Sacked Survivor pastor: I didn’t steal!Christianity Today is frequently asked to cover more “Christians in the media,” especially those in the midst of their 15 minutes of fame. In the last few years, not a few writers have pitched us stories on the Christians of reality TV. We’ve noted a few of these folks in the past, and now one of them is back in the news.
Unless you’re Clay Aiken, being a reality TV contestants rarely means fame and fortune. But for John Raymond, life has been especially difficult since Survivor: Thailand. See, you probably didn’t even remember John Raymond. He was “Pastor John,” who lasted all of three days on the 2002 show before being the first one kicked off the island. (CT interviewed him shortly thereafter.)
It’s hardly a surprise that Raymond didn’t make the upcoming Survivor All-Stars series, which starts Sunday after the Super Bowl. “John was one of those exceptions—he was the ‘first-off’ who you hate to see go,” Survivor host Jeff Probst told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “You knew he was going to be a great character because he had such strong opinions about life. But you only have 18 slots, and he didn’t have enough time on the show to have an impact or be memorable enough for people to instantly ‘get’ him.”
Too bad: Perhaps Raymond could have used the work. It turns out that he was fired last May as executive pastor of The Harvest, a 2,700-member Assembly of God church in Slidell, Louisiana. (That’s a pretty big church for the denomination: the average is 131 members.)
Now Raymond is suing the church—not for firing him, but for the reasons given for the dismissal. According to the suit, as reported by the Times-Picayune, Elder Michael Dunn told church member Ronald Boelter that Raymond was fired for stealing, and that “the locks on the church had to be changed before Pastor Raymond was fired, because The Harvest did not know what Pastor Raymond would steal next.”
Raymond says the accusation is “preposterous,” and said the reason that Senior Pastor Doug McAllister gave for his firing was that Raymond was late in turning in his sermon notes. The real reason for his sacking, Raymond says, is that he and McAllister have a long history of tension.
Tension, indeed. “I never had access to the money any more than [anyone else] did,” Raymond told the newspaper. “I’m not good at deception. That’s why I got voted off Survivor in the first round. Doug should have gone on the show instead of me. He would have won the million-dollar prize.”
Raymond, who has since started New Horizon Christian Fellowship and runs a business selling red, white, and blue cross necklaces, told the Times-Picayunelast year that the reasons given for his leaving were “totally ridiculous.” “I think Doug didn’t like the fact that I was getting some media attention,” he said of his childhood friend. “I think [Survivor] might’ve gotten him jealous.”
Boelter, the church member named in the suit, says pastor McAllister had told the congregation that Raymond wasn’t sacked for “illegal or immoral” actions.
McAllister isn’t talking (he earlier said the reason Raymond was let go “was job-performance based”), and elder Dunn isn’t answering questions. “Even though John’s suing, we are friends,” Dunn told the paper. “It’s probably something that should stay between us. … The church has tried to keep all of this within the church, which is where it should be.”
That view has changed, Dunn later told the local paper, the Slidell Sentry-News. “There is no comment,” he said. “I wish I could give you more, but our position now is that this is going to be handled in the courts.”
More articles
Persecution:
- Catholic church firebombed in Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka | Nearly 20 unidentified men attacked the church late Monday in the village of Mathegoda— the third attack on a Christian place of worship in this predominantly Buddhist country in two weeks (Associated Press)
- Also: One more church attacked in Lanka | One more Roman Catholic church was attacked in Sri Lanka despite President Chandrika Kumaratunga vowing tough action against the perpetrators of violence against Christians in the Buddhist-majority country (PTI, India)
- Armed guards for Sri Lanka church | Armed guards have been posted at a church near Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo, after the latest in a series of anti-Christian attacks (BBC)
-
North Korean record on rights decried | Witnesses tell U.S. panel meeting in L.A. of abuses under Kim Jong-Il. ‘His crimes are far worse’ than those of Hussein, says one (
Los Angeles Times
) -
Boy soldier who died for faith made ‘saint’ | On his 19th birthday Chechen rebels took Yevgeny Rodionov out of the cell where they had held him prisoner and invited him to convert to Islam. When he refused, they beheaded him (
