Earl Paulk, DeKalb’s frisky “bishop,” to be laid to rest
April 2, 2009 at 6:29 pm by Scott Henry in NewsFor many years, one of the most interesting running scandals in metro Atlanta was the saga of the Chapel Hill Harvester mega-church and the many, many female parishioners who’d accused the Paulk family patriachs of various acts of sexual misconduct.
The monstrous Cathedral of Holy Spirit, as seen by Google Earth
Sadly, for us mega-church skeptics, those stories likely have come to an end with the death of “Bishop” Earl Paulk at 81. A funeral is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday in the since-renamed Cathedral of the Holy Spirit on Flat Shoals Road in South DeKalb.
Paulk got the boot from his first pastoring position, at what is now Mount Paran Church of God, back in 1960 for having an extramarital affair. But, like a latter-day Elmer Gantry, he didn’t let that scandal deter him. A few years later, he founded Chapel Hill Harvester Church with his brother Don. The church eventually grew to a membership of around 12,000, but allegations of sexual shenanigans continued to dog the Paulks.
In 1992, six women accused the Paulks of “sexual manipulation” – using the wacky teachings of their self-styled evangengical religion to convince gullible chicks that God himself wanted them to get busy with the bishop. A decade later, a young lady sued Earl Paulk for molesting her as an adolescent. Paulk settled out-of-court for $400,000 – using money borrowed from Mona Brewer, a Sunday school teacher who filed a 2004 lawsuit against Paulk for coercing her into a 14-year affair. When Brewer’s husband, a minister at the church, found out about the affair, he punched out both Earl and Don Paulk.
All of the controversy had a negative impact on the church membership, which has dwindled in recent years. The last straw may have come in 2007, when a DNA test revealed that Don Jr. wasn’t Earl’s nephew, but rather his biological son. Good times.
So, with the passing of Earl Paulk, the Atlanta mega-church scene becomes a less colorful place. But wait! The Brewer suit against Paulk – which was briefly derailed by a trial judge, but reinstated by an appeals court – is going forward against the church itself, so there still might be a few juicy details to come out.
For more entertaining reading about those naughty Paulks, see this long article from the AJC. For a primer in the Paulk theory of “Kingdom Theology,” check out this link.
April 3rd, 2009 at 11:28 pm
An historical chapter in the history of modern Christianity has come to a close with the passing of Bishop Earl Paulk. Our Bishop went home to be with the Lord during the evening of March 29, 2009 at the age of 81. While the book of life is brief, Bishop Paulk’s life’s work of God’s Kingdom in demonstration was promulgated throughout the world during the course of his 60 years of active ministry.
Countless thousands and millions by extension throughout the earth have been touched by the positive message of the Gospel of the Kingdom. This powerful message for our times was also carried by many others who followed their own high calling but the Gospel of the Kingdom was delivered to the Christian mainstream by Bishop Paulk. Though this Biblical message of God’s rule in human hearts didn’t originate with him, his dynamic preaching and teaching brought relevancy and clarity to the Christian church in the late 20th century.
Doubtless a man after God’s own heart, it’s without question that Bishop Paulk struggled with areas of his humanity as do so many of us who must balance life in the flesh with our spiritual inner man, confined to this earthen realm. Personal failures among mankind notwithstanding, the callings of God are without repentance and God continues to use those faithful to the call that he places in their life, and such was God’s call on the life of our dear Bishop.
While unfortunate, it is also understandable that the human condition compels us to castigate in the light of impropriety’s discovery. Even so, the media outlets have announced Bishop’s passing, not with the recognition of his life’s work but rather the litany of accusation ascribed against him during his later years. The unbelieving world and those blinded to God’s goodness suffer greatly with the lack of understanding. As Christians, we however see and perceive the treasure of God’s deposit in the life of his called. As Jeremiah 15:19 tells us; If you can but extract the precious from the worthless then you will be my spokesman.
As Christians serving the same God as did Bishop Paulk, we are admonished to uphold those in authority, spiritual and otherwise and to recognize the ministry, not the man. To share in his vision, not his plight. To view the role of the man as representative of God’s kind intention to the world. The message of God’s Kingdom is the key – not the frailty or the weakness of its messengers. The message endures and continues to touch the four corners of a dying world after the transgressions of God’s servant is all but forgotten.
Many of you reading this tribute have been personally touched and perhaps even spiritually established through the life’s work and ministry of Bishop Earl Paulk. Regardless of personal life, he was the door through which many received God’s salvation. His was the vision that carried God’s Kingdom awareness to the world. It is therefore a credit to us individually and as a community of believers, united in God’s love to remember as 2 Corinthians 4:7 says: God’s precious deposit, or treasure lives in earthen vessels that the greatness may be of the power of God and that not of ourselves.
