This was first posted on 3/22/09
Thread #7 The three paragraphs below were written by Mike Kekel in response to Sergeant First Class Johnson's inquiries.
I didn't include his entire response because it's quite long. I wanted to address these three paragraphs in particular because frankly they are insulting to anyone with the ability to think for themselves and rightly recall the way things truly were and are in the New Testament Christian Church. Mike Kekel has willfully misrepresented the facts as I will clearly illustrate in my response. Please read Mikes response to SFC Johnson and then below that read my response to Mike's statements.
Mike Kekel wrote:
1. My reply to your questions concerning my son playing sports is already on my blog, I think that I stated my reasons and the church’s stand on this quite plainly. Here’s the dictionary definition of lascivious (adjective) (of a person, manner, or gesture) feeling or revealing an overt and often offensive sexual desire: he gave her a lascivious wink. I don’t think football pants apply here, because they are all padded, cover the knees and do not stimulate sexual desire. (Of course there are people who find feet stimulating for that matter, but those kinds of problems are within them.) When he played basketball (over three years ago, and people knew about it) he was covered below the knee with baggy pants and wore a shirt with sleeves under the tank top.
3. Don’t you find it interesting that Eric Hanna under whom you suffered such mistreatment, is no longer with us? The Organization would never have condoned the behavior you described. As under shepherds under the great Shepherd we will give an account of our works. The NTCC Seminary believes and teaches that the ministry is a sacred trust, and by definition is a life of service to God and people. Your issues are with Eric Hanna and his wife not NTCC. Did you ever report their behavior to a board member or overseer?
Chief's responses below to paragraph 1:
First I also looked up the word "Lascivious" in the dictionary and there were more definitions offered than Mike decided to calculatedly include. What that means is that Mike deliberately left out "other definitions" that were also listed in the dictionary. Here they are:
1. arousing desire: lascivious photographs 2. indicating sexual interest or expressive of lust or lewdness: a lascivious gesture
These additional definitions paint a different picture. How about the definition: "arousing desire." We have all seen football players in TIGHT football pants before; true? Butts, leg muscles and private parts tightly gripped by the pants reveling all the bodily curvature. Lets be real here; how many women do you suppose will find a man more sexually appealing in tight football pants verses a baggy set of overalls? Does that type of tight clothing not arouse sexual desire? Ask 20 women who aren't fake and see what their answer is? Mike your statement insults our intelligence. Women go crazy over guys in football pants and this is no mystery Mike. For the record, I could care less whether or not boys or men play football or for that matter I could care less about this whole lascivious issue. That is not my point. Anyone who has been in the New Testament Christian Church any length of time knows that at least 95% of the NTCC pastors to include RWD preached against the wearing of such tight clothing and they used the same logic that I just gave to support their claim. Every NTCC pastor that I ever had, (which was a total of 6) spoke or preached against this stuff and you know it Mike. Just admit that you want the old NTCC standards changed and stop being a liar because you know what you are saying is not true. You act like this stuff has been acceptable all along and that simply is not the case. Come on people, stop kidding yourselves because you know what I have written is true. Time to go to the next topic because this one is beginning to make me sick.
Chief's responses below to paragraphs 2 & 3:
You said the soul winning program was nothing like the one that he had under Hanna. Well Mike, apparently you forgot to tell that some of the other pastors. You also forgot that I sat in the conference where "YOU" talked about the blitz creek approach. Thats right, you taught it Mike. You made it like we were going to our very last battle and I remember that fact clearly. You also talked about knocking on "100" doors. Mike that is not exactly a leisurely walk in the park like you made it out to be in your previous paragraph. You also talk about giving 3 hours out of 168 and that approach is once again deliberately "Manipulative" Mike. Lets take a look at the 168 hours as if it is all free time. Estimated time may very: (7 hours a day for sleep = 49), (8 hours a day for work = 40), (1.5 hours a day just to drive back and forth for work = 7.5) and for many folks that is a conservative estimate, (2 more hours a day and this includes all meals to feed your face and feed your kids = 14), (1.5 hours a day times 5 just driving back in forth to all the NTCC church services and this is conservative because you can't forget all the folks that you always wanted us to pick up for church = 7.5), (yard work for those of us that have to take care of our own yards that haven't been told by you to sell our house to move all over the nation unlike you = 2), (being in church in the NTCC = approx 6 hours a week and that is conservative Mike after all the stuff that the NTCC would have you do and for most folks it probably = 10 hours). Lets add this up. 10+ 2+ 7.5+ 14+ 7.5+ 40+ 49= 130 and that was a very conservative estimate because add another 1 hour for sleep or figure in school time and school work if you are in the bible school and you would easily come to over 140 or even 150 hours spent a week before you even thought about soul winning. I just took a hugh chunk out of that 168 so you need to stop, as you said, "GUILT TRIPPING" folks into soul winning because that is exactly what you just did when you talked about 3 out of 168. It was a manipulative guilt trip tactic and you are just as bad as the ministers that you mentioned when you used that tactic Mike.
