Sexually Abused Within The Context Of The Church? We'd Love To Hear Your Story

All abuse is devastating. Church related abuse is especially excruciating due to the fact that not only have boundaries been crossed through the act of abuse, but very nature of the abuse itself undermines confidence and understandings regarding the nature of God.

Are you a sexual abuse survivor, or do you know of someone walking through this path? Please know that there is HOPE and HELP. Many have found that sharing their story is therapeutic. We would like to hear how you survived. 

Please complete this confidential contact form at I Am My Brother's Keeper Christian Advocacy Council. If necessary and if requested someone will reach out to you for prayer and as always a confidential interaction. 

Remember...THERE IS A BALM IN GILEAD!
PLEASE CLICK THE PICTURE

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A Rebuke In Truth, Or A Lie In Racism???

At the time TRUMP In, Favor Granted & The Black Church's Continued Confusion was written I DID NOT know about the firestorm that Donnie Swaggart had started over COGIC Presiding Bishop J Drew Sheard's open endorsement of Kamala Harris, nor was I aware of THE RESPONSE of certain COGIC members, calling themselves "Young Leaders Of The Church Of God In Christ" {I didn't know that there was such a group in our church} nor the Board Of Bishop's response which I find was more palatable than the "Young Leaders" response. 

There are reasons for my ignorance in general...for starters, I have enough to do without following the latest church news and secondly, I am NOT on J. Drew or Christian church watch and really and sincerely wish everyone I know well. See, I have my own mind and am willing to follow the dictates of it without the influence of church leaders or church leadership, and I already knew that Kamala was a horrible choice for President based on what has transpired the last 4 years since she has been in office. 

Prior to election, I did see that Kamala's last stop was GEI COGIC in Detroit and it seems
the pulpit, representing all of COGIC, was open to her to make one last appeal to not only the Church Of God in Christ, but the Black church in general.  

Needless to say, I AM GLAD KAMALA LOST and that Donald Trump's re-assent was and is a good thing no matter what some of the most liberal and dedicated to the democrat political party thinks. The good news is that she received prayer, and she needed it. So our Bishop did get a chance to pray for her. The bad news is that the issue was conflated out of context. 

Truth Be Told...

My opinion...I LOVE Bishop J Drew, and he has a right to endorse whatever political candidate that he chooses. In fact, every American has a right to endorse whomever they wish to endorse and that should be done in the best possible spirit and personal best interest...While I never would have let her engage or embrace my pulpit, just as I would have not allowed Donald to either, because of J Drew's position as the leader of the entire COGIC, made this an even greater issue. 

We must admit, no one of us is perfect. Certainly our young leader's letter wasn't perfect and I will deal with that in a minute...But let's look at what was said in criticism of our church and church leader:

Elder Donnie said this:

“The statement I’m about to make, I’m going to be called a racist, and I will be called every name under the sun, but somebody needs to stand up and speak to the Black Church. When the largest African American Pentecostal denomination, when that leader stood up and said I endorse that woman, he was saying, I endorse murder, I endorse homosexuality, I endorse lesbianism, I endorse transgenderism, I endorse every evil that Hell could prosper or bring up to [be] right"...“That’s wrong, folks. And the Black Church votes predominantly for the party that is anti-God. What’s going on here? What’s going on?”

Let's be TRUTHFUL...I simply ask...WHAT IS A LIE IN THAT SENTIMENT???

Kamala endorsed and represented a party that otherwise endorsed all of the above without regret or remorse, at least prior to the election. Who can say that the Democrat party did not and does not endorse:

Abortion (murder)

Homosexuality/Lesbianism

Transgenderism

Yes, that is what the Democrat party endorsed at least until the election. Who knows what they will endorse now that they are in such a realignment...but NONE of those points are even arguable. 

Secondly, Elder Donnie says that the Black church predominately votes for the party that believes in and endorses those things calling them a "party that is anti-God"

I say...WHERE IS THE LIE IN EITHER OF THOSE STATEMENTS???