Spiritual History will be kind to God’s message of the kingdom. This message as delivered through Bishop Earl Paulk has been recorded in both books and sermons for the past several decades. Thanks largely to the visionary calling of Donnie & Gina Harris, the durable preservation of the Bishop’s body of work on the Kingdom will be established at BishopEarlPaulk.net even now as we celebrate the life, the ministry, and home going of Bishop Earl Paulk.
Jeff Nix 3/29/2009
jeffnix@gmail.com – 678-776-8861
POSTED = http://jeffnix.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/bishop-earl-p-paulk/
April 5th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Paulk didn’t struggle against “areas of his humanity”. He surrendered to them-again and again and again….
Good riddance to bad rubbish.
April 5th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
Much thanks to Jeff Nix for his eloquet expression of out Thoughts on Bishop Paulk
He did so much for so many throughout the world ….he will be deeply missed.
April 6th, 2009 at 3:42 am
It is interesting to note how hard the current Cathedral members are trying to spin the facts of Earl Paulk’s life so that he doesn’t look quite so evil. Unfortunately for them, too many people were negatively affected by Earl, and too many of us know the truth about him. A point of contention: There is a huge difference between a person who “makes a mistake” and a person who willfully and actively chooses to live a lifestyle of perversion and depravity. It is certainly understandable for anyone, even a pastor, to make a mistake, and most of us can find it in our hearts to forgive those who are truly sorry for the hurt they have caused and try to move on. Such was not the case with Earl Paulk. He set up what was in essence a fake church so that he could lure in victims to himself and to his family. He sued people who spoke out against him. He vilified his victims, again and again and again. He lied for literally decades about things he had done, and only began to confess when he was compelled to by law. Is this a man after god’s own heart??? If so, that is no god that I would ever want anything to do with.
It was fascinating again to watch the Paulk family being interviewed this week on 11-Alive by Brenda Wood, whose mother was closely associated with the Cathedral for years, and to hear the surviving Paulk family members continue with the lies that Earl spoke for so long. It is an easy thing now to Google the original 1957 Atlanta Manifesto, that both Earl and now his family members contend that he signed in solidarity with the black civil rights leaders then. Google that document and look for yourself. EARL PAULK’S NAME IS NOT LISTED. He never signed the Atlanta Manifesto. He has been telling that lie for decades and now his family continues it, but very simple detective work reveals it for the untruth that it is.
It is sad to see Jeff Nix and other current Cathedral members, who are so sadly brainwashed by the Paulks, continue after Earl’s death to mislead others into believing Paulk’s own PR. Earl Paulk wanted so badly to be respected in Atlanta and around the world. It was a pity that his own actions forced him into a shameful old age. Now he is dead and there are those who want to whitewash his life. Do not be fooled. There are many thousands of us who are former members of the Cathedral, and the stories of our abuse by Earl Paulk have yet to be told.
April 8th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Its really a shame that Christians can be so gullible and eternalize someone so evil, deviant and appluad the efforts of this man. He has manipulated the pure Gospel of Jesus for his own self-seeking motives and lead so many to believe in this false doctrine. That’s the saddest part of it all. He is a deciever and liar and spread his sick sentiments to the many that embraced it.
I pray for these folks-I pray that God would heal them from the lies that they ingested, the deceit and the others that they are leading astray because they too believe in these philosphies that encourage self gain etc…
We will not miss Paulk-he was no better than any other cult leader. His followers-take note. He was nothing to admire. Only Jesus Christ himself is the true KING! He only manifests your destiny-not your bishops-they are merely men who are enamoured and satified by the accolades you give them to control you. I am praying for you all. See the truth about them and be freed from the lies.
April 12th, 2009 at 9:29 pm
Jeff Nix’s tribute to Bishop Earl P. Paulk is calm, irenic, and delivered in a tone of reverence. I am sure Mr. Nix is sincere in his desire to honor Earl Paulk. However, I must disagree with most of what he stated. Jeffery is sadly misinformed.
Earl Paulk was not “a man after God’s own heart”. The biblical writers used that phrase of King David. David did heinous things but he confessed and repented. He acknowledged his sin openly (Psalm 51). EP blamed and vilified the victims up to the time of his death. He sued them on several occasions. He denied his sins. He placed to onus on the very ones with whom he committed adultery. He perjured himself in a court of law denying his wrongdoing and vilifying one of his victims.
