Tag: Religious

1502: Joe Campbell

Cajsa Lilliehook1 Comment
Joe Campbell

Joe Campbell was hired by Jim Bakker to work at his Morningside Church and given a show on his televangelist network. A well-known youth pastor and head of a children’s Bible camp. He was also known among some to be a serial child predator long protected by the Assemblies of God leadership and churches. Even though people came forward describing sexual abuse by him from the 1970s and 80s, it was not until 2025 that he was arrested after an Oklahoma grand jury indicted him with one count of first-degree rape and one count of lewd or indecent acts involving a child under 16. This is the tip of the iceberg.

Women and men have come forward detailing forty years of abuse that was allowed to continue. Five women told NBC reporters how Campbell assaulted them when they were children in the 70s and 80s. One woman alleged she was raped repeatedly over three years, starting when she was nine. One girl was invited into his home when she became a teen mother, there he raped her again and again.

Reports of him showing children pornography and of isolating little girls to molest and rape them began in 1983. A Sunday School teacher got wind of the abuse and told the pastor who rebuked her for gossiping. A little girl was forced to describe the abuse in front of a tribunal and in front of Campbell who shouted at her and called her a liar. When the child he had guardianship of accused him of rape and reported it to the police in 1988, the Assemblies of God finally took it seriously and banished him.

He moved to the Missouri Ozarks and founded a children’s camp. Camp Bell, of course. There he employed people accused of and convicted of child sexual abuse. At a children’s camp. Children came to see him as a sort of father figure, drawing them in and then molesting them, explaining that was an expression of his love for them, their special secret. He got hired by televangelist Jim Bakker and got a prime spot preaching on Bakker’s Praise the Lord (PTL) network.

NBC_News_Report_Assemblies_of_God_churches__NBC_3_KYTV_Springfield_MO___November_1_2025__p1Download

1498: Hunter Chase Eubanks

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Hunter Eubanks

Hunter Chase Eubanks was a worship leader at Morningside Church in Tallahassee, Florida. He also led a church music internship program. He used his position to pursue an illegal “sexual relationship” with a minor. In other words, to rape a minor in the church and places around the city. He also asked her to send him pictures, in essence, asking for child sexual exploitation material. He pleaded guilty to the federal charge of sexual exploitation of a child and was sentenced to seventeen years in prison. He still faces state charges.

According to the charging document, the minor told a friend about the relationship which began when she was in 7th grade. He groomed her until when she was sixteen, he began sexually abusing her. When the relationship became illegal, according to the minor. Her friend wisely confided in a social worker who went to the police on October 9th. The next day, Eubanks was informed he was no longer employed at the church as police had already begun investigating. They searched his home and seized his phone where they used the same unsent draft ploy to avoid detection that was popularized by the General Petraeus scandal.

EubanksDownload

1487: Matthew McGinley

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Matthew McGinley

Matthew McGinley, a former worship pastor and Christian school teacher, has been charged with sexually assaulting a former student, a minor. He is also a songwriter, founder of Ascent Project, a Fort Collins, Colorado, church he co-founded.

He has been accused of grooming a student and having a sexual “relationship” (otherwise known as raping a minor) with a minor student (child.) The assaults continued for a year until the student cut off contact. No one knew until McGinley told a church leader. The church had a meeting with all the leaders where McGinley confessed. They fired him and informed police, taking McGinley to the police station.

He sent a letter apologizing to the victim’s mother. He has been charged with felony sexual assault of a child by a person of trust with a pattern of abuse. He is out on bond.

Fort Collins Coloradoan
Fri, Nov 14, 2025 ·Page A2

1483: Joshua Kemper

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Joshua David Kemper

Joshua David Kemper was a youth pastor at Foothill Church in Coarsegold, California. He was also a virulent anti-gay and anti-trans advocate who claimed women felt unsafe in churches that welcomed gay people. That’s strange, because he was the one raping an underage child at his church. The church did well, reporting Kemper to the police. Yes, while churches around the country face scrutiny for covering up sexual abuse, this church filed a police report immediately, prompting a police investigation that resulted in Kemper’s arrest.

Kemper has been indicted on fourteen charges relating to child sexual abuse and child sexual abuse material. The police believe there may be additional victims.

Anyone with additional information regarding this case or similar prior contact with Joshua David Kemper is encouraged to contact the Madera County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Unit at (559) 675-7770 or Detective Michaela Plummer at (559) 706-1276.

Madera County Inmates
Fresno Bee Today’s Edition, The (CA)
November 2, 2025

1482: George Bell

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George Bell

George Bell was the pastor of Anchor Baptist Church in Columbus, Ohio. He founded the church and served as its pastor for thirty-five years. He built an extremely conservative church that does not even permit men and women to swim together. “No mixed swimming” they call it. They also do not believe in affiliating with other churches in any way. “There are liberal and modern groups which are joining hands with such. We believe it is a sin to support or bid Godspeed to any such movements. Therefore we will not support or affiliate with the World Council of Churches, the National Counsel of Churches or any other group that is liberal or modernistic in belief.”