The Daily Telegraph
, London) -
Signs of tolerance amid religious strife in Sudan | Muslim-Christian tensions are softening in Sudan – which could set the tone for Africa (
The Christian Science Monitor
)
Money and business:
-
A place to worship . . . and shop | An evangelical congregation in Alfred is shopping for land for what its pastor believes could be the first-ever Christian-oriented shopping mall (
Portland Press Herald
, Maine) -
Religious items sell | Demand grows in particular for Christian theme (
Arizona Daily Star
) -
Two-station radio purchase to make Christian programs more local | Local programming is expected to begin airing in mid-February after the FCC approves the transfer of ownership (
Naples Daily News
, Fla.) -
Holy-hearted efforts a blessing | The Greater Pittsburgh Convention & Visitors Bureau is trying to entice the religious market with a new convention center and an attractive, safe, convenient locale (
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
) -
You won’t find booze, smoke or crude songs at this nightclub | Harmony Cafe Club joins a handful of clubs nationwide that cater to believers and nonbelievers who prefer a smoke- and alcohol-free environment (
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
)
Marriage:
-
Marriage and politicians | Would we be talking now about a federal marriage amendment — a public policy response to a perceived crisis in public policy — if the relevant private institutions hadn’t so frequently gone AWOL when challenged to show why marriage was rightly a sacred proposition? (William Murchison,
The Washington Times
) -
A marriage health advisory | The marriage initiative could justly be supported by anyone who favors limited government, stronger families, and reducing poverty. (Eve Tushnet,
The American Spectator
) - Marriage and the moon: a curious union | State of the Union address is wedding-veiled endorsement of right wing’s anti-same-sex marriage amendment (Bill Berkowitz, WorkingForChange.com)
Sex, marriage, and family:
- Gay men lose challenge to adoption ban | Four gay men lost a federal challenge Wednesday to the only blanket state law banning homosexuals from adopting children (Associated Press)
-
Gay ‘marriage’ case broadened | In a move that could enable the Canadian government to abandon its push to legalize same-sex “marriages,” Justice Minister Irwin Cotler asked the Supreme Court yesterday whether the constitution required that such unions be allowed (
The Washington Times
) -
Clergy to fight gay unions | Christian leaders and hundreds of their followers gathered at The First Cathedral Sunday evening for a worship service and a call to arms for those opposed to same-sex marriage legislation (
The Hartford Courant
, Conn.) -
Parties in a quandary about gay marriage | Gay marriage is shaping up to be the battlefield of the culture war in 2004 (
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
) -
Gay marriage ban a tough political vehicle for Bush | Message seen as gesture to conservative voters (
The Baltimore Sun
) -
Lawmakers see no green light on gay marriage ban | Congress will give low priority to a proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriages because of President Bush’s cautious comments about such unions, key lawmakers say (
San Antonio Express-News
, Tex.) -
A pastor challenges cohabiting couple | Pastor LeRoy Sullivan’s challenge to churchgoers could become more common in the wake of a growing national effort to strengthen marriage (
The Christian Science Monitor
) -
Porn in the USA | With explicit sex moving ever more into mainstream media, what comes next? (
The Denver Post
) -
Evangelist speaks about sex at UND | Well-known speaker Bob Boyd visits campus (
Grand Forks Herald
, ND)
Religion and politics:
-
Intolerance spans the religious divide | Lack of religious devotion should not be a basis for a smear. But neither should religious belief—and the truth is that the intolerance of the religious right can be fully matched by that of the secular left. (Cathy Young,
The Boston Globe
) -
Bush prayers top 3 million on web site | Membership in the Presidential Prayer Team soared to 3 million members around the world during the past year (
Arizona Daily Star
) -
Administration neocons elbow evangelicals aside | You almost have to envy neoconservatives for their comfort in exercising raw power. They have flummoxed everyone, including the bulk of evangelical Protestants (William McKenzie,
The Dallas Morning News
) -
Elections have a Baptist flavor | Men from one church have a strong presence in races for County Commission and the Brooksville council (
St. Petersburg Times
, Fla.) -
