565:" claiming that she was about to enter a new relationship that would benefit her. That relationship became an affair that lasted fourteen years. She didn't break the relationship off until September 2003, and didn't tell anyone about the affair until hearing about Hall's allegations. She then told her husband, Cathedral minister Bobby Brewer, who bided his time until the refinancing of the cathedral was finished. In March 2004, Bobby Brewer angrily confronted Earl and Don Paulk at the Brewers' house, at one point hitting them both. The Brewers eventually sued Paulk and the Cathedral on August 31, 2005, claiming Paulk misused his position to manipulate Mona into a sexual relationship and claiming Paulk owed US$ 400,000 for a loan Bobby issued to settle the Battle case. Paulk denied the allegations from Brewers, but his attorney acknowledged a sexual relationship between him and Mona had taken place. Paulk claimed that the relationship was brief and that she was the initiator.
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even with some members of his own church; when the first blacks set foot in the church in the early 1960s, several whites walked out in protest. In response, one of the whites who remained, Ida
Williams, gave a fifteen-minute sermon in which she said, "It is not the will of God that we should have prejudice." Until the end of the church's heyday, the church had a fairly large black membership for a church led by a white pastor. In later years, Paulk became one of the few mainstream Pentecostal/charismatic leaders to welcome openly
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in 1983 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". The relationship became a weekly occurrence. Hall left the church in 2003 after being convinced that Battle was telling the truth about being molested by Paulk. Hall also claims that at Paulk's request, she denied having sex with him, lying under oath at her
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her between the ages of 7 and 11, and later of forcing himself on her when she was 17. The suit was settled out of court in 2003 for $ 400,000. In 2003, Cindy Hall claimed that Paulk had convinced her into a lengthy affair that also included her having sex with Don. Hall alleged that the affair began
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The
Brewers did, in fact, refile the suit with another judge. However, in February 2008, DeKalb County Judge Mark Anthony Scott threw the case into limbo when he ruled that Mona Brewer was "of sound mind" when she and Paulk began their relationship. Scott ordered the Brewers to reimburse Paulk for $
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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 cathedral. This was just as a ruling was about to come on a motion by Paulk's lawyers to dismiss the allegations. By dropping the case
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on
December 11, 2007, and apologized on behalf of her family for her father's misdeeds. She claimed to have confronted Paulk as far back as the 1980s about his immorality. According to her, Paulk had confessed and promised to reform, but reneged on his promise. She was not surprised when D.E. Paulk
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had revealed he was Earl Paulk's son, and not his nephew as he had believed for all his life. D.E. Paulk had been raised as the son of Don Paulk, Earl Paulk's brother. However, the test confirmed that he was the product of an illicit relationship between Earl Paulk and his sister-in-law, Clariece
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From the first day, Paulk was committed to opening the doors of his church to all people, regardless of racial or economic background. Not surprisingly, given his opposition to segregation, he was one of the first white pastors to open the doors of his church to blacks. This stance wasn't popular
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before the ruling, the
Brewers left open the possibility of filing another suit with the same allegations. The Brewers' lawyer said they had no choice to do so because "we were having difficulty even at this point getting witnesses to speak out against the acts of Bishop Paulk and the church."
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and became known as Chapel Hill
Harvester Church. While there, the church experienced massive growth, enlarging the building several times, having services in a tent, then moving its services into a building known as the "K-Center." Between 1985 and 1988, the church broke ground on a large,
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style. Under Paulk's sister-in-law
Clariece, who headed the church's arts ministry for many years, it became known for its music ministry as well. Paulk, who had previous television and radio ministry experience, later expanded his media ministry and for many years his show aired on the
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reversed Scott's decision, citing numerous instances where Paulk himself stated under oath that he was Mona's "spiritual adviser, minister, pastor and reverend." Although Paulk's death removed him from the suit, Mona said she fully intended to continue her suit against the cathedral.
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Paulk's autobiography. The story received considerable national coverage. Paulk denied the allegations, claiming Weeks was either mentally unstable or under evil influences. However, he admitted to the adulterous affair which forced him out of
Hemphill Church of God in 1960.
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in
Decatur. Dedicated in 1991, this building was known as the "Cathedral of the Holy Spirit," and eventually the church changed its name to "the Cathedral at Chapel Hill." Paulk's church population numbers exploded during the 1990s; at its height it had 12,000 members.
