earl paulk

Sex scandal rocks Atlanta-area megachurch




Associated Press - November 19, 2007 6:23 PM ET

DECATUR, Ga. (AP) - The 80-year-old patriarch of a suburban Atlanta megachurch has admitted that he slept with his brother's wife in the early 1970s and fathered a child by her.

That child is now the head pastor of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit at Chapel Hill Harvester Church.

Members of Archbishop Earl Paulk's family stood at the pulpit of his independent charismatic church a few Sundays ago and revealed the secret exposed by a recent court-ordered paternity test.

This isn't the first sex scandal to engulf Paulk and his church. But this time, he could be in trouble with the law for allegedly lying under oath about the affair.

Pastor D.E. Paulk, who is 34, was known publicly for years as Earl Paulk's nephew. The younger Paulk became head pastor a year and a half ago. He says he was surprised and disappointed by the parentage discovery.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Earl Paulk
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Earl Paulk

Earl Pearly Paulk, Jr.
Born May 30, 1927 (1927-05-30) (age 80)

Nationality American
Known for Founding the Chapel Hill Harvester Church
Education Attended Candler School of Theology
Occupation preacher
Religious stance Pentecostal Christianity
Spouse Norma Davis
Parents Earl Pearly Paulk Sr. and Addie Mae Tomberlin Paulk
Earl Pearly Paulk, Jr. (1927-) is founder of Chapel Hill Harvester Church in Decatur, Georgia; a suburb of Atlanta.

Contents
1 Background
2 Civil Rights Work
3 Church & Ministry
4 Controversies
4.1 Cindy Hall
4.2 Mona Brewer
4.3 Tricia Weeks
4.4 Jessica Battle
4.5 Donnie Earl Paulk
5 Theological Concerns
6 References
7 External links



[edit] Background
Paulk was born May 30, 1927 to the late Dr. Earl Pearly Paulk, Sr. (former general overseer of the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) and Addie Mae Tomberlin Paulk. At 17, Paulk said he received a call from God to enter ministry, traveling and preaching on the weekends while attending college. He later married Norma Davis. Paulk attended the Candler School of Theology, becoming the first Pentecostal to attend the seminary, which was predominantly Methodist.


[edit] Civil Rights Work
Paulk's pastoral ministry began at Hemphill Avenue Church of God in Atlanta just as the Civil Rights Movement was getting underway. Paulk claims to have been one of the few white pastors who marched with Martin Luther King, Jr., but there is no proof of this.[citation needed] He alleges also to have signed The Atlanta Manifesto, a statement prepared in the fall of 1957 by a group of clergymen in Georgia, relating specifically to the violence in Little Rock, Arkansas, and in general to the whole problem of racial integration from the point of view of Christian social responsibility. (Copy available through Theology Today, published by Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey.) Though Paulk contends to have signed the manifesto, a list of the original signers did not include his name.[citation needed]

The signers, in alphabetical order:

Wallace M. Alston, Charles L. Allen, Thomas Anderson, Raymond J. Ball, Wade H. Boggs, Jack Bozeman, Lee Branham, W.C. Budd, A.L. Burgreen, Robert W. Burns, C.W. Carpenter, Randolph R. Claiborne Jr., Lamar Clements, Samuel T. Cobb, E. Dudley Colhoun, Vance Daniel, Eugene Drinkard, Edward Driscoll, L.B. Ellington, D.J. Evans, Harry Fifield, Emmett Floyd, Austin Ford, J.T. Ford, Thomas A. Frye Jr., John Garber, Arthur Vann Gibson, Victor A. Greene, Joseph L. Griggs, Thomas Hagood, Alfred Hardman, Dick H. Hall Jr., Claud M. Haynes, W.I. Howell, Herbert Hyde, Bevel Jones, Dow Kirkpatrick, Robert E. Kribbs, Edward Lantz, Robert E. Lee, Fitzhugh M. Legerton, John Blix Lind, Nat G. Long, James D. Matthews, Roy O. McClain, Harrison McMains, W. Robert Mill, Harold W. Minor Jr., Harry L. Mitcham, Walter Murphy, William E. Newton, Stuart Oglesby, Robert Ozment, Roy Pettway, J, Davison Philips, Paul Renz, J. McDowell Richards, Frank M. Ross, E.D. Rudisill, Lester Rumble, Hugh Saussy Jr., Charles F. Schwab, O. Norman Shand, Rembert Sisson, W. Thomas Smith, Wilson Sneed, R.H. Stewart, Monroe F. Swilley Jr., James W. Sosebee, W. Earl Strickland, Harry Tisdale, Herman L. Turner, L.F. Van Landingham, Wendell Wellman, Albert Wells, Charles L. Widney, Allison Williams, Eugene T. Wilson, John Womack, Milton L. Weed.[5]

Paulk was somewhat more liberal than most Church of God pastors of the time. For instance, he allowed women at his church to wear jewelry.