The Democrat Party removed "God" from their party platform years ago to become more "inclusive" of people who either didn't believe in God or that had beliefs other than those found within Christianity. The removal of God isn't the "anti-Christian" part...the endorsement of ideals and values that are antithetical to Christian belief and matters of faith is the problem. THOSE ENDORSEMENTS ARE anti-Christian.

Further, election data shows that nearly 80% of Black men continued to vote for the party, while nearly 90% of Black women did the same. Although 2024 represented the largest dissent of the Black vote away from the Democrat party, THANKFULLY SO...the fact is that by the numbers, Blacks, led by the Black church, continued to support a political party who has endorsed all of those things mentioned and more, and which has been ineffective in helping the Black community and or solving and even addressing our problems. 

So Exactly What Did Donnie Say That Was WRONG or in ERROR???

Be clear and let's get real...Donnie received his criticism because he was a WHITE MAN and because he pushed back against our Black Presiding Bishop, Bishop J Drew Sheard. 

In his defense...Bishop J Drew Sheard is one of the nicest, most godly men that you or I will ever meet in this life. He is a good and humble servant of the Lord and sincere about his work of leading the church, his family and love of God. That doesn't make him right about his endorsement of Kamala, nor his previous thoughts about the Mormon church and COGIC's relationship with her (at one time) but please don't confuse his politics or zeal with what I believe is his heart. Everyone is subject to mistakes and our Bishop is no more or less subject to mistakes than any man.  

With That Said...

I would like to say that the Black Pentecostal church has never really gotten past some of the things that occurred during the Black Codes and Jim Crow era...

The facts are that laws and sentiments during those times and that era were such that Blacks and Whites did not and could not legally fellowship even in religious settings. 

This began the advent of Camp-meeting...Camp-meeting was created to take fellowship outside of the City, into the woods under open air tents where Blacks and Whites would not come under the scrutiny of the police and the good ole White establishment and separatist leaders. Meanwhile in the City, Black folk were not allowed to fellowship with Whites and certainly there would be no "laying on" of hands...

Many of the early White leaders within Pentecostalism were either practicing or former KKK leaders. These were not byproducts of religion, but byproducts of the State, laws and customs prevalent in the day. We all know that one of the primary leaders of what was called the Azusa Street Revival, WJ Seymour, had to sit outside of the classroom of former KKK leader Charles F Parham, to hear the message of Holy Ghost Baptism prior to him receiving the outpour of the Holy Spirit while ministering in California...Parham's views  weren't a product of religion...his views and the views of many of his peers, were a product of socially and culturally acceptable norms of the day and time even continuing unfortunately after their alleged conversion experiences. 

The "young COGIC leaders" in their letter of rebuke (of an Elder by the way) claim that this relationship rooted in racial segregation was an erroneous biblical interpretation claiming that the Black church was born because of it:

"The Black church is a byproduct of a nation that refused to acknowledge the inherent value of Black lives. It was birthed in an era that actively rejected the sound doctrine of Christ, replacing it with doctrines that upheld segregation and inequality"

That is just a patently false statement! In fact it wreaks of the Marxism of the now defunct Black Lives Matter movement and as such should be wholly rejected.

There was no biblical doctrine or manufactured theology that upheld segregation at any time. Yes, there were certainly people who abused scripture, as they do today, to uphold their beliefs and even cover their sins, but they also abused natural science to do so as well, some even claiming that women were less smart because they had smaller heads and therefore smaller brains for example. Perversions of truth are accepted in nearly every generation. Biblical perversions are no less. 

Racism was a cultural belief with its roots in materialism, naturalism and cultural acceptance and practice. Darwin's belief that there were "favored races" was the root of his theory of evolution which was extant and generally accepted as a cultural norm and the epitome of science. The eugenics of abortion policy was rooted in these separatist beliefs and made Blacks the target of extermination by Margaret Sanger's "Negro Project", the outgrowth of which has been embraced by the democrat party all with very little pushback
from young or old COGIC leaders or the Black church in general. In fact the Black church has, by her silence, allowed the abortion industry, promoted by the democrat party, to whittle down our numbers and representation to oblivious levels. 