Also Mike you put it all on Denis and Hanna? That is weak! Hanna was your man and you know it and Denis isn't the one who placed him in Savannah and all the other places that Hanna pastored at. Hanna was a minister long before Denis was in charge. You all thought Hanna was great until he got tired of your mess. RWD had to approve every pastoral placement and you were involved also Mike. Not only that, I spent time around Denis and he was quite a bit like so many other pastors that I have seen in your organization to include your father in law. Who do you think taught Denis and placed him in all those positions Mike? Your father in law; the great founder of the NTCC. Don't blame Denis or Hanna, blame your father in law Mike. Get real.
Also Mike stated that: "The Organization would never have condoned the behavior you described." Then you asked: "Did you ever report their behavior to a board member or overseer?"
Chief wrote...
Also Mike stated that: "The Organization would never have condoned the behavior you described." Then you asked: "Did you ever report their behavior to a board member or overseer?"
Chief wrote...
The Organization does condone that type of behavior because I complained to three different overseers about Mayers who is way worse than Hanna by far and Mike Kekel even admitted to me that Mayers displays deplorable behavior as a pastor. Other pastors and overseers have made the same assessment and even talked about Mayers. So why is Mayers still in Atlanta? Because what Mike Kekel wrote is not true. I am not the only one who complained about Mayers; his helpers did also. What was done? Nothing because the first complaints starting coming to the NTCC leadership about Mayers at least as early as 2002 and the last that I knew Mayers was still a pastor in Atlanta and if he was removed today, the NTCC leadership waited 7 years too long. Cantrell complained, Bentley complained, and I complained to Jones, Kinson, and Denis.
Mr. Kekel, do you know what happened to me and my wife when we complained about an abusive pastor who even you have admitted is abusive? Your leadership blacklisted us and decided not to allow us to even attend conference after we had been going to conferences for years. Your leadership said that I couldn't even take up the offering in church (which doesn't mean jack anyway) and my wife couldn't play the piano which she is quite good at, and Olson questioned whether or not we should have even been allowed to attend fellowship meetings. That's where complaining about an abusive pastor got us Mr. Kekel. About 99% of the time anyone who complained about any pastor in the NTCC got blacklisted and you know it. Rev. Cantrell got in trouble for calling Graham and complaining about Mayers and Cantrell is a minister, so where does that put a "Lowly" church member with valid complaints when you won't even listen to your ministers? Do you know how many ministers and overseers had a problem with Denis? Mike, you had a problem with Denis and what happened to Denis? He got promoted. I rest my case. I was there when your father in law, Mr. RWD said openly in conference that if someone had a problem with one of his pastors they had a problem with him and if they had a problem with him they had a problem with GAWD. Who in the world would want to complain after hearing that statement. Mike you are fake and anyone reading this should be able to see that clearly. With your statements you are not being true to us nor are you being true to yourself because you know what goes on in the NTCC as well as anyone, and if you don't you are wrong because you are in charge.
Mike ought to be a politician because he makes all kinds of promises that he knows aren't true and doesn't intend to keep. Once again it was the NTCC leadership who put Denis in all those positions of authority. It certainly wasn't me who nominated Denis, it was the general board, and they wouldn't speak against Denis because they are all scared of old RWD. They were all afraid to speak a word against Denis so what kind of leadership is that? Sounds like the communist government to me and I am not exaggerating one bit. Everyone is so scared of old RWD and as a result no one will talk or complain against anyone so I don't even know why you asked that of SFC Johnson. Olson and RWD are all guilty of Denis having as much latitude as he did within the NTCC. Dispute that!!! Boy the truth hurts doesn't it? Every single solitary word that I just wrote is true. Matthew Reed had a problem with Denis, LD Jones had a problem with Denis, Mike Kekel had a problem with Denis. How do I know? Because they all told me they had a problem with Denis. So what is wrong with this picture? Just like I said; you are all scared of RWD and as a result filing a complaint against anyone in your organization does no good (with few exceptions) so I don't even know why you suggested such a thing.
Once again I rest my case.
Chief