[edit] Church & Ministry
In 1960, Paulk founded "the Harvester Ministry" with his wife, his brother Don, and his sister-in-law Clareice in an area of Atlanta called "Little Five Points." In 1972, the church moved to the southern part of DeKalb County and became known as Chapel Hill Harvester Church. While there, the church experienced massive growth, enlarging that building a few times, having services in a tent, then building the K-Center, and ultimately settling into a large, almost Gothic building off Interstate 285 in Decatur (thus the church's unofficial name as the "Cathedral at Chapel Hill"). The church was famed for combining visual arts (particularly with the dance team) with a liturgical style. Paulk, who had previous experience television and radio ministry early on, later expanded his media ministry and for many years, his show aired on TBN. He also was a semi-regular guest on TBN's "Praise the Lord."

In 1982, Paulk was ordained as a bishop in the International Communion of Charismatic Churches. His public housing ministry was once called one of a "thousand places of light" by President George Bush, Sr.

The church has long been known for being one of the few truly integrated churches in the South.


[edit] Controversies
Paulk has been involved with many sex scandals spanning several years. Two of the more prominent scandals involved Cindy Hall and Mona Brewer.[1]


[edit] Cindy Hall
Hall was born in 1960 and was one of the first children born into Chapel Hill Harvester. In 2003, she claimed that Paulk had convinced her into a lengthy affair that also included her having sex with Paulk's brother, Don. Hall alleges that the affair began in 1983 (in a manner much similar to Mona Brewer's a few years later) when Paulk prayed for her, then kissed her. He then would say he intended to "make love" to her. At one point, Paulk supposedly would tell her that they had a "special gift of love outside holy matrimony". Cindy Hall has never filed a lawsuit against Paulk.


[edit] Mona Brewer
Mona Manning Brewer was a Sunday School teacher who married Bobby Brewer in 1987. She was also featured regularly as a soloist on the television program as well. She came to the church at the age of 19, four years after her conversion to Christianity.

Brewer claimed that in 1989, Paulk felt " 'impressed of the Lord' to get to know her better". She then stopped by his office the next day. Soon she made regular appearances. She alleged that a church official stated that there had been a "word of knowledge" claiming that she was about to enter a new relationship that would benefit her.

As it turned out, the "relationship" in question was a sexual one with Paulk on September 12th of that year. Paulk preached the following Sunday that "when you are in despair, God will send you a resurrection"; later claiming that Brewer was his resurrection. She didn't break the relationship off until September of 2003. Not long afterwards, Bobby Brewer reportedly punched Paulk in the nose. The Brewers eventually sued Paulk and his church on August 31, 2005, claiming Paulk misused his position to manipulate her into a sexual relationship, and claiming Paulk owed $400,000 for a loan Brewer issued to settle the Jessica Battle suit. On Monday, March 5, 2007 at a pretrial hearing, the Brewers' lawyer wrote out a request for dismissal of the case by hand and handed it to lawyers for Paulk and the church. Levenson acted just as a ruling was about to come on a motion by Paulk's lawyers to dismiss the allegations. By dropping the case before the ruling, the Brewers left open the possibility of filing another suit with the same allegations. "We were having difficulty even at this point getting witnesses to speak out against the acts of Bishop Paulk and the church," Levenson said. "Sometimes you just have to do this."[2] However, the case has since been refiled.[3]


[edit] Tricia Weeks
Weeks was a biographer/ghostwriter for Paulk when she allegedly had a two-year affair with Paulk in 1992.


[edit] Jessica Battle
Between the Weeks incident and the stories breaking about Brewer and Hall, in 2001; Jessica Battle, a college student who had been part of the dance team, accused Paulk of molesting her between the ages of 7 and 11, and later of forcing himself on her when she was 17. Lynn Mays (Battle's grandmother and a pastor on the staff) sided with Paulk. The suit was settled out of court in 2003 for $400,000.