America engaged a Civil War because the growing ideal and value that Black lives mattered and those sentiments were inspired by Biblical moral values. While it has taken something to actualize that value, aka: the value of freedom and equality, the fact is that biblical doctrines and beliefs were and are what inspired positive change in this country and it is biblical scriptures that have been used to lift people to freedom and equality and not the other way around.

Contrary to the "Young COGIC Leaders" claims it was Biblical doctrines that encouraged White segregationists and supremacists to LEAVE their views of racism and segregation and embrace the unity and brotherhood of all men regardless of color...It was Christian and Biblical principles that were and still are the root of the fight against racism both among Whites and Blacks and the interpretation of scripture that continues to help folk understand and bypass cultural norms in favor of scriptural truth and equality and unity of all men. 

YES, The 1912 Pentecostal Separation

Culture and culturally commensurate ideals and values, as well as State and local laws affirming segregation would lead Bishop Flowers and the Assembly of God (mostly White Pentecostal congregations led by White ministers, most ordained and commissioned by CH Mason) to split from the Church Of God In Christ which was led by Black leaders, as stated, primarily Bishop CH Mason. Contrary to what the "young Black COGIC leaders" contend, segregation and racism IS NOT the reason that the Black church exists...GOD is the reason for our existence, not a twisted or corrupted form of biblical interpretation. 

Very Sensitive

To have presented such a "lofty" case that makes the assertion that the "world" and happenings in it are so beneath the mission of us within COGIC, we obviously were earthly offended cannot stand criticism. Primarily, in this case, it is because the critics as we see them, are White. 

That leads to another observation that these young leaders are accusing Elder Donnie of IDOLOTRY while doing the same...This is really sickening...It seems that in order to be considered a respected "Black political leader" in most instances, one has to embrace the worst, most evil and vile social positioning, at least so it seems. Like Obama, who was welcomed into COGIC circles, Kamala endorsed all of the things Elder Donnie mentioned, but the young leaders and old leaders by far and large, said nothing about those things, and as stated, and appear to assert that we are one some ethereal plane above everything that matters in this world. That is ridiculous. Elections matter. Kamala was there because these things matter. They matter to every individual, the community and the church. 

Conclusion 

Clearly, the Biden/Harris administration jacked up our country for all of us, spiritual or not, in just a short period of time and given more time would have jacked us all up even worse, not to mention endless wars and over 300,000 MISSING children of illegal immigration...but not a word on any of those things from these "young COGIC leaders"....

This is ridiculous. Where are our moral values and desire to allow the Bible to speak to our values, and POLITICS, instead of the culture speaking to our values with the "go along get along" mentality??? 

I would agree...IDOLOTRY is an issue...It is the IDOLOTRY of defending or attacking a person based on race and not based on truth. Bishop J Drew is eloquent and doesn't need me or anyone else speaking to defend him...he is capable...but in our zeal, I wonder do these young leaders think that it is a good thing to defend what isn't biblically defensible??? 

Well, I guess one could say, that Donnie attacked "us" first...that he rebuked our leading Elder...OK...that is an argument that can be undertaken...But one cannot deny the substance of what he was saying...The Black Church, has embraced some of the most liberal and idolatrous positions on subjects, and politics has not been a good for us. We have endorsed and embraced some of the worst political ideology in the name of embracing and loving people and that has not worked out well for our yet suffering communities and yet suffering people and yet overburdened churches. 

One more thing, I saw Donnie McClurkin addressing this issue and claiming that he had already "forgiven" Donnie Swaggart...Well, you don't need to forgive him Elder McClurkin...THE GIFT AND CALLING OF GOD IS WITHOUT REPENTANCE!!! (Rom.11:29) As far as I know, Elder Swaggart isn't making an apology to you or asking you to forgive him for speaking the truth...Sorry...That is not how it works!!!

Young COGIC Leaders, I appreciate your zeal. I don't know what General Assembly rule adopted your formulation, but I wish that EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU had the same zeal for NATIONAL VICTIM'S ADVOCACY in this church as you have for standing for....What were you standing for????