House Democrats claim prayer is ‘disrespectful’ | Rep. Doug Quelland, R-Phoenix, caused a stir on Tuesday when he delivered a prayer on the House floor that took aim at multiculturalism, welfare, abortion and “alternative lifestyles” (
The Arizona Republic
) - Democrats talk up their religious faith | Up against one of America’s most publicly pious presidents, the Democrats who hope to replace him have taken to reminding voters that they believe in God, too(Associated Press)
- Bush’s faith-based services considered | Representatives of one of the nation’s largest religious organizations said Friday that President Bush’s plan to give federal money to church social service programs won’t work if it comes with strings attached (Associated Press)
Ten Commandments:
-
Monument supporters talk about a recall | Boise leaders ‘misled’ public, group says (
The Idaho Statesman
) -
Judge: Commandments can go | Bieter allows monument to stay through weekend (
The Idaho Statesman
) - Earlier: Round-the-clock vigil promised to keep monument in Boise park | Boise city officials plan to move the monument, which became controversial when the Kansas-based Westboro Church used its location as a basis for its quest to place an anti-gay monument in the park. (
The Idaho Statesman
)
Crime:
- Reverend upset by sign vandalism | There’s growing controversy after someone defaced a sign at a well-known west Nashville Episcopal church (WTVF, Nashville, video)
- SEC shuts down Fla. investment firm | In three years, Ware Enterprises and Investments Inc. attracted $16.5 million from more than 600 investors, primarily targeting blacks and Christians with ads that quoted the Bible and made religious references, the SEC said in a complaint (Associated Press)
-
Miramar man accused of defrauding church | Barry R. Young, pastor at a North Dade church and a chaplain with the Miramar Police Department, is suspected of stealing up to $70,000 in church donations (
The Miami Herald
)
Social justice:
-
Home for the homeless: It’s what Jesus would do | Santa Ana wants a resident to evict 100 poor people. He’s following other orders (Dwight Smith,
Los Angeles Times
) -
Strike acquires religious tones | Bus bound for Safeway CEO’s Bay Area house (
Los Angeles Daily News
) - Update: Workers are stopped far from Safeway CEO’s home | The group is kept outside the gated community. Clergy deliver a plea to the executive’s envoy (
Los Angeles Times
) -
Religious groups want tax reform to help the poor | Leaders consider governor’s plan an opportunity (
Daily Press
, Hampton Roads, Va.) - Church parking lot draws homeless, irritates neighbors | Recently the church parking lot has been host to three to four vehicles each night, but some neighbors are upset that the church plans on fostering more, prompting meetings and petitions (KATU, Portland)
Games and gambling:
- Church rules chess is not the work of the devil | Archbishop Wikenti rejected the request, but added that “passionate games and arousing games that cause confusion, anger and irritation” are banned by the Church, including computer games (Ananova)
-
Church bingo’s number is up | Many parishes in area losing out to flashier venues, slot machines (
The Washington Post
) -
Church attacks bookies who take bets on next Pope | The Catholic Church has attacked as “tasteless and immoral” those bookmakers who are offering odds on which cardinal will succeed Pope John Paul II (
The Daily Telegraph
, London)
Missions & ministry:
-
Gift will fund dual missions | Social work of Salvation Army overshadows evangelical aims (
The Orlando Sentinel
) - Billy Graham spends 20th day in hospital | Graham, 85, was in good condition Monday and is continuing to receive physical therapy after having partial hip replacement surgery (Associated Press)
- The Super Bowl Gospel Celebration helps players show some spirit off the field | Performers include Houston’s Sjohn Smith, Roslyn McDuffie, Yolanda Adams and Patti LaBelle (News24, Houston)
-
Benny Hinn: The rock star of evangelism | Benny Hinn may be the Lord’s servant, but he’s not a humble one (Mike Thomas,
The Orlando Sentinel
) - Also: Benny Hinn back in Orlando | Ministers scoff at televangelist’s practices (Associated Press)
-
Assortment of faithful to attend forum on fight to stop poverty | Spiritual leaders and believers from a variety of faith groups will be in town Friday and Saturday to take part in the People’s Agenda for Economic Justice, sponsored by the Center for Community Change in Washington, D.C. (
The State
, Columbia, S.C.) -
Churches, charities say they can’t fill M. 30 gap | Pitching for measure, they warn many will ‘fall through cracks’ (
Bend Bugle
, Ore.) -
Conversions put tribal identity at risk | With hundreds of tribals being converted, first to Christianity, and then to Hinduism, the culture of the largest
