By William M. London
Ernest Angley, one of the televangelists discussed in James Randi’s 1987 book The Faith Healers, is the subject of “Falling from Grace?,” a new six-part investigative report by Akron Beacon Journal reporter Bob Dyer.
According to Dyer, the 93-year-old Angley has been accused of:
Angley has denied all the accusations except for the genital checking.
Ernest Angley, one of the televangelists discussed in James Randi’s 1987 book The Faith Healers, is the subject of “Falling from Grace?,” a new six-part investigative report by Akron Beacon Journal reporter Bob Dyer.
According to Dyer, the 93-year-old Angley has been accused of:
- Operating a dangerous cult in which “pregnant women are encouraged to have abortions” when they wanted to have children and “childless men are encouraged to have vasectomies” [Updated: when they wanted to have children]
- Personally examining the genitals of male church members before and after the vasectomies he encouraged
- Being gay [not that there’s anything wrong with that], despite preaching “vehemently against the ‘sin’ of homosexuality” [now that’s wrong!]
- Consistently threatening and intimidating “his flock into following his instructions, bullying them into life-changing decisions that often split up families”
- Counseling his devout followers to stay silent in response to their complaints to him about sexual abuse occurring at Grace Cathedral in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
- Advising church members to shun people who leave the church including their spouses and children
- Violating a former associate pastor over a seven-year period by having him undress and then touching him all over [genitals supposedly excluded]
- Blaming demons hovering over a woman for the severe beatings she received from her husband.
Angley has denied all the accusations except for the genital checking.