ANYWAY...

Blessed!

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Pastor's Call For National Victim's Advocacy Associates

"Church leadership, the lawsuit says, failed to properly screen associated church leaders for criminal and sexual misconduct. They also failed to institute a system in which victims could file formal complaints
against abusive church members."

This was from an article in 2020 that exposed the sexual abuse of a COGIC Pastor(s) in New York. Everyone loves to sound courageous. We are seeking servants of Christ who are looking to do more than sound good. We are not seeking individuals who believe sexual abuse within the church is a matter of "family", or that resolution of the issues should be  "kept it in house". We are seeking them who wish to make a stand for the hurting and ultimately make a difference.

BREAKING:

VICTIM'S ADVOCACY

Supt. Harvey Burnett
IMBKCAC Founder/Director

Pastor Harvey Burnett is currently calling for volunteers to be a part of a national movement in support of survivors of church related sexual abuse.

"It is time to take victim's advocacy to another level and do all that we can to heal the hurting and hold those responsible accountable." 

I Am My Brother's Keeper Christian Advocacy Council is seeking saved, spiritually mature and committed men and women (minimum 24 years of age) interested in sexual abuse prevention within the context of the church and in presenting appropriate and proper ministry towards those who have been victimized or suffered church related abuse to assist in helping individuals regain their faith and a sense of normalcy.

LOCATION: We are seeking to create an advocates network of individuals across the country who care about the plight of survivors and who will aid in this cause. 

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: Individuals must be able to pass a background check and sign an NDA (Confidentiality Agreement) due to exchange of sensitive, private and proprietary information. 

ORGANIZATIONAL REQUIREMENTS: Can be a part of COGIC, BAPTIST, APOSTOLIC or OTHER CHRISTIAN DENOMINATION.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BEING A PART OF THIS NATIONWIDE MOVEMENT TO RESTORE THEM WHO HAVE SUFFERED AND BE A PART OF A SOLID PLAN OF PREVENTION AGAINST ABUSE, RAPE AND SEXUAL MISCONDUCT WITHIN THE CHURCH, CONNECT WITH US:

EMAIL: imbkcac@gmail.com
CALL: (800)730-2990 x 802

Blessed!

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TRUMP In, Favor Granted & The Black Church's Continued Confusion

But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.
Psalms 75:7

The 2024 Presidential election garnered the shock and awe and outright surprise of any election since Donald Trump outposted electoral votes against Hillary Clinton in 2016. 

In 2016, Hillary Clinton took the popular vote by over 2 million votes, but not in the most valuable electoral count States. Therefore, Trump's win of 304 electoral votes was considered anomalous or a matter of the "luck of the draw" and of course, (according to the conspiracy theorists) manipulated by Russia, which, along with a false dossier, paid for and promoted by the Clinton Campaign, (even though they KNEW it was fake and full of false information) fostered what is known as the "Russia Collusion Hoax" further sparking democrat and media hatred of Donald Trump and everything Trump related. 

Similar to 2016 and both the 2008 and 2012 elections, Presidential candidates (Barack Obama) appealed to the Black church and found plenty of leaders who were excited to promote the nation's first Black President and enthused finding it "prestigious" that candidates would seek and solicit their attention. After all, it was the Black church, overseeing an ever dwindling Black population, due to the ravages of abortion policy and many other social ills, who were the "gatekeepers" of the Black community. The proposed key was/is, that if enough Black pastors and leaders can all speak a certain way about the issues that they can best convince their members that certain things are important or certain things are real and ultimately feel better about supporting certain agenda.