No charges expected, lawyer for ex-cop says
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No charges expected,
lawyer for ex-cop says

CHICAGO ― A lawyer representing a former police officer suspected in the disappearance of his wife said Monday he does not believe his client will face charges stemming from the investigation. Speaking on NBC's "Today" show, lawyer Joel Brodsky also criticized the media for their coverage of Drew Peterson, who resigned as a Bolingbrook police sergeant after his 23-year-old fourth wife, Stacy, vanished three weeks ago. Police have named the 53-year-old Peterson as a suspect in her disappearance, and authorities have called the case a possible homicide. He has denied any involvement in her disappearance.

Still, the investigation into her disappearance caused prosecutors to reopen the investigation into the death of Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio, whose body was found in a bathtub in 2004. At the time, authorities ruled her death an accidental drowning, but investigators exhumed her body last week at the request of a prosecutor, who has said after examining evidence he believes her death was a homicide staged to look like an accident.

Townsend resigns

WASHINGTON ― Fran Townsend, the leading White House-based terrorism adviser who gave public updates on the extent of the threat to U.S. security, is stepping down after 41/2 years. President Bush said in a statement Monday morning that Townsend, 45, "has ably guided the Homeland Security Council. She has played an integral role in the formation of the key strategies and policies my administration has used to combat terror and protect Americans." Her departure continues an exodus of key Bush aides and confidants, with his two-term presidency in the final 15 months. Top aide Karl Rove, along with press secretary Tony Snow, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and senior presidential adviser Dan Bartlett, have already left.

Church sex scandal

DECATUR, Ga. ― The 80-year-old leader of a suburban Atlanta megachurch is at the center of a sex scandal of biblical dimensions: He slept with his brother's wife and fathered a child by her. Members of Archbishop Earl Paulk's family stood at the pulpit of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit at Chapel Hill Harvester Church a few Sundays ago and revealed the secret exposed by a recent court-ordered paternity test.

In truth, this is not the first ― or even the second ― sex scandal to engulf Paulk and the independent, charismatic church. But this time, he could be in trouble with the law for lying under oath about the affair. The living proof of that lie is 34-year-old D.E. Paulk, who for years was known publicly as Earl Paulk's nephew.

Lots of big talk

TEHRAN, Iran ― The presidents of Venezuela and Iran boasted Monday that they will defeat U.S. imperialism together, saying the fall of the dollar is a prelude to the end of Washington's global dominance. Hugo Chavez's visit to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran followed a failed weekend attempt by the firebrand duo to push the Organization of Petroleum Exporting States away from trading in the slumping greenback.



Their proposal at an OPEC summit was overruled by other cartel members led by Saudi Arabia, a strong U.S. ally. But the cartel agreed to have OPEC finance ministers discuss the idea, and the two allies' move showed their potential for stirring up problems for the U.S. The alliance between Chavez and Ahmadinejad has blossomed with several exchanged visits ― Monday's was Chavez's fourth time in Tehran in two years ― a string of technical agreements and a torrent of rhetoric presenting their two countries as an example of how smaller nations can stand up to the superpower.

Security guards detained

BAGHDAD, Iraq ― Iraqi soldiers detained two American security guards along with several other foreigners traveling in a private security convoy after they opened fire Monday in Baghdad, wounding one woman, an Iraqi military spokesman said. U.S. military and embassy officials had no immediate information about the report, which follows a series of recent shootings in which foreign security guards have allegedly killed Iraqis. Last month, the Iraqi Cabinet sent parliament a bill to lift immunity for foreign private security companies that has been in effect since the U.S. occupation began in 2003.

Brig. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi said the convoy was driving on the wrong side of the road in the central Baghdad neighborhood of Karradah when the shooting took place about midday.

Associated Press

Tuesday, November 20, 2007
No charges expected,
lawyer for ex-cop says

CHICAGO ― A lawyer representing a former police officer suspected in the disappearance of his wife said Monday he does not believe his client will face charges stemming from the investigation. Speaking on NBC's "Today" show, lawyer Joel Brodsky also criticized the media for their coverage of Drew Peterson, who resigned as a Bolingbrook police sergeant after his 23-year-old fourth wife, Stacy, vanished three weeks ago. Police have named the 53-year-old Peterson as a suspect in her disappearance, and authorities have called the case a possible homicide. He has denied any involvement in her disappearance.

Still, the investigation into her disappearance caused prosecutors to reopen the investigation into the death of Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio, whose body was found in a bathtub in 2004. At the time, authorities ruled her death an accidental drowning, but investigators exhumed her body last week at the request of a prosecutor, who has said after examining evidence he believes her death was a homicide staged to look like an accident.