adivasi
group in the country is going through tremendous changes (NDTV, India)
Southern Baptists leaving Baptist World Alliance:
-
Baptists’ attempt to branch off criticized | Baptists around the world, including Texas moderates, are deploring a move by conservatives in the Southern Baptist Convention to withdraw from an almost century-long membership in the Baptist World Alliance (
Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
) -
Baptists end talk short of decision | Moderate Baptists left Greensboro after a two-day meeting still struggling with their future with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and its conservative leadership but ready to explore relationships with other religious groups and churches (
News & Record
, Greensboro, N.C.) -
Alliance leaders reach out to conservative Baptists | The hopes of the Rev. Billy Kim that the singing of his Korean Children’s Choir might “soften the hearts” of Southern Baptist conservative leaders and lead them to change their minds about seceding from the Baptist World Alliance was only partially realized this week (
Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
)
Anglicanism:
-
Episcopal bishop condemns tactics of splinter group | Citing “deceitfulness and sabotage” by a group opposed to the consecration of an openly gay bishop, West Tennessee’s Episcopal bishop has issued a pastoral letter condemning the tactics (
State Gazette
, Dyersburg, Tenn.) -
Faced with church’s stand, member walks | A man from Wilsonville makes the difficult decision to leave the Episcopalian Church after it consecrates an openly gay bishop (
The Oregonian
) -
Archbishop Orombi enthroned | Henry Luke Orombi was yesterday enthroned as the seventh Archbishop of the Church of Uganda at a ceremony witnessed by President Museveni Yoweri and hundreds of Christians (
New Vision
, Kampala, Uganda) -
Life after Anglicanism | I am an Anglican, born and bred; there is no other church for me. But I have come to the conclusion that this religious tradition is unsustainable, at least in its present form – and the present crisis confirms it. I have started calling myself a post-Anglican (Theo Hobson,
The Guardian
, London)
Church life:
-
Love among the pews | The search for romance is leading single New Yorkers to their religious roots (
New York Daily News
) -
US megachurches bring shopping mall theology to thirtysomething | The latest religious phenomenon to hit the US is one that is being viewed as the most significant since the advent of televangelism in the 1980s (
The Daily Telegraph
, London) -
Bishop concentrates on race, membership | Twelve years after becoming bishop of the United Methodist Church in Indiana, the Rev. Woodie White still focuses on two challenges: trying to reverse the church’s declining membership and trying to improve race relations (
The Indianapolis Star
) -
These churches don’t ask the men to doff their hats | At the Nashville Cowboy Church, about the only things reminiscent of a traditional sanctuary are the pews (
The Boston Globe
) - United Church continues to lose city congregations | Low attendance has resulted in the loss of four United Church congregations in Winnipeg in the last three years (CBC)
-
Church honors legacy | Celebrates pastor, ties to military unit (
The Boston Globe
) -
Sacred mission: Save Denver’s old churches | Stained-glass windows are among the first things to deteriorate in aging churches. They are followed by roofs and mortar, both of which succumb to the cycles of nature. But when the time comes to repair 100-year-old churches, the thriving neighborhoods that spawned them often have changed, often for the worse (
The Denver Post
) -
Vietnamese church celebrates groundbreaking | A ceremony marks the groundbreaking for the Church of the Vietnamese Holy Martyrs that has been 12 years in planning (
St. Petersburg Times
, Fla.)
Land disputes:
-
Church gym would bump soccer fields | A Lake Forest church proposes building a community center on city property in Mission Viejo. The catch: the land is AYSO turf (
Los Angeles Times
) -
It’s a matter of church and space as a gallery ponders moving on | Some people say plan would allow the church to “double dip” – to benefit twice – from the creation of the public area (
The New York Times
) -
Plan to expand church scrutinized | Neighbors of the church expressed concerns about a possible increase in noise and light from the church and asked that the church provide heavy landscaping on the side of its property that borders residences (
Chicago Tribune
) -
County asks church to remove signs | Off-site advertising in the county is illegal, so Episcopal Church signs will have to go (
Sun-Herald
, Englewood, Fla.)
