harmed by reading these books or watching this movie. Therefore, we will not allow our children to read these books.

This is how fundamentalist logic works. It’s sad and it’s incredibly limiting.

The same reasoning used in this article was used to keep us from reading Harry Potter or any other entertainment that Christian fundamentalists think is against the Bible or potentially sinful.

It’s fear tactics.

Dr. Larry Spargimino never actually comes out and explains that this is why Narnia is evil, he just hints and plants doubts in the minds of an already indoctrinated audience. They’ll end up convincing themselves that it’s something to avoid.

If this guy was writing a paper for a college English course, he’d get marked off for not explaining what his quotes and sources mean, for not clarifying what he’s actually trying to say. But since he’s a fundamentalist radio preacher, he can get away with it.

When you encounter conservative Christians bemoaning the release of a new book or movie as the new worst thing ever, look for this type of thinking. It’s very common.

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