facts + logic = truth
God's 007 In the spring of 1983, an unassuming, middle-aged fellow by the lofty name of Derry Mainwaring Knight appeared in Newick, East Sussex, and began attending the local Anglican church, St. Mary's. He became a regular at Bible studies and prayer meetings. He offered to hand out Christian tracts. He told the late vicar,... Continue Reading →
space Before we get into the story of Lauren Stratford, let's take a quick look at another woman who had a powerful influence on the Satanic panic of the '70s, '80s, and '90s. Without Johanna Michaelsen, Stratford and other "former Satanists" might not have achieved superstardom within the Christian community. As a former New Age... Continue Reading →
space So far, most of the ex-witches and former Satanists in this series have either faded into obscurity or died. This is not the case with Bill Schnoebelen. He was one of the very first "Ex-Men" to dominate the Christian conspiracy lecture circuit, beginning in 1984, and he is still with us. He might be... Continue Reading →
The late Irene Park is unique among the Christian converts in this series because she claimed to have been a witch for four decades, over twice as long as Doreen Irvine, before becoming a Christian minister. Her story is nearly identical to Irvine's in most key aspects, but it is far more bizarre and disturbing.... Continue Reading →
Hershel Smith Hershel Smith emerged in Southern California during the early '70s, just like Mike Warnke and John Todd. His Christian testimony was different from theirs. He wasn't lured into Satanist at college like Warnke, and he wasn't born into it like Todd. Rather, he was a Christian who became a Satanist as a child.... Continue Reading →
space John Todd as a character in the Jack Chick comic Spellbound? continued from Part I The Big Time In August 1973, Todd married Sharon Garver. He was preaching and performing faith healings on the road, having been fired from the Christian coffeehouse for allegedly hitting on teenage girls. This was the year that Todd... Continue Reading →
Part I The only positive thing I can say about the late John Todd is that he makes everyone else in this series look pretty good by comparison. At the height of his fame as a "former witch" he was also a sexual predator, a military imposter, and a practicing witch who used several aliases.... Continue Reading →
Mike Warnke Part II: The Real Story continued from Mike Warnke Part I Warnke networked widely in the evangelical community, forging ties with the Jesus People, the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship, Pentacostal preachers, Charismatics, and anyone else who unquestioningly accepted his testimony. They adored him. He was real, solid proof that an occult underground... Continue Reading →
Part I: Mike Warnke's Story In January 1972, televangelist Morris Cerullo introduced a young man named Mike Warnke to the evangelical Christian community. Cerullo had a rare specimen, indeed: A real, live former Satanist who had found Jesus and wanted to share his testimony with the world. And he had the ability to do... Continue Reading →
Since the 1960s, the fundamentalist Christian community has been moved and inspired by the testimonies of "Satanists", "witches", and "Illuminati members" who ditched their evil ways to become born again. But are the stories told by these reformed devil-worshipers actually true?In this series we'll look at some of the most famous former witches:Doreen Irvine, the... Continue Reading →
Swallowing The Camel 