George Bell, however, did believe in raping children. He was charged with four counts of rape and two counts of gross sexual imposition. The victim was less than ten years old.

On November 5, 2025, he pleaded guilty to two charges and the prosecutor abandoned the other four charges. He was sentenced to 15 to 20 years in prison.

George Bell SentencingDownload

1475: Jon Paul Sheptock

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Jon Paul Sheptock

Jon Paul Sheptock is a Christian musician who has performed at Trump rallies and has his music available to stream including his song “My Sins Are Gone.” He has been charged with producing and distributing child sexual abuse material.

The complainant told police that he stole a nude photo of her from her icloud account and then extorted more explicit photos of her by implying she could be assaulted. He sent her a video of a physical assault saying he didn’t want that to happen to her. She was a minor. He continued to demand photos and send her photos for the next several years, including child sexual abuse material.

As an aside, his song makes me wonder. Is it easier to sexually exploit children if you get instant forgiveness?

1471: Les Hughey

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Les Hughey

Les Hughey is the founder of Highlands Church in Scottsdale, Arizona. Highlands is a megachurch with around fifty staff. Before founding Highlands, he was a youth pastor at Scottsdale Bible Church and the First Baptist Church in Modesto, California. He left his position in Modesto after several allegations of sexual abuse of the girls and young women at the church emerged. The church sent him off without disclosing his actions to the congregation. He resigned from Highlands.

Police in Scottsdale have compiled a 100-page report on allegations that go from his early career in Modesto through his years at Scottsdale Bible Church and involve dozens of young people. At least seven women came forward in 2018 alleging his sexual abuse as a youth pastor in Modesto. They were teens, he was in his twenties. Dozens more allege a toxic culture of abuse at Scottsdale Bible.

The allegations are similar in describing how he created a culture of physical touching in the youth group with kids ranging from 15 to 19, giving each other massages, and then touching the genitalia of those he massaged. There are allegations of nudity, indecent exposure, groping, and in some cases, raping minor girls.

Of course, he was allowed to continue due to organizational culture of covering up abuse and passing the child molester on to become another church’s problem.

The Modesto Bee
Sun, Jul 17, 2022 ·Page C1

1470: Michael Brown

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Michael L. Brown

Michael L. Brown, founder of FIRE School of Ministry was investigated for sexual misconduct and the claims were found to be valid. He abused his position as minister in relationships with 2 women, one was 18 and told to call him Daddy. The Firefly report was released in April, 2025.

This is being passed off as merely errors in judgment. Sadly, despite the extensive report substantiating the allegations against Brown, the Elder Accountability Team not only ignored the findings, cleared Brown to return to ministry, they also criticized the report for being public.

Distressed by the actions of the Elders, a must more substantive report on allegations was released in May that details allegations of spiritual abuse of more people. Both reports are below.

Firefly-Report_April-18Download
Michael Brown Witness Report 5.28.updateDownload

1464: Michael Jafferakos

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Michael Jafferakos

Michael Jafferakos was a youth basketball coach and intramural basketball commissioner for the Our Lady of Grace Athletic Association. Predators go where the children are. He has been sexually exploiting children to create child sexual abuse material or CSAM.

In interviews, Jafferakos admitted he paid multiple minors, some as young as fourteen, to produce CSAM over several years. He also confessed to sharing some of the CSAM with others for money.

The investigation began when a mother in Wisconsin found a sexually explicit video on her son’s phone. Further investigation revealed Jafferakos met the boy on SnapChat and induced him to make a sexually explicit video which Jafferakos paid him for. He had paid him fifteen times over some months.

Investigators have found two victims from the program where he coaches.

He is currently being held without bail and faces a minimum of fifteen years in prison if convicted.

Michael JafferakosDownload
Hoops coach at B’klyn Catholic school got kids – New York Daily News (NY) – September 26, 2025 – page CS14

1462: Matt Masiewicz

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Matt Masiewicz

Matthew Stephen Masiewicz (Pastor Matt) was the senior pastor at Sovereign Grace Fellowship, an Reformed Baptist Church in Nampa, Idaho. According to their website, they occasionally have their men’s fellowship meetings at the gun range. He was removed from his position when he was arrested for possession, distribution, and creation of child sexual abuse materials. Those he created were done with AI.

He was charged with thirteen counts relating to child sexual abuse material. Six for possessing material, six for distributing, and one for creating using artificial intelligence. His bond was set at $2 million.

During the investigation, the IP addresses of his church and home were used to upload CSAM. Material was also found on his laptop and phone.

Idaho Statesman Today’s Edition, The (Boise, ID)
September 25, 2025