The Church Seduced By Political Secularism   

This secular seduction of the church has not ceased and is something that persists no matter what the issue is...As stated, the church wholesale endorsed Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and more recently Kamala Harris. All three of those candidates built their Presidential platforms on issues that the alleged church stood against. Remember, Barack would go on to be the President with the full and complete blessing of the Black church while being the champion for homosexual normalization and advancement through "marriage equality". Obama's abortion policy was no better. He would do what he had done in Illinois going on to promote late term abortion and demand no support for the fetus in the event of a botched abortion in which the fetus is alive. We remember, "No Ways Tired" Hillary would continue to promote the same things adding transexual normalization and of course, more recently, Kamala Harris, although stating that she didn't promote or endorse late term abortion, would chose a radical running mate, Governor Tim Walz, who blatantly lied denying that he had already endorsed late term abortion by promoting and signing a law upholding such ungodliness in his state Minnesota, under the lie and assertion of providing "women's healthcare". 

ALL of these candidates, promoting some of the worst policies for the Black community, would receive the endorsement of the Black church and popular Black church leaders simply because they were part of the Democratic party and certainly the churches had to fall in line. 

The BREAKOUT...WELCOME BACK PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP

Against all odds, Donald Trump managed to not only win the 2024 election by electoral count, but this time, even against the blatant media attack against him and support for the Democrat candidate, went on to win also by popular vote in an historic landslide. In nearly every venue, including every so called "battleground state" President Trump TROUNCED Kamala Harris crumbling the so called "blue wall" that Democrats had identified as being an essential part Presidential election hopes. Trump would draw nearly 1 out of every 3 Black voters (both male and female) and almost 20% of the Black male vote alone. What's more is that nearly half of all Hispanic voters added their vote for Trump as well, leaving Black women as the primary voting block for Kamala, with liberal pundits claiming that Democrat White women were racist by not supporting a "Black female" Presidential candidate. In other words, they felt that everyone, especially those of their party, should continue "identity politics", disregarding candidate quality, policy or what the country has become over the last 3 years since Harris, through Biden, has been in power. 

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The COGIC 116th Annual Holy Convocation ~ Bishop Amere S. May Says, "It's A Dangerous Job"!!!

The 116th Annual Holy Convocation Of the Church Of God In Christ is well underway in Memphis, TN. 

While my schedule did not permit me to attend, a significant portion of my message made it to Memphis in the Wednesday midday session through one Bishop Amere S. May Sr. of Charlotte, NC.

Bishop seems to have spoken on my behalf, seeking to warn the church yet again, that there should be NO MORE COVERUPS as it pertains to pulpit crimes and pastoral criminals.

 

To be clear, as a long time member and Elder within this church, I am not excited about anyone not willing to face the issues that deal with the quality of life and health and wellbeing of our church and heal them that are hurting within our church. So this message, and specifically this portion of the message and other surrounding parts of it, was timely and a breath of fresh air for me personally.

The Dirty Man. A Call To Action With Abuse Survivor Queen GerVaise Guyton

A Pastoral Call To Action For COGIC Victim's Advocacy / Queen GerVaise Guyton Interview Pt. 4 

The Dirty Man. A Call To Action With Abuse Survivor Queen GerVaise Guyton Pt. 5

The Dirty Man. A Call To Action With Abuse Survivor Queen GerVaise Guyton Pt. 6

The Dirty Man. A Call To Action With Abuse Survivor Queen GerVaise Guyton Pt. 7

As Bishop May said, the foundation of our church is impeccable. In my opinion, it is Biblically clandestine...However, we have been invaded and effected by a culture that is willing to look the part, but not willing to be the part...In other words, we have adopted many aspects of "a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof".

I understand that sounds harsh and please don't get me wrong, as there are millions of blessed and real Saints and Pastoral leaders within this church all around the world that will spend their life's breath and more to perpetuate Biblical righteousness and true holiness.  The problem is that within Christianity in general, we are inundated with pseudo-spiritual leaders and others committed to the world and the culture of the world greater than their commitment to Christ and righteousness. 

I hope at the 116th Holy Convocation of the Grand Ole Church that we can gain the courage to move forward with TRUE Victim's Advocacy and relinquish ourselves of the fear that aligning ourselves with them abused and hurt, creates some sort of atmosphere of guilt. That is a RIDICULOUS notion! If we should do nothing else, we should heal the hurting without reluctance, or consideration for our own self-preservation.  

Blessed! 

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