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on Paulk's television program, claimed that on
September 11, 1989, Paulk felt "'impressed of the Lord' to get to know her better". She stopped by his office the next day, becoming a regular visitor. She alleged that a church official stated that there had been a
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In 1960, Paulk founded the Gospel Harvesters Evangelistic Association with his wife, his brother Don (also a former Church of God pastor), and his sister-in-law Clariece. During its early years, the church held services at St. John's Lutheran Church in the
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Paulk resigned from Hemphill in 1960. Officially, it was due to differences of opinion with Church of God leaders regarding his stance on racial integration, as well as the fact he allowed women in his church to wear
515:, in August the campus was sold to another local growing church for $ 17.6 million. The church, now led by D. E. Paulk, changed its name to Spirit and Truth Assembly and moved to another location in Decatur.
353:. It was during this time that he began preaching against racism. Years later, Paulk said that he was influenced by seeing his uncle shoot a black friend in the back for cutting corners while plowing
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Interviewed on WAGA-TV the next day, Bonner's daughter, Penny White (née Penielle Brooke Bonner) went public with allegations, previously made only in court papers, that Paulk, her grandfather, had
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spanning several decades. In 1992, six women accused Paulk, his brother Don, and two other nephews who were ministers at the cathedral, of sexual manipulation. One of them was Tricia Weeks, who had
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1 million in legal expenses for filing a frivolous suit. Under Georgia law, the second suit they filed couldn't continue until the attorneys' fees were paid. However, in February 2009, the
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Paulk, who was married to Don. Don Paulk later said that he has forgiven his brother, and said D.E.'s paternity "made no difference in my love for my brother or my son."
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While attending Furman, Paulk served as an associate pastor at his father's church in Greenville. While at Candler, he was called to his first pulpit, a Church of God in
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Paulk remained active in the civil rights movement during this time. For instance, at a meeting of Concerned Clergy, he was one of the pastors who blessed the first
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598:(GBI) suspected he was lying, and triggered an investigation that led to a court-ordered paternity test on D.E. Paulk. As a result, Earl Paulk was charged with
357:. His stance was not typical for his time; it had long been common for white Southern preachers to use the Bible to justify support for racial discrimination.
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459:. Later, he and his brother picketed a produce market which sold food to blacks at inflated prices. The resulting public outcry caused the store's closure.
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On October 14, 2007, Donnie Earl (D.E.) Paulk, who had become senior pastor of the cathedral a few months earlier, informed a shocked congregation that a
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407:., but examination of that document does not include Paulk's signature. His name does, however, appear in the second Ministers' Manifesto of 1958.
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In 1982, Paulk was ordained as a bishop in the International Communion of Charismatic Churches. His public housing ministry was named one of a "
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Not long after taking over at Hemphill, Paulk became a member of "Concerned Clergy," an interracial group of Atlanta pastors who opposed
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256:. Noted as "one of the country’s first great independent megachurches", Paulk's church gained an international reputation for combining
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Scott Thumma's dissertation The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: Megachurches In Modern American Society, Emory Univ. 1996
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In 2001, Jessica Battle, a college student who had been part of the cathedral's dance group, sued Paulk, accusing him of
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During the Brewer case, Earl Paulk had denied sleeping with anyone other than Mona Brewer. However, prosecutors and the
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In 1952, Paulk was named pastor of Atlanta's Hemphill Avenue Church of God (now Mount Paran Church of God) just as the
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on January 14, 2008. Two days later, he pleaded guilty to the charges, for which he was sentenced to ten years
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The Cathedral at Chapel Hill was famed for combining visual arts (particularly with the dance team) with a
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The Impact of Holiness Preaching as Taught by John Wesley and the Outpouring of the Holy Ghost on Racism
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teaching. Before opening his doors to the gay and lesbian community, he had close ties to the
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TV news report on multiple sex allegations of Paulk. Accessed December 12, 2007.
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her as a child. Paulk issued a statement through his lawyer denying the charge.
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Paulk's reputation was severely tarnished in his later years by allegations of
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was getting underway. He was one of the few white pastors who marched with
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Penielle Brooke White's web site, with photo. Accessed January 10, 2008.
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Paulk found his theology criticized concerning accusations of promoting
1038:"Ga. Reconstructionist Pleads Guilty to Perjury in Sex-Scandal Lawsuit"
924:"FOX 5 Atlanta - Breaking Atlanta News, Weather, SKYFOX Traffic - WAGA"
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After Paulk's death in March 2009, with the Cathedral property facing
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Sexual abuse scandals in Charismatic and Pentecostal Christianity
1016:"The Gospel According to Paulk: A Critique of "Kingdom Theology""
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section of Atlanta. It later moved to its own building in nearby
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Paulk's daughter, Beth Bonner, appeared on Atlanta station
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teacher at the Cathedral who was featured regularly as a
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revealed he was her half-brother rather than her cousin.
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Gayle White (2007). "Couple Drops Suit against Paulk".