Orthodox church in Cuba:
-
Orthodox church opens in Cuba | For decades, Cuba’s small Greek and Russian Orthodox communities have conducted their religious services at Catholic churches, office buildings and private homes, never finding a permanent sanctuary (Vanessa Bauzá,
The Orlando Sentinel
) -
Christian Orthodox leader gets a red-carpet welcome in Cuba (
Chicago Tribune
) -
Politics tinges Orthodox clergy’s visit to Cuba | Questions of motivation follow trip to country with only 52 followers (
The Dallas Morning News
) - Castro consecrates gov’t-built church | President Fidel Castro, whose communist Cuba was once officially atheist, on Sunday gave the key for a new Byzantine cathedral to the spiritual leader of the world’s 300 million Orthodox Christians (Associated Press)
Lewis vs. Freud:
-
Great minds square off in virtual debate over God | For more than 25 years, Dr. Armand Nicholi has taught a popular course at Harvard University in which students deconstruct the lives and arguments of Sigmund Freud, one of the 20th century’s chief spokesmen for atheism, and C.S. Lewis, who came to faith at age 31 (
San Jose Mercury News
, Calif.) - Earlier: The Dour Analyst and the Joyous Christian | In the realm of mental balance and personal peace, Sigmund Freud had nothing on C. S. Lewis (
Christianity Today
, Apr., 19, 2002) - Also: Two Cultural Giants | Both Sigmund Freud and C. S. Lewis were emotionally wounded as boys and struggled with depression as men. But a worldview can make a tremendous difference (
Christianity Today
, Apr., 19, 2002)
Education:
- Colleges noticing home schooled students | Until recently, educators say, home-schooled students mostly gravitated to small, primarily religious colleges. Now, as the movement keeps gaining in popularity, they can be found on many — even most — campuses nationwide (Associated Press)
-
Origins debate deeper than Darby | Intelligent-design theory part of national push to re-evaluate coursework in U.S. classrooms (
Missoulian
, Mont.) - Oakland evangelist, Bible teacher and college founder Bebe Patten dies at 90 | Patten was the pastor of Christian Cathedral in Oakland and the founder of Patten University, an Oakland Bible college affiliated with the Church of God, a Cleveland, Tenn.-based Pentecostal denomination (Associated Press)
- International Church of Christ’s plans for Eugene raise concerns | A new church on the University of Oregon campus is raising concern among critics, who say the church is overly aggressive in its evangelizing, targets young people on college campuses, and publicly humiliates members who fail to recruit enough newcomers or tithe 10 percent of their income to the church. (Associated Press)
Religious schools in Scotland:
-
Dispute stalls mixed-faith schools talks | The project to build “superschools” in North Lanarkshire ran into trouble when the Church issued a deadline of Friday for written guarantees of separate entrances, staffrooms and toilets (
The Scotsman
) - Church deadline in campus row | Agreement can be reached over a £150m plan for mixed faith school campuses in North Lanarkshire, the council has insisted (BBC, video)
-
Tolerance and togetherness – Catholic style | The evidence of bigotry in all its forms and the misery it causes throughout the world is there for us all to see, and the best contribution the Catholic Church can make in Scotland is to demand separate entrances for a primary school (Fordyce Maxwell,
The Scotsman
) -
We’re all for tolerance | The worrying news that the Catholic Church may pull out of a £150m flagship project for seven joint-faith school campuses in North Lanarkshire if its demands for separate entrances and separate staffrooms are not met has re-ignited the debate about the validity of segregated schools in a tolerant, diverse and forward-looking nation (Lorna Martin,
The Herald
, Glasgow) -
Catholic Church may pull out of school-share deal in Scotland | Senior Catholic Church officials have said they will to call a halt on the project to use seven primary school sites in Lanarkshire unless they get written assurances that there will be separate entrances, staff lavatories and nurseries for the different faiths (
The Independent
, London)
Abuse:
-
Church to pay $3 million in rape | Diocese of Oakland sets a state record for the amount paid by a diocese to a single victim of clergy sexual abuse since the scandal broke two years ago in Boston (
Los Angeles Times
) -
Former Morristown pastor barred from performing priestly duties | Decision comes after diocese’s probe of sex abuse case (
Daily Record
, Morristown, Pa.) - Washington state bill would require church supervisors to report clergy sex abuse | Criticism of the bill came from church officials worried about government interference, and from advocates for the abused concerned that abusive priests and pastors could still slip through the cracks (Associated Press)
-
Yale Divinity grad sues school, alleging abuse | A Yale Divinity School graduate claims that she was sexually abused by her mentor, a professor of theology and African American studies, and that the university failed to protect her from retaliation once she came forward to complain (
The Hartford Courant
, Conn.)
Catholicism:
- Pope John Paul II criticizes media | Pope John Paul II criticized the media on Saturday, saying they often give a positive depiction of extramarital sex, contraception, abortion and homosexuality that is harmful to society (Associated Press)
- Also: Pope says media damaging families | The Pope has called on governments across the world to ensure that family life is not weakened by the growth of communications media (BBC)
-
Disabled pope would create a dilemma for the Vatican | There is no formal provision for governing the Catholic Church should a pope become incapacitated, nor is there likely to be one anytime soon (
The Orlando Sentinel
) -
A miracle by any other name | An ailing girl’s amazing recovery may offer proof needed for Francis Seelos’ canonization (
The Times-Picayune
, New Orleans) - Break-dancers perform for the Pope | an unusual spectacle at the Vatican, Pope John Paul II presided over a performance of break-dancers who leaped, flipped and spun their bodies to beats from a tinny boom box (Associated Press)
Copyright © 2004 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.
Related Elsewhere:
Suggest links and stories by sending e-mail to weblog@christianitytoday.com
Check out Books & Culture‘s weblog, Content & Context.
See our past Weblog updates:
and more, back to November 1999
