with his progressive evangelical ministry only to have it crumble
after a series of sex scandals will be honored in the church he
helped build in suburban Atlanta.
the Holy Spirit at Chapel Hill Harvester Church died Sunday after a
battle with cancer. He was 81.
at the Cathedral in Decatur.
many social movements — admitting black members in the 1960s,
ordaining women and opening its doors to gays. But Paulk was dogged
for decades by accusations of molestation and sexual
misconduct.
2007 when a court-ordered paternity test showed he was the
biological father of his brother’s son, D.E. Paulk, who had become
head pastor of the church after the archbishop retired the previous
year.
never had sex with anyone but his wife, which lead to him pleading
guilty to a felony charge of lying under oath. He was sentenced to
10 years’ probation and a $1,000 fine.
comment by The Associated Press, but D.E. Paulk issued a
statement.
ministered to thousands in the Atlanta area and touched the lives
of countless thousands in the global community,” he wrote. “As the
family and church mourn his death and celebrate his life, we pray
for peace and closure for all who have been connected in any way to
his life and ministry.”
brother, Don, grew from a tiny congregation in the 1960s to a
massive empire with 10,000 members, an international television
ministry, a Bible college and a $12 million sanctuary on an
expansive 100-acre plot in Decatur. Paulk was invited to a White
House prayer breakfast by then-President Ronald Reagan, and the
church was named one of former President George Bush’s “1,000
Points of Light.”
when six female members came forward saying they were brainwashed
into having sexual relationships with Earl Paulk and Don Paulk and
other ministers at the church. A decade later, a former church
member accused Earl Paulk of molesting her when she was a child and
teenager, a lawsuit that eventually was settled out of
court.
allegation against him.
Earl Paulk and the church, saying she had been coerced into having
a long-term affair with the pastor because he told her it was her
godly duty. It was her lawsuit that led to the paternity test and
the felony charge.
prostate cancer and undergoing multiple surgeries that left him
weak and unable to make much more than one appearance at the church
each week. The church’s membership dwindled to 1,000 — mostly due
to the sexual scandals — and the flashy neo-Gothic cathedral is up
for sale for $24.5 million.
venue and continue its ministry, D.E. Paulk has
said.
Journal-Constitution that he hopes his brother will be remembered
for his work in ministry rather than the
scandals.
they’re a man,” he told the newspaper.