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Paulk died early on the morning of March 29, 2009, at
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In 1972, Paulk's church moved to the southern part of
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881:"Huge church founded by Earl Paulk sells for $ 17.6M"
233:and the founder of the Cathedral at Chapel Hill, a
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46:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
752:Earl Paulk, Founder of a Megachurch, Is Dead at 81
318:in the 1940s, and earned his divinity degree from
488:(TBN). He also was a semi-regular guest on TBN's
1109:CathedralOnlineTV biography of Bishop Earl Paulk
836:The Atlanta Journal and the Atlanta Constitution
229:(May 30, 1927 – March 29, 2009) was an American
946:"The Sex scandal hits Atlanta-area megachurch"
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968:"Archbishop sentenced to 10 years probation"
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1167:Deaths from cancer in Georgia (U.S. state)
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610:Allegations by daughter and granddaughter
106:Learn how and when to remove this message
771:"Bishop Earl Paulk - CathedralOnline.tv"
287:Earl Paulk was born on May 30, 1927, in
720:"Sex charges cast pall on Bishop Paulk"
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210:Founder of the Cathedral of Chapel Hill
1172:Pentecostals from Georgia (U.S. state)
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403:from the point of view of Christian
301:Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee)
260:arts, such as dance and drama, with
44:adding citations to reliable sources
1182:People from Appling County, Georgia
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970:. 17 January 2008. Archived from
909:The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
885:The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
389:The Atlanta Ministers' Manifesto
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1162:American television evangelists
596:Georgia Bureau of Investigation
31:needs additional citations for
1014:Robert M. Bowman, Jr. (1994).
818:Princeton Theological Seminary
399:, and in general to issues of
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528:Paulk was involved with many
1187:20th-century American clergy
1157:American Pentecostal pastors
853:Atlanta Journal-Constitution
725:Atlanta Journal-Constitution
486:Trinity Broadcasting Network
646:Christian Reconstructionist
330:to attend the historically
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524:Allegations by congregants
419:with a woman at Hemphill.
387:Paulk said that he signed
324:Candler School of Theology
191:Candler School of Theology
660:after a long battle with
220:Addie Mae Tomberlin Paulk
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575:Georgia Court of Appeals
499:thousand points of light
812:Copy available through
552:Mona Manning Brewer, a
378:Ebenezer Baptist Church
283:Early life and training
1061:Cite journal requires
995:Cite journal requires
658:Atlanta Medical Center
374:Martin Luther King Sr.
366:Martin Luther King Jr.
227:Earl Pearly Paulk, Jr.
218:Earl Pearly Paulk, Sr.
134:Earl Pearly Paulk, Jr.
1126:Penielle Brooke White
944:Dorie Turner (2007).
834:"Manifesto Signers".
822:Princeton, New Jersey
549:for the Battle case.
423:Church & Ministry
405:social responsibility
362:civil rights movement
326:, becoming the first
306:Paulk graduated from
718:Gayle White (2006).
632:Theological concerns
606:and a $ 1,000 fine.
471:-style building off
40:improve this article
849:Earl Paulk timeline
417:extramarital affair
1177:Religious scandals
974:on 25 October 2012
948:. Associated Press
757:The New York Times
449:civil rights march
430:Little Five Points
401:racial integration
382:separate but equal
370:racial segregation
1040:. 1 February 2008
582:Donnie Earl Paulk
563:word of knowledge
506:George H. W. Bush
384:" was a fiction.
341:Civil rights work
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170:(2009-03-29)
150:May 30, 1927
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55:"Earl Paulk"
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38:Please help
33:verification
30:
1152:2009 deaths
1147:1927 births
638:Dominionism
513:foreclosure
393:Little Rock
349:, north of
328:Pentecostal
239:Pentecostal
235:charismatic
1141:Categories
1022:August 31,
890:2017-12-23
731:August 31,
668:References
648:movement.
547:deposition
481:liturgical
434:Inman Park
312:Greenville
258:liturgical
242:megachurch
197:Occupation
146:1927-05-30
122:Earl Paulk
96:March 2023
66:newspapers
604:probation
542:molesting
503:President
444:members.
332:Methodist
215:Parent(s)
183:Education
1086:15 April
1044:15 April
978:15 April
929:15 April
868:HighBeam
776:15 April
397:Arkansas
335:seminary
297:Savannah
201:preacher
1120:YouTube
616:WAGA-TV
600:perjury
558:soloist
457:Alabama
413:jewelry
351:Atlanta
295:, near
293:Georgia
254:Atlanta
250:Georgia
246:Decatur
158:Georgia
80:scholar
662:cancer
469:Gothic
355:cotton
266:racism
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652:Death
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453:Selma
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73:books
1088:2017
1067:help
1046:2017
1024:2007
1001:help
980:2017
954:2007
931:2017
778:2017
733:2007
640:and
165:Died
140:Born
59:news
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