Crouch
to Stay Chief of TBN Despite Gay Sex Allegation
Christians nationwide lend support to the O.C.
televangelist.
Network
calls the claims 'salacious.'
By William Lobdell
Times Staff Writer
September 14, 2004
While the Christian community
buzzed Monday about allegations that televangelist Paul Crouch
had been involved in a homosexual tryst, Trinity Broadcasting
Network officials said their leader would continue "God's
call" as the network's president.
They also said that Christian
leaders from around the country offered private words of
encouragement Monday for Crouch.
"We prepared for the worst
and prayed for the best," knowing that the allegations
would be made public over the weekend, said Paul Crouch Jr.,
eldest son of the pastor and an executive at the network.
"So far our prayers are
being answered. Most of the e-mails and calls have been very
positive."
He said the network received
unsolicited backing from dozens of Christian leaders who
called or e-mailed their support, including author Josh
McDowell; Doug Wead, a onetime advisor to former President
George H.W. Bush; and singers Pat Boone and Carman.
On Sunday, The Times detailed
the fierce legal battle that Crouch successfully fought to
keep secret a 1998 agreement that paid Enoch Lonnie Ford
$425,000 in exchange for staying silent about his allegations
of a sexual encounter between him and Crouch in 1996 at a TBN-owned
cabin near Lake Arrowhead.
When Ford wrote a manuscript
last year that contained details of his allegations, Crouch
went to court to enforce the 1998 agreement.
An Orange County judge issued a
restraining order in April 2003 that prevented the memoir's
publication until a private arbitrator could rule if it
violated the agreement. In June, the arbitrator ruled in
Crouch's favor.
The news sparked a 650-word
statement by TBN on Sunday. In it, the network called the
allegations "salacious" and labeled Ford an
ex-convict and longtime drug abuser.
Ford, who worked for TBN from
1992 to 1996 in a variety of jobs, served jail time in the
1990s for cocaine possession and having sex with a 17-year-old
boy.
TBN officials also said that
Crouch agreed to the settlement to avoid costly litigation and
scandal.
"The importance of the
settlement does not rest on the money paid, but rather on Dr.
Crouch's vehement denial of the allegations made against him
as well as the agreement of the accuser to keep confidential
and refrain from repeating his false claims and
accusations," TBN officials said in the statement.
TBN officials also said that
the "accuser and his false claims were soundly defeated
in court."
In fact, neither the civil
court judge or private arbitrator ruled on the validity of
Ford's claims — only that the 1998 settlement prevented
their disclosure.
Ford's allegations stirred
debate on the Internet, generating nearly 1,500 comments on a
Yahoo message board, for example.
Some were skeptical of Ford's
allegations.
"This accuser does have
motive for fraud," wrote one anonymous reader.
"I'll reserve judgment
until I know all the facts. Of course, the Christian-haters
will come out of the woodwork before then. Anything that
discredits Christianity is good for them."
But another wrote: "If it
never happened, then what is Crouch worried about? … The
'image' is what is being protected here."
Jason T. Christy, publisher and
editor-in-chief of the Church Report, a business magazine for
Christian leaders, said he stayed busy Monday answering phone
calls and e-mails about the scandal.
"It's had a great effect
in the Christian community," Christy said.
While there was debate about
the credibility of the allegations, most were concerned about
how another televangelist scandal would hurt their ministries.
"The majority of people
are sick of this type of stuff," Christy said. "The
only time you hear about the Christian community is when
something bad happens."
Link:
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/advancedsearch.html
Link: http://www.yuricareport.com/Dominionism/PaulCrouchAttemptsToKeepAccuserQuiet.html
| 