Mr. Nix would have us believe that Earl Paulk was a man who struggled with his morals but had a sound and helpful message to offer the world. That too, is incorrect. The “Kingdom Now Theology” as perpetrated by Earl Paulk was not a great message that he released to the mainline churches. His was a message that focused for over a decade on Earl Paulk’s personal spiritual authority. That authority he abused to an amazing degree. It led to his concept of “Kingdom relationships”, the very means by which he justified his sexual indiscretions. He held cult-like power over several women (eight came forward and testified to this!).
Those who attended the church during that time can witness to the sheer volume of concentration on authority in his preaching. Spiritual authority translated to mean Earl Paulk’s authority. He used this teaching to act willfully without challenge. How often he quoted “Touch not mine anointed and do my prophets no harm” to instill fear in the hearers and foil any challenges to the direction he wished to take the church. He used his female consort as his chief discerner to pave the way for him. If someone disagreed or took issue with him, she would “discern” an evil spirit in that person to discredit them publicly. It was a crass form of spiritual manipulation and social control. Is that the work of a man after God’s own heart?
CHHC/ Cathedral was/is a family owned and operated business. The congregation had no say in the matters financial. They gave and gave and gave as the Paulk family squandered their sacrificial oblations. This was the fruit of Earl Paulk’s Kingdom message.
Earl Paulk groomed and handpicked his own nephew (who is his son) to succeed him as senior pastor. When Donnie earl Paulk took the reigns of power, he fired Earl Paulk’s most zealous defenders and disciples who were not family members. So much for their mindless loyalty and devotion, I suppose.
Earl Paulk fits the profile, not of a man of God, but of a false prophet. His fruit was bad. The devastated lives and lost faith in young believers leads me to recall the terrible words of Jesus about those who cause little ones to sin. There was something in that passage about a millstone if memory serves. His teaching was perverse. The books, written mostly by his ghostwriters, contained many theological and ethical errors that need correcting. He did not leave behind a legacy of a great message. He left behind spiritually devastated Christians and many who gave up on the Christian faith altogether. I would like someone, anyone, who sat under his ministry to explain what his message really was. What unique thing did he bring to the table that has not been within the greater church for 2,000 years?
Earl Paulk did leave something good behind. He left three daughters who were strong enough to walk away years ago heartbroken and torn. They saw the error of their father and in act of enormous courage and great cost to themselves withstood him and his Discerner. My heart goes out to the two remaining Paulk girls (as Becky has already departed to her God). Though they stood against Earl Paulk and bore the brunt of his lies and denunciations, they still lost a father and that must be exquisitely painful. My prayers are for them.
April 12th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
Earl Paulk was a legend in his own mind and apparently in Jeff Nix’s mind, too. However, EP’s shenanigans are well known. Many whom EP hurt, lied about, vilified, sued and cursed will listen to the revision of history spun by the Cathedral bunch. They will find their voice. These victims and former followers of Paulk will tell their stories.
It would prove wiser for the Paulk family to keep quiet and try to weather this with as little public exposure as possible. They already have Jeff doing the whitewash job for them. Jeff busies himself placing his “Tribute” to Earl Paulk on many cyber net venues in an attempt to rehabilitate the reputation of a man who stands under God’s judgment. When he writes, “One of History’s great men of God has passed away” I have to chuckle. A great man of God in history? C’mon. EP made a mess of things.
Meanwhile, the Cathedral itself is imploding, drifting into the new “Gospel of inclusivity”. Whatever Kingdom message Earl Paulk preached they have certainly abandoned whatever of Christ remained in the preaching of Earl for another gospel. Come to think of it, I can’t recall that much mention of Jesus Christ in the preaching of Earl. His message was mostly about spiritual authority…his.
DEP leads the sheeple into that broad path where the scripture comes true, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Timothy 2:3-4 I wish it was not true. With EP’s death, they have a chance to return to basic Christianity and follow Jesus again. However, it appears that the direction has been set. Too many people depended on EP’s “covering” to now come forward and come clean. They remain under his thrall and will it that way. As the Apostle warned that some people “…perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness”.2 Thessalonians 2:11-12
April 13th, 2009 at 9:22 am
Any person who still vigorously defends the man and his deeds is actually defending something much more innate than what is obvious. They are commending and approving of his perverted deeds on some level. Maybe they even have the same demons…. At this point, everyone knows he was a repeated incestual sex offender and deceitful sociopath who used his role as “pastor” to find his victims. Anything good he ever did was to further disguise his true intents. Period!
November 10th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
Dr. E. Dewey Smith, Jr., current pastor of the ill-famed “Cathedral at Chapel Hill” location now know as “Hope Cathedral, Greater Travelers Rest Baptist Church” is known to have infected in excess of 200 victims with the HIV Virus.
WHY has the public allowed this fiasco to CONTINUE?