Townsend resigns

WASHINGTON ― Fran Townsend, the leading White House-based terrorism adviser who gave public updates on the extent of the threat to U.S. security, is stepping down after 41/2 years. President Bush said in a statement Monday morning that Townsend, 45, "has ably guided the Homeland Security Council. She has played an integral role in the formation of the key strategies and policies my administration has used to combat terror and protect Americans." Her departure continues an exodus of key Bush aides and confidants, with his two-term presidency in the final 15 months. Top aide Karl Rove, along with press secretary Tony Snow, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and senior presidential adviser Dan Bartlett, have already left.

Church sex scandal

DECATUR, Ga. ― The 80-year-old leader of a suburban Atlanta megachurch is at the center of a sex scandal of biblical dimensions: He slept with his brother's wife and fathered a child by her. Members of Archbishop Earl Paulk's family stood at the pulpit of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit at Chapel Hill Harvester Church a few Sundays ago and revealed the secret exposed by a recent court-ordered paternity test.

In truth, this is not the first ― or even the second ― sex scandal to engulf Paulk and the independent, charismatic church. But this time, he could be in trouble with the law for lying under oath about the affair. The living proof of that lie is 34-year-old D.E. Paulk, who for years was known publicly as Earl Paulk's nephew.

Lots of big talk

TEHRAN, Iran ― The presidents of Venezuela and Iran boasted Monday that they will defeat U.S. imperialism together, saying the fall of the dollar is a prelude to the end of Washington's global dominance. Hugo Chavez's visit to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran followed a failed weekend attempt by the firebrand duo to push the Organization of Petroleum Exporting States away from trading in the slumping greenback.

Their proposal at an OPEC summit was overruled by other cartel members led by Saudi Arabia, a strong U.S. ally. But the cartel agreed to have OPEC finance ministers discuss the idea, and the two allies' move showed their potential for stirring up problems for the U.S. The alliance between Chavez and Ahmadinejad has blossomed with several exchanged visits ― Monday's was Chavez's fourth time in Tehran in two years ― a string of technical agreements and a torrent of rhetoric presenting their two countries as an example of how smaller nations can stand up to the superpower.

Security guards detained

BAGHDAD, Iraq ― Iraqi soldiers detained two American security guards along with several other foreigners traveling in a private security convoy after they opened fire Monday in Baghdad, wounding one woman, an Iraqi military spokesman said. U.S. military and embassy officials had no immediate information about the report, which follows a series of recent shootings in which foreign security guards have allegedly killed Iraqis. Last month, the Iraqi Cabinet sent parliament a bill to lift immunity for foreign private security companies that has been in effect since the U.S. occupation began in 2003.

Brig. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi said the convoy was driving on the wrong side of the road in the central Baghdad neighborhood of Karradah when the shooting took place about midday.

Associated Press

Tuesday, November 20, 2007
A lawyer representing a former police officer suspected in the disappearance of his wife said Monday he does not believe...

[edit] Donnie Earl Paulk
On October 14 2007, Donnie Earl (D.E.) Paulk, nephew of Earl and senior pastor of the Cathedral at Chapel Hill, informed the congregation that he is actually the biological son of Earl Paulk, and not the son of Donald Paulk. A court-ordered DNA test confirmed this and prompted the revelation.[4]


[edit] Theological Concerns
In addition to the sex scandals, Paulk has also found his theology criticized concerning accusations of promoting Dominionism and Word of Faith teaching.[5] He preaches a post-millennial theology, believing that Jesus will not come back until the entire world has heard about him.


[edit] References
^ Gayle White (2006). Sex charges cast pall on Bishop Paulk (English). The Atlanta Journal-Constitution,. Retrieved on August 31, 2007.
^ Gayle White - Atlanta Journal Constitution (2007). Couple Drops Suit against Paulk (English). BishopAccountability.org. Retrieved on August 31, 2007.
^ charismamag.com (2007). Sex-Assault Lawsuit Against Earl Paulk Refiled (English). charismamag.com. Retrieved on August 31, 2007.
^ Dorie Turner (2007). The Sex scandal hits Atlanta-area megachurch (English). Associated Press. Retrieved on November 19, 2007.
^ Robert M. Bowman, Jr. (1994). The Gospel According to Paulk: A Critique of "Kingdom Theology" (English). Christian Research Institute Journal. Retrieved on August 31, 2007.

[